USING OFFLINE ACTIVITY TO ENHANCE ONLINE SEARCHING

• US 20080005313A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dumais, Susan T., Flake, Gary W., Platt, John C., Huang, Xuedong D., Goodman, Joshua T., Hurst-Hiller, Oliver, Griffin, Trenholme J., Horvitz, Eric J., Moss, Kenneth A., Gounares, Alexander G., Brunell, Bradly A., Peltonen, Kyle G., Gates, William H.
• Application Number:
  US11/427,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005313A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Architecture for targeted advertising using offline user behavior information. Information relating to offline behavior can be collected from cell phones, geolocation systems, credit card information, restaurants, grocery stores, etc., and this information is aggregated and employed in connection with selecting and displaying targeted advertising to a user when online. Machine learning and reasoning can be employed to make inferences and dynamically tune advertisement processing. Offline user information can also be employed to enhance context-based searching when the user goes online. The ranking of search results and content for display can be modified as a function of offline behavior. A system is provided that facilitates online advertising based on at least offline activity using a profile component for aggregating offline behavior information of a user and generating a related user profile. An advertising component employs the user profile in connection with delivery of an advertisement to the user when online.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system that facilitates online searching, comprising:

a profile component that aggregates offline behavior information of a user and generates a related user profile; and

a search component that employs the user profile in connection with generating and processing of a user search when the user is online.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile component includes in the user profile data related to user interaction with a cellular telephone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile component includes in the user profile data related to the user transacting an article of commerce.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile component includes in the user profile data related to user context.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a context component that computes context data of the user, which context data is physical location of the user as determined by a geolocation technology.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a context component that computes context data of the user, which context data is related to a software environment in which the user is operating.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a ranking component that facilitates ranking of the search results based on the user profile.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the search component processes personal metadata of the user profile to develop the user search.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the search component returns search results for implementation into a personal yellow page.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a machine learning and reasoning component that employs a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

11. A computer-implemented method of searching, comprising:

monitoring offline activity of a user;

storing offline data related to the offline activity in a user profile;

formulating a search query for a search based on the user profile; and

returning search results of the search when the user is online.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein formulating is performed when the user is online.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating the search based on user geolocation context information that is part of the user profile.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating the search based on program environment context information that is part of the user profile.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising ranking user profile data of the user profile and returning search results based on the ranked user profile data.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising ranking the search results based on the user profile.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising personalizing the search results based on personal information obtained from the user profile.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising formulating a new query based on demeanor data captured from the user when viewing the search results of the search query.

19. A computer-executable system, comprising:

computer-implemented means for sensing offline activity data of a user;

computer-implemented means for receiving and storing the offline activity data in a user profile;

computer-implemented means for generating a search query based on profile information of the user profile, when the user is online;

computer-implemented means for returning results of the search query;

computer-implemented means for ranking the results based on the user profile; and

computer-implemented means for presenting the results to the user when the user is online.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising computer-implemented means for presenting the results according to a particular format based the profile information of the user profile.