System and method for targeting information based on message content

• US 9,002,725 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Carobus, Alexander Paul, Wang, Niniane, Jacobs, Jared, Coleman, Keith, Mahadevan, Uma
• Primary Examiner(s): Gartland, Scott D
• Application Number:
  US11/215,543
• Time in Patent Office: 3,508 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A method of serving an electronic document in response to a client request includes identifying an electronic document requested by a client. At least one information entity matching at least one predetermined information entity type is extracted from the electronic document. One or more links are then generated for each extracted information entity and are served to the requesting client in connection with other information corresponding to the at least one information entity and the electronic document. In some embodiments the electronic document is an email message, SMS message, transcribed voice message, or a combination of such messages. In some embodiments the extracted information entity is a physical address, an email address, a phone number, an object identification number, a product name, a company name, a stock symbol, a movie title, a book title, a calendar entry, an individual'"'"'s name, a city name, a URL, or event information.

Claims

1. A method of serving an electronic document in response to a client request, comprising:

on a server system having one or more processors that execute one or more programs stored in memory of the server system, responding to a request for an electronic document, the request received from a remotely located client, wherein the request is initiated by a user of the requesting client, the responding including;

extracting from the requested electronic document at least one information entity identified as matching at least one predefined information entity type;

generating one or more links associated with the at least one information entity; and

serving the one or more links, information corresponding to the at least one information entity, and the electronic document to the requesting client, wherein the one or more links include a link containing a search query selected from a group consisting of a search query for a geographic map, a search query for driving directions, a search query for a weather forecast of a location, a search query for a stock price, and a search query for a movie schedule at a predefined movie theater.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

submitting a search query to a predefined information server, the query corresponding to the at least one information entity;

obtaining from the predefined information server query results associated with the submitted search query; and

serving the query results to the requesting client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document is a message selected from a group consisting of one or more email messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted at least one information entity is an entity selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a phone number, an object identification number, a product name, a company name, a stock ticker symbol, a movie title, a book title, a calendar entry, an individual'"'"'s name, a city name, a URL, predefined event information and flight information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the object identification number is a package shipment tracking number and the one or more links include a link containing a search query for a shipment status of a package identified by the package shipment tracking number.

21. The method of claim 1, the at least one information entity is extracted by one or more information entity modules, each module corresponding to at least one predefined information entity type.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one information entity is extracted by two or more information entity modules and wherein at least one of the information entity modules depends on information entities extracted by another one of the information entity modules.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information entity modules are configured to sequentially execute in an order consistent with the dependencies of one or more of the modules.

6. A method of displaying an electronic document in response to a client request, comprising:

on a client system having one or more processors that execute one or more programs stored in memory of the client system to perform the method, in response to a request for an electronic document initiated by a user of the client system;

obtaining from a remotely located server system the electronic document and one or more links generated in response to the request, the one or more links corresponding to at least one information entity identified in the requested electronic document, and wherein the at least one information entity is identified as matching at least one predefined information entity type; and

displaying at the client system the one or more links alongside the electronic document, wherein the one or more links include a link containing a search query selected from a group consisting of a search query for a geographic map, a search query for driving directions, and a search query for a weather forecast of a location, a search query for a stock price, and a search query for a movie schedule at a predefined movie theater.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic document is a message selected from a group consisting of one or more email messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one information entity is an entity selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a phone number, an object identification number, a product name, a company name, a stock ticker symbol, a movie title, a book title, a calendar entry, an individual'"'"'s name, a city name, a URL, predefined event information and flight information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the object identification number is a package shipment tracking number and the one or more links include a link containing a search query for a shipment status of a package identified by the package shipment tracking number.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more links include a link to a user'"'"'s contact list.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more links include a link to a user'"'"'s calendar.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a computer system, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions, for execution at a server system, for responding to a request for an electronic document, the request received from a remotely located client, wherein the request is initiated by a user of the requesting client, including;

instructions for extracting from the requested electronic document at least one information entity identified as matching at least one predefined information entity type;

instructions for generating one or more links associated with the at least one information entity; and

instructions for serving the one or more links, information corresponding to the at least one information entity, and the electronic document to the requesting client, wherein the one or more links include a link containing a search query selected from a group consisting of a search query for a geographic map, a search query for driving directions, a search query for a weather forecast of a location, a search query for a stock price, and a search query for a movie schedule at a predefined movie theater.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the server system to:

submit a search query to a predefined information server, the query corresponding to the at least one information entity;

obtain from the predefined information server query results associated with the submitted search query; and

serve the query results to the requesting client.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the electronic document is a message selected from a group consisting of one or more email messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the extracted at least one information entity is an entity selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a phone number, an object identification number, a product name, a company name, a stock ticker symbol, a movie title, a book title, a calendar entry, an individual'"'"'s name, a city name, a URL, predefined event information and flight information.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the object identification number is a package shipment tracking number and the one or more links include a link containing a search query for a shipment status of a package identified by the package shipment tracking number.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the at least one information entity is extracted by one or more information entity modules, each module corresponding to at least one predefined information entity type.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the at least one information entity is extracted by two or more information entity modules and wherein at least one of the information entity modules depends on information entities extracted by another one of the information entity modules.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the information entity modules are configured to sequentially execute in an order consistent with the dependencies of one or more of the modules.

13. A server system for serving an electronic document in response to a client request, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions which when executed by the one or more processors cause the server system to respond to a request for an electronic document, the request received from a remotely located client, wherein the request is initiated by a user of the requesting client, the instructions including;

instructions for extracting from the requested electronic document at least one information entity identified as matching at least one predefined information entity type;

instructions for generating one or more links associated with the at least one information entity; and

instructions for serving the one or more links, information corresponding to the at least one information entity, and the electronic document to the requesting client, wherein the one or more links include a link containing a search query selected from a group consisting of a search query for a geographic map, a search query for driving directions, a search query for a weather forecast of a location, a search query for a stock price, and a search query for a movie schedule at a predefined movie theater.

14. The server system of claim 13, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the server system to:

submit a search query to a predefined information server, the query corresponding to the at least one information entity;

obtain from the predefined information server query results associated with the submitted search query; and

serve the query results to the requesting client.

15. The server system of claim 13, wherein the electronic document is a message selected from a group consisting of one or more email messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.

16. The server system of claim 13, wherein the extracted at least one information entity is an entity selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a phone number, an object identification number, a product name, a company name, a stock ticker symbol, a movie title, a book title, a calendar entry, an individual'"'"'s name, a city name, a URL, predefined event information and flight information.

17. The server system of claim 16, wherein the object identification number is a package shipment tracking number and the one or more links include a link containing a search query for a shipment status of a package identified by the package shipment tracking number.

18. The server system of claim 13, wherein:

the at least one information entity is extracted by one or more information entity modules, each module corresponding to at least one predefined information entity type.

19. The server system of claim 18, wherein the at least one information entity is extracted by two or more information entity modules and wherein at least one of the information entity modules depends on information entities extracted by another one of the information entity modules.

20. The server system of claim 19, wherein the information entity modules are configured to sequentially execute in an order consistent with the dependencies of one or more of the modules.