Patents by Inventor Mark Yinan Li

Mark Yinan Li has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9571427
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to identifying one or more messages sent by a user, identifying two or more contacts that are associated with one or more of the messages, determining a strength of relationship score between identified contacts, and utilizing the strength of relationship scores to provide additional information related to the contacts. A strength of relationship score between a contact and one or more other contacts may be determined based on one or more properties of one or more of the messages. In some implementations, contacts groups may be determined based on the strength of relationship scores. In some implementations, contacts groups may be utilized to disambiguate references to contacts in messages. In some implementations, contacts group may be utilized to provide suggestions to the user of additional contacts of a contacts group that includes the indicated recipient contact of a message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, MyLinh Yang, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Patent number: 9552560
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to identifying an event task of a user, identifying one or more other attendees of the event, determining user arrival information for the user, and determining a notification to provide to at least one of the other attendees based on the user arrival information. The event task includes a starting time for an event and an event location, and the user arrival information is based on location information of the user and information associated with the event task. In some implementations, the user and/or the at least one of the other attendees may provide authorization for a notification to determined and/or sent. The notification may include information regarding the likelihood of the user arriving at the event before and/or after the starting time of the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Patent number: 9548951
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to providing additional information related to a vague term in a message. For example, in some implementations, one or more messages sent by a sender and received by one or more recipients may be identified, a vague term in the message may be identified, a user-restricted database may be identified that is associated with the sender or a recipient, and additional information related to the vague term may be determined from the user-restricted database. A vague term is a term which may have multiple meanings and that can be clarified with additional information. In some implementations, user-restricted databases may include additional information that is associated with the user that may be utilized to replace the vague term with a clarified term. In some implementations, a user-restricted database may be utilized to identify additional information in another database that may be utilized to clarify the vague term.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, MyLinh Yang, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Patent number: 9507836
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to associating an event attribute with a user based on a group of electronic messages associated with the user. An event may be associated with the group of electronic messages. One or more event attributes of the event may be determined, including an event location identifier that identifies a physical event location. One or more of the event attributes may be determined based on the group of electronic messages. Location data of the user may be identified and a likelihood that the user interacted with the physical event location may be determined based on comparing the location data of the user to the event location identifier. The likelihood that the user interacted with the physical event location and at least one of the event attributes determined based on the group of electronic messages may be associated with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Patent number: 9424247
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to determining an association between a message trail and a task entry of a user and associating an n-gram with the task entry, wherein the n-gram is based on one or more messages of the message trail. A similarity score between the n-gram and one or more aspects of the associated task entry may be determined. The similarity score may be utilized, for example, to determine when to associate the n-gram with the task entry and/or how to utilize the associated n-gram with the task entry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Patent number: 9342597
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to associating an event attribute with a user based on a group of electronic messages associated with the user. An event may be associated with the group of electronic messages. One or more event attributes of the event may be determined, including an event location identifier that identifies a physical event location. One or more of the event attributes may be determined based on the group of electronic messages. Location data of the user may be identified and a likelihood that the user interacted with the physical event location may be determined based on comparing the location data of the user to the event location identifier. The likelihood that the user interacted with the physical event location and at least one of the event attributes determined based on the group of electronic messages may be associated with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Patent number: 9304974
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to determining an effect on dissemination of information related to an event based on a dynamic confidence level associated with the event. For example, an event and an event confidence level of the event may be determined based on a message of a user. An effect on dissemination of information related to the event may be determined based on the confidence level. A new confidence level may be determined based on additional data associated with the event and the effect on dissemination of information may be adjusted based on the new confidence level. In some implementations, the additional data may be based on a new message that is related to the message, such as a reply to the message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, MyLinh Yang, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Publication number: 20150188851
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to identifying one or more messages sent by a user, identifying two or more contacts that are associated with one or more of the messages, determining a strength of relationship score between identified contacts, and utilizing the strength of relationship scores to provide additional information related to the contacts. A strength of relationship score between a contact and one or more other contacts may be determined based on one or more properties of one or more of the messages. In some implementations, contacts groups may be determined based on the strength of relationship scores. In some implementations, contacts groups may be utilized to disambiguate references to contacts in messages. In some implementations, contacts group may be utilized to provide suggestions to the user of additional contacts of a contacts group that includes the indicated recipient contact of a message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, MyLinh Yang, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li
  • Publication number: 20150188854
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to providing additional information related to a vague term in a message. For example, in some implementations, one or more messages sent by a sender and received by one or more recipients may be identified, a vague term in the message may be identified, a user-restricted database may be identified that is associated with the sender or a recipient, and additional information related to the vague term may be determined from the user-restricted database. A vague term is a term which may have multiple meanings and that can be clarified with additional information. In some implementations, user-restricted databases may include additional information that is associated with the user that may be utilized to replace the vague term with a clarified term. In some implementations, a user-restricted database may be utilized to identify additional information in another database that may be utilized to clarify the vague term.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tomkins, Shanmugasundaram Ravikumar, Shalini Agarwal, MyLinh Yang, Bo Pang, Mark Yinan Li