Environment-responsive people matching system and method

• US 8,515,900 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Manyworlds Incorporated
• Inventors: Flinn, Steven Dennis, Moneypenny, Naomi Felina
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US13/212,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/603
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

An environment-responsive people matching system and method matches people in accordance with inferences of mutual interests based, at least in part, on environmental conditions local to the people being matched. Other behavioral information, proximity, and mobility inferences may also influence the matching. Relationships with varying degree of affinity between matched people may be generated in accordance with the inferences. Explanations for the suggested matches may be delivered to the matched people.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented people matching method comprising:

assessing a first location that is associated with a first user and a first non-temporal environmental condition local to the first user of a first mobile processor-based device;

assessing a second location that is associated with a second user and a second non-temporal environmental condition local to the second user of a second mobile processor-based device; and

generating a match, by means of a processor-based device, of the first user and the second user in accordance with an inference of mutual interest that is based, at least in part, on the first location, the first non-temporal environmental condition, the second location, and the second non-temporal environmental condition.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the match in response to a search request by the first user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the match in accordance with a mobility inference.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inferring the mutual interest based, at least in part, on a physiological response.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

representing the first user as a first computer-implemented object comprising a picture of the first user and the second user as a second computer-implemented object comprising a picture of the second user.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a degree of relationship between the first user and the second user based on the inference of mutual interest.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

delivering an explanation for the match to the first user.

8. A computer-implemented people matching system comprising one or more processor-based devices configured to execute:

a computer-implemented function that assesses a first location associated with a first user and a non-temporal environmental condition local to the first user;

a computer-implemented function that assesses a second location associated with a second user; and

a matching function generates a match between the first user and the second user based, at least in part on the first location, the second location, and the environmental condition.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

the matching function that generates the match, wherein the match is generated in response to a search request.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

the matching function that generates the match, wherein the match is generated in accordance with a mobility inference.

11. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

an inference function that infers the mutual interest between the first user and the second user based, at least in part, on the first location, the second location, the non-temporal environmental condition and a plurality of usage behaviors.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

an inference function that infers the mutual interest between the first user and the second user based, at least in part, on the first location, the second location, the non-temporal environmental condition and a physiological response.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

a relationship generation function that generates a relationship between the first user and the second user in accordance with the inference of mutual interest, wherein the generated relationship is by degree.

14. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

an explanatory function that delivers an explanation for a match to the first user, wherein the explanation references the non-temporal environmental condition.

15. A computer-implemented people matching method comprising:

inferring the proximity of a first person using a first mobile processor based computing device and a second person using a second mobile processor-based computing device based, at least in part, on an environmental condition, wherein the environmental condition is sound-based; and

matching the first person and the second person based, at least in part, on the inferred proximity.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

performing a mobility inference.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

assessing a physiological response.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

generating a degree of relationship between the first person and second person based on the inferred proximity.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

displaying the first person represented as an object and the second person represented as an object in accordance with the degree of relationship.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

delivering an explanation for the matching.