METHOD AND APPARATUS OF DETERMINING TIME FOR SENDING INFORMATION

• US 20150169698A1
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Qi, Jiancheng, Jia, Liang
• Application Number:
  US14/568,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169698A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses of determining a time for sending information, wherein a method includes obtaining n1 time periods during which an information receiving party most often opens information based on a result of statistics collected in advance for information related behavior of the information receiving party; and determining an information sending time for the information receiving party using the n1 time periods. The methods of present disclosure can predict a proper sending time for an information receiving party according to information related behavior of the information receiving party, which improves the probability that the information receiving party opens the information, and thereby promotes the effect of effectively reading the information.

Claims

1. A method of determining a time for sending information, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of time periods during which an information receiving party most often opens information based on a result of statistics collected in advance for information related behavior of the information receiving party; and

determining an information sending time for the information receiving party using the plurality of time periods.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to obtaining the plurality of time periods, the method further comprises:

determining whether the information related behavior of the information receiving party is sufficient for obtaining the plurality of time periods during which the information receiving party most often opens the information;

if affirmative, performing the obtaining of the plurality of time periods;

or

determining whether the information receiving party has opened any information, and if affirmative, performing the obtaining of the plurality of time periods.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the statistics in advance for the information related behavior of the information receiving party comprises:

traversing a historical record of the information receiving party within a first defined time duration;

counting respective numbers of times of information receiving and opening by the information receiving party in each time period;

determining an information opening rate of the information receiving party in each time period using a ratio between the respective numbers of times of information opening and receiving; and

setting multiple time periods having first highest information opening rates as the plurality of time periods during which the information receiving party most often opens information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the information sending time comprises selecting a time period from the plurality of time periods as the information sending time for the information receiving party.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising marking as invalid a latest time period of a second defined time duration during which the information receiving party does not open the information in advance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the information sending time comprises:

determining, for the information receiving party, whether the plurality of time periods include a time period that is not marked as invalid; and

in response to determining that the plurality of time periods include one or more time periods that are not marked as invalid, selecting a time period from the one or more time periods that are not marked as invalid in the plurality of time periods as the information sending time.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising marking as invalid a time period of the first defined time duration during which the information receiving party does not open the information and a number of times that the information is received exceeds a preset number of times in advance.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining, for the information receiving party, whether the plurality of time periods include a time period that is not marked as invalid;

in response to determining that the plurality of time periods does not include any periods that are not marked as invalid, determining whether one or more time periods, that are other than the plurality of time periods and are not marked as invalid, exist;

in response to determining that the one or more time periods, that are other than the plurality of time periods and are not marked as invalid, exist, selecting a time period of the one or more time periods that are not marked as invalid as the information sending time for the information receiving party; and

in response to determining that no time period, that are other than the plurality of time periods and are not marked as invalid, exists, selecting a time period from all available time periods as the information sending time for the information receiving party.

9. One or more computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

obtaining a plurality of time periods during which users in a region where an information receiving party is located open information most often based on a result of statistics collected in advance about information related behavior of the users in the region where the information receiving party is located; and

determining an information sending time for the information receiving party using the plurality of time periods.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, the acts further comprising:

determining whether the information related behavior of the information receiving party is sufficient for obtaining the plurality of time periods during which the information receiving party most often opens information, and if not, performing the obtaining of the plurality of time periods;

or

determining whether the information receiving party has opened any information, and if not, performing the obtaining of the plurality of time periods.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein collecting the statistics in advance about the information related behavior of the users in the region where the information receiving party is located comprises:

traversing a historical record associated with the users in the region where the information receiving party is located within a third set duration;

counting respective numbers of times of information opening and receiving by the users in the region where the information receiving party is located in each time period;

determining an information opening rate of the users in the region where the information receiving party is located in each time period using a ratio between the respective numbers of times of information opening and receiving; and

setting multiple time periods having first highest information opening rates as the plurality of time periods during which the users in the region where the information receiving party is located most often open information.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein determining the information sending time comprises selecting a time period from the plurality of time periods as the information sending time for the information receiving party.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, the acts further comprising marking as invalid a latest time period of a fourth defined time duration during which the information receiving party does not open the information in advance.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein determining the information sending time comprises:

determining, for the information receiving party, whether a time period that is not marked as invalid exists in the plurality of time periods; and

in response to determining that one or more time periods that are not marked as invalid exist in the plurality of time periods, selecting a time period from the one or more time periods that are not marked as invalid in the plurality of time periods as the information sending time.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, the acts further comprising marking as invalid a time period of the third defined time duration during which the information receiving party does not open the information and a number of times that the information is received exceeds a preset number of times in advance.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein determining the information sending time comprises:

determining, for the information receiving party, whether a time period that is not marked as invalid exists in the plurality of time periods; and

in response to determining that no time period that is not marked as invalid exists in the plurality of time periods, determining whether one or more time periods, other than the plurality of time periods, that are not marked as invalid exist;

in response to determining that the one or more time periods, that are other than the plurality of time periods and are not marked as invalid, exist, selecting a time period of the one or more time periods that are not marked as invalid as the information sending time for the information receiving party; and

in response to determining that no time period, that are other than the plurality of time periods and are not marked as invalid, exists, selecting a time period from all available time periods as the information sending time for the information receiving party.

17. An apparatus of determining a time for sending information, the apparatus comprising:

a first time period acquisition unit, used for obtaining a plurality of time periods during which an information receiving party most often opens information based on a result of statistics collected in advance about information related behavior of the information receiving party; and

a sending time determination unit, used for determining an information sending time for the information receiving party using the plurality of time periods.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the apparatus further comprising a user identification unit which:

determines whether the information related behavior of the information receiving party is sufficient for obtaining the plurality of time periods during which the information receiving party most often opens the information, and if affirmative, triggering the first time period acquisition unit to perform an operation;

or

determines whether the information receiving party has opened any information, and if affirmative, triggering the first time period acquisition unit to perform the operation.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, the apparatus further comprising a first behavioral statistics collection unit used for collecting the statistics about the information related behavior of the information receiving party, and performing:

traversing a historical record of the information receiving party within a first defined time duration;

counting respective numbers of times of information receiving and opening by the information receiving party in each time period;

determining an information opening rate of the information receiving party in each time period using a ratio between the respective numbers of times of information opening and receiving; and

setting multiple time periods having first highest information opening rates as the plurality of time periods during which the information receiving party most often opens information.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, the apparatus further comprising a time period marking unit used for marking as invalid a latest time period of a second defined time duration during which the information receiving party does not open the information in advance, wherein the sending time determination unit comprises:

a first determination subunit used for determining, for the information receiving party, whether the plurality of time periods include a time period that is not marked as invalid; and

a time period selection subunit used for selecting a time period from time periods that are not marked as invalid in the plurality of time periods as the information sending time when a determining result of the first determination subunit is positive.