System and method for generating information feed based on contextual data

• US 9,529,917 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: McConnell, Jager, Peter, Ciara
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US13/898,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 707/748
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, apparatus, and methods for generating an information feed based on contextual data. User contextual data associated with a user is retrieved. The user contextual data identifies entities associated with the user. Data objects may be identified based on the retrieved user contextual data. Data object contextual data associated with the data objects may be retrieved. Feed items may be generated based on the data objects and the retrieved data object contextual data. A weight associated with each of the feed items may be generated. The weight may be generated based on the retrieved user contextual data and the retrieved data object contextual data. An information feed including at least some of the feed items may be generated. The information feed may arrange the at least some of the feed items based on the generated weight associated with each of the at least some of the feed items.

Claims

1. A method for generating an information feed based on contextual data, the method comprising:

retrieving, by a database system, user contextual data associated with a user, the user contextual data identifying one or more entities associated with the user;

retrieving, from one or more data object sources by the database system, one or more data objects based on the retrieval of the user contextual data, wherein the only data objects retrieved are related to the retrieved user contextual data;

retrieving, by the database system, data object contextual data based on the retrieval of the one or more data objects, the data object contextual data being associated with the one or more data objects;

generating, by the database system, one or more feed items based, at least in part, on the one or more retrieved data objects and the retrieved data object contextual data;

generating, by the database system, a weight associated with each of the one or more feed items, the weight being generated based on the retrieved user contextual data and the retrieved data object contextual data; and

generating, by the database system, an information feed including at least some of the one or more feed items, the information feed arranging the at least some of the one or more feed items based on the generated weight associated with each of the at least some of the one or more feed items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight is generated by applying a matching algorithm to the user contextual data and the data object contextual data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the matching algorithm uses, at least in part, fuzzy matching.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the one or more feed items included in the information feed are selected based on generated weights associated with each of the at least some of the one or more feed items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein arranging the at least some of the one or more feed items comprises assigning a position or rank to each of the at least some of the one or more feed items based on the generated weights.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving, from the one or more data object sources, only the one or more data objects related to the retrieved user contextual data further comprises:

identifying the one or more entities based on the retrieved user contextual data; and

retrieving the one or more data objects from one or more data object sources based on the identified one or more entities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the one or more feed items included in the information feed are paginated based on a target device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more entities comprise products and services that the user owns or subscribes to.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user contextual data comprises one or more data values identifying at least a plurality of products or services that the user owns or subscribes to.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user contextual data is retrieved from a user profile stored in at least one location selected from the group consisting of:

a social network, a service provided by a service provider, an online electronic commerce website, a customer portal, and a customer relationship management database system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data object contextual data includes one or more data values identifying metadata associated with each of the one or more data objects.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more feed items are retrieved from at least one source selected from the group consisting of:

an Internet source, a blog, an article, a social network, a service provided by a service provider, a customer portal, a customer relationship management database, a product support page, an Internet webpage, and an online forum.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

retrieving user contextual data associated with a user, the user contextual data identifying one or more entities associated with the user;

retrieving, from one or more data object sources, one or more data objects based on the retrieval of the user contextual data, wherein the only data objects retrieved are related to the retrieved user contextual data;

retrieving data object contextual data based on the retrieval of the one or more data objects, the data object contextual data being associated with the one or more data objects;

generating one or more feed items based, at least in part, on the one or more data objects and the retrieved data object contextual data;

generating a weight associated with each of the one or more feed items, the weight being generated based on the retrieved user contextual data and the retrieved data object contextual data; and

generating an information feed including at least some of the one or more feed items, the information feed arranging the at least some of the one or more feed items based on the generated weight associated with each of the at least some of the one or more feed items.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the weight is generated by applying a matching algorithm to the user contextual data and the data object contextual data.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the matching algorithm uses, at least in part, fuzzy matching.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the at least some of the one or more feed items included in the information feed are selected based on generated weights associated with each of the at least some of the one or more feed items.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein arranging the at least some of the one or more feed items comprises assigning a position or rank to each of the at least some of the one or more feed items based on the generated weights.

18. A system for generating an information feed based contextual data, the system comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

retrieving user contextual data associated with a user, the user contextual data identifying one or more entities associated with the user;

retrieving, from one or more data object sources, one or more data objects based on the retrieval of the user contextual data, wherein the only data objects retrieved are related to the retrieved user contextual data;

retrieving data object contextual data based on the retrieval of the one or more data objects, the data object contextual data being associated with the one or more data objects;

generating one or more feed items based, at least in part, on the one or more data objects and the retrieved data object contextual data;

generating a weight associated with each of the one or more feed items, the weight being generated based on the retrieved user contextual data and the retrieved data object contextual data; and

generating an information feed including at least some of the one or more feed items, the information feed arranging the at least some of the one or more feed items based on the generated weight associated with each of the at least some of the one or more feed items.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the weight is generated by applying a matching algorithm to the user contextual data and the data object contextual data, and wherein the matching algorithm uses, at least in part, fuzzy matching.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least some of the one or more feed items included in the information feed are selected based on generated weights associated with each of the at least some of the one or more feed items, and wherein arranging the at least some of the one or more feed items comprises assigning a position or rank to each of the at least some of the one or more feed items based on the generated weights.