Affinity Based Ranked For Search And Display

• US 20120215771A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Steiner, Matthew S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/30 in albums, collections or shared content, e.g. social network photos or video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for affinity based ranking and display of digital photographs. In one aspect, a method includes receiving an identifier that identifies a first user; accessing data defining relationships of the first user to second users; accessing digital photographs; determining digital photographs that are each associated with one or more of the first user and the second users; for each digital photograph, generating a photograph score based on the association with one or more of the first user and the second users and corresponding affinity scores representing the relationships of the first user to the second users; ordering the digital photographs according photograph scores; and providing one or more of the digital photographs to a user device of the first user according to the order.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a data processing apparatus, an identifier that identifies a first user;

accessing, at the data processing apparatus, data defining relationships of the first user to second users;

accessing, at the data processing apparatus, digital photographs;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, digital photographs that are each associated with one or more of the first user and the second users;

for each digital photograph, generating a photograph score based on the association with one or more of the first user and the second users and corresponding affinity scores representing the relationships of the first user to the second users;

ordering the digital photographs according photograph scores; and

providing, by the data processing apparatus, one or more of the digital photographs to a user device of the first user according to the order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining digital photographs that are each associated with one or more of the first user and the second users comprises determining digital photographs that include images of one or more of the first user and second users; and

generating a photograph score based on the association with one or more of the first user and the second users comprises generating the photograph score based on the images of first or second users that are determined to be included in the digital photograph and corresponding affinity scores representing the relationships of the first user to the second users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing data defining relationships of the first user to second users comprises:

accessing data defining a social circle that includes the first user and second users, wherein each second user is explicitly related to the first user by a relationship that is explicitly defined by the first user and the second user; and

for each second user that is explicitly related to the first user;

accessing data defining a social circle that includes the second user and other second users, wherein each other second user is related to the second user by a relationship that is explicitly defined by the second user and the other second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing data defining relationships of the first user to second users comprises accessing data defining a plurality of social circles of the user, each social circle defining:

a list of users that include one or more other than the user as a proper subset of users of a network; and

a relationship of the user to the one or more other users;

wherein at least one social circle defines an explicit relationship of the first user to one or more second users and at least one social circle defines an implicit relationship of the first user to one or more second users.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the explicit relationship is of a predefined relationship type in a social network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the implicit relationship based on user interactions between the first user and the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs of the second user taken by the first user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user is further based, in part, on a time that each of the digital photographs of the second user taken by the first user was generated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs of the second user that the first user has tagged with the identity of the second user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user is further based, in part, on a time that that the first user tagged each of the digital photographs.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining a combination of weighted affinity scores for all identified users for which a photograph interaction is identified and weights corresponding to the photograph interactions.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs of the first user taken by the second user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user is further based, in part, on a time that each of the digital photographs of the first user taken by the second user was generated.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs in which images of the first user and the second user co-occur.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in a digital photograph index, data identifying a subset of the digital photographs, the subject identifying only the digital photographs having photograph scores that exceed a score threshold and indexed to the identifier that identifies the user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the score threshold is the photograph score being one of a highest N photographs'"'"' scores, where N is a number that is less than a number of photograph scores generated for the user identifier.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in a digital photograph index for each digital photograph, an association of the digital photograph with a plurality of user identifiers, wherein each user identifier is a user identifier for which a photograph score for the digital photograph exceeded a score threshold.

18. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a computer server device, an identifier that identifies a first user;

identifying, by the computer server device, a first group of one or more other users that the first user has identified as being members of the first user'"'"'s social network;

identifying, by the computer server device, a second group of one or more other users with whom the first user has communicated;

determining, by the computer server device, a plurality of relationship strengths for the first user and at least one of the other users in the first and second groups;

receiving, at the computer server device, one or more digital photographs;

determining, by the computer server device, within the one or more digital photographs, the presence of images of the first user, other users in the first group, and other users in the second group;

ranking, by the computer server device, the one or more digital photographs based on the determined presence of images of the first user, and the plurality of relationship strengths; and

,

providing, by the computer server device, one or more of the ranked digital photographs.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ranking identifies digital photographs that include images of the first user and images of other users in the first or second groups.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the ranking identifies digital photographs taken by the first user that include images of other users in the first or second groups.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the ranking identifies digital photographs taken by other users in the first and second groups that include images of the first user.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the images are provided in response to a request by the first user for a web page.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifier of the first user is received in response to a submission of first user login information.

24. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving an identifier that identifies a first user;

accessing data defining relationships of the first user to second users;

accessing digital photographs;

determining digital photographs that are each associated with one or more of the first user and the second users;

for each digital photograph, generating a photograph score based on the association with one or more of the first user and the second users and corresponding affinity scores representing the relationships of the first user to the second users;

ordering the digital photographs according photograph scores; and

providing one or more of the digital photographs to a user device of the first user according to the order.

25. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein:

determining digital photographs that are each associated with one or more of the first user and the second users comprises determining digital photographs that include images of one or more of the first user and second users; and

generating a photograph score based on the association with one or more of the first user and the second users comprises generating the photograph score based on the images of first or second users that are determined to be included in the digital photograph and corresponding affinity scores representing the relationships of the first user to the second users.

26. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein accessing data defining relationships of the first user to second users comprises:

accessing data defining a social circle that includes the first user and second users, wherein each second user is explicitly related to the first user by a relationship that is explicitly defined by the first user and the second user; and

for each second user that is explicitly related to the first user;

accessing data defining a social circle that includes the second user and other second users, wherein each other second user is related to the second user by a relationship that is explicitly defined by the second user and the other second user.

27. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein accessing data defining relationships of the first user to second users comprises accessing data defining a plurality of social circles of the user, each social circle defining:

a list of users that include the user and one or more other users as a proper subset of users of a network; and

a relationship of the user to the one or more other users;

wherein at least one social circle defines an explicit relationship of the first user to one or more second users and at least one social circle defines an implicit relationship of the first user to one or more second users.

28. The computer storage medium of claim 27, wherein the explicit relationship is of a predefined relationship type in a social network.

29. The computer storage medium of claim 28, wherein the implicit relationship based on user interactions between the first user and the second user.

30. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs of the second user taken by the first user.

31. The computer storage medium of claim 30, wherein the affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user is further based, in part, on a time that each of the digital photographs of the second user taken by the first user was generated.

32. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs of the second user that the first user has tagged with the identity of the second user.

33. The computer storage medium of claim 32, wherein the affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user is further based, in part, on a time that that the first user tagged each of the digital photographs.

34. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs of the first user taken by the second user.

35. The computer storage medium of claim 34, wherein the affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user is further based, in part, on a time that each of the digital photographs of the first user taken by the second user was generated.

36. The computer storage medium of claim 24, wherein generating the photograph score for each digital photograph comprises determining, for each relationship of the first user to a second user, an affinity score that measures the relationship of the first user to the second user based, in part, on a value that is proportional to a number of digital photographs in which images of the first user and the second user co-occur.

37. The computer storage medium of claim 24, further comprising:

storing, in a digital photograph index, data identifying a subset of the digital photographs, the subject identifying only the digital photographs having photograph scores that exceed a score threshold and indexed to the identifier that identifies the user.

38. The computer storage medium of claim 37, wherein the score threshold is the photograph score being one of a highest N photographs'"'"' scores, where N is a number that is less than a number of photograph scores generated for the user identifier.