Patents Assigned to Yahoo!
  • Patent number: 9311655
    Abstract: Briefly, embodiments of methods or systems for display of a location-related promotional message with search query results are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Anand Tolani, Farzin Maghoul
  • Patent number: 9313634
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a collecting unit which collects user's biological information. The information processing device includes a determining unit which determines an emotion of the user by using the biological information collected by the collecting unit. The information processing device includes an output unit which outputs in association with information representing the user and the emotion of the user determined by the determining unit to terminal devices which are used by other users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mariko Suzuki, Hiroko Ota, Chiemi Taki, Yuki Uchida, Hiroshi Machida
  • Publication number: 20160098764
    Abstract: Access requests to a database are monitored for average time taken to fulfill the requests and whether a queue of unfulfilled requests is building up beyond an acceptable threshold. When the queue has built up beyond the acceptable threshold and/or when the average time taken to fulfill the requests has exceeded a delay threshold value, database access requests may be rejected. In one advantageous aspect, a graceful degradation in performance may be achieved by selectively rejecting access requests of a lower priority and favoring access requests of a higher priority for execution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventor: Gian-Paolo Musumeci
  • Patent number: 9304665
    Abstract: One or more messages may be selected and grouped and one or more group-level actions may be initiated for the group, such that the group-level action is performed on each message in the group. Each message in a group shares the at least one attribute value. A messaging user interface may comprise a listing of the set of messages and a message group display portion that displays one or more message groups and a group-level toolbar comprising a selectable indicator for each group-level action. A message, or messages, shown in a message list portion of the user interface may be selected from the message list based on similarity of the message(s) to previously selected messages, and the selected message(s) may be grouping based on shared attribute values. The messages belonging to a group may be modified in the same way via a single action taken on the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventor: Brian Coe
  • Patent number: 9305103
    Abstract: Methods and/or systems are provided that may be utilized to rank categories of an entity based at least in part on relevance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Syama Prasad Suprasadachandranpilliai
  • Patent number: 9305051
    Abstract: An optimization-based framework is utilized to extract broad query aspects from query reformulations performed by users in historical user session logs. Objective functions are optimized to yield query aspects. At run-time, the best broad but unspecified query aspects relevant to any user query are presented along with the results of the run time query.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Kunal Punera, Deepayan Chakrabarti, Xuanhui Wang
  • Patent number: 9305022
    Abstract: The present application is directed to systems and methods for associating a geographic location with an IP address. Generally, an IP address from which each of a plurality of users accesses a network is recorded. A geo tag is associated with each of the plurality of users and a subset of the plurality of users is identified, the subset including users associated with a first IP address. The subset of the plurality of users is clustered into a spatial cluster including users associated with geo tags located with a defined distance of a geo tag of at least one other user of the cluster. A geographic location associated with a geographic center of the cluster is then associated with the first IP address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce Campbell, Devesh Patel, Soren Riise
  • Patent number: 9301277
    Abstract: A wireless communication terminal according to an embodiment includes a wireless LAN communication unit, a prediction unit which predicts a moving area of a user, an estimation unit, and a communication control unit. The estimation unit estimates a switching state of a wireless LAN connection in the wireless LAN communication unit, on the basis of a wireless LAN communication environment in the moving area predicted by the prediction unit. The communication unit restricts the wireless LAN connection in the wireless LAN communication unit, on the basis of the switching state estimated by the estimation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Fujimoto, Yasuo Tomine
  • Patent number: 9298783
    Abstract: Among other disclosures, a method may include collecting historical data and communication data relating to an attachment provided in a communication. The method may include generating an attachment profile based on the collected historical and communication data. The method may include monitoring user behavior. The method may include determining if the user has made a request to view the attachment profile. The method may include presenting the attachment profile in response to the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Brezina, Adam Smith
  • Patent number: 9299081
    Abstract: A system and method for learning a new user's interests in the absence of historical data includes: generating a user interface on which a user interacts in a session; formulating questions such that a user response to the questions indicates a preference; presenting the questions to the user on the user interface; receiving responses from the user, the responses indicating user preferences; and populating a new user profile with the user preferences. The steps of presenting, receiving, and populating are repeated until the session terminates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Gideon Dror, Yoelle Maarek, Dan Pelleg, Idan Szpektor
  • Patent number: 9298357
    Abstract: A computer-implemented user notification method includes displaying, at user-accessible locations on a graphical display of a mobile device, notifications corresponding to user interest, preference, and frequency of interaction with particular applications or activities on the mobile device. By increasing ease of interaction with particular notifications and advertisements that are of increased importance and relevance for the user, a higher click through and conversion rate is anticipated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Gaurav Kamdar
  • Publication number: 20160085318
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method monitors a video-based graphic. The method includes displaying a video-based graphic. A position of a pointer interaction is monitored. The method includes determining a designation of a pixel of the video-based graphic at a location of the pointer interaction. An action is performed based on the designation of the pixel of the video-based graphic at a location of the pointer interaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Applicant: YAHOO! Inc.
