Real-world user profiles via the internet of things

• US 10,270,881 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Inventors: George, William Brandon, Smith, Kevin Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokuta, Shean
• Application Number:
  US14/946,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20170149928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for generating enhanced user profiles that include “off-line” activities omitted from conventional user profiles. In one embodiment, each of two or more Internet of Things (IoT) products records usage data descriptive of a user'"'"'s interactions with the IoT product. This usage data is based on values of physical parameters measured by sensors embedded within the IoT products. In recording the usage data, an IoT product may transmit the usage and sensor data to a user profile storage device. In response to receiving the usage and sensor data from the IoT products, the user profile storage device stores the usage and sensor data and associates the usage and sensor data with the user. Additionally, the user profile storage device exposes an interface through which marketing personnel can analyze user profiles made up of the stored usage and sensor data.

Claims

1. A system comprising a profile storage device including:

a memory;

a first network interface; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and the first network interface and configured to;

receive, via the first network interface, first sensor data including a first sensor identifier and at least one first value of a first physical parameter measuring a first use of a first physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receive, via the first network interface, second sensor data including a second sensor identifier and at least one second value of a second physical parameter measuring a second use of a second physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receive, via the first network interface from at least one remote programmable device distinct from the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product, association information defining a first association between an identifier of a user and an identifier of the first physical IoT product;

receive, via the first network interface from the at least one remote programmable device, association information defining a second association between the identifier of the user and an identifier of the second physical IoT product;

classify the first sensor data to generate first usage data descriptive of the first use;

classify the second sensor data to generate second usage data descriptive of the second use;

and

associate, within an enhanced user profile describing on-line and off-line device usage, the first usage data and the second usage data with the user of the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product at least in part by identifying the first association, the second association, a third association between the first sensor identifier and an identifier of the first physical IoT product, and a fourth association between the second sensor identifier and an identifier of the second physical IoT product.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a query requesting usage data that satisfies at least one search criterion; and

respond to the query by providing usage data that satisfies the at least one search criterion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory stores:

a fifth association between the first physical IoT product and a first product type; and

a sixth association between the second physical IoT product and a second product type, the second product type being different from the first product type.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first physical parameter is an environmental parameter.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the first physical IoT product; and

a sensor included in the first physical IoT product and configured to measure the first value during the first use.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first physical IoT product includes a second network interface coupled to the sensor and configured to transmit the first value to the profile storage device via the first network interface.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising a programmable device distinct from the profile storage device and the first physical IoT product, wherein the first physical IoT product includes a second network interface, and the programmable device includes:

a third network interface configured to connect to the second network interface to receive the first value from the first physical IoT product; and

a fourth network interface configured to transmit the first value to the profile storage device via the first network interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more remote programmable devices implement a user registration component.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more remote programmable devices implement a data collecting service.

10. A method implemented by a system comprising a profile storage device including at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving first sensor data including a first sensor identifier and at least one first value of a first physical parameter measuring a first use of a first physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receiving second sensor data including a second sensor identifier and at least one second value of a second physical parameter measuring a second use of a second physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receiving, from at least one remote programmable device, association information defining a first association between an identifier of a user and an identifier of the first physical IoT product;

receiving, from the at least one remote programmable device distinct from the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product, association information defining a second association between the identifier of the user and an identifier of the second physical IoT product;

classifying the first sensor data to generate first usage data descriptive of the first use;

classifying the second sensor data to generate second usage data descriptive of the second use;

and

associating, within an enhanced user profile describing on-line and off-line device usage, the first usage data and the second usage data with a user of the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product at least in part by identifying the first association, the second association, a third association between the first sensor identifier and an identifier of the first physical IoT product, and a fourth association between the second sensor identifier and an identifier of the second physical IoT product.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a query requesting usage data that satisfies at least one search criterion; and

responding to the query by providing usage data that satisfies the at least one search criterion.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising measuring the at least one first value with a sensor identified by the first sensor identifier and included in the first physical IoT product.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the first sensor identifier and the at least one first value to the profile storage device via a network interface included in the first physical IoT product and coupled to the sensor.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising measuring, during the first use, at least one environmental parameter with a sensor identified by the first sensor identifier and included in the first physical IoT product.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions configured to instruct at least one processor to execute a method of building user profiles, the method comprising:

receiving first sensor data including a first sensor identifier and at least one first value of a first physical parameter measuring a first use of a first physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receiving second sensor data including a second sensor identifier and at least one second value of a second physical parameter measuring a second use of a second physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receiving, from at least one remote programmable device, association information defining a first association between an identifier of a user and an identifier of the first physical IoT product;

receiving, from the at least one remote programmable device distinct from the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product, association information defining a second association between the identifier of the user and an identifier of the second physical IoT product;

classifying the first sensor data to generate first usage data descriptive of the first use;

classifying the second sensor data to generate second usage data descriptive of the second use;

and

associating, within an enhanced user profile describing on-line and off-line device usage, the first usage data and the second usage data with a user of the first physical IoT product, the second physical IoT product, a third association between the first sensor identifier and an identifier of the first physical IoT product, and a fourth association between the second sensor identifier and an identifier of the second physical IoT product.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising:

receiving a query requesting usage data that satisfies at least one search criterion; and

responding to the query by providing usage data that satisfies the at least one search criterion.