Method and apparatus for filtering virtual content

• US 20080288573A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 6, LLC
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Schiano, Diane, Bellotti, Victoria Mary Elizabeth
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system that selects virtual content. The system starts by receiving or gathering a set of virtual content that includes context data. Next, the system assigns items of virtual content from the set of virtual content to one or more dimensions of context with increasing levels of specificity of user relevance, with at least one of the dimensions of context having two or more levels of user relevance. The system then selects a subset of the set of virtual content based on one or more levels of specificity of one or more dimensions of context and displays the subset of the virtual content to the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a set of virtual content that includes context data related to a user;

assigning items of virtual content from the set of virtual content to one or more dimensions of context with increasing levels of specificity of user relevance, with at least one dimension of context having two or more levels of user relevance;

selecting a subset of the set of virtual content based on one or more levels of specificity of one or more dimensions of context; and

displaying the subset of the virtual content to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the levels of user relevance are based on one or more of:

the user'"'"'s profile, the user'"'"'s context, and the user'"'"'s activity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user'"'"'s profile indicates the user'"'"'s history and preferences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining the user'"'"'s context using one or more dimensions of context, wherein the dimensions of context include one or a combination of:

a degree of contemporaneousness;

a proximity to position;

a similarity to environmental conditions;

an association with computed inferences about people in proximity or in the user'"'"'s social network;

a similarity to text indicated by user selection or encounter;

a similarity to at least one context inferred from information gathered based on an input received from the user;

or

other information sensed or inferred by one or more computers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises determining the user'"'"'s activity, wherein the user'"'"'s activity is one or a combination of:

defined by an input received from the user;

inferred from an input received from the user;

or

inferred from the user'"'"'s context and behavior.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the subset of the virtual content includes extracting information from the virtual content and computationally matching the extracted information to at least one of the user'"'"'s profile, one or more of the user'"'"'s context, or the user'"'"'s activity to determine a level of user relevance for the virtual content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

adjusting a level of specificity for at least one dimension of context if too much or too little virtual content is selected using a given level of user relevance for the at least one dimension of context; and

performing the selection and display operations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing the user feedback identifying the levels of specificity and the dimensions of context used to select the subset of the set of virtual content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying to the user at least one adjustment indicator for adjusting one or more dimensions of context;

receiving an adjustment made by the user on the at least one adjustment indicator that indicates one or more different levels of specificity of the one or more dimensions of context;

selecting a subset of the set of virtual content based on the one or more different levels of specificity of the one or more dimension of context; and

displaying the subset of the virtual content to the user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one adjustment indicator is in a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface can include a graphical representation of a virtual content filter, a menu, a slider, or a dial, and wherein at least one dimension of context is represented by the at least one adjustment indicator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual content includes one or more of the following:

web pages;

text files;

image files;

audio files;

video files;

or

other forms of electronically encoded information, including metadata extracted from such information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual content is received from one or more of the following:

advertisers;

public or private information services;

government entities;

individuals;

or

other entities who create virtual content.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual content is received on a portable device.

14. A computational apparatus, comprising:

a database for storing a set of virtual content that includes context data related to a user;

a processor communicating with the database for assigning the set of virtual content to one or more dimensions of context with increasing levels of specificity of user relevance, with at least one dimension of context having two or more levels of user relevance;

said processor selecting a subset of the set of virtual content based on one or more levels of specificity of one or more dimensions of context; and

a display for displaying the subset of the virtual content from the database to the user.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiving mechanism configured to receive a set of virtual content that includes context data related to a user;

an assigning mechanism configured to assign items of virtual content from the set of virtual content to one or more dimensions of context with increasing levels of user relevance, with at least one dimension of context having two or more levels of user relevance;

a selecting mechanism configured to select a subset of the set of virtual content based on one or more levels of specificity of one or more dimensions of context; and

a displaying mechanism configured to display the subset of the virtual content to the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the levels of user relevance are based on one or more of:

the user'"'"'s profile, the user'"'"'s context, and the user'"'"'s activity.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user'"'"'s profile indicates the user'"'"'s history and preferences.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a determining mechanism configured to determine the user'"'"'s context using one or more dimensions of context, wherein the dimensions of context include one or a combination of:

a degree of contemporaneousness;

a proximity to position;

a similarity to environmental conditions;

an association with computed inferences about people in proximity or in the user'"'"'s social network;

a similarity to text indicated by user selection or encounter;

a similarity to at least one context inferred from information gathered based on an input received from the user;

or

other information sensed or inferred by one or more computers.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the determining mechanism is further configured to determine the user'"'"'s activity, wherein the user'"'"'s activity is one or a combination of:

defined by an input received from the user;

inferred from an input received from the user;

or

inferred from the user'"'"'s context and behavior.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein when selecting the subset of the virtual content, the selecting mechanism is configured to extract information from the virtual content and computationally match the extracted information to at least one of the user'"'"'s profile, one or more of the user'"'"'s context, or the user'"'"'s activity to determine a level of user relevance for that virtual content.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a level of specificity for at least one dimension of context if too much or too little virtual content is selected using a given level of user relevance for the at least one dimension of context;

wherein after the adjustment mechanism adjusts the level of specificity for the at least one dimension of context, the selecting mechanism is configured to select a subset of the set of virtual content based on one or more levels of specificity of one or more dimensions of context and the displaying mechanism is configured to display the subset of the virtual content to the user.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a feedback mechanism configured to provide the user feedback identifying the levels of specificity and the dimensions of context used to select the subset of the set of virtual content.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a user-adjustment mechanism configured to:

display to the user at least one adjustment indicator for adjusting one or more dimensions of context;

receive an adjustment made by the user on the at least one adjustment indicator that indicates one or more different levels of specificity of the one or more dimensions of context;

adjust the level of specificity for the one or more dimensions of context to the one or more different levels of specificity based on the adjustment made by the user,

wherein after the user-adjustment mechanism adjusts the level of specificity for the one or more dimensions of context, the selecting mechanism is configured to select a subset of the set of virtual content based on the one or more different levels of specificity of one or more dimensions of context and the displaying mechanism is configured to display the subset of the virtual content to the user.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the adjustment indicator is in a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface can include a graphical representation of a virtual content filter, a menu, a slider, or a dial, and wherein at least one dimension of context is represented by an adjustment indicator.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the virtual content includes one or more of the following:

web pages;

text files;

image files;

audio files;

video files;

or

other forms of electronically encoded information, including metadata extracted from such information.

26. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is a portable device.