System and method for targeting advertisements or other information using user geographical information

• US 8,554,852 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Burnim, Jacob Samuels
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/907,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/205, 709/206, 709/219, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location

Abstract

A request for information items may include content information associated with one or more electronic messages and geographical information associated with the requesting user. A set of information items is identified based on the user geographical information and the message content of the one or more electronic messages. In some embodiments, at least one of the information items is identified based on both the user geographical information and the message content. In some embodiments, if the user geographical information is different from the user'"'"'s default geographical information, at least one of the information items is identified based on the user geographical information, but not the message content. A subset of the identified information items may be selected in accordance with a scoring or ranking function. The selected information items are transferred to the requesting client and displayed concurrently with (e.g., next to) the electronic messages.

Claims

1. A method of serving information items to a user in connection with an electronic message performed on a server system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, comprising:

responding to a request from a client for an electronic message associated with a client messaging application and associated with a user account for storing electronic messages, including;

identifying user geographical information obtained from the request from the client for an electronic message;

identifying one or more electronic messages in response to the client request;

associating the identified electronic messages with message content information comprising one or more concepts or categories based on content of the electronic messages;

identifying a first set of information items, including a respective item identified based on both the user geographical information and the message content information associated with the one or more electronic messages; and

sending the electronic message and the first set of information items to the requesting client for concurrent display of the electronic message and at least a subset of the first set of information items at the client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting rankings of the first set of information items using the user geographical information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first set of information items is an advertisement targeting users at a location corresponding to the user geographical information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first set of information items is an information item uniquely associated with a location corresponding to the user geographical information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information item uniquely associated with the location is a weather forecast of the location corresponding to the user geographical information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified electronic messages include a message selected from the group consisting of one or more email messages, IM messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.

7. A system for serving information items to a user in connection with an electronic message, comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

at least one program, stored in the memory and executed by the one or more processors, the at least one program further including;

instructions for responding to a request from a client for an electronic message associated with a client messaging application and associated with a user account for storing electronic messages, including;

instructions for identifying user geographical information obtained from the request from the client for an electronic message;

instructions for identifying one or more electronic messages in response to the client request;

instructions for associating the identified electronic messages with message content information comprising one or more concepts or categories based on content of the electronic messages;

instructions for identifying a first set of information items, including a respective item identified based on both the user geographical information and the message content information associated with the one or more electronic messages; and

instructions for sending the electronic message and the first set of information items to the client for concurrent display of the electronic message and at least a subset of the first set of information items at the client.

8. The system of claim 7, the at least one program further comprising:

instructions for adjusting rankings of the first set of information items using the user geographical information.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first set of information items is an advertisement targeting users at a location corresponding to the user geographical information.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first set of information items is an information item uniquely associated with a location corresponding to the user geographical information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the information item uniquely associated with the location is a weather forecast of the location corresponding to the user geographical information.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the identified electronic messages include a message selected from the group consisting of one or more email messages, IM messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one of more processors of a computer system, the one or more programs comprising:

instructions for responding to a request from a client for an electronic message associated with a client messaging application and associated with a user account for storing electronic messages, including;

instructions for identifying user geographical information obtained from the request from the client for an electronic message;

instructions for identifying one or more electronic messages in response to the client request;

instructions for associating the identified electronic messages with message content information comprising one or more concepts or categories based on content of the electronic messages;

instructions for identifying a first set of information items, including a respective item identified based on both the user geographical information and the message content information associated with the one or more electronic messages; and

instructions for sending the electronic message and the first set of information items to the client for concurrent display of the electronic message and at least a subset of the first set of information items at the client.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions for adjusting rankings of the first set of information items using the user geographical information.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first set of information items is an advertisement targeting users at a location corresponding to the user geographical information.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first set of information items is an information item uniquely associated with a location corresponding to the user geographical information.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the information item uniquely associated with the location is a weather forecast of the location corresponding to the user geographical information.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the identified electronic messages include a message selected from the group consisting of one or more email messages, IM messages, SMS messages, transcribed voice messages, and any combination thereof.