Contextual mobile local search based on social network vitality information

• US 8,005,906 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsang, Audrey Y., Hayashi, Nathanael Joe, Ott, Edward Stanley IV, Wascovich, Daniel James, Quoc, Michael, Fukuda, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Shingles; Kristie D
• Application Number:
  US12/117,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method are directed to managing contextual based mobile searches. A context oriented user interface interprets inputs from a mobile user based on vitality information. In one embodiment, the input may be interpreted as a request to perform a context-based search over a network using at least some of the vitality information. Vitality information may include a location of the mobile device, a time of day, an event, information from the mobile user'"'"'s calendar, past behavior of the mobile user, weather, social networking data, aggregate behaviors, or even information about proximity of a social contact. By employing vitality information to perform a mobile search, better search results and a richer user experience may be provided that includes a sense of community, a sense of presence (e.g., a sense of “here-ness.”). In one embodiment, the mobile user may provide comments to others regarding the search results.

Claims

1. A method to manage a search over a network, comprising:

receiving, from a client device, vitality information that includes at least a location of the client device and a mood of a user of the client device;

employing the vitality information including the location and a time of day associated with the client device to determine a social networking context;

receiving, from a server device, social networking information that includes at least an aggregated mood of a predefined group of social networking members; and

automatically selecting and displaying a list of applications based on the social networking information, including the aggregated mood for the group, the vitality information, and a user input, wherein the list of applications includes a contextual-search application that performs actions, including;

while receiving portions of a search input request;

performing a social networking context based search using the received portions of the search input request and the determined social networking context; and

providing at least one result of the social networking context based search to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein while receiving portions of the search input request, further comprises:

providing a list of one or more applications to the client device that are selected based on the determined social networking context and the received portion of the search input request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the social networking context based search further comprises modifying an input to a search application with the determined social networking context information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the social networking context based search using the received portions of the search input request further comprises using less than an entire search input request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least one result of the social networking context based search further comprises providing a review of the at least one result, wherein the review is from at least one of a social networking contact within a first degree separation from the user of the client device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the vitality information further includes information from a calendar associated with the user of the client device, and wherein the determined social networking context is further determined based on the information from the calendar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least on result is ordered based on additional social networking information provided by at least one member of a social network associated with the user of the client device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable non-volatile storage medium that includes data, wherein the execution of the data provides for the management of a mobile search over a network by enabling actions, including:

receiving vitality information that includes at least a location of a client device, a mood of a user of the client device, and information from a calendar associated with the user of the client device;

employing the vitality information including the location and calendar information to determine a social networking context;

receiving, from a server device, social networking information that includes at least an aggregated mood of a predefined group of social networking members; and

automatically selecting and displaying a list of applications based on the social networking information, including the aggregated mood for the group, the vitality information, and a user input, wherein the list of applications includes a contextual-search application that performs actions, including;

while receiving portions of a search input request;

performing a social networking context based search using the received portions of the search input request and the determined social networking context; and

providing at least one result of the social networking context based search to the client device.

9. The computer-readable non-volatile storage medium of claim 8, wherein while receiving portions of a search input request further comprises:

providing a list of at least one application for use at the client device, wherein the at least one application is determined based on the determined social networking context and the received portions of the search input request.

10. The computer-readable non-volatile storage medium of claim 8, wherein the execution of the data provides actions, further including:

receiving a comment from the client device for at least one result; and

sharing the received comment with a plurality of users within a social network associated with the user of the client device.

11. The computer-readable non-volatile storage medium of claim 8, wherein the information from a calendar further comprises information indicating activities by the user around a time of day.

12. The computer-readable non-volatile storage medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one result is ordered based on additional social networking information from a member of a social network associated with the user.

13. The computer-readable non-volatile storage medium of claim 8, wherein performing a social networking context based search using the received portions of the search input request and the determined social networking context further comprises:

receiving information about a feature of at least one result of the search; and

modifying the search input request with the received information such that the at least one result of the search is further based on the received information.

14. A method for enabling a search over a network for a client device, comprising:

sending over the network, vitality information that includes at least a location of the client device, a mood of a user of the client device, and information from a calendar associated with the client device, wherein the vitality information is useable to determine a social networking context for the user of the client device;

collecting social networking information that includes at least an aggregated mood of a predefined group of social networking members; and

automatically selecting and displaying a list of applications based on the social networking information, including the aggregated mood for the group, the vitality information, and a user input, wherein the list of applications includes a contextual-search application that performs actions, including;

while receiving portions of a search input request over the network, providing in response at least one result of a social networking context based search that is based on the received portions of the search input request combined with at least some of the determined social networking context information, including the location and calendar information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein sending portion of the search input request further comprises sending less that the complete search input request comprising a text string.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein while sending portions of a search input request further comprises:

additionally sending a list of applications selected based on the sent portions of the search input request combined with at least some of the determined social networking context information; and

enabling the user of the client device to select from the list of applications.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sending, over the network, a comment associated with the at least one result, wherein the comment is useable for another social networking context based search by another client device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one result further includes at least one recommendation from a member of a social network associated with the user.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one result is ordered based on additional social networking information obtained from members within a first degree of separation from the user.