AUGMENTING ONLINE CONTENT WITH ADDITIONAL CONTENT RELEVANT TO USER INTERESTS

• US 20100023506A1
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kennedy, Ian, Ramos, Raymund, Goffinet, Chris, Sampson, John, Kumar, Mani, Sampson, Todd, Ho, Steve, Miller, Emanuel, Kothari, Pankaj, Sahni, Saurabh
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A method of gathering information relevant to the interests of a user includes receiving activity history associated with the user from a network data source, where the activity history includes a description of a user action initiated by the user, generating a first metadata item based upon the activity history; and storing the first metadata item as user profile information associated with the user in a user profile database. Generating the first metadata item may include extracting text from the activity history and generating the first metadata item based upon the text. The activity history may include a description of a user action. The method may further include providing a server plugin for performing a second method in response to access of web content on a server by the user, the second method comprising retrieving a content object from the server, determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object, adding a web link to the web content as a reference to the content object in response to the content object being relevant to the first metadata item; and providing the web content to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of gathering information relevant to the interests of a user, the method comprising:

receiving activity history associated with the user from a network data source,

wherein the activity history includes a description of a user action, and the action is initiated by the user;

generating a first metadata item based upon the activity history; and

storing the first metadata item as user profile information associated with the user in a user profile database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first metadata item comprises:

extracting text from the activity history; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the text.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the text comprises:

using a stemming method to generate a stem word based upon the text; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the stem word.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the text comprises:

using a taxonomical lookup to generate a taxonomical category of the text; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category comprises:

generating the first metadata item, wherein the first metadata item comprises a name of the taxonomical category.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category comprises:

generating the first metadata item, wherein the first metadata item comprises a name of an object in the taxonomical category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first metadata item comprises a tag.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity history comprises a description of a user action in which the user creates online content, provides online content to the network data source, shares a web link with another user, applies a tag to another user, receives online content, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a profile vector for the user based upon their activity history; and

storing the profile vector in the user profile.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the profile vector is based upon a content object, the first metadata object, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a server plugin, the plugin for performing a second method in response to access of web content on a server by the user, the second method comprising;

retrieving the user profile from the user profile database,

retrieving a content object from the server on which the plugin is located,

determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object, and

adding a web link to the web content as a reference to the content object in response to the content object being relevant to the first metadata item; and

providing the web content to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a content vector based upon the content object;

generating a profile vector based upon the first metadata item; and

performing a similarity operation to compare the content vector to the profile vector.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the content vector comprises numeric weight values based upon the content object, and the profile vector comprises numeric weight values based upon the first metadata item.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

retrieving a second metadata item associated with the content object from the server on which the plugin is located,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the first metadata item being relevant to the second metadata item.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a relevance score based upon a similarity of the first metadata item to the content object,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the relevance score being at least a threshold value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the threshold value is based upon a type of the activity history.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a recency score based upon recency in time of a date on which the first metadata item is accessed and of a date on which the content object is accessed,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the recency score being at least a threshold value.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the content object comprises a web page.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the first metadata item as user profile information is in response to a number of times the first metadata item is generated in a defined time period being greater than a threshold value.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the threshold value is based upon a type of the activity history.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the first metadata item from the user profile database in response to a number of times the first metadata item is generated in a defined time period being less than a threshold value.

44. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the first metadata item comprises:

extracting text from the activity history; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the text.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the text comprises:

using a stemming method to generate a stem word based upon the text; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the stem word.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the text comprises:

using a taxonomical lookup to generate a taxonomical category of the text; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category comprises:

generating the first metadata item, wherein the first metadata item comprises a name of the taxonomical category.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category comprises:

generating the first metadata item, wherein the first metadata item comprises a name of an object in the taxonomical category.

