Systems and methods for generating a recommended list of URLs by aggregating a plurality of enumerated lists of URLs, the recommended list of URLs identifying URLs accessed by users that also accessed a submitted URL

• US 9,582,592 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bitly, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bitly, Inc.
• Inventors: Mason, Hilary, Levy, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell, James H
• Application Number:
  US13/332,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/205, 715/206, 715/234, 707/E17.108, 707/999.003, 707/999.005, 707/E17.014, 707/706, 707/E17.109, 707/999.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a method for providing a recommended list of uniform resource locators (URLs) responsive to a uniform resource locator (URL). The method may include identifying, by a server, a plurality of users that clicked on an encoded uniform resource locator (URL) link corresponding to a URL. The server may identify a plurality of encoded URL links clicked by each of the plurality of users. The server may determine a number of users who clicked on each encoded URL link of the plurality of encoded URL links and also clicked on the encoded URL link. The server may enumerate, responsive a request comprising the URL, a list of URLs and their corresponding score based on the determination, each URL of the list of URLs corresponding to one of the plurality of encoded URL links.

Claims

1. A method for providing recommended lists of uniform resource locators (URLs) responsive to uniform resource locators (URLs), the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by one or more servers of a linking system, a request to generate, for a first URL, a list of second URLs accessed by users that also accessed the first URL;

(b) identifying, by the one or more servers of the linking system, multiple first shortened URL links generated by the one or more servers of the linking system, each of the multiple first shortened URL links linked to the first URL identified in the request;

(c) for each first shortened URL of the multiple first shortened URL links;

(i) identifying, by the one or more servers of the linking system, a plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link of the multiple first shortened URL links;

(ii) responsive to identifying the plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link, identifying, by the one or more servers, a plurality of second shortened URL links clicked by each of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of second shortened URL links generated by the one or more servers of the linking system and linked to URLs corresponding to one or more destination servers;

(iii) responsive to identifying a plurality of second shortened URL links clicked by each of the plurality of users, determining, by the one or more servers, for each second shortened URL link, a number of users who clicked on the second shortened URL link and also clicked on the first shortened URL link; and

(iv) responsive to determining, for each of the second shortened URL links, the number of users who clicked on the second shortened URL link and also clicked on the first shortened URL link, enumerating, by the one or more servers, a list of URLs mapped, by the one or more servers of the linking system, to the second shortened URL links, each URL of the list of URLs mapped to one or more of the plurality of second shortened URL links;

(d) responsive to enumerating, for each first shortened URL of the multiple shortened URL links, a list of URLs mapped to the second shortened URL links, generating, by the one or more servers, a second list of URLs by aggregating a plurality of the enumerated lists of URLs, the second list of URLs identifying second URLs accessed by users that also accessed the first URL identified in the request, each of the second URLs identified in the second list of URLs accessed by the users via a corresponding second shortened URL link shortened by the one or more servers of the linking system; and

(e) providing, by the one or more servers, at least a subset of the generated second list of URLs as the recommended list of URLs in response to receiving the request to generate the list of second URLs accessed by users that also accessed the first URL.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (i) further comprises receiving, by the one or more servers, identification of a click of the first shortened URL link from each of the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (i) further comprises determining, by the one or more servers, a decoded URL corresponding to the first shortened URL link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (i) further comprises identifying, by the one or more servers, the user via a cookie.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (ii) further comprises tracking, by the one or more servers, clicks on shortened URL links for each user of the plurality of users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iii) further comprises generating, by the one or more servers of the linking system, a click co-occurrence map that correlates the plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein step (iii) further comprises generating, by the one or more servers, the click co-occurrence map that correlates the plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link to the plurality of second shortened URL links that each of the plurality of users has clicked.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iv) further comprises communicating, by the one or more servers, a response to the request, the response comprising the enumerated list of URLs and their corresponding score.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iv) further comprises enumerating, by the one or more servers, the list of URLs ordered by the number of users who clicked on the second shortened URL link corresponding to the URL and clicked on the first shortened URL link.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (iv) filtering, by the one or more servers, the list of URLs based on content.

11. A system for providing recommended lists of uniform resource locators (URLs) responsive to uniform resource locators (URLs), the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory;

a server generating multiple shortened uniform resource locator (URL) links, each of the multiple shortened URL links linked to a particular URL corresponding to a destination server,

the server receiving, by one or more servers of a linking system, a request to generate, for a first URL, a list of second URLs accessed by users that also accessed the first URL;

the server identifying multiple first shortened URL links generated by the one or more servers of the linking system, each of the multiple first shortened URL links linked to the first URL identified in the request;

the server, for each first shortened URL link of the multiple first shortened URL links;

i) identifying a plurality of users that clicked on a first encoded URL link of the multiple shortened URL links;

ii) identifying, responsive to identifying the plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link, a plurality of second shortened URL links clicked by each of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of second shortened URL links generated by the server and linked to URLs corresponding to one or more destination servers;

iii) determining, responsive to identifying a plurality of second shortened URL links clicked by each of the plurality of users, for each second shortened URL link, a number of users who clicked on the second shortened URL link and also clicked on the first shortened URL link;

iv) responsive to determining, for each of the second shortened URL links, the number of users who clicked on the second shortened URL link and also clicked on the first shortened URL link, enumerating a list of URLs mapped, by the server of the linking system, to the second shortened URL links, each URL of the list of URLs mapped to one or more of the plurality of second shortened URL links;

the server generating a second list of URLs by aggregating a plurality of the enumerated lists of URLs, the second list of URLs identifying second URLs accessed by users that also accessed the first URL identified in the request, each of the second URLs identified in the second list of URLs accessed by the users via a corresponding second shortened URL link shortened by the server of the linking system; and

the server providing at least a subset of the generated second list of URLs as a recommended list of URLs in response to receiving the request to generate the list of second URLs accessed by users that also accessed the first URL.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server received identification of a click of the first shortened URL link from each of the plurality of users.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the server determines a decoded URL corresponding to the first shortened URL link.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server identifies the user via a cookie.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the server tracks clicks on shortened URL links for each user of the plurality of users.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the server generates a click co-occurrence map that correlates the plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server generates the click co-occurrence map that correlates the plurality of users that clicked on the first shortened URL link to the plurality of second shortened URL links that each of the plurality of users has clicked.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the server communicates a response to the request, the response comprising the enumerated list of URLs and their corresponding score.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the server enumerates the list of URLs ordered by the number of users who clicked on the second shortened URL link corresponding to the URL and clicked on the first shortened URL link.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the server filters the list of URLs based on content identified by the URL.