Generating activities based upon social data

• US 9,009,226 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kiciman, Emre Mehmet, Wang, Chun-Kai, Wang, Yi-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Emdadi, Keyvan
• Application Number:
  US12/633,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

A method described herein includes acts of receiving data from a social networking application, wherein the data is generated by a first individual, and executing an entity extraction algorithm to extract at least one entity from the received data. The method also includes automatically causing a hyperlink to be displayed on a computing device utilized by a second individual, wherein the hyperlink is based at least in part upon the at least one entity, wherein the hyperlink is configured to direct the first individual to a search engine and is further configured to cause the search engine to execute a search that pertains to the at least one entity.

Claims

1. A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:

receiving data from a social networking application, wherein the data is generated by a first individual;

executing an entity extraction algorithm to extract an entity from the received data;

selecting an activity from amongst a plurality of predefined activities based upon the entity; and

causing a hyperlink to be displayed on a display of a computing device utilized by a second individual, wherein the hyperlink is based upon a template for the activity, the template comprises text describing the activity, the hyperlink comprising the text describing the activity and additional text that describes the entity, the hyperlink configured to cause a computer-executable application on the computing device to execute the activity responsive to receiving a selection of the hyperlink from the second individual.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the social networking application is a text broadcasting application that is configured to broadcast a limited number of characters of text to subscribers of the first individual.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data from the social networking application is a status message update made by first individual, wherein the second individual is a contact of the first individual.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data from the social networking application is a caption or a title of a photograph shared by the first individual with the second individual.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data from the social networking application is geographic location metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing content of a page currently being viewed by the second individual;

determining that the content of the page is related to the entity;

causing the data from the social networking application to be displayed in an inline popup on the page; and

causing the hyperlink to be displayed in the inline popup together with the data from the social networking application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an image, wherein the image is received from a contact of the second individual that chooses to share images with the second individual;

extracting a second entity from the image; and

causing at least a portion of the image to act as a hyperlink, wherein selection of the portion of the image by the second individual causes a search engine to execute a search pertaining to the second entity extracted from the image, and further causes search results retrieved during the search to be displayed on the display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the entity extracted from the image is indicative of a geographic location where the image was captured.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity is one or more of the following:

searching for additional information pertaining to the entity;

searching for weather conditions pertaining to the entity;

shopping for items pertaining to the entity;

displaying a map;

or

displaying driving directions.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the entity with contents of a trained dictionary to determine a category that corresponds to the entity; and

selecting the activity based at least in part upon the category that corresponds to the entity.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing historical correspondence of at least one of the first individual or the second individual; and

selecting the activity based at least in part upon the analysis of the historical correspondence of the at least one of the first individual or the second individual.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the hyperlink to a web page or application that corresponds to the social networking application.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity is a search for information about the entity, and wherein the computer-executable application is directed to a search engine responsive to the second individual selecting the hyperlink.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is a keyword and a disambiguated canonical meaning thereof.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that comprises component that are executed by the processor, the components comprising;

a receiver component that is configured to receive social networking data generated by a first individual, the social networking data generated through utilization of a social networking application;

an extractor component that is configured to extract an entity from the social networking data, the entity being a keyword and a disambiguated canonical meaning thereof;

a ranker component that, responsive to the extractor component extracting the entity from the social networking data, is configured to rank a plurality of predefined activities with respect to the entity;

an activity selector component that is configured to select an activity for the entity form the plurality of predefined activities, wherein the activity selected by the activity selector component is ranked most highly in the plurality of predefined activities by the ranker component, and the activity is a search for information about the entity; and

a hyperlink generator component that is configured to cause a hyperlink to be displayed in conjunction with the social networking data on a display of a computing device utilized by a second individual, wherein the hyperlink is configured to direct the second individual to a search engine upon the hyperlink being selected by the second individual, wherein the hyperlink is further configured to cause the search engine to execute a search for more information about the entity, and wherein the second individual is in a social network of the first individual.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

an advertisement selector component that is configured to display an advertisement in conjunction with the social networking data, wherein the advertisement is recommended by a poster of the social networking data.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a transmitter component that is configured to transmit the hyperlink generated by the hyperlink generator component to the social networking application.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a display component that is configured to cause the hyperlink to be displayed on a web site that corresponds to the social networking application.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the ranker component ranks the finite number of predefined activities based at least in part upon at least one of:

and identity of the second individual;

and identity of the social networking application;

and amount of time since the second individual reviewed, or was given an opportunity to review the social networking data;

or

a current geographic location of the second individual.

17. A computer-readable memory device comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving a social networking message posted via a social networking application by a first individual;

identifying an entity in the social networking massage, wherein the entity comprises;

a keyword included in the social networking message; and

an associated canonical meaning of the keyword;

selecting and activity based upon the entity, wherein the activity is selected from amongst a finite number of defined activities;

selecting a template based at least in part upon the selecting of the activity, the template comprising text that describes the activity; and

causing a hyperlink to be displayed on a computing device utilized by a second user, the hyperlink comprising the keyword and the text that describes the activity from the template, the hyperlink displayed in conjunction with the social networking message to the second individual and, when selected by the second individual, configured to cause a search engine to be accessed, cause the search engine to execute a search pertaining to the activity when selected by the second individual, and cause search results retrieved by the search engine to be displayed.