Monitoring conversations to identify topics of interest

• US 9,384,186 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harari, Ron, Artman (Arad), Ronen
• Primary Examiner(s): ORTIZ SANCHEZ, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/124,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,968 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring conversations of a community of users to identify topics of interest is provided. A user community which is based partly on social networking connections relative to a first user is identified. Conversations involving at least one member of the identified user community are monitored. Based in part on an aggregated analysis of the monitored conversations, keywords are selected to present to the first user. The first user is then provided with a display in which the selected keywords associated with the user community are presented to the first user such that the first user can select a keyword to access content associated therewith.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring, using at least one processor, a plurality of communications between members of a user community, wherein the user community is associated with a first user and is based in part on social networking relationships between users;

identifying terms from the monitored communications and a frequency of each term being used by each member;

selecting keywords to present to the first user based at least partly on an aggregated frequency of the terms used in the monitored communications and a determination of those terms that distinguish the user community from other communities; and

causing, using the at least one processor, the first user to be presented with a first display associated with an instant messaging application, separate from a second display of an instant messaging conversation, in which each of the keywords is selectable to access content associated with the respective keyword.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display includes an identifier of the user community to enable the first user to identify an association between the keywords and the user community.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a plurality of communications between members of a second user community, wherein the second user community is associated with the first user and is based in part on social networking connections between users and wherein the monitored communications include at least one member of the second user community;

selecting a second set of keywords to present to the first user based at least partly on an aggregated frequency of terms used in the monitored communications between members of the second user community and a determination of those terms that distinguish the second user community from other communities; and

causing the first user to be presented with a third display in which each of the keywords of the second set of keywords is selectable to access content associated with the respective keyword.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the third display includes an identifier of the second user community to enable the user to identify an association between the second set of keywords and the second user community.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications comprise one or more of emails and instant messages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the first user to be presented with a first display includes causing the first user to be presented with the first display during construction of a communication by the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting keywords is further based in part on profile data of the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user community includes first and second level contacts of the first user and wherein selecting keywords includes weighting keywords identified in communications of a first level contact of the first user more than keywords identified in communications of a second level contact of the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting keywords is further based on culturally relevant data.

10. A computer system for it implementing the method as recited in claim 1.

11. A computer program product, comprising a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method as recited in claim 1.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a user community associated with a first user, wherein the user community includes a plurality of users and is based in part on social networking relationships between users;

identifying terms from monitored conversations involving at least one user in the identified user community and a frequency of each term being used by each user;

determining a set of keyword data including at least one keyword based on an aggregated frequency of the terms used in the monitored conversations and a determination of those terns that distinguish the user community from other communities; and

causing, using at least one processor, the first user to be presented with a first display associated with an instant messaging application, separate from a second display of an instant messaging conversation, in which each keyword in the set of keyword data is selectable to access content associated with the respective keyword.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining a set of keyword data comprises:

receiving keyword data associated with monitored conversations involving at least one user in the identified user community; and

determining a set of the keyword data to present to the first user based in part on an aggregated analysis of the received keyword data for the identified user community.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

identifying a second user community associated with the first user, wherein the second user community includes a plurality of users and is based in part on social networking connections between users;

determining a second set of keyword data based on monitored conversations involving at least one user in the identified second user community and a determination of those terms that distinguish the second user community from other communities; and

causing the first user to be presented with a third display in which each keyword in the second set of keyword data is selectable to access content associated with the respective keyword.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

identifying a second user community associated with the first user, wherein the second user community includes a plurality of users;

determining a second set of keyword data based on monitored conversations involving at least one user in the identified second user community; and

causing the first user to be presented with a third display in which each keyword in the second set of keyword data is selectable to access content associated with the respective keyword.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second user community comprises users located in the same country as the first user.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein causing the first user to be presented with a first display includes causing the first user to be presented with the first display on a profile page of the first user.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein causing the first user to be presented with a first display includes causing the first user to be presented with the first display on a home landing web page of the first user.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the selectable keywords in the display vary in size based on a frequency of use by members of the user community.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the selectable keywords in the display are provided with one or more indicators that correspond to a frequency of use by members of the user community.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the first display is dynamically updated.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the monitored conversations include instant messages involving at least one member of the identified user community.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the monitored conversations include email communications between users, wherein at least one of the users is included in the identified user community of the first user.

24. A computer system for implementing the method as recited in claim 12.

25. A computer program product, comprising a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method as recited in claim 12.

26. A computer-implemented method of assisting users in exploring topics of interest comprising:

identifying a user community associated with a first user, wherein the user community includes a plurality of users and is based in part on social networking connections between users;

selecting at least one keyword from a conversation between a first user and at least one additional user, wherein selecting includes;

identifying terms from the conversation and a frequency of each term being used by each of the first user and the at least one additional user;

selecting keywords to present to the first user based on the frequency of, terms used in the monitored conversation and based on a determination of those terms that distinguish the user community from other communities; and

during the conversation, causing, using at least one processor, the first user to be presented with a first display associated with an application enabling the conversation, separate from a second display of the conversation, in which the at least one keyword is selectable to access content associated with the keyword.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

in response to the first user selecting the keyword from the first display, causing the first user to be presented with content associated with the keyword.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the content is aggregated from a plurality of content sources.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the conversation is an instant messaging conversation.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

determining a set of keyword data based on monitored conversations involving at least one user in the identified user community; and

causing the first user to be presented with a display in which each keyword in the set of keyword data is selectable to access content associated with the respective keyword.

31. In a computer system including a first display and a user interface, a computer-implemented method for communications comprising:

generating on the first display a graphical user interface for establishing a communication between members of a user community;

obtaining keyword data for a first user, wherein the keyword data is determined based on an aggregated frequency of terms associated in part with monitored communications involving at least one member of a user community and a determination of those term that distinguish the user community from other communities, and wherein the user community is associated with the first user and is based in part on social networking relationships between users;

causing the keyword data to be presented on a first portion of the graphical user interface, the first portion being separate from a second display of an instant messaging conversation;

receiving an indication that the first user has selected at least a portion of the keyword data; and

transmitting a request for information associated with the selected portion of the keyword data.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first portion of the graphical user interface includes an identifier of the user community to enable the first user to identify an association between the keywords and the user community.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising receiving the requested information aggregated from a plurality of content sources.