Frequent sites based on browsing patterns

• US 9,374,431 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kannan, Vishwac Sena, Surti, Tanvi Saumil
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asres, Hermon
• Application Number:
  US13/923,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a frequent sites module which is designed to generate frequent sites for a user that include websites that are relevant to the user based on browsing patterns of the user. In one or more embodiments, the frequent sites are generated from user-engagement data that indicates engagement by the user with websites identified in the user'"'"'s browsing history. A web platform, e.g., a web browser, can display the frequent sites for the user in a frequent sites user interface container to enable the user to efficiently navigate to the websites that are relevant to the user by selection of websites from the frequent sites user interface container. Various embodiments describe other aspects of frequent sites based on browsing patterns, including multiple-device frequent sites, device-specific frequent sites, domain-specific frequent sites, URL-specific frequent sites, decaying of frequent sites, recent frequent sites, and contextual frequent sites.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving user-engagement data corresponding to engagement by a user with multiple websites via a web browser, the user engagement data comprising a time value indicating an amount of time of user interaction by the user with each of the multiple websites via the web browser;

calculating a navigation count for each of the multiple websites based on the user-engagement data;

generating frequent sites based on the navigation counts of the multiple websites, the frequent sites comprising websites frequently navigated to by the user via the web browser, the frequent sites including a list of two or more of the multiple websites that is ordered based on the navigation counts of the multiple websites, the frequent sites associated with the user and the list of two or more of the multiple websites comprising websites that are relevant to the user;

determining that a website listed in the frequent sites has not been navigated to by the user during a threshold browsing period;

decaying the navigation count of the website, the decaying causing a position of the website in the frequent sites to be modified; and

rendering the frequent sites in a user interface of the web browser by displaying icons representative of each website in the list of two or more of the multiple websites, the icons ordered such that websites with higher navigation counts are ordered ahead of websites with lower navigation counts in the frequent sites user interface, each of the icons selectable to initiate navigation to the respective website via the web browser.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user-engagement data comprises indications of multiple user interactions with each of the multiple websites.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the multiple user interactions with the multiple websites comprises one or more of clicking on links on the websites, typing data into data entry fields on the websites, scrolling the websites, watching videos on the websites, or listening to audio on the websites.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating the navigation count comprises:

calculating, for each navigation to one of the multiple websites, a navigation value for the navigation based on user-engagement with the website during the navigation; and

calculating the navigation count for the website as a sum of the navigation values of each navigation to the website.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user-engagement data is received from at least two different computing devices associated with the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the website listed in the frequent sites has not been navigated to by the user during an additional threshold browsing period; and

removing the website from the frequent sites, wherein the additional threshold browsing period is greater than the threshold browsing period.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a user has a level of engagement with a website that is above a threshold in a recent time period; and

causing the website to be included in the frequent sites.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the frequent sites further comprises generating the frequent sites to include at least one additional website based on a current context of the user.

9. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, implements a web platform that performs operations comprising;

receiving multiple-device frequent sites corresponding to a user, the multiple-device frequent sites generated specifically for the user based on the user'"'"'s browsing history via multiple computing devices, the multiple-device frequent sites comprising websites frequently navigated to by the user via the web platform;

modifying the multiple-device frequent sites using a local browsing history of the computing device to generate device-specific frequent sites corresponding to the user;

in response to determining that a website listed in the multiple-device frequent sites has not been navigated to by the user during a threshold browsing period, causing a position of the website in the multiple-device frequent sites to be modified; and

causing the device-specific frequent sites to be rendered in a frequent sites user interface container of the web platform by displaying selectable icons that are representative of the device-specific frequent sites in the frequent sites user interface container.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the web platform performs operations further comprising modifying the multiple-device frequent sites by listing websites included in the local browsing history ahead of websites that are not included in the local browsing history in the device-specific frequent sites.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the device-specific frequent sites include at least one website that is not included in the multiple-device frequent sites.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein user'"'"'s browsing history includes user-engagement data corresponding to engagement by the user with websites identified in the user'"'"'s browsing history.

18. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the web platform comprises a web browser.

19. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the web platform performs operations further comprising:

determining that the website listed in the multiple-device frequent sites has not been navigated to by the user during an additional threshold browsing period; and

removing the website from the multiple-device frequent sites.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the additional threshold browsing period is greater than the threshold browsing period.

13. One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a processor, perform operations comprising:

receiving browsing history data of a user that indicates navigation by the single user to one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) associated with one or more domains;

determining a URL-specific navigation count for each URL identified in the browsing history data;

calculate a domain-specific navigation count for each domain identified in the browsing history data as a sum of the URL-specific navigation count for each URL within the domain;

generate frequent sites based on the domain-specific navigation counts, the frequent sites comprising websites frequently navigated to by the user via a web platform;

in response to determining that a website listed in the frequent sites has not been navigated to by the user during a threshold browsing period, cause a position of the website in the frequent sites to be modified; and

render icons representative of each URL of the frequent sites in a frequent sites user interface container of the web platform, the icons ordered such that URL'"'"'s with higher domain-specific navigation counts are ordered ahead of URL'"'"'s with lower domain-specific navigation counts in the frequent sites user interface container, each of the icons selectable to initiate navigation to the respective URL via the web platform.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the instructions, responsive to execution by the processor, perform operations further comprising selecting the URL with a highest URL-specific navigation count of each domain in the frequent sites to represent the domain in the frequent sites.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the frequent sites include a maximum of one URL for each domain in the frequent sites.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the URL-specific navigation count is determined based at least in part on user-engagement data that indicates engagement by the user with URLs identified in the browsing history data.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the web platform comprises a web browser.