Broadcasting in chat system without topic-specific rooms

• US 8,312,090 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Monica
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US13/038,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A method, system and graphical user interface for a chat system is disclosed. One aspect of certain embodiments includes broadcasting popular messages to users that have not previously received the popular messages and including with the popular messages one or more qualitative signals based on user feedback.

Claims

1. A method for disseminating messages in a communication system, comprising:

at a server having one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors;

for a respective message in a plurality of messages;

identifying users in a plurality of users for whom there is a match between one or more words in the respective message and a focus specification index generated for the plurality of users;

sending to the identified users the respective message; and

receiving from at least a subset of the identified users feedback data regarding a respective author of the respective message;

evaluating the feedback data for identifying one or more popular messages associated with the respective author; and

in accordance with the identifying of one or more popular messages, sending at least a portion of the one or more popular messages to a second plurality of users.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

processing focus specifications of the plurality of users to generate the focus specification index.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending one or more additional messages to the identified users.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more additional messages include one or more advertisements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of users includes users of the plurality of users who have not previously received the one or more popular messages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the focus specification index is an inverted index based on the focus specifications of the plurality of users, the method including:

determining a level of popularity for the respective message based at least on a number of matches associated with the focus specification index; and

sending to at least a subset of the identified users one or more messages that exceed a preselected level of popularity.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

processing words recently entered by users in the plurality of users to generate a second inverted index; and

determining the level of popularity for the respective message also based on a number of matches associated with the second inverted index.

8. A method for disseminating messages in a communication system, comprising:

at a server having one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors;

for a respective message in a plurality of messages;

identifying users in a plurality of users for whom there is a match between one or more words in the respective message and a focus specification index generated for the plurality of users; and

sending to the identified users the respective message;

receiving from at least a subset of the identified users feedback data regarding respective authors of the plurality of messages;

evaluating the feedback data for identifying popular messages; and

in accordance with the identifying of popular messages, sending at least a portion of the popular messages to a second plurality of users.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second plurality of users includes users of the plurality of users who have not previously received the popular messages.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the focus specification index is an inverted index based on the focus specifications of the plurality of users, the method including:

determining a level of popularity for the respective message based at least on a number of matches associated with the focus specification index; and

sending to at least a subset of the identified users one or more messages that exceed a preselected level of popularity.

11. A method for disseminating messages in a communication system, comprising:

at a server having one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors;

for a respective message in a plurality of messages;

identifying users in a plurality of users for whom there is a match between one or more words in the respective message and a focus specification index generated for the plurality of users; and

sending to the identified users the respective message;

receiving from at least a subset of the identified users feedback data regarding respective authors of the plurality of messages;

evaluating the feedback data for identifying popular messages and respective authors of the popular messages; and

in accordance with the identifying of popular messages, sending messages by the respective authors of the popular messages to a second plurality of users.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of users includes users of the plurality of users who have not previously received the popular messages.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the focus specification index is an inverted index based on the focus specifications of the plurality of users, the method including:

determining a level of popularity for the respective message based at least on a number of matches associated with the focus specification index; and

sending to at least a subset of the identified users one or more messages that exceed a preselected level of popularity.

14. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

for a respective message in a plurality of messages;

identifying users in a plurality of users for whom there is a match between one or more words in the respective message and a focus specification index generated for the plurality of users;

sending to the identified users the respective message; and

receiving from at least a subset of the identified users feedback data regarding a respective author of the respective message;

evaluating the feedback data for identifying one or more popular messages associated with the respective author; and

in accordance with the identifying of one or more popular messages, sending at least a portion of the one or more popular messages to a second plurality of users.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

processing focus specifications of the plurality of users to generate the focus specification index.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the focus specification index is an inverted index based on the focus specifications of the plurality of users, the one or more programs including instructions for:

determining a level of popularity for the respective message based at least on a number of matches associated with the focus specification index; and

sending to at least a subset of the identified users one or more messages that exceed a preselected level of popularity.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

processing words recently entered by users in the plurality of users to generate a second inverted index; and

determining the level of popularity for the respective message also based on a number of matches associated with the second inverted index.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a computer system, the one or more programs including instructions for:

for a respective message in a plurality of messages;

identifying users in a plurality of users for whom there is a match between one or more words in the respective message and a focus specification index generated for the plurality of users;

sending the identified users the respective message; and

receiving from at least a subset of the identified users feedback data regarding a respective author of the respective message;

evaluating the feedback data for identifying one or more popular messages associated with the respective author; and

in accordance with the identifying of one or more popular messages, sending at least a portion of the one or more popular messages to a second plurality of users.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

processing focus specifications of the plurality of users to generate the focus specification index.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the focus specification index is an inverted index based on the focus specifications of the plurality of users, the one or more programs including instructions for:

determining a level of popularity for the respective message based at least on a number of matches associated with the focus specification index; and

sending to at least a subset of the identified users one or more messages that exceed a preselected level of popularity.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

processing words recently entered by users in the plurality of users to generate a second inverted index; and

determining the level of popularity for the respective message also based on a number of matches associated with the second inverted index.