Abstract: Briefly, embodiments of methods and/or systems of providing relevant and diverse recommendations are disclosed. For one embodiment, as an example, a system may extract structured and/or semi-structured parameters from web resources obtained from interaction logs comprising records of browsing sessions. Content from extracted parameters may be compared, using an ontology, to find relationships among web resources and query resources.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to using image data and contextual data to determine information about a scene, based on one or more previously obtained images. Contextual data, such location of image capture, can be used to determine previously obtained images related to the contextual data and other location-related information, such as billboard locations. With even low resolution devices, such as cell phone, image attributes, such as a histogram or optically recognized characters, can be compared between the previously obtained images and the newly captured image. Attributes matching within a predefined threshold indicate matching images. Information on the content of matching previously obtained images can be provided back to a user who captured the new image. User profile data can refine the content information. The content information can also be used as search terms for additional searching or other processing.

Abstract: A digital document is represented as a set of codes comprising indices into a feature space comprising a number of subspaces, each code corresponds to one subspace and identifying a cell within the subspace. Each digital document can be represented by a code set, and the code set can be used as selection criteria for identifying a number of digital documents using each digital document's corresponding code set. By way of some non-limiting examples, digital document code sets can be used to identify similar or different digital images, used to identify duplicate or nearly-duplicate digital images, used to identify similar and/or different digital images for inclusion in a recommendation, used to identify and rank digital images in a set of search results.

Abstract: Software on a content-aggregation website obtains a resource associated with a podcast from a website publishing the podcast and stores it e resource on the content-aggregation website. The software adds the resource as a leaf node to a taxonomy generated by the content-aggregation website. The addition is based on data associated with the podcast. The non-leaf nodes in the taxonomy are categories of content. The software determines that a user of the content-aggregation website is qualified as to at least one category that includes the resource as a leaf node. The determination is based at least in part on feedback from the user that includes a viewing or listening history for the user. Then the software serves the resource to the user in a content stream published by the content-aggregation website, based at least in part on a personalization score associated with the resource.

Abstract: The systems and methods of the present invention provide for a number of improvements to the TV consumption process, including personalization, community viewing, shared presence and context, messaging, access to ratings and recommendations (including community reviews), alerts, etc. One method that the present invention provides allows for the indication of a given user's context to be provided to other users, such as users in the given user's social network. The method comprises generating an indication of a change in context for a given user, the context comprising information regarding an action of the given user. The indication of the change in context for the given user is propagated to one or more users in the social network for the given user. The indication of the change in context of the given user is presented to users in the given user's social network in conjunction with TV content.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for identifying a locations of application users based on originating address. Techniques to generate a set of address-to-location mappings include a system configured to receive information about a plurality of location-known requests that originated from an address, wherein the information indicates a plurality of locations for the originating address. The system is further configured to identify a geographical area based, at least in part, on the plurality of distinct locations; map the geographical area to a corresponding geographical locality; and associate the address to the geographical area and the corresponding geographical locality generating an address-to-location mapping. Address-to-location mappings may be further clustered into address-range-to-location mappings and stored as a data pack. Using these techniques, location information may be determined for a received location-unknown request that originated from a particular address.

Abstract: A method for providing an interface for a television device is provided, including the following method operations: identifying available services for consumption on a television device, wherein the available services include two or more of a broadcast television service, an on-demand video service, and an internet content service; determining a current date and time; determining content items available for consumption from each of the available services at the current date and time; determining an allocation of display locations in a cross-platform interface for content items from each of the available services, the allocation defining a relative amount of display locations for each of the available services based on a device profile associated with the television device; assigning content items to the display locations in accordance with the determined allocation.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating a dense graph are described. One of the methods includes receiving a graph and computing a threshold to apply to the graph. The method further includes determining whether the graph includes a first set of at least one node, determining whether a second set of at least one node from the first set meets the threshold, and removing the at least one node of the second set concurrently from the graph upon determining that the at least one node of the second set meets the threshold. The operation of removing is performed to generate an updated graph. The method includes determining whether a density of the updated graph is greater than a density of the graph and replacing the graph within the updated graph upon determining that the density of the updated graph is greater than the density of the density of the graph.

