Application store tastemaker recommendations

• US 8,433,620 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Futty, Joseph, Dyor, Matthew Graham, Lange, Danny, Abel, Miller T.
• Primary Examiner(s): STOPP, COURTNEY L
• Application Number:
  US12/939,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.7, 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons

Abstract

An application store tastemaker recommendation service is usable to determine experts within a user'"'"'s social network(s), receive recommendations from the experts, and filter and/or rank mobile application query results based at least in part on the recommendations. Additionally, the service may be usable to determine experts based on data compiled about previous actions, reviews, comments, etc., of the experts. Further, the service may be usable to provide recommendations to the user to aid in selecting mobile applications for purchase, and may provide an avenue for completing such purchases.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performed by one or more processors executing computer-readable instructions;

receiving a request to search for a mobile application available in a mobile application store;

determining a collection of available mobile applications based at least in part on the search;

determining a social acquaintance of a user;

querying a mobile application store of the social acquaintance of the user for mobile applications purchased for and/or previously installed on the device of the social acquaintance;

filtering the collection of available mobile applications based at least in part whether an application that is determined to be in the collection of available mobile applications has been at least one of purchased for or previously installed on the device of the social acquaintance of the user;

determining whether the acquaintance of the user is a tastemaker; and

if the acquaintance is determined to be a tastemaker;

collecting data from the tastemaker;

ranking the filtered collection of available mobile applications based at least in part on the data collected from the tastemaker; and

displaying the ranked collection of available mobile applications to the user; and

if the acquaintance is determined not to be a tastemaker;

receiving an indication to search for one or more tastemakers from among the user'"'"'s acquaintances or acquaintances of the user'"'"'s acquaintances.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the acquaintance of the user is a tastemaker is based at least in part on an indication from the user, or is based at least in part on data collected about whether the acquaintance has at least one of purchased, installed, written reviews about, or answered polls about a mobile application, and wherein the tastemaker comprises a user with perceived expertise regarding mobile applications.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a poll regarding the collection of available mobile applications;

providing the poll to the tastemaker or a social acquaintance of the tastemaker;

receiving an answered poll; and

storing the answered poll in a publicly accessible server.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the filtering of the collection of available mobile applications or the ranking of the filtered collection is further based at least in part on the answered poll.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a review associated with the application determined to be in the collection of available mobile applications, and wherein at least one of the filtering of the collection of available mobile applications or the ranking of the filtered collection is further based at least in part on the review.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising recursively determining tastemakers of tastemakers by determining that an acquaintance of a tastemaker is a tastemaker based at least in part on an indication from the user or the tastemaker, or based at least in part on data collected about whether the acquaintance of the tastemaker has at least one of purchased, installed, written reviews about, or answered polls about a mobile application.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data collected from the tastemaker comprises at least one of poll question answers, mobile application reviews, user reviews of a tastemaker'"'"'s advice, applications the tastemaker has purchased, installed or uninstalled on a device of the tastemaker, whether others have followed the tastemaker'"'"'s advice, one or more devices, categories of devices, categories of mobile applications, technologies about which the tastemaker is an expert, or a number of tastemakers that the tastemaker knows.

8. One or more computer-readable media devices storing instructions that, when executed, configure one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving a request to search for a mobile application available in a mobile application store;

determining a collection of available mobile applications based at least in part on the search;

determining a social acquaintance of a user;

querying a mobile application store of the social acquaintance of the user for mobile applications purchased for and/or previously installed on the device of the social acquaintance;

filtering the collection of available mobile applications based at least in part whether an application that is determined to be in the collection of available mobile applications has been at least one of purchased for or previously installed on the device of the social acquaintance of the user;

determining whether the acquaintance of the user is a tastemaker; and

if the acquaintance is determined to be a tastemaker;

collecting data from the tastemaker;

ranking the filtered collection of available mobile applications based at least in part on the data collected from the tastemaker; and

displaying the ranked collection of available mobile applications to the user; and

if the acquaintance is determined not to be a tastemaker;

receiving an indication to search for one or more tastemakers from among the user'"'"'s acquaintances or acquaintances of the user'"'"'s acquaintances.

9. The one or more computer-readable media devices of claim 8, wherein the determining of whether the acquaintance of the user is a tastemaker is based at least in part on an indication from the user, or is based at least in part on data collected about whether the acquaintance has at least one of purchased, installed, written reviews about, or answered polls about a mobile application, and wherein the tastemaker comprises a user with perceived expertise regarding mobile applications.

10. The one or more computer-readable media devices of claim 8, the acts further comprising:

creating a poll regarding the collection of available mobile applications;

providing the poll to the tastemaker or a social acquaintance of the tastemaker;

receiving an answered poll; and

storing the answered poll in a publicly accessible server.

11. The one or more computer-readable media devices of claim 8, wherein at least one of the filtering of the collection of available mobile applications and/or the ranking of the filtered collection is further based at least in part on the answered poll.

12. The one or more computer-readable media devices of claim 8, the acts further comprising receiving a review associated with the application determined to be in the collection of available mobile applications, and wherein at least one of the filtering of the collection of available mobile applications or the ranking of the filtered collection is further based at least in part on the review.

13. The one or more computer-readable media devices of claim 8, the acts further comprising recursively determining tastemakers of tastemakers by determining that an acquaintance of a tastemaker is a tastemaker based at least in part on an indication from the user or the tastemaker, or based at least in part on data collected about whether the acquaintance of the tastemaker has at least one of purchased, installed, written reviews about, or answered polls about a mobile application.

14. The one or more computer-readable media devices of claim 8, wherein the data collected from the tastemaker comprises at least one of poll question answers, mobile application reviews, user reviews of a tastemaker'"'"'s advice, applications the tastemaker has purchased, installed or uninstalled on a device of the tastemaker, whether others have followed the tastemaker'"'"'s advice, one or more devices, categories of devices, categories of mobile applications, technologies about which the tastemaker is an expert, or a number of tastemakers that the tastemaker knows.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors and memory, the memory storing one or more modules executable by the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving a request to search for a mobile application available in a mobile application store;

determining a collection of available mobile applications based at least in part on the search;

determining a social acquaintance of a user;

querying a mobile application store of the social acquaintance of the user for mobile applications purchased for and/or previously installed on the device of the social acquaintance;

filtering the collection of available mobile applications based at least in part whether an application that is determined to be in the collection of available mobile applications has been at least one of purchased for or previously installed on the device of the social acquaintance of the user;

determining whether the acquaintance of the user is a tastemaker; and

if the acquaintance is determined to be a tastemaker;

collecting data from the tastemaker;

ranking the filtered collection of available mobile applications based at least in part on the data collected from the tastemaker; and

displaying the ranked collection of available mobile applications to the user; and

if the acquaintance is determined not to be a tastemaker;

receiving an indication to search for one or more tastemakers from among the user'"'"'s acquaintances or acquaintances of the user'"'"'s acquaintances.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining of whether the acquaintance of the user is a tastemaker is based at least in part on an indication from the user, or is based at least in part on data collected about whether the acquaintance has at least one of purchased, installed, written reviews about, and/or answered polls about a mobile application, and wherein the tastemaker comprises a user with perceived expertise regarding mobile applications.

17. The system of claim 15, the acts further comprising:

creating a poll regarding the collection of available mobile applications;

providing the poll to the tastemaker or a social acquaintance of the tastemaker;

receiving an answered poll; and

storing the answered poll in a publicly accessible server.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the filtering of the collection of available mobile applications or the ranking of the filtered collection is further based at least in part on the answered poll.

19. The system of claim 15, the acts further comprising receiving a review associated with the application determined to be in the collection of available mobile applications, and wherein at least one of the filtering of the collection of available mobile applications or the ranking of the filtered collection is further based at least in part on the review.

20. The system of claim 15, the acts further comprising recursively determining tastemakers of tastemakers by determining that an acquaintance of a tastemaker is a tastemaker based at least in part on an indication from the user or the tastemaker, or based at least in part on data collected about whether the acquaintance of the tastemaker has at least one of purchased, installed, written reviews about, or answered polls about a mobile application.