INTERACTIONS AMONG ONLINE DIGITAL IDENTITIES

• US 20100049770A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collarity Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Collarity Incorporated
• Inventors: ISMALON, Emil
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided, which includes constructing first and second user profiles for respective first and second users, by observing respective online behaviors of the first and second users. The first and second user profiles are projected onto an N-dimensional vector space as respective first and second vectors. An interaction between the first and second vectors in the vector space is modeled. Responsively to the modeled interaction, at least one entity is modified, the entity selected from the group consisting of: the first user profile, and the first vector. Content is presented to the first user responsively to the modified entity. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

constructing first and second user profiles for respective first and second users, by observing respective online behaviors of the first and second users;

projecting the first and second user profiles onto an N-dimensional vector space as respective first and second vectors;

modeling an interaction between the first and second vectors in the vector space;

responsively to the modeled interaction, modifying at least one entity selected from the group consisting of;

the first user profile, and the first vector; and

presenting content to the first user responsively to the modified entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying the at least one entity comprises modifying the first user profile, and wherein presenting the content comprises presenting the content responsively to the modified first user profile.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein modifying the first user profile comprises transferring information from the second user profile to the first user profile.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein modifying comprises modifying both the first user profile and the second user profile responsively to the modeled interaction.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying the at least one entity comprises modifying the first vector, and wherein presenting the content comprises presenting the content responsively to the modified first vector.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein modifying the first vector comprises moving the first vector closer to the second vector in the vector space.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein modifying comprises modifying both the first vector and the second vector responsively to the modeled interaction.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein projecting comprises identifying one or more topics, and using the topics as coordinates of the vector space, and wherein the first and second vectors represent respective strengths of interest of the first and second users in the topics.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the one or more topics are represented as respective topic association graphs (TAGs), each of which includes a plurality of vertices, each of which vertices is linked to one or more other vertices by respective edges.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein modeling the interaction comprises defining a sphere of influence for the second user, and wherein modifying comprises modifying the at least one entity only upon finding that the first user falls within the sphere of influence of the second user.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein modeling the interaction comprises probabilistically modeling the interaction between the first and second vectors.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein presenting the content comprises presenting search results to the first user responsively to the modified entity and a search query received from the first user.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein presenting the content comprises presenting an online advertisement to the first user responsively to the modified entity.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second user profiles are represented as respective personal association graphs (PAGs), each of which includes a plurality of vertices, each of which vertices is linked to one or more of the other vertices by respective edges.

15. Apparatus comprising:

an interface; and

a processor, configured to construct first and second user profiles for respective first and second users, by observing, via the interface, respective online behaviors of the first and second users, to project the first and second user profiles onto an N-dimensional vector space as respective first and second vectors, to model an interaction between the first and second vectors in the vector space, to modify, responsively to the modeled interaction, at least one entity selected from the group consisting of;

the first user profile, and the first vector, and to present, via the interface, content to the first user responsively to the modified entity.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one entity is the first user profile, and wherein the processor is configured to modify the first user profile, and to present the content responsively to the modified first user profile.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to modify the first user profile by transferring information from the second user profile to the first user profile.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one entity is the first vector, and wherein the processor is configured to modify the first vector, and to present the content responsively to the modified first vector.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to modify the first vector by moving the first vector closer to the second vector in the vector space.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to project by identifying one or more topics, and using the topics as coordinates of the vector space, and wherein the first and second vectors represent respective strengths of interest of the first and second users in the topics.

21. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to model the interaction by defining a sphere of influence for the second user, and modifying the at least one entity only upon finding that the first user falls within the sphere of influence of the second user.

22. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the content includes search results, and wherein the processor is configured to present the search results to the first user, via the interface, responsively to the modified entity and a search query received from the first user.

23. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the content includes an online advertisement, and wherein the processor is configured to present the online advertisement to the first user, via the interface, responsively to the modified entity.

24. A computer software product, comprising a tangible computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to construct first and second user profiles for respective first and second users, by observing respective online behaviors of the first and second users, to project the first and second user profiles onto an N-dimensional vector space as respective first and second vectors, to model an interaction between the first and second vectors in the vector space, to modify, responsively to the modeled interaction, at least one entity selected from the group consisting of:

the first user profile, and the first vector, and to present content to the first user responsively to the modified entity.

25. The product according to claim 24, wherein the at least one entity is the first user profile, and wherein the instructions cause the computer to modify the first user profile, and to present the content responsively to the modified first user profile.

26. The product according to claim 25, wherein the instructions cause the computer to modify the first user profile by transferring information from the second user profile to the first user profile.

27. The product according to claim 24, wherein the at least one entity is the first vector, and wherein the instructions cause the computer to modify the first vector, and to present the content responsively to the modified first vector.

28. The product according to claim 27, wherein the instructions cause the computer to modify the first vector by moving the first vector closer to the second vector in the vector space.

29. The product according to claim 24, wherein the instructions cause the computer to project by identifying one or more topics, and using the topics as coordinates of the vector space, and wherein the first and second vectors represent respective strengths of interest of the first and second users in the topics.

30. The product according to claim 24, wherein the content includes search results, and wherein the instructions cause the computer to present the search results to the first user responsively to the modified entity and a search query received from the first user.

31. The product according to claim 24, wherein the content includes an online advertisement, and wherein the instructions cause the computer to present the online advertisement to the first user responsively to the modified entity.