Implicitly associating metadata using user behavior

• US 9,953,342 B1
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Gourley, David, Totty, Brian, Haslam, Ed, Gauthier, Paul, Lerhaupt, Gary, Chen, Mike Y., Colby, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US14/959,401
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Social media networking applications, web sites, and services creates implicit relationships between users based on their interest or participation in real-world and optionally virtual or online activities in addition to explicitly defined peer relationships. User profiles, activity entities, and expressions may be associated with metadata to assist in searching and navigation. Metadata is implicitly associated with user profiles, activity entities, expressions, or other data entities based on user behavior using metadata collector. A metadata collector is a poll, survey, list, questionnaire, census, test, game, or other type of presentation adapted to solicit user interaction. A metadata collector is associated with metadata elements. When users interact with a metadata collector, their user profiles and the data entities included in their interactions become associated with the metadata elements of the metadata collector. These metadata element associations may then be used for any purpose.

Claims

1. An apparatus for taking action based on expression recognitions contributed using a social network, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing one or more programs that, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

identify a completed activity performed by a first user;

identify an expression contributed to the social network by the first user, wherein the expression is a review of the completed activity performed by the first user;

identify an expression recognition contributed to the social network by a second user of the social network, wherein the expression recognition is configured to indicate a level of interest or approval of the second user in the expression contributed to the social network by the first user of the social network;

determine whether the expression recognition comprises a positive expression recognition or a negative expression recognition;

determine a set of likely preferences of the second user based on the identification of the expression recognition; and

cause delivery, to the second user, of a recommendation comprising at least one activity based on the set of likely preferences of the second user,

wherein determining the set of likely preferences of the second user based on the identification of the expression recognition is based on the determination of whether the expression recognition comprises the positive expression recognition or the negative expression recognition, and wherein the first user and the second user are connected by a previously established relationship or through the expression contributed to the social network by the first user and the subsequent expression recognition contributed to the social network by the second user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a positive expression recognition indicates interest by the second user in a corresponding expression, and wherein a negative expression recognition indicates a lack of interest by the second user in a corresponding expression.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

identify a plurality of expressions contributed to the social network, wherein each expression of the plurality of expressions was contributed by the first user or another user;

identify a plurality of expression recognitions contributed to the social network by the second user;

for each expression recognition of the plurality of expression recognitions, identify an expression of the plurality of expressions to which the expression recognition calls attention; and

define an implicit relationship between the second user and the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention, a creator of the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention, or an activity identified by the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention,

wherein determining the set of likely preferences of the particular user is further based on the implicit relationship.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus comprising a processor, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

filter a set of activities by limiting the set of activities to activities performed by any creator of the expressions that the plurality of expression recognitions of the second user call attention; and

cause delivery, to the second user, the limited set of activities as the recommendation to the second user.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus comprising a processor, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

filter a set of activities by limiting the set of activities to activities performed by any creator of the expressions that the plurality of expression recognitions of the second user call attention;

rank each activity of the limited set of activities by listing each activity in order of rating by the creator of each expression of each activity; and

cause delivery, to the second user, the ranked, limited set of activities as the recommendation to the second user.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of likely preferences of the second user comprises a set of activities that are likely to be of interest to the second user.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

select an activity from the set of activities that are likely to be of interest to the second user,

wherein the recommendation comprises a proposal of the activity from the set of activities of the second user, wherein the activity from the set of activities is different from the completed activity performed by the first user.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

identify a ranking of each of the activities in the set of activities,

wherein selecting the activity from the set of activities is based on the identified ranking of each of the activities in the set of activities.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the expression is generated by the first user.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the expression is not professionally produced.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprising a processor, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

determine a current location of the second user; and

filter a set of activities to include activities within a defined radius of the current location of the second user,

wherein the recommendation based on the set of likely preferences of the second user includes the activities within the defined radius of the current location of the second user.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprising a processor, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

identify a set of activities in which the second user has previously participated;

determine a current location of the second user; and

filter the set of activities to include activities within a defined radius of the current location of the second user,

wherein the recommendation based on the set of likely preferences of the second user includes the activities within the defined radius of the current location of the second user.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprising a processor, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

filter a set of activities by limiting the set of activities to activities performed by the first user; and

cause delivery, to the second user, the limited set of activities as the recommendation to the second user.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprising a processor, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

filter a set of activities by limiting the set of activities to activities performed by the first user;

rank each activity of the limited set of activities by listing each activity in order of rating by the first user of each activity; and

cause delivery, to the second user, the ranked, limited set of activities as the recommendation to the second user.

