Processing Data Obtained From a Presence-Based System

• US 20110106620A1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Louie, Darren H., Duchastel de Montrouge, Nicolas, Heron, Alexandra K., Cretu, Vlad, Joy, George, Leung, Kitty L., Rejtman, Diego E., Vyaghrapuri, Ramesh K., Setiawan, Henry W., Mirza, Muneer, Kanazawa, Keiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

Functionality is described for collecting data from a presence-based system, such as an instant messaging system. The functionality can extract information from the collected data based on one or more rules. For instance, the functionality can identify presence data and/or message data that includes predetermined key words. The functionality can formulate result information based on the extracted information for presentation to a recipient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting, by one or more processors, data from a presence-based system implemented on one or more servers that enables a plurality of users to exchange one or more instant text messages in an instant message session;

extracting, by the one or more processors, demographic information on the plurality of users from the collected data, the extracting including;

scrubbing personal data that identifies each of the users from the collected data;

assigning a unique reference identifier to data that originated from each of the users;

eliminating duplicate data on each of the users based on the unique reference identifiers;

organizing the collected data based on the demographic information to prepare a report; and

providing the report to a report recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting uses:

a push-based technique;

a pull-based technique;

or both a push-based technique and a pull-based technique.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the demographic information comprises one or more of:

age information of users of the presence-based system;

gender information of the users;

or

geographical location information associated with the users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is based on at least one criterion specified by the report recipient, wherein the providing of the report to the report recipient comprises providing the report upon payment of a fee.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving authorization from at least one user to collect data associated with the at least one user.

6. A system comprising:

a presence-based system that provides an instant message session for a plurality of users to exchange one or more instant text messages;

a collecting module that collects data from the instant text messages, the collected data at least including textual data of the instant text messages;

a data processing module that extracts information from the collected data by comparing the textual data of the one or more instant text messages with one or more predetermined terms, and extract parts of the textual data that match the one or more predetermined terms for a time interval;

a data application module that formulates result information based on the extracted information for presentation to a recipient, the result information including a frequency that each predetermined term appeared in the textual data of the one or more instant text messages during the time interval; and

a presentation module that presents the result information to an entity.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the collected data further includes at least one of permission data or subscription data.

8. One or more computer storage devices having computer readable instructions stored thereon, executable by one or more processors to implement modules comprising:

a presence-based communication module to receive a designation of one or more specific users from a group of users that are able to view the personal message as part of the identity of the sending user in one or more corresponding instant message sessions, the identity of the sending user without the personal message being otherwise viewable to the group of users in respective instant message sessions, the presence-based communication module to provide the personal message for display on a session interface of a computing device that belongs to a recipient user during the instant message session when the recipient user is included in the one or more specific users designated as being able to view the personal message as part of the identity of the sending user;

a collecting module to collect data from a presence-based system that enables a plurality of users to exchange one or more instant text messages in an instant message session via session interfaces on corresponding computing devices, the collected data at least including textual data of each instant message and a personal message adopted by a sending user for display as part of an identity of the sending user in a corresponding session interface;

a data processing module to extract information from the collected data by comparing the textual data of the one or more instant text messages with one or more predetermined terms, and extract parts of the textual data that match the one or more predetermined terms for a time interval;

a data application module to formulate result information based on the extracted information for presentation to a recipient, the result information including a frequency that each predetermined term appeared in the textual data of the one or more instant text messages during the time interval; and

a presentation module to present the result information to an entity.

9. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the collected data further includes at least one of permission data or subscription data.

10. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the presentation module is to further present an advertisement to the one or more specific users that are designated as being able to view the personal message, the advertisement being textually related to the personal message.

11. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 10, wherein the advertisement includes a link that identifies one or more additional users that have information related to the personal message.

12. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the collected data further includes data that indicates a current activity the sending user.

13. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the personal message includes information on an item that the sending user desires to sell to the recipient user.

14. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the collected data corresponds to information regarding a media item that at least one of the plurality of users is consuming on a corresponding computing device while engaged in the instant message session on the corresponding computing device.

15. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the extracted information comprises one or more predetermined key words.

16. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 15, wherein the one or more key words include one or more names of individuals.

17. The s one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the data application module is to express the result information as a report that conveys aggregated findings that are based on the extracted information associated with at least one of the plurality of users over an identified span of time.

18. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 17, wherein the report conveys the aggregated findings in the context of at least one demographic category.

19. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 17, wherein the report conveys the aggregated findings for a defined group of individuals.

20. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 8, wherein the personal message includes contact information of the sending user.