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.

Abstract: Targeting advertisements to a specific user includes steps or acts of: identifying an area of interest that includes a plurality of users using the Internet; logging each Internet request from the plurality of users; aggregating data regarding each Internet request to reveal use patterns; and disaggregating the data according to the use patterns to match the Internet use pattern with the specific user, thus identifying the specific user with each Internet request.

Abstract: A system and method for increasing displaying time of online advertisements. Upon receiving a search request including one or more search terms, a search engine may identify a list of search results and display the search results on one side of a result page. The search engine may also obtain a list of advertisements and display the list of advertisements on the other side of the result page. When a user scrolls down to look at search results at a lower portion of the result page, the list of advertisements may be moved down, following the movement of the screen, so that at least a part of the list of advertisements may keep being displayed on the current screen. Since the online advertisements are visible to the user for a longer time, there are more opportunities for the online advertisements to get the user's attention, and consequently more opportunities for the user to click on an advertisement. As a result, the efficiency of online advertising may be improved.

Abstract: Implementations of methods, apparatuses, or systems are disclosed to facilitate search related communications. In at least one implementation, a method may include processing search queries based at least in part on one or more search query parameters to identify candidate search queries for an exchange of related communications, wherein candidate search queries originate from different special purpose computing system resources and/or different users.

Abstract: A system for tagging an object comprises and interface and a processor. The interface is configured to receive an image. The processor is configured to determine a key frame. Determining a key frame comprises determining that the image is stable. The processor is configured to determine a tag for an item in the key frame.

Abstract: A method for recommending television content is provided, including the following operations: identifying available television channels for a television device; determining a current date and time; identifying a plurality of content items broadcast on the available television channels at approximately the current date and time; determining a device profile associated with the television device, the device profile being time-dependent; determining recommended content items from the plurality of content items based on the device profile of the television device.

Abstract: A method is provided for building a user interest profile. According to the method, features of each of a plurality of articles are identified. For a given user, views of one or more of the plurality of articles are logged. For each view, a corresponding dwell time for the view by the given user is measured. A weight is applied to each view based on the corresponding measured dwell time. User interest scores for features of the articles are determined based on the weighted views, and the user interest profile is generated for the given user based on the user interest scores.

Abstract: A system for delivering user specific data comprises a web browser, an application server, and a content server. The browser receives an identification associated with a user profile and transmits a login message to the application server. The application server receives the login message, determines the profile associated with the login message and the feeds or searches associated with the determined profile. Next, the application server queries the content server for data associated with the profile's feeds and searches. The application server determines from the retrieved data the data that has not been previously transmitted to the browser in connection with the profile. The application server then transmits the determined data to the browser and the browser communicates the data to a user associated with the profile.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for providing a personalized news stream to a user. One method includes an operation for identifying user features associated with a user. The user features include personal features and social features. The personal features are based on activities of the user and the profile of the user. The social features are based on information about social connections of the user. The method further includes operations for extracting content features from a corpus of content items, for identifying intersections between user features and content features, and for assigning weights to the content features from the corpus based on the identified intersections. A score for each content item is determined based on the content features and the respective weights of the content items. The content items are then ranked based on the scores. One or more of the ranked content items are displayed.

Abstract: Accessing one or more sets of sporting event data, each of which being associated with a particular one of one or more sporting events, and each of which comprising one or more sporting event data that indicate at least current event status of the associated sporting event at a current time. For each of the sporting events, calculating a value by applying the set of sporting event data associated with the sporting event to one or more algorithms, each of which having been determined for a particular sport to which the sporting event is categorized, comparing the value to a threshold requirement, and if the value satisfies the threshold requirement, then displaying the sporting event data associated with the sporting event.

Abstract: An information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention includes a receiving unit and a distribution unit. The receiving unit receives an access request for accessing first content from a terminal apparatus used by a first user. The distribution unit distributes, to the terminal apparatus, the first content including link information which is posted by a second user related to the first user in a predetermined communication service among pieces of link information to other content when the receiving unit receives the access request.

