Determining message prominence

• US 8,527,597 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kennberg, Aleksandr, Bhargava, Aman, Whitt, Carlos E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALI, SYED
• Application Number:
  US12/962,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/223, 709/230, 709/250, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. A request that a server system deliver textual posts to a computing device may be received. Posts may be associated with a geographical place of posting and a temporal age. A value that represents a geographical distance from the computing device to the geographical place of posting can be identified. A score for a post may be based on the value that represents the geographical distance and the temporal age of the post. An indication of the score for the particular post may be provided to the computing device so as to cause the computing device to display an indication of the post and to visibly indicate a prominence of the post. The indication of prominence of the post is based on the indication of the score for the post.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a server system and from a computing device that is remote from the server system, a request that the server system deliver to the computing device textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging system, each particular post of at least some of the posts being associated with (i) a geographical place of posting from which the particular post is determined to have been authored, and (ii) a temporal age that corresponds to a time that the particular post was authored;

identifying, by the server system and for each particular post, a value that represents a geographical distance from a location that is associated with the computing device to the geographical place of posting for the particular post;

determining, by the server system and for each particular post, a score for the particular post, the score being based on at least;

(iii) the value that represents the geographical distance to the geographical place of posting for the particular post, and (iv) the temporal age of the particular post; and

providing, by the server system and to the computing device for each particular post, an indication of the score for the particular post, so as to cause the computing device to display an indication of each particular post and visibly indicate a prominence of each particular post, the indication of prominence of each particular post being based at least in part on the indication of the score for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts, including a first post and a second post, having different visible indications of prominence based at least in part on the at least two particular posts having different indications of scores, the first and second posts being displayed by the computing device in first and second positions, respectively, based at least in part on the different indications of scores between the posts.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request that is received at the server system is initiated by user input at the computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each author of the particular posts did not identify post recipients in the respective particular posts, and wherein a user of the messaging service views posts, at least in part, by subscribing to an author so that the server system routes the author'"'"'s posts to the user, or by the user requesting to view posts that the server system determines are recent and that are geographically relevant to a location that is associated with the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing device visibly indicates that a first post of the particular posts is more prominent than a second post of the particular posts, the value that represents the geographical distance for the first post and the value that represents the geographical distance for the second post indicating that the first post is nearer to the computing device than the second post, the temporal age of the first post being greater than the age of the second post.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location that is associated with the computing device is an estimated geographical location of the computing device as determined using wireless signals that are received from multiple space-based global navigation satellites.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location that is associated with the computing device is a venue that a specific user of the computing device has identified as a posting location, wherein an identification of the venue is visibly displayed to other users of the messaging service that receive specific posts by the specific user while the venue is identified as a posting location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the geographical place of posting for each particular post is an estimated geographical location of a particular computing device that was used to author the particular post, as determined by the particular computing device by triangulating wireless signals from transmitting devices.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the geographical place of posting for each particular post is a venue that an author of the particular post identified with user input as a posting location.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the score for the particular post is further based at least in part on a score of the venue that the author of the particular post identified as being the posting location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the score of the venue is based at least in part on a quantity of times that a user of the computing device to whom the indications of the posts are to be displayed has identified the venue as a posting location.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the score of the venue is based at least in part on a plurality of user-supplied ratings for the venue.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the score of the venue is based at least in part on a quantity of times that the venue has been identified in posts that were submitted to the messaging service as by a user input content portion of the post.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a server system and from a computing device that is remote from the server system, a request that the server system deliver to the computing device textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging system, each particular post of at least some of the posts being associated with (i) a geographical place of posting from which the particular post is determined to have been authored, and (ii) a temporal age that corresponds to a time that the particular post was authored;

identifying, by the server system and for each particular post, a value that represents a geographical distance from a location that is associated with the computing device to the geographical place of posting for the particular post;

determining, by the server system and for each particular post, a score for the particular post, the score being based on at least;

(iii) the value that represents the geographical distance to the geographical place of posting for the particular post, and (iv) the temporal age of the particular post; and

providing, by the server system and to the computing device for each particular post, an indication of the score for the particular post, so as to cause the computing device to display an indication of each particular post and visibly indicate a prominence of each particular post, the indication of prominence of each particular post being based at least in part on the indication of the score for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts having different visible indications of prominence based at least in part on the at least two particular posts having different indications of scores, wherein

the geographical place of posting for each particular post is a venue that an author of the particular post identified with user input as a posting location,

the score for the particular post is further based at least in part on a score of the venue that the author of the particular post identified as being the posting location, and

the score of the venue is based at least in part on a quantity of users of the messaging service that have identified the venue as a posting location.

14. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

determining, by a mobile computing device, a location that is associated with the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input for causing the mobile computing device to display indications of textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging service;

submitting, by the mobile computing device and to a server system, (i) a request for the posts and (ii) the location that is associated with the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system, for each particular post of at least a plurality of the posts, an indication of a prominence of the particular post, the received indication of prominence having been determined by the server system for each particular post based at least in part on a time that an author submitted the particular post to the messaging service and based at least in part on a distance between the location that is associated with the mobile computing device and a location that is associated with the particular post; and

displaying, by the mobile computing device, an indication of each particular post and the indication of the prominence for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts, including a first post and a second post, having different displayed indications of prominence such that the mobile computing device displays the first and second posts in first and second positions, respectively, based at least in part on the indications of prominence.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the displayed indication of each particular post includes a display of the particular post in a vertical stack of posts, the displayed indication of prominence of each particular post being a position in the vertical stack.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the displayed indication of each particular post includes a display of a marker located on a map at the location that is associated with the particular post, the indication of the prominence of each particular post being a type of marker.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein displaying the indication of each particular post includes displaying the content for each of the particular posts in different pages that are navigable in a sequence, the displayed indication of prominence of each particular post being an order in the sequence.

18. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable devices including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, at a server system and from a computing device that is remote from the server system, a request that the server system deliver to the computing device textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging system, each particular post of at least some of the posts being associated with (i) a geographical place of posting from which the particular post is determined to have been authored, and (ii) a temporal age that corresponds to a time that the particular post was authored;

identifying, by the server system and for each particular post, a value that represents a geographical distance from a location that is associated with the computing device to the geographical place of posting for the particular post;

determining, by the server system and for each particular post, a score for the particular post, the score being based on at least;

(iii) the value that represents the geographical distance to the geographical place of posting for the particular post, and (iv) the temporal age of the particular post; and

providing, by the server system and to the computing device for each particular post, an indication of the score for the particular post, so as to cause the computing device to display an indication of each particular post and visibly indicate a prominence of each particular post, the indication of prominence of each particular post being based at least in part on the indication of the score for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts, including a first post and a second post, having different visible indications of prominence based at least in part on the at least two particular posts having different indications of scores, the first and second posts being displayed by the computing device in first and second positions, respectively, based at least in part on the different indications of scores between the posts.

19. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors on a mobile computing device; and

one or more computer-readable devices including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of operations, the operations comprising;

determining, by the mobile computing device, a location that is associated with the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input for causing the mobile computing device to display indications of textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging service;

submitting, by the mobile computing device and to a server system, (i) a request for the posts and (ii) the location that is associated with the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system, for each particular post of at least a plurality of the posts, an indication of a prominence of the particular post, the received indication of prominence having been determined by the server system for each particular post based at least in part on a time that an author submitted the particular post to the messaging service and based at least in part on a distance between the location that is associated with the mobile computing device and a location that is associated with the particular post; and

displaying, by the mobile computing device, an indication of each particular post and the indication of the prominence for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts, including a first post and a second post, having different displayed indications of prominence such that the mobile computing device displays the first and second posts in first and second positions, respectively, based at least in part on the indications of prominence.

20. One or more computer-readable devices including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, at a server system and from a computing device that is remote from the server system, a request that the server system deliver to the computing device textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging system, each particular post of at least some of the posts being associated with (i) a geographical place of posting from which the particular post is determined to have been authored, and (ii) a temporal age that corresponds to a time that the particular post was authored;

identifying, by the server system and for each particular post, a value that represents a geographical distance from a location that is associated with the computing device to the geographical place of posting for the particular post;

determining, by the server system and for each particular post, a score for the particular post, the score being based on at least;

(iii) the value that represents the geographical distance to the geographical place of posting for the particular post, and (iv) the temporal age of the particular post; and

providing, by the server system and to the computing device for each particular post, an indication of the score for the particular post, so as to cause the computing device to display an indication of each particular post and visibly indicate a prominence of each particular post, the indication of prominence of each particular post being based at least in part on the indication of the score for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts, including a first post and a second post, having different visible indications of prominence based at least in part on the at least two particular posts having different indications of scores, the first and second posts being displayed by the computing device in first and second positions, respectively, based at least in part on the different indications of scores between the posts.

21. One or more computer-readable devices including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of operations, the operations comprising:

determining, by the mobile computing device, a location that is associated with the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input for causing the mobile computing device to display indications of textual posts that a plurality of authors have submitted to a messaging service;

submitting, by the mobile computing device and to a server system, (i) a request for the posts and (ii) the location that is associated with the mobile computing device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system, for each particular post of at least a plurality of the posts, an indication of a prominence of the particular post, the received indication of prominence having been determined by the server system for each particular post based at least in part on a time that an author submitted the particular post to the messaging service and based at least in part on a distance between the location that is associated with the mobile computing device and a location that is associated with the particular post; and

displaying, by the mobile computing device, an indication of each particular post and the indication of the prominence for each particular post, at least two of the particular posts, including a first post and a second post, having different displayed indications of prominence such that the mobile computing device displays the first and second posts in first and second positions, respectively, based at least in part on the indications of prominence.