REAL-WORLD USER PROFILES VIA THE INTERNET OF THINGS

• US 20170149928A1
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: GEORGE, WILLIAM BRANDON, SMITH, KEVIN GARY
• Granted Patent: US 10,270,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for generating enhanced user profiles that include “off-line” activities omitted from conventional user profiles. In one embodiment, each of two or more Internet of Things (IoT) products records usage data descriptive of a user'"'"'s interactions with the IoT product. This usage data is based on values of physical parameters measured by sensors embedded within the IoT products. In recording the usage data, an IoT product may transmit the usage and sensor data to a user profile storage device. In response to receiving the usage and sensor data from the IoT products, the user profile storage device stores the usage and sensor data and associates the usage and sensor data with the user. Additionally, the user profile storage device exposes an interface through which marketing personnel can analyze user profiles made up of the stored usage and sensor data.

Claims

1. A system comprising a profile storage device including:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive first usage data descriptive of a first use of a first physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receive second usage data descriptive of a second use of a second physical IoT product; and

associate the first usage data and the second usage data with a user of the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a query requesting usage data that satisfies at least one search criterion; and

respond to the query by providing usage data that satisfies the at least one search criterion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory stores:

a first association between the first physical IoT product and a first product type; and

a second association between the second physical IoT product and a second product type, the second product type being different from the first product type.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first usage data includes a first value of a first physical parameter measuring the first use.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first physical parameter is an environmental parameter.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

the first physical IoT product; and

a sensor included in the first physical IoT product and configured to measure the first value during the first use.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the profile storage device includes a first network interface coupled to the at least one processor and the first physical IoT product includes a second network interface coupled to the sensor and configured to transmit the first value to the profile storage device via the first network interface.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a programmable device distinct from the profile storage device and the first physical IoT product, wherein the profile storage device includes a first network interface coupled to the at least one processor, the first physical IoT product includes a second network interface, and the programmable device includes:

a third network interface configured to connect to the second network interface to receive the first value from the first physical IoT product; and

a fourth network interface configured to transmit the first value to the profile storage device via the first network interface.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the first value is included in first sensor data comprising a first sensor identifier, a second value of a second physical parameter measuring the second use is included in second sensor data comprising a second sensor identifier and the at least one processor is configured to:

receive the first usage data at least in part by receiving the first sensor data;

receive the second usage data at least in part by receiving the second sensor data; and

associate the first usage data and the second usage data with the user at least in part by identifying a first association between the first sensor identifier and an identifier of the first physical IoT product and a second association between the second sensor identifier and an identifier of the second physical IoT product.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to associate the first usage data and the second usage data with the user at least in part by identifying a third association and a fourth association, the third association being between an identifier of the user and at least of the first sensor identifier and the identifier of the first physical IoT product and the fourth association being between the identifier of the user and at least one of the second sensor identifier and the identifier of the second physical IoT product.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the profile storage device includes a network interface coupled to the at least one processor and the at least one processor is further configured to receive association information defining the third association and the fourth association from one or more remote programmable devices via the network interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more remote programmable devices implement a user registration component.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more remote programmable devices implement a data collecting service.

14. A method implemented by a system comprising a profile storage device including at least one processor, the method comprising

receiving first usage data descriptive of a first use of a first physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receiving second usage data descriptive of a second use of a second physical IoT product; and

associating the first usage data and the second usage data with a user of the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a query requesting usage data that satisfies at least one search criterion; and

responding to the query by providing usage data that satisfies the at least one search criterion.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising measuring a value of a physical parameter descriptive of the first use with a sensor included in the first physical IoT product.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting the value to the profile storage device via a network interface included in the first physical IoT product and coupled to the sensor.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising measuring, during the first use, at least one environmental parameter with a sensor included in the first physical IoT product.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions configured to instruct at least one processor to execute a method of building user profiles, the method comprising:

receiving first usage data descriptive of a first use of a first physical Internet of Things (IoT) product;

receiving second usage data descriptive of a second use of a second physical IoT product; and

associating the first usage data and the second usage data with a user of the first physical IoT product and the second physical IoT product.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

receiving a query requesting usage data that satisfies at least one search criterion; and

responding to the query by providing usage data that satisfies the at least one search criterion.