22. A computer readable medium comprising program code for:

receiving activity history associated with the user from a network data source,

wherein the activity history includes a description of a user action, wherein the action is initiated by the user;

generating a first metadata item based upon the activity history; and

storing the first metadata item as user profile information associated with the user in a user profile database.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein generating the first metadata item comprises:

extracting text from the activity history; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the text.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the text comprises:

using a stemming method to generate a stem word based upon the text; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the stem word.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the text comprises:

using a taxonomical lookup to generate a taxonomical category of the text; and

generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category comprises:

generating the first metadata item, wherein the first metadata item comprises a name of the taxonomical category.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein generating the first metadata item based upon the taxonomical category comprises:

generating the first metadata item, wherein the first metadata item comprises a name of an object in the taxonomical category.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the first metadata item comprises a tag.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the activity history comprises a description of a user action in which the user creates online content, provides online content to the network data source, shares a web link with another user, applies a tag to another user, receives online content, or a combination thereof.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 22, further comprising:

generating a profile vector for the user based upon the user'"'"'s activity history; and

storing the profile vector in the user profile.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the profile vector is based upon a content object, the first metadata object, or a combination thereof.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a server plugin, the plugin comprising program code to be executed in response to accessing of web content on a server by the user, the program code comprising;

retrieving the user profile from the user profile database;

retrieving a content object from the server on which the plugin is located;

determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object; and

adding a web link to the web content as a reference to the content object in response to the content object being relevant to the first metadata item; and

providing the web content to the user.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a content vector based upon the content object;

generating a profile vector based upon the first metadata item; and

performing a similarity operation to compare the content vector to the profile vector.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the content vector comprises numeric weight values based upon the content object, and the profile vector comprises numeric weight values based upon the first metadata item.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

retrieving a second metadata item associated with the content object from the server on which the plugin is located,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the first metadata item being relevant to the second metadata item.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a relevance score based upon a similarity of the first metadata item to the content object,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the relevance score being at least a threshold value.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the threshold value is based upon a type of the activity history.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a recency score based upon recency in time of a date on which the first metadata item is accessed and of a date on which the content object is accessed,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the recency score being at least a threshold value.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein the content object comprises a web page.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein storing the first metadata item as user profile information is in response to a number of times the first metadata item is generated in a defined time period being greater than a threshold value.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the threshold value is based upon a type associated with the activity history.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 22, further comprising:

removing the first metadata item from the user profile database in response to a number of times the first metadata item is generated in a defined time period being less than a threshold value.

43. A system comprising:

a computer memory for storing instructions; and

a processor for executing the instructions, the instructions for;

receiving activity history associated with the user from a network data source,

wherein the activity history includes a description of a user action, wherein the action is initiated by the user;

generating a first metadata item based upon the activity history; and

storing the first metadata item in association with the user in a user profile database.

49. The system of claim 43, wherein the first metadata item comprises a tag.

50. The system of claim 43, wherein the activity history comprises a description of a user action in which the user creates online content, provides online content to the network data source, shares a web link with another user, applies a tag to another user, receives online content, or a combination thereof.

51. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

generating a profile vector for the user based upon their activity history; and

storing the profile vector in the user profile.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the profile vector is based upon a content object, the first metadata object, or a combination thereof.

53. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

providing a server plugin, the plugin for performing a method in response to a user accessing web content located on a server, the method comprising;

retrieving the user profile from the user profile database,

retrieving a content object from the server on which the plugin is located,

determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object, and

adding a reference to the content object in response to the content object being relevant to the first metadata item; and

providing the content to the user.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a content vector based upon the content object;

generating a profile vector based upon the first metadata item; and

performing a similarity operation to compare the content vector to the profile vector.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the content vector comprises numeric weight values based upon the content object, and the profile vector comprises numeric weight values based upon the first metadata item.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

retrieving a second metadata item associated with the content object from the server on which the plugin is located,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the first metadata item being relevant to the second metadata item.

57. The system of claim 53, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a relevance score based upon a similarity of the first metadata item to the content object,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the relevance score being at least a threshold value.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the threshold value is based upon a type of the activity history.

59. The system of claim 53, wherein determining if the first metadata item is relevant to the content object comprises:

generating a recency score based upon recency in time of a date on which the first metadata item is accessed and of a date on which the content object is accessed,

wherein the first metadata item is relevant to the content object in response to the recency score being at least a threshold value.

60. The system of claim 53, wherein the content object comprises a web page.

61. The system of claim 43, wherein storing the first metadata item as user profile information is in response to a number of times the first metadata item is generated in a defined time period being greater than a threshold value.

62. The system of claim 61, wherein the threshold value is based upon a type of the activity history.

63. The system of claim 43, further comprising:

removing the first metadata item from the user profile database in response to a number of times the first metadata item is generated in a defined time period being less than a threshold value.