Abstract: An improved system and method for a task management library to execute map-reduce applications is provided. A map-reduce application may be operably coupled to a task manager library and a map-reduce library on a client device. The task manager library may include a wrapper application programming interface that provides application programming interfaces invoked by a wrapper to parse data input values of the map-reduce application. The task manager library may also include a configurator that extracts data and parameters of the map-reduce application from a configuration file to configure the map-reduce application for execution, a scheduler that determines an execution plan based on input and output data dependencies of mappers and reducers, a launcher that iteratively launches the mappers and reducers according to the execution plan, and a task executor that requests the map-reduce library to invoke execution of mappers on mapper servers and reducers on reducer servers.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for a peer-to-peer web traffic management. A first mapping between identifiers and peers in a network is established. Upon receiving a first request associated with a first identifier and classifiers, based, at least in part, on the first identifier, a first peer retrieves a first global counter snapshot and a first local increment counter, and uses them to determine whether the first peer can service the first request. If the determination is positive, then the first peer services the first request, and updates the first local increment counter. If the first local increment counter exceeded a threshold value, then the first local increment counter is transmitted to a second peer, and then reset to zero. In response to the first peer receiving a first global counter associated with the first global counter snapshot, the first global counter snapshot is updated with the first global counter.

Abstract: Methods, system and computer readable medium for allowing a user to participate in an online private conversation for a head content includes detecting a selection of the content published on a website hosted by a host. A conversation interface is provided for initiating a private conversation within a context of the content. A comment related to the content is provided and one or more users are selected, using the conversation interface. The selected users are socially related to the user and are selected from one or more social networking sites. A link to the private conversation for the content is generated and the generated link is forwarded to the selected users in a notification inviting the users to participate in the private conversation. The link provides access to the content and the private conversation initiated for the content at the website.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating email messaging combines the convenience of an auto-fill of the recipient fields in a standard email message with a blank canvas for composing a new, quick reply message. By selecting the quick reply feature that can be provided with the message view screen of an email utility, the user is shown a second user interface with a blank compose screen. The email recipients are automatically filled in from the message view screen of the current message. The quick reply message can be transmitted as an email message through the email utility.

Abstract: Users may engage with content that may invoke various emotions. For example, a user may find an image as inspirational, a social network post as funny, etc. Accordingly, content may be labeled with user emotion labels, specified by users that engaged with the content, to create labeled content (e.g., the image may be labeled as inspirational). Emotional transition triggers may be defined for users (e.g., 30 minutes of a user writing a school report using a word processing application). Responsive to a triggering of an emotional transition trigger, labeled content may be provided to a user (e.g., the image may be provided to the user as an inspirational break from writing the school report). In this way, content may be labeled based upon emotions that the content invokes in users, and such labeled content may be provided to users in a contextually relevant manner (e.g., a study break).

Abstract: Example methods, apparatuses, and/or articles of manufacture are disclosed that may be implemented, in whole or in part, using one or more computing devices to implement a queuing system with an adjustable scalability/reliability level.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided that may be utilized to recommend content to a user.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that can include monitoring of activities of potential customer users, for example, on an e-commerce Web site. Based at least in part on the monitored activities, a notification or alert may be provided to a merchant or a merchant administrator, regarding a potential customer, such as by being sent to a mobile device of the merchant or merchant administrator. Real-time communications may be facilitated or initiated between the merchant or the merchant administrator and the potential customer, such as with regard to a potential purchase, which communications can include the use of mobile devices.

Abstract: Briefly, embodiments of methods and/or systems of generating preference indices for contiguous portions of digital images are disclosed. For one embodiment, as an example, parameters of a neural network may be developed to generate object labels for digital images. The developed parameters may be transferred to a neural network utilized to generate signal sample value levels corresponding to preference indices for contiguous portions of digital images.

Abstract: Sharing email content includes: receiving from a user a selection of an email to share; capturing the subject and content of the email; generating an identifier for the captured subject and content; storing the captured subject and content with the identifier; providing a window with the subject and content for user editing; and transmitting the edited subject and content to the user's social contacts.

Abstract: Users are enabled to define and modify mappings between (1) gestures and (2) actions performed by one or more computing devices in response to a device detecting performance of a gesture. A generalized gesture-to-action mapping framework allows users to intuitively define and modify such mappings. In response to a device detecting the performance of a particular gesture, one or more devices may cause the execution of one or more device actions based on a set of user-defined gesture-to-action mappings.

