Ranking users based on contextual factors

• US 9,396,236 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Vanderwater, Kathryn Rose, Haugen, Frances Bordwell, Unger, Alexander Ketner
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Phuong Thao
• Application Number:
  US14/145,694
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 707/732
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

Methods for ranking users based on contextual factors are provided. An example method may include receiving an online question by an asking user. The method may further include identifying one or more topics of the received online question. The method may further include identifying a set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users based on an expertise level of each user of the plurality of users, wherein the expertise level is related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question. In addition, the method may include ranking the set of candidate answering users based on a commonality of one or more contextual factors between the asking user and the set of candidate answering users, wherein the one or more contextual factors are distinct from the identified one or more topics. Systems and computer-readable media for ranking users based on contextual factors are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, on one or more processors, an online question from an asking user;

identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more topics of the received online question;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a first set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users, the first set of candidate answering users excluding commonality with the asking user;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a second set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users, the second set of candidate answering users sharing one or more contextual factors with the asking user, the one or more contextual factors being distinct from the identified one or more topics, the first set of candidate answering users having an expertise level same as that of the second set of candidate answering users, the expertise level being related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the identified one or more topics are subjective topics;

ranking, by the one or more processors, in a case where the identified one or more topics are subjective topics, the second set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users; and

ranking, by the one or more processors, in a case where the identified one or more topics are not subjective topics, the first set of candidate answering users to a same order as the second set of candidate answering users.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

routing the received online question to at least one candidate answering user of the ranked first set of candidate answering users or the ranked second set of candidate answering users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more contextual factors correspond to quasi-demographic characteristics.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the quasi-demographic characteristics is associated with a residential zip code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more contextual factors correspond to affiliation attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more contextual factors correspond to experience attributes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a third set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users;

ranking, in a case where the identified one or more topics are not subjective topics, the first set of candidate answering users higher than the third set of candidate answering users, wherein commonality of one or more contextual factors is greater between the third set of candidate answering users and the asking user than between the first set of candidate answering users and the asking user, and wherein the expertise level of the third set of candidate answering users is lower than the expertise level of the first set of candidate answering users; and

ranking, in a case where the identified one or more topics are subjective topics, the third set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, on one or more processors, an online question from an asking user;

identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more topics of the received online question;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a first set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users, the first set of candidate answering users excluding commonality with the asking user;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a second set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users, the second set of candidate answering users sharing one or more contextual factors with the asking user, the first set of candidate answering users having an expertise level same as that of the second set of candidate answering users, the expertise level being related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the identified one or more topics of the received online question are subjective topics;

when at least one topic of the identified one or more topics of the received online question is determined to be subjective topics, ranking, by the one or more processors, the second set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users; and

when the at least one topic of the identified one or more topics of the received online question is determined not to be subjective topics, ranking, by the one or more processors, the first set of candidate answering users to a same order as the second set of candidate answering users, wherein the one or more contextual factors are distinct from the identified one or more topics.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

routing the received online question to at least one candidate answering user of the ranked first set of candidate answering users or the ranked second set of candidate answering users;

receiving, subsequent to routing the received online question, a follow-up online question from the asking user; and

routing the received follow-up online question to the at least one candidate answering user.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive an online question from an asking user;

identify one or more topics of the received online question;

identify a first set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users, the first set of candidate answering users excluding commonality with the asking user;

identify a second set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users, the second set of candidate answering users sharing one or more contextual factors, the one or more contextual factors being distinct from the identified one or more topics, the first set of candidate answering users having an expertise level same as that of the second set of candidate answering users, the expertise level being related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question;

determine whether the identified one or more topics are subjective topics;

rank, in a case where the identified one or more topics are subjective topics, the second set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users; and

rank, in a case where the identified one or more topics are not subjective topics, the first set of candidate answering users to a same order as the second set of candidate answering users.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

route the received online question to at least one candidate answering user of the ranked first set of candidate answering users or the ranked second set of candidate answering users.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more contextual factors correspond to quasi-demographic characteristics.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive an online question from an asking user;

identify one or more topics of the received online question;

identify a first set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users, the first set of candidate answering users excluding commonality with the asking user;

identify a second set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users, the second set of candidate answering users sharing one or more contextual factors with the asking user, the first set of candidate answering users having an expertise level same as that of the second set of candidate answering users, the expertise level being related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question;

determine whether the identified one or more topics of the received online question are subjective topics;

when at least one topic of the identified one or more topics of the received online question is determined to be subjective topics, rank the second set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users; and

when the at least one topic of the identified one or more topics of the received online question is determined not to be subjective topics, rank the first set of candidate answering users to a same order as the second set of candidate answering users, wherein the one or more contextual factors are distinct from the identified one or more topics.

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

route the received online question to at least one candidate answering user of the ranked first set of candidate answering users or the ranked second set of candidate answering users;

receive, subsequent to routing the received online question, a follow-up online question from the asking user; and

route the received follow-up online question to the at least one candidate answering user.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving an online question from an asking user;

instructions for identifying one or more topics of the received online question;

instructions for identifying a first set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users, the first set of candidate answering users excluding commonality with the asking user;

instructions for identifying a second set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users, the second set of candidate answering users sharing one or more contextual factors with the asking user, the first set of candidate answering users having an expertise level same as that of the second set of candidate answering users, the expertise level being related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question;

instructions for identifying a third set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users;

instructions for determining whether the identified one or more topics are subjective topics;

instructions for ranking, in a case where the identified one or more topics are subjective topics, the second set of candidate answering users and the third set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users, wherein the one or more contextual factors are distinct from the identified one or more topics; and

instructions for ranking, in a case where the identified one or more topics are not subjective topics, the first set of candidate answering users and the second set of candidate answering users higher than the third set of candidate answering users, wherein commonality of one or more contextual factors is greater between the third set of candidate answering users and the asking user than between the first set of candidate answering users and the asking user, and wherein the expertise level of the third set of candidate answering users is lower than the expertise level of the first set of candidate answering users.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions for routing the received online question to at least one candidate answering user of the ranked first set of candidate answering users, the ranked second set of candidate answering users or the ranked third set of candidate answering users.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more contextual factors correspond to quasi-demographic characteristics.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising:

instructions for receiving an online question from an asking user;

instructions for identifying one or more topics of the received online question;

instructions for identifying a first set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users, the first set of candidate answering users excluding commonality with the asking user;

instructions for identifying a second set of candidate answering users from the plurality of users, the second set of candidate answering users sharing one or more contextual factors with the asking user, the first set of candidate answering users having an expertise level same as that of the second set of candidate answering users, the expertise level being related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question;

instructions for determining whether the identified one or more topics of the received online question are subjective topics;

instructions for ranking, when at least one topic of the identified one or more topics of the received online question is determined to be subjective topics, the second set of candidate answering users higher than the first set of candidate answering users; and

instructions for ranking, when the at least one topic of the identified one or more topics of the received online question is determined not to be subjective topics, the first set of candidate answering users to a same order as the second set of candidate answering users, wherein the one or more contextual factors are distinct from the identified one or more topics.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

instructions for routing the received online question to at least one candidate answering user of the ranked first set of candidate answering users or the ranked second set of candidate answering users;

instructions for receiving, subsequent to routing the received online question, a follow-up online question from the asking user; and

instructions for routing the received follow-up online question to the at least one candidate answering user.