System and method for generating a user interface by auctioning space on the user interface to self-determining, content-providing modules

• US 9,304,660 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CloudMade Ltd. (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: CloudMade Ltd. (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Brown, James Ward Jr., Black, Nicholas James Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Drennan, Barry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pringle-Parker, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/410,290
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method is provided for generating a dynamic, user interface that is capable of frequently changing and learning to provide the most relevant information to the user. The method includes executing a plurality of user interface (UI) modules on a computing device. Each UI module is a software component that provides content for display in the user interface. Each UI module determines its own content and its own priority level and bids for user interface space using its determined priority level. A UI controller is executed on the computing device. The UI controller is a software component that receives bids for the UI modules, determines the number of available spots for UI modules in the user interface, and selects UI modules associated with the highest priority for display in the available user interface spots.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a user interface (UI) on a computing device, wherein the user interface displays information for a plurality of categories of content, the method comprising:

executing a plurality of UI modules on the computing device, wherein each UI module is a software component that provides content within a particular category for display in the user interface, wherein each UI module ranks data relevant to its category based at least in part on user profile information and determines its content by selecting the highest-ranked data in its category for bidding for display in the user interface such that any lesser-ranked data in its category is not selected for bidding for display in the user interface, determines a priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category for the purpose of bidding for user interface space against other UI modules, and bids for user interface space using the determined priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category, and wherein at least one UI module ranks data associated with physical locations, and, in ranking the data, takes into account the proximity of said physical locations to the device; and

executing a UI controller on the computing device, wherein the UI controller is a software component that receives bids from the UI modules, determines the number of available spots for UI modules in the user interface, and selects UI modules associated with the highest priorities for display in the available user interface spots, wherein each bid received from a UI module includes the priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category as determined by the UI module and the UI controller is able to upgrade or downgrade said priority level based at least in part on the category of content the UI module displays.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UI controller informs UI modules whether or not they won space in the user interface and reports clicks to UI modules that are clicked on, and wherein each UI module displayed in the user interface uses information on whether or not it was clicked on when displayed in the user interface in determining future priority levels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the UI controller monitors bids from UI modules and, in response to receiving a bid from a UI module with a higher priority than a UI module currently being displayed in the user interface, the UI controller replaces the currently-displayed UI module with the UI module having the higher priority.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface has a plurality of modes and the UI controller determines the number of available spots for UI modules in the user interface based on the current mode of the user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data in various categories was downloaded to the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a UI module uses user profile information, current context, and past user click history to determine the priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user profile information includes past behavior and expressed user interests.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a navigation device.

9. A computing device having a user interface (UI) display, the device comprising:

a plurality of UI modules executing on one or more processors of the computing device, wherein each executing UI module is a software component that provides content within a particular category for display in the user interface, wherein each UI module ranks data relevant to its category based at least in part on user profile information and determines its content by selecting the highest-ranked data in its category for bidding for display in the user interface such that any lesser-ranked data in its category is not selected for bidding for display in the user interface, determines a priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category for the purpose of bidding for user interface space against other UI modules, and bids for user interface space using the determined priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category, and wherein at least one UI module ranks data associated with physical locations, and, in ranking the data, takes into account the proximity of said physical locations to the device; and

a UI controller executing on one or more processors of the computing device, wherein the UI controller is a software component that receives bids from the UI modules, determines the number of available spots for UI modules in the user interface, and selects UI modules associated with the highest priorities for display in the user interface, wherein each bid received from a UI module includes the priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category as determined by the UI module and the UI controller is able to upgrade or downgrade said priority level based at least in part on the category of content the UI module displays.

10. The computing device of claim 9 further comprising:

a data ranking module executing on each of the plurality of UI modules, wherein the data ranking module is a software component that ranks data downloaded from a remote server to the computing device, wherein the ranking indicates a level of likely interest to a user of the computing device, wherein the data ranking module uses the user profile information to rank the data, and wherein one or more of the UI modules use the ranked data to determine their content.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the user profile information includes places the user has been and content on which the user has clicked in the user interface.

12. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising code, that, when executed by one or more processors on a computing device, enables the computer system to perform the following method for generating user interface (UI) modules on the computing device:

providing a plurality of UI modules, wherein each UI module is a software component that provides content within a particular category for display and wherein each UI module ranks data relevant to its category based at least in part on user profile information and determines its content by selecting the highest-ranked data in its category for bidding for display in the user interface such that any lesser-ranked data in its category is not selected for bidding for display in the user interface, determines a priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category for the purpose of bidding for user interface space against other UI modules, and bids for user interface space using the determined priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category, and wherein at least one UI module ranks data associated with physical locations, and, in ranking the data, takes into account the proximity of said physical locations to the device;

receiving bids from the plurality of UI modules for space in the user interface;

determining the number of available spots for UI modules in the user interface; and

selecting UI modules associated with the highest priorities for display in the available user interface spots, wherein each bid received from a UI module includes the priority level of the highest-ranked data in its category as determined by the UI module and the priority level of each UI module is able to be upgraded or downgraded based at least in part on the category of content the UI module displays.

13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

informing the UI modules whether or not they have been selected for a space in the user interface; and

reporting clicks to UI modules that are clicked on, wherein the UI modules use click information, including absence of a click, in determining future priority levels.

14. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

monitoring bids from UI modules; and

in response to receiving a bid from a UI module with a higher priority than a UI module currently being displayed in the user interface, replacing the currently-displayed UI module with the UI module having higher priority.

15. The computer program of claim 14, further comprising:

adjusting the number of available spots for UI modules in response to a change in mode for the user interface.

16. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the UI modules rank data relevant to their categories and determine their content from data downloaded to the computing device.