Referent determination from selected content

• US 8,825,671 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nordstrom, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US13/646,654
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/748
• 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

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods for identifying an entity based on selected content are provided. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a referent entity, from a list of entities, based on user-selectable content of a file and a context in which the user-selectable content is selected from the file by a user, and providing an identification of the entity to a user device. Systems, graphical user interfaces, and machine-readable media are also provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying an entity based on selected content, the method comprising:

identifying a referent entity, from a list of entities, based on user-selectable content of a file and based on a context in which the user-selectable content is selected from the file by a user; and

providing an identification of the entity to a user device,

wherein the referent entity is identified as a specific person, specific place, or specific physical object and wherein the referent entity is associated with a weight value indicating a likelihood that the referent entity is a referent of the user-selectable content.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the context comprises at least one of:

a current location of the device, a past location of the device, the type of the device, a previous use of the user-selectable content by the user or another user, a search query, information on another user associated with the user, the file from which the user-selectable content was selected, and the remaining content from which the user-selectable content was selected.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the referent entity is identified based on the number of occurrences of an entity from the list of entities identified in the selected content.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the list of entities comprises, for a plurality of entities, at least one of a text identifier or an image identifier.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2,

wherein the file is a web page, and

wherein identifying the at least one referent entity of the user-selectable content is based on at least one of other web pages that link to the web page, other web pages that are linked to from the web page, text on the web page, or an image on the web page.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the another user associated with the user is identified based on at least one of the user'"'"'s contact listing, the user'"'"'s online social network data, or the user'"'"'s electronic correspondence, and wherein the referent entity is identified based on a previous selection of a referent entity by the other user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the referent entity is identified based on at least one entity from the list of entities identified in a response to a search query of the selected content.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the search query comprises a search query of the user or another user, and wherein the referent entity is identified based on a web page previously selected in response to a search query comprising at least a portion of the user-selectable content.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the referent entity is identified based on proximity of at least one entity from the list of entities identified in the user-selectable content to the current location of the device or a past location of the device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the previous use of the user-selectable content by the user or another user comprises a previous selection by the user or another user of a referent entity of content that comprises at least a portion of the user-selectable content.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the referent entity is identified based on a proximity of entities, to the current location of the device, from the list of entities identified in the user-selectable content that have at least a predetermined ranking value in a result listing of a search query that comprises at least a portion of the user-selectable content.

12. A system for identifying an entity based on selected content, the system comprising:

a memory comprising user-selectable content;

a processor configured to;

identify a referent entity, from a list of entities, based on user-selectable content of a file and based on a context in which the user-selectable content is selected from the file by a user,

wherein the referent entity is identified as a specific person, specific place, or specific physical object and wherein the referent entity is associated with a weight value indicating a likelihood that the referent entity is a referent of the user-selectable content.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the context comprises at least one of a current location of a user device used to select the user-selectable content, a past location of the device, the type of the device, a previous use of the user-selectable content by the user or another user, a search query, information on another user associated with the user, the file from which the user-selectable content was selected, and the remaining content from which the user-selectable content was selected.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to identify the referent entity based on the number of occurrences of an entity from the list of entities identified in the selected content.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the list of entities comprises, for a plurality of entities, at least one of a text identifier or an image identifier.

16. The system of claim 13,

wherein the file is a web page, and

wherein the processor is configured to identify the at least one referent entity of the user-selectable content based on at least one of other web pages that link to the web page, other web pages that are linked to from the web page, text on the web page, or an image on the web page.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the another user associated with the user is identified based on at least one of the user'"'"'s contact listing, the user'"'"'s online social network data, or the user'"'"'s electronic correspondence, and wherein the processor is configured to identify the referent entity based on a previous selection of a referent entity by the other user.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to identify the referent entity based on at least one entity from the list of entities identified in a response to a search query of the user-selectable content.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the search query comprises a search query of the user or another user, and wherein the processor is configured to identify the referent entity based on a web page previously selected in response to a search query comprising at least a portion of the user-selectable content.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to identify the referent entity based on proximity of at least one entity from the list of entities identified in the user-selectable content to the current location of the device or a past location of the device.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the previous use of the user-selectable content by the user or another user comprises a previous selection by the user or the other user of a referent entity of content that comprises at least a portion of the user-selectable content.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to identify the referent entity based on a proximity of entities, to the current location of the device, from the list of entities identified in the user-selectable content that have at least a predetermined ranking value in a result listing of a search query that comprises at least a portion of the user-selectable content.

23. A graphical user interface for identifying an entity based on selected content, the graphical user interface comprising:

a processor configured to display a content selection interface configured to receive user-selectable content from a device,

wherein at least one referent entity of the user-selectable content is identified from a list of entities based on a context in which the user-selectable content is selected from the file by a user,

wherein the at least one referent entity is identified as a specific person, specific place, or specific physical object and wherein the at least one referent entity is associated with a weight value indicating a likelihood that the at least one referent entity is a referent of the user-selectable content.

24. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions for causing a processor to execute a method for identifying an entity based on selected content, the method comprising:

identifying a referent entity, from a list of entities, based on user-selectable content of a file and based on a context in which the user-selectable content is selected from the file by a user,

wherein an identifier of the entity is present in the user-selectable content, and

wherein the identifier of the entity is present, with at least a predetermined ranking value, in a result listing of a search query that comprises at least a portion of the user-selectable content,

wherein the referent entity is identified as a specific person, specific place, or specific physical object and wherein the referent entity is associated with a weight value indicating a likelihood that the referent entity is a referent of the user-selectable content.