15. A method for taking action based on expression recognitions contributed using a social network, the method comprising:

identifying, by a discovery application, a completed activity performed by a first user;

identifying, by a discovery application, an expression contributed to the social network by the first user, wherein the expression is a review of the completed activity performed by the first user;

identifying, by a discovery application, an expression recognition contributed to the social network by a second user, wherein the expression recognition provided by the second user of the social network is configured to indicate a level of interest or approval of the second user in the expression contributed to the social network by the first user of the social network;

determining whether the expression recognition comprises a positive expression recognition or a negative expression recognition;

determining, by a processor, a set of likely preferences of the second-user based on the identification of the expression recognition; and

causing delivery, to the second user, of a recommendation comprising at least one activity based on the set of likely preferences of the second user,

wherein determining the set of likely preferences of the second user based on the identification of the expression recognition is based on the determination of whether the expression recognition comprises a positive expression recognition or a negative expression recognition, and wherein the first user and the second user are connected by a previously established relationship or through the expression contributed to the social network by the first user and the subsequent expression recognition contributed to the social network by the second user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a positive expression recognition indicates interest by the second user in a corresponding expression, and wherein a negative expression recognition indicates a lack of interest by the second user in a corresponding expression.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of expressions contributed to the social network, wherein each expression of the plurality of expressions was contributed by the first user or another user;

identifying a plurality of expression recognitions contributed to the social network by the second user;

for each expression recognition of the plurality of expression recognitions, identifying an expression of the plurality of expressions to which the expression recognition calls attention; and

defining an implicit relationship between the second user and the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention, a creator of the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention, or an activity identified by the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention,

wherein determining the set of likely preferences of the second user is further based on the implicit relationship.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the set of likely preferences of the second user comprises a set of activities that are likely to be of interest to the second user.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting an activity from the set of activities that are likely to be of interest to the second user,

wherein the recommendation comprises a proposal of the activity from the set of activities of the second user, wherein the activity from the set of activities is different from the completed activity performed by the first user.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

identifying a ranking of each of the activities in the set of activities,

wherein selecting the activity from the set of activities is based on the identified ranking of each of the activities in the set of activities.

21. A computer program product for taking action based on expression recognitions contributed using a social network, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs that, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to:

identify, by a discovery application, a completed activity performed by a first user;

identify an expression contributed to the social network by the first user wherein the expression is a review of the completed activity performed by the first user;

identify an expression recognition contributed to the social network by a second user of the social network, wherein the expression recognition provided by the second user of the social network is configured to indicate a level of interest or approval of the expression contributed to the social network by the first user of the social network;

determine whether the expression recognition comprises a positive expression recognition or a negative expression recognition;

determine a set of likely preferences of the second user based on the identification of the expression recognition; and

cause delivery, to the second user, of a recommendation comprising at least one activity based on the set of likely preferences of the second user,

wherein determining the set of likely preferences of the second user based on the identification of the expression recognition is based on the determination of whether the expression recognition comprises a positive expression recognition or a negative expression recognition, and wherein the first user and the second user are connected by a previously established relationship or through the expression contributed to the social network by the first user and the subsequent expression recognition contributed to the social network by the second user.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein a positive expression recognition indicates interest by the second user in a corresponding expression, and wherein a negative expression recognition indicates a lack of interest by the second user in a corresponding expression.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the one or more programs, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

identify a plurality of expressions contributed to the social network, wherein each expression of the plurality of expressions was contributed by the first user or another user;

identify a plurality of expression recognitions contributed to the social network by the second user;

for each expression recognition of the plurality of expression recognitions, identify an expression to which the expression recognition calls attention; and

define an implicit relationship between the second user and the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention, a creator of the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention, or an activity identified by the expression to which the expression recognition calls attention,

wherein determining the set of likely preferences of the second user is further based on the implicit relationship.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the set of likely preferences of the second user comprises a set of activities that are likely to be of interest to the second user, and wherein the one or more programs, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

select an activity from the set of activities that are likely to be of interest to the second user,

wherein the recommendation comprises a proposal of the activity from the set of activities of the second user, wherein the activity from the set of activities is different from the completed activity performed by the first user.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the one or more programs, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

identify a ranking of each of the activities in the set of activities, wherein selecting the activity from the set of activities is based on the identified ranking of each of the activities in the set of activities.