System and method for targeting information based on message content in a reply

• US 10,699,311 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sheinberg, Alan B., Chen, Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US15/908,920
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• 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: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

A method of presenting information to a party through a messaging application is described. Responsive to receipt of a communication from a party (e.g., the first user), a reply is sent. The communication and the reply is presented in an interface to the sender. The messaging system determines matching content that is relevant to one or both of the communication and the reply and determines a quality of the match. Determining the quality of the match may include determining a score for an advertisement based on the advertisement'"'"'s responsiveness to content identified in the reply message that was sent. Based on a determination that the quality is above a threshold, the matching content is presented along with the communication and the reply.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed using one or more computing systems, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing system, a request to present an electronic message that was transmitted to a user of the first computing system by a different user of another computing system;

analyzing, by the first computing system, the electronic message to identify that a portion of content in the electronic message has a particular entity type;

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by a second computing system, entity data that identifies the particular entity type for the portion of content in the electronic message, to cause the second computing system to identify, based on the particular entity type, additional content that is associated with the portion of content in the electronic message;

receiving, by the first computing system and from the second computing system, the additional content that has been identified as being associated with the portion of content in the electronic message; and

providing, by the first computing system and for display with the electronic message, targeted content that is representative of the additional content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the electronic message to identify that the portion of content in the electronic message has the particular entity type comprises analyzing discrete terms in the electronic message to determine that discrete terms that comprise the portion of content have the particular entity type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing system is a third party server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity data indicates that the particular entity type comprises discrete terms in the electronic message and the method further comprises:

generating, by the first computing system, a link based on the discrete terms; and

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by the second computing system, the link to cause the second computing system to identify the additional content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the first computing system and to a client device of the user, a link as a response to the request to present the electronic message;

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by the second computing system, a second request for the additional content in response to user interaction with the link at the client device; and

receiving, by the first computing system and from the second computing system, the additional content in response to the second request for additional content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the first computing system and for receipt by a client device, a link that includes a search query; and

wherein providing the entity data includes providing the entity data to cause the second computing system to identify the additional content in response to user interaction with the link at the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the first computing system, the entity data using discrete terms in the portion of content that are identified based on analysis of the electronic message;

generating, by the first computing system and for receipt by the second computing system, a query command based on the entity data and the discrete terms in the portion of content; and

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by the second computing system, the query command and the entity data to cause the second computing system to obtain the additional content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of content in the electronic message comprises an address, the entity type comprises an address entity type, and the targeted content comprises coordinates for the address and a name of an entity associated with the address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of content in the electronic message comprises a person name or a phone number, the entity type comprises a person name entity type or a phone number entity type, and the targeted content comprises an address for the person or another electronic message that is associated with the person name or the phone number.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first computing system and second computing system are included in a messaging server configured to present the electronic message in response to the request,

the portion of content in the electronic message identifies a physical product, and

the additional content received from the second computing system comprises a link that provides additional information about the physical product.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by a plurality of second computing systems, the entity data that identifies the particular entity type;

receiving, by the first computing system and from each of the plurality of second computing systems, a respective different additional content; and

integrating, by the first computing system, the respective different additional content received from each of the plurality of second computing systems to generate the targeted content.

12. A communication system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to cause performance of operations comprising;

receiving, by a first computing system, a request to present an electronic message that was transmitted to a user of the first computing system by a different user of another computing system;

analyzing, by the first computing system, the electronic message to identify that a portion of content in the electronic message has a particular entity type;

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by a second computing system, entity data that identifies the particular entity type for the portion of content in the electronic message, to cause the second computing system to identify, based on the particular entity type, additional content that is associated with the portion of content in the electronic message;

receiving, by the first computing system and from the second computing system, the additional content that has been identified as being associated with the portion of content in the electronic message; and

providing, by the first computing system and for display with the electronic message, targeted content that is representative of the additional content.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein analyzing the electronic message to identify that the portion of content in the electronic message has the particular entity type comprises:

analyzing discrete terms in the electronic message to determine that discrete terms that comprise the portion of content have the particular entity type.

14. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the second computing system is a third party server.

15. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the entity data indicates that the particular entity type comprises discrete terms in the electronic message and the method further comprises:

generating, by the first computing system, a link based on the discrete terms; and

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by the second computing system, the link to cause the second computing system to identify the additional content.

16. The communication system of claim 12, further comprising:

generating, by the first computing system and for receipt by a client device, a link that includes a search query; and

wherein providing the entity data includes providing the entity data to cause the second computing system to identify the additional content in response to user interaction with the link at the client device.

17. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the portion of content in the electronic message comprises an address, the entity type comprises an address entity type, and the targeted content comprises coordinates for the address and a name of an entity associated with the address.

18. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the portion of content in the electronic message comprises a person name or a phone number, the entity type comprises a person name entity type or a phone number entity type, and the targeted content comprises an address for the person or another electronic message that is associated with the person name or the phone number.

19. The communication system of claim 12, wherein:

the first computing system and second computing system are included in a messaging server configured to present the electronic message in response to the request,

the portion of content in the electronic message identifies a physical product, and

the additional content received from the second computing system comprises a link that provides additional information about the physical product.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to cause performance of operations comprising:

receiving, by a first computing system, a request to present an electronic message that was transmitted to a user of the first computing system by a different user of another computing system;

analyzing, by the first computing system, the electronic message to identify that a portion of content in the electronic message has a particular entity type;

providing, by the first computing system and for receipt by a second computing system, entity data that identifies the particular entity type for the portion of content in the electronic message, to cause the second computing system to identify, based on the particular entity type, additional content that is associated with the portion of content in the electronic message;

receiving, by the first computing system and from the second computing system, the additional content that has been identified as being associated with the portion of content in the electronic message; and

providing, by the first computing system and for display with the electronic message, targeted content that is representative of the additional content.