    Inventor: Lawrence Anthony Deguzman
  • Patent number: 9292299
    Abstract: A server-implemented method for managing packages on a client device is provided. The method initiates with receiving a content request from a client device, the content request defining a requested content item and current package data identifying one or more currently installed packages on the client device. Required packages for providing the requested content item are determined based on the content request, wherein determining the required packages includes analyzing dependencies amongst the required packages. A response to the content request is generated based on the determined required packages and the current package data, the response defining actions for providing the requested content item at the client device and actions for managing the one or more currently installed packages on the client device. The package management instructions are sent to the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Karan Ashar, Daryl Low, Anne-Lise Hassenklover
  • Patent number: 9294787
    Abstract: Software authenticates a first user of a first mobile device and a second user of a second mobile device. Each of the mobile devices includes a video capturing device and each user agrees or has previously agreed to share video data captured by the user with other authenticated users. The software determines whether the first mobile device is located proximate to the second mobile device. Then the software receives video data captured by the second mobile device and transmits the video data to the first mobile device for display along with an annotation indicating the location of the second mobile device relative to the first mobile device, if the first mobile device is proximate to the second mobile device. The software receives an indication from the first mobile device that at least some of the video data is to be indexed in a profile associated with the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Marco de Sa, David Ayman Shamma, Elizabeth Churchill
  • Patent number: 9292514
    Abstract: A media identification system generates reference fingerprints for known media samples and stores the reference fingerprints in a reference database. The media identification system uses the reference fingerprints to match a fingerprint generated from an unknown media sample to identify that unknown sample. When storing new reference fingerprints in the reference database, partitions of the database are selected to balance the search loads on the database when it is used by the media identification system. For example, the selected partitions may be determined based at least in part on the access rates of the partitions by the media identification system. New reference fingerprints will tend to be placed in partitions that have relatively lower access rates that the other partitions, which will tend to balance the search loads on the partitions by the media identification system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Nicholas Seet, Rob Johnson, Joshua Smallman, Adam Cahan
  • Patent number: 9292863
    Abstract: Systems and methods in clued those for serving one or more advertisements contextually-relevant to an initial web page. Terms are selected from the initial web page that may be used as representative keywords to select advertisements that are contextually relevant to the initial web page. Keyword candidates are filtered via a series of operations that include: querying a network for web pages where the one or more keyword candidates are found, filtering the web pages based on time/date characteristics and a pre-defined number of web pages, analyzing the web pages using the one or more keyword candidates, and selecting certain keyword candidates to be representative keywords based on the analysis. The one or more representative keywords may be used to select one or more advertisements that may then be served with the initial web page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventor: Norman Oro
  • Patent number: 9286580
    Abstract: A terminal apparatus provides a highly convenient user interface. The terminal apparatus includes a designated direction detection unit and a display control unit. The designated direction detection unit detects a designated direction, which is a direction in which the terminal apparatus is directed, with respect to a reference direction as a reference of the direction of the terminal apparatus on the basis of a signal from a sensor that outputs a signal indicating the attitude of the terminal apparatus. The display control unit displays an image, in which the direction in which the object is directed with respect to the reference direction is maintained and the object is disposed at the end of a direction corresponding to the designated direction, on a display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinsuke Itoh
  • Patent number: 9288079
    Abstract: Virtual notes are provided that enable virtual communications between users. A user is enabled to input content into a note using an electronic device. The user is enabled to associate a virtual representation of the note with an entity to generate a virtual note. The user is enabled to position the virtual representation of the virtual note in a virtual space superimposed on the entity. The user is enabled to configure at least one attribute associated with the virtual note. The generated virtual note is transmitted to a notes database. Subsequent users can view and otherwise interact with the virtual note by interacting with the entity associated with the virtual note. For example, the subsequent users can interact with the virtual note by approaching the entity, or by viewing the entity on a map displayed by an electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Stephan Douris, Barry Crane, Marc Perry, Athellina Athsani, Chris Kalaboukis
  • Patent number: 9286569
    Abstract: A behavioral targeting system determines user profiles from online activity. The system includes a plurality of models that define parameters for determining a user profile score. Event information, which comprises on-line activity of the user, is received at an entity. To generate a user profile score, a model is selected. The model comprises recency, intensity and frequency dimension parameters. The behavioral targeting system generates a user profile score for a target objective, such as brand advertising or direct response advertising. The parameters from the model are applied to generate the user profile score in a category. The behavioral targeting system has application for use in ad serving to on-line users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Joshua M. Koran, Christina Yip Chung, Abhinav Gupta, George H. John, Hongfeng Yin, Long-Ji Lin, Richard Frankel
  • Publication number: 20160071166
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for automatically pausing advertisements based on user attention includes rendering a digital video to a user, in response to the user initiating the digital video through a web multimedia player. The computer-implemented method also includes streaming an advertisement to the user once the user begins to watch the digital video and monitoring the user attention as the user watches the advertisement. The user attention is monitored based on keystrokes and mouse movements. Further, the computer-implemented method includes detecting one or more changes in the user attention. Furthermore, the computer-implemented method includes pausing the advertisement automatically at instance of detecting the one or more changes. Moreover, the computer-implemented method includes detecting the one or more changes that directs the user attention to the paused advertisement and resuming streaming of the advertisement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Ling-Wei Huang, Wei-Han Li, Huai-Hsing Huang, Chia-Yen Liu, Chi-Wa Ng, Shih-Ting Huang, Shih-Ping Lu, Dai-Yan Chen, Pin-Kuan Lee