Abstract: Software authenticates a first user of a first mobile device and a second user of a second mobile device. 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, if the first mobile device is proximate to the second mobile device. The annotation indicates the location of the second mobile device relative to the first mobile device and includes data as to camera angle of the second mobile device received from the second mobile device. The software persistently stores the video data upon receipt of a command from the user of the first mobile device.

Abstract: This disclosure describes systems and methods for selecting and/or ranking web-based content predicted to have the greatest interest to individual users. In particular, articles are ranked in terms of predicted interest for different users. This is done by optimizing an interest model and in particular through a method of bilinear regression and Bayesian optimization. The interest model is populated with data regarding users, the articles, and historical interest trends that types of users have expressed towards types of articles.

Abstract: Targeting advertisements to a user on multiple devices includes: selecting an access point; maintaining an internet access log to track web activity across multiple devices within said access point; identifying the multiple devices involved in the web activity; distinguishing patterns of web activity for the multiple devices to identify users of the devices; generating a user interest vector populated with user interests derived from the patterns of web activity; initializing a master log of user interest vectors for all users within the access point, wherein the master log maps the users with the multiple devices; and updating the master log.

Abstract: At a mobile information processing terminal, a close-range communication unit performs close-range communications with another mobile information processing terminal, a reception unit receives through the close-range communication unit a user identifier for uniquely identifying a user of an application for a social networking service (SNS) on the other mobile information processing terminal, a determination unit is configured to determine whether there is a match between the social networking service on the other mobile information processing terminal and an SNS used on the mobile information processing terminal, and when the determination unit determines that there is a match, the transmission unit transmits the received user identifier to a server of the SNS so as to register a user identified by the user identifier as a friend.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for improving interactions with and between computers in a communication system supported by or configured with personal computing devices, servers and/or platforms. The systems interact to identify and retrieve data across computers and platforms, which can be used to improve the quality of data used in processing interactions between or among processors in such systems. The disclosed systems and methods perform spatial sensing in order to locate adjacent devices via asymmetric Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) received signal strength indication (RSSI) distributions. Such spatial location between adjacent devices enables the devices to communicate, share, generate and/or consume digital information as a single, connected and/or localized logical unit.

Abstract: A social environment is provided by creating an object in response to recognition of an entity in a portion of web content, wherein the object represents the entity, the object is associated with a type selected from a set of types, and the type is associated with a schema selected from a set of schemas, where the social environment includes a set of objects including the object, wherein the objects are instances of corresponding types in a rich system of predefined types, the schemas are associated with the types, metadata is associated with the objects, and there is at least one relationship between at least two objects selected from the set of objects, where the set of objects and the metadata are extensible, such that extensions provided by a first user are available for use by a second user. In one example, metadata provided by a first user is only available to a second user having a relationship with the first user.

Abstract: Aspects of the present innovations relate to systems and/or methods involving multimedia modules, objects or animations. According to an illustrative implementation, one method may include accepting at least one input keyword relating to a subject for the animation and performing processing associated with templates. Further, templates may generates different types of output, and each template may include components for display time, screen location, and animation parameters. Other aspects of the innovations may involve providing search results, retrieving data from a plurality of web sites or data collections, assembling information into multimedia modules or animations, and/or providing module or animation for playback.

Abstract: Among other disclosures, a method may include collecting historical communication data and personal data relating to a portion of a plurality of communications, a sender of one or more of the communications or one or more recipients of the communications. The method may include generating a profile based on the collected historical communication data and personal data. The method may include receiving user input and incorporating the user input into the profile. The method may include presenting the profile including the user input in response to user behavior.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for managing mailing list newsletter messages for a recipient user, and organizing such messages in accordance with a receiving user's interests. The present disclosure enables novel organizational tools for emails by intuitively organizing received newsletters and providing highly visible features within a user's inbox respective the newsletters. Organization of received newsletters is ensured through ranking users' mailing lists according to his/her interest in them, based on actions made by the respective user, in addition to actions of other users receiving the same newsletters. Additionally, upon reception of such newsletters, the present disclosure provides a specialