Providing customized information to a user based on identifying a trend

• US 8,649,779 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Leeder, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US13/619,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/410, 379/207.02, 379/119, 705/35, 705/7, 705/14, 705/500
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

To provide customized information to the user, a wireless communications network node receives a stream of data associated with a user. A first trend associated with at least a first attribute in the stream of data is identified, and based on the identified first trend, customized information is sent for presentation to the user at a mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of providing customized information, comprising:

receiving, at a wireless communications network node, a stream of data;

identifying, at the wireless communications network node, a first trend associated with at least a first attribute in the stream of data by performing a first trend detection algorithm if the first attribute is associated with a flat trend and performing a second trend detection algorithm if the first attribute is associated with a hierarchical trend, a trend being a usage level associated with the user that exceeds a predefined threshold;

obtaining customized information based on the identified first trend; and

sending, by the wireless communications network node, the customized information to a mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the customized information comprises sending advertising information based on the identified first trend.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing selected items of the data that are representative of the first trend; and

discarding other items of the data that are not representative of the first trend.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a second trend associated with a second attribute in the stream of data;

based on the identified second trend, sending further customized information for presenting to the user at the mobile station.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing further selected items of the data that are representative of the second trend; and

discarding other items of the data not representative of either the first trend or second trend.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected items are stored in a data structure, the method further comprising:

pruning items from the data structure that are not indicative of the first trend.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first trend is a hierarchical trend, and

wherein the selected items are stored in a tree structure having nodes at multiple levels, the method further comprising:

constructing the tree structure in a top-down manner.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the first trend is a hierarchical trend, and

wherein the selected items are stored in a tree structure having nodes at multiple levels, the method further comprising:

constructing the tree structure in a bottom-up manner.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the customized information from a second server.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending the identified first trend to the second server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises selecting the customized information based on the identified first trend.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing selected items of the data that are representative of the first trend in a first type of data structure in response to determining that the first attribute is associated with a flat trend; and

storing selected items of the data that are representative of the first trend in a tree structure in response to determining that the first attribute is associated with a hierarchical trend.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a first threshold indicative of a minor trend for the first attribute;

defining a second threshold indicative of a major trend for the first attribute; and

wherein identifying the first trend comprises identifying the major trend for the first attribute.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified first trend is one of the following plural types:

percentage-based usage type;

cardinality-based usage type; and

interval-based usage type, the method further comprising;

defining one or more thresholds for the identified first trend based on the type of the first trend.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network node is associated with an advertisement module.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network node comprises an advertisement module.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network node is in communication with an advertisement module.

15. A network node for use in a communications network, comprising:

an interface to receive a stream of data;

a processor to;

identify a first trend associated with at least an attribute in the stream of data by performing a first trend detection algorithm if the first attribute is associated with a flat trend and performing a second trend detection algorithm if the first attribute is associated with a hierarchical trend, a trend being a usage level associated with the user that exceeds a predefined threshold;

obtain customized information based on the identified first trend;

send the customized information to a user station; and

provide a pointer to selected items of the data that have been stored for the identified first trend.

16. The network node of claim 15, wherein the processor is to discard other data not associated with the identified first trend.

17. The network node of claim 15, wherein the processor is to further:

store the selected items in a first type of data structure in response to determining the attribute is associated with a flat trend; and

store the selected items of the data in a tree structure in response to determining that the attribute is associated with a hierarchical trend.

18. The network node of claim 15, wherein the customized information includes targeted advertising information.

19. The network node of claim 15, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the customized information from a second server.

20. The network node of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to send the identified first trend to the second server.

21. The network node of claim 15, wherein the obtaining comprises selecting the customized information based on the identified first trend.

25. The network of claim 15, wherein the communications network is associated with an advertisement module.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the communications network comprises an advertisement module.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the communications network is in communication with an advertisement module.