Generating a stream of content for a channel

• US 9,712,588 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Datar, Mayur, Kosslyn, Justin Lewis, Su, Ray, Wiggins, Christopher, Tomkins, Andrew, Terleski, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahgozar, Omeed D
• Application Number:
  US14/629,034
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/06 Addressing a physical block of locations, e.g. base addressing, module addressing, memory dedication G06F12/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/00 Computing arrangements using knowledge-based models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

A system and method for generating a stream of content for a channel. The channel application includes a content categorizer, a scoring engine and a channel engine. The content categorizer categorizes new content items received from heterogeneous data sources. The channel engine identifies a channel category for a user based at least in part on at least one of a historical trend and a user activity. The scoring engine queries the new content items based on the channel category and at least one other channel attribute. The scoring engine retrieves candidate content items that include the channel category and the other channel attribute. The scoring engine then generates a stream of content from the candidate content items for the channel.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying, with one or more processors, a channel category of a channel for a user based on one of a historical trend and a user activity;

receiving, with the one or more processors, a request to customize a stream of content for the channel category;

responsive to the request to customize, querying, with the one or more processors, new content items based on the channel category and a channel attribute;

receiving, with the one or more processors, candidate content items that include the channel category and the channel attribute;

determining, with the one or more processors, a user-independent score for each of the candidate content items to approximate popularity of each candidate content item within the stream of content that produced it;

computing, with the one or more processors, a global score for each of the candidate content items by normalizing the user-independent score for each candidate content item across a plurality of streams of content, the global score identifying a popularity of each candidate content item within the plurality of streams of content;

customizing, with the one or more processors, the stream of content for the channel by adding the candidate content items to the stream of content based on the global score of each candidate content item; and

providing, with the one or more processors, the customized stream of content.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 comprising removing pre-existing content items included in the customized stream of content for the channel.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the historical trend is one of an increase in a number of the new content items for a content category and an increase in a number of times one of the new content items is accessed.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving the new content items from heterogeneous data sources; and

categorizing the new content items.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the heterogeneous data sources include at least two from the group of a news article post, a news feed, a social feed, a blog post, a micro-blog post, a photo, a video, an audio, an email message, and a text based message.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 comprising receiving a request from the user to subscribe to an existing channel.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the channel category is also based on an interest of the user and a connection of the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the user activity is an interaction of the user with an application, wherein the interaction of the user with the application includes providing at least one of a user preference, a user interest, a comment, a tag, and a search.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

identify a channel category of a channel for a user based on one of a historical trend and a user activity;

receive a request to customize a stream of content for the channel category;

responsive to the request to customize, query new content items based on the channel category and a channel attribute;

receive candidate content items that include the channel category and the channel attribute;

determine a user-independent score for each of the candidate content items to approximate popularity of each candidate content item within the stream of content that produced it;

compute a global score for each of the candidate content items by normalizing the user-independent score for each candidate content item across a plurality of streams of content, the global score identifying a popularity of each candidate content item within the plurality of streams of content;

customize the stream of content for the channel by adding the candidate content items to the stream of content based on the global score of each candidate content item; and

provide the customized stream of content.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer also causes the computer to remove pre-existing content items included in the customized stream of content for the channel.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the historical trend is one of an increase in a number of the new content items for a content category and an increase in a number of times one of the new content items is accessed.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer also causes the computer to:

receive the new content items from heterogeneous data sources; and

categorize the new content items.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the heterogeneous data sources include at least two from the group of a news article post, a news feed, a social feed, a blog post, a micro-blog post, a photo, a video, an audio, an email message, and a text based message.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer also causes the computer to receive a request from the user to subscribe to an existing channel.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the channel category is also based on an interest of the user and a connection of the user.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the user activity is an interaction of the user with an application, wherein the interaction of the user with the application includes providing at least one of a user preference, a user interest, a comment, a tag, and a search.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the system to;

identify a channel category of a channel for a user based on one of a historical trend and a user activity;

receive a request to customize a stream of content for the channel category;

responsive to the request to customize, query new content items based on the channel category and a channel attribute;

receive candidate content items that include the channel category and the channel attribute;

determine a user-independent score for each of the candidate content items to approximate popularity of each candidate content item within the stream of content that produced it;

compute a global score for each of the candidate content items by normalizing the user-independent score for each candidate content item across a plurality of streams of content, the global score identifying a popularity of each candidate content item within the plurality of streams of content;

customize the stream of content for the channel by adding the candidate content items to the stream of content based on the global score of each candidate content item; and

provide the customized stream of content.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the system is further configured to remove pre-existing content items included in the customized stream of content for the channel.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the historical trend is one of an increase in a number of the new content items for a content category and an increase in a number of times one of the new content items is accessed.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the system is further configured to:

receive the new content items from heterogeneous data sources; and

categorize the new content items.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the heterogeneous data sources include at least two from the group of a news article post, a news feed, a social feed, a blog post, a micro-blog post, a photo, a video, an audio, an email message, and a text based message.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the system is further configured to receive a request from the user to subscribe to an existing channel.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the channel category is also based on an interest of the user and a connection of the user.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the user activity is an interaction of the user with an application, wherein the interaction of the user with the application includes providing at least one of a user preference, a user interest, a comment, a tag, and a search.