Providing context-relevant information to users

• US 9,363,634 B1
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kirmse, Andrew, Leftin, Kenny J., Lee, Ivan Young, Wansley, Andrew T., Taropa, Emanuel, Berryman, Alec W., Liu, Yaxin, Venkataraman, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Stevens, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/883,181
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for predicting context-relevant information based on large-scale aggregations of data. One of the methods includes receiving a user context of a user, wherein the user context specifies a location of a user device being used by the user. Data that represents counts of websites visited by users matching the user context is obtained. Data that represents counts of websites visited by users in general is obtained. Using the obtained counts, one or more likely websites visited by users matching the user context more frequently than by users in general is determined. Information identifying the one or more likely websites in response to receiving the user context is provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a user context of a user, wherein the user context specifies a location of a user device being used by the user;

obtaining user activity data organized into sessions, each session being data representing a plurality of user activities performed by a distinct user during a respective time period, the sessions including sessions for multiple users;

obtaining matching sessions for the received user context, each matching session being a distinct session that includes data representing activities performed by respective users having a user context matching the received user context during a time period represented by the matching session;

obtaining general sessions, each general session including data representing activities performed by respective users during a time period represented by the general session;

determining, from the obtained matching sessions and the obtained general sessions, one or more context-relevant activities that occur in the matching sessions more frequently than the one or more context-relevant activities occur in the general sessions, the one or more context-relevant activities being activities performed by users matching the received user context more frequently than by users in general; and

providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities in response to receiving the user context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users accessing information about real-world entities, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the one or more real-world entities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users making a restaurant reservation at a particular restaurant, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular restaurant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users making a purchase at a particular business, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular business.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users visiting a particular restaurant, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular restaurant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users issuing search queries for one or more restaurants, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the one or more restaurants.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users submitting social network site posts, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing content from the one or more social network site posts.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user context includes one or more interests of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user context includes a home geographic location associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user context of a user comprises receiving a user context from a user device associated with the user,

and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities in response to receiving the user context comprises providing the information to the user device, and wherein the information is not provided to the user device in a response to a search query received from the user device.

11. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a user context of a user, wherein the user context specifies a location of a user device being used by the user;

obtaining user activity data organized into sessions, each session being data representing a plurality of user activities performed by a distinct user during a respective time period, the sessions including sessions for multiple users;

obtaining matching sessions for the received user context, each matching session being a distinct session that includes data representing activities performed by respective users having a user context matching the received user context during a time period represented by the matching session;

obtaining general sessions, each general session including data representing activities performed by respective users during a time period represented by the general session;

determining, from the obtained matching sessions and the obtained general sessions, one or more context-relevant activities that occur in the matching sessions more frequently than the one or more context-relevant activities occur in the general sessions, the one or more context-relevant activities being activities performed by users matching the received user context more frequently than by users in general; and

providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities in response to receiving the user context.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users accessing information about real-world entities, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the one or more real-world entities.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users making a restaurant reservation at a particular restaurant, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular restaurant.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users making a purchase at a particular business, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular business.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users visiting a particular restaurant, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular restaurant.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users issuing search queries for one or more restaurants, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the one or more restaurants.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users submitting social network site posts, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing content from the one or more social network site posts.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the user context includes one or more interests of the user.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the user context includes a home geographic location associated with the user.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the user context of a user comprises receiving a user context from a user device associated with the user,

and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities in response to receiving the user context comprises providing the information to the user device, and wherein the information is not provided to the user device in a response to a search query received from the user device.

21. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user context of a user, wherein the user context specifies a location of a user device being used by the user;

obtaining user activity data organized into sessions, each session being data representing a plurality of user activities performed by a distinct user during a respective time period, the sessions including sessions for multiple users;

obtaining matching sessions for the received user context, each matching session being a distinct session that includes data representing activities performed by respective users having a user context matching the received user context during a time period represented by the matching session;

obtaining general sessions, each general session including data representing activities performed by respective users during a time period represented by the general session;

determining, from the obtained matching sessions and the obtained general sessions, one or more context-relevant activities that occur in the matching sessions more frequently than the one or more context-relevant activities occur in the general sessions, the one or more context-relevant activities being activities performed by users matching the received user context more frequently than by users in general; and

providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities in response to receiving the user context.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users accessing information about real-world entities, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the one or more real-world entities.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users making a restaurant reservation at a particular restaurant, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular restaurant.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users making a purchase at a particular business, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular business.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users visiting a particular restaurant, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the particular restaurant.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users issuing search queries for one or more restaurants, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing information about the one or more restaurants.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the context-relevant activities comprise users submitting social network site posts, and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities comprises providing content from the one or more social network site posts.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the user context includes one or more interests of the user.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the user context includes a home geographic location associated with the user.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein receiving the user context of a user comprises receiving a user context from a user device associated with the user,

and wherein providing information related to the one or more context-relevant activities in response to receiving the user context comprises providing the information to the user device, and wherein the information is not provided to the user device in a response to a search query received from the user device.