Systems and methods for providing subscription-based personalization

• US 7,747,632 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fikes, Andrew, Zamir, Oren E., Korn, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng; Amy
• Application Number:
  US11/097,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/1, 707/4, 707/5, 707/101, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/754, 707/751, 707/793
• US Class Current: 707/751
• 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

Abstract

A user'"'"'s prior searching and browsing activities are recorded for subsequent use. A user may examine the user'"'"'s prior searching and browsing activities in a number of different ways, including indications of the user'"'"'s prior activities related to advertisements. A set of search results may be modified in accordance with the user'"'"'s historical activities. The user'"'"'s activities may be examined to identify a set of preferred locations. The user'"'"'s set of activities may be shared with one or more other users. The set of preferred locations presented to the user may be enhanced to include the preferred locations of one or more other users. A user'"'"'s browsing activities may be monitored from one or more different client devices or client application. A user'"'"'s browsing volume may be graphically displayed.

Claims

1. A method of processing user data, comprising:

on a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors;

receiving user data from a client application, the user data associated with activity of a user and including one or more events, each event corresponding to one of a plurality of data types and including respective event information, wherein each data type is indicative of a type of user activity;

selecting a plurality of the events from the user data;

for each selected event, identifying to which of the plurality of data types the selected event corresponds; and

processing the selected events so as to create a plurality of event entries in a data structure associated with the user, each event entry for a different one of the selected events, the processing of each selected event including;

determining a subscription condition associated with both the user and the identified data type, wherein the subscription condition is one of a plurality of distinct subscription conditions associated with the user, and each of the plurality of subscription conditions is associated with a distinct data type of the plurality of data types; and

conditionally creating, in the data structure associated with the user, a respective event entry for the selected event in accordance with the subscription condition associated with the identified data type and the selected event'"'"'s respective event information, wherein the respective event entry includes a unique event ID.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a snooze condition; and

modifying the subscription condition in accordance with the snooze condition.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying when the selected event satisfies a filter condition;

wherein the respective event entry is created in accordance with the filter condition.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

selectively providing access to a respective event entry in the data structure in accordance with the associated subscription condition.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

creating at least one derived information value from a plurality of event entries in the data structure.

6. The method of claim 5, further including:

selectively providing access to the at least one derived information value in accordance with the subscription condition associated with the identified data type corresponding to at least one of the plurality of the event entries.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining at least one derived information value from one or more of the plurality of event entries;

detecting a change in the subscription condition associated with the identified data type corresponding to at least one of the plurality of event entries used to create the at least one derived information value; and

re-determining the derived information value from the changed subscription condition and the one or more event entries.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the re-determining excludes use of at least one respective event entry, the respective event entry having a respective data type associated with the changed subscription condition.

9. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining at least one derived information value from one or more of the plurality of event entries;

detecting a change in availability of at least one of the one or more event entries; and

re-determining the at least one derived information value.

10. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying one or more events from a plurality of event entries satisfying a condition;

modifying an availability condition associated with the one or more events;

identifying one or more derived information values based on at least one of the events; and

re-determining the one or more derived information values in accordance with the modified availability condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying one or more events includes receiving a request from the user to delete at least one event entry.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying one or more events includes receiving a request from the user to delete one or more event entries, the one or more event entries corresponding to queries related to the condition.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the condition comprises an event having a time/date value greater than a specified time/date value.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the condition comprises a respective event frequency exceeding a threshold.

15. The method of claim 1, further including:

associating a ranking value with the event entry.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

modifying the ranking value based on a time-based weighting factor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the modifying occurs periodically.

18. The method of claim 15 further including:

periodically determining at least one derived information value from one or more of a plurality of event entries and one or more associated ranking values.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a user information database associated with the user, the events comprise events initiated by the user, and the subscription condition associated with the identified data type determines whether to include event data of the identified data type in the user information database associated with the user.

23. The method of claim 22, further including adjusting search results returned in response to a search query from the user in accordance with data in the user information database associated with the user.

19. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

instructions for receiving user data from a client application, the user data associated with activity of a user and including one or more events, each event corresponding to one of a plurality of data types and including respective event information, wherein each data type is indicative of a type of user activity;

instructions for selecting a plurality of the events from the user data;

instructions for identifying, for each selected event, to which of the plurality of data types the selected event corresponds; and

instructions for processing the selected events so as to create a plurality of event entries in a data structure associated with the user, each event entry for a different one of the selected events, the instructions for processing each selected event including;

instructions for determining a subscription condition associated with both the user and the identified data type, wherein the subscription condition is one of a plurality of distinct subscription conditions associated with the user, and each of the plurality of subscription conditions is associated with a distinct data type of the plurality of data types; and

instructions for conditionally creating, in the data structure associated with the user, a respective event entry for the selected event in accordance with the subscription condition associated with the identified data type and the selected event'"'"'s respective event information, wherein the respective event entry includes a unique event ID.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the data structure is a user information database associated with the user, the events comprise events initiated by the user, and the subscription condition associated with the identified data type determines whether to include event data of the identified data type in the user information database associated with the user.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further including instructions for adjusting search results returned in response to a search query from the user in accordance with data in the user information database associated with the user.

20. A computer, comprising:

a memory containing a user'"'"'s prior historical information;

a processor; and

a program, stored in the main memory and executed by the processor, the program including;

instructions for receiving user data from a client application, the user data associated with activity of a user and including one or more events, each event corresponding to one of a plurality of data types and including respective event information, wherein each data type is indicative of a type of user activity;

instructions for selecting a plurality of the events from the user data;

instructions for identifying, for each selected event, to which of the plurality of data types the selected event corresponds; and

instructions for processing the selected events so as to create a plurality of event entries in a data structure associated with the user, each event entry for a different one of the selected events, the instructions for processing each selected event including;

instructions for determining a subscription condition associated with both the user and the identified data type, wherein the subscription condition is one of a plurality of distinct subscription conditions associated with the user, and each of the plurality of subscription conditions is associated with a distinct data type of the plurality of data types; and

instructions for conditionally creating, in the data structure associated with the user, a respective event entry for the selected event in accordance with the subscription condition associated with the identified data type and the selected event'"'"'s respective event information, wherein the respective event entry includes a unique event ID.

26. The computer of claim 20, wherein the data structure is a user information database associated with the user, the events comprise events initiated by the user, and the subscription condition associated with the identified data type determines whether to include event data of the identified data type in the user information database associated with the user.

27. The computer of claim 26, further including instructions for adjusting search results returned in response to a search query from the user in accordance with data in the user information database associated with the user.

21. A system of processing user data, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more network communications interfaces;

memory, and

one or more communications buses for interconnecting the one or more processors, one or more network communications interfaces, and memory, wherein the computer system includes;

means for receiving user data from a client application, the user data associated with activity of a user and including one or more events, each event corresponding to one of a plurality of data types and including respective event information, wherein each data type is indicative of a type of user activity;

means for selecting a plurality of the events from the user data;

means for identifying, for each selected event, to which of the plurality of data types the selected event corresponds; and

means for processing the selected events so as to create a plurality of event entries in a data structure associated with the user, each event entry for a different one of the selected events, the means for processing each selected event including;

means for determining a subscription condition associated with both the user and the identified data type, wherein the subscription condition is one of a plurality of distinct subscription conditions associated with the user, and each of the plurality of subscription conditions is associated with a distinct data type of the plurality of data types; and

means for conditionally creating, in the data structure associated with the user, a respective event entry for the selected event in accordance with the subscription condition associated with the identified data type and the selected event'"'"'s respective event information, wherein the respective event entry includes a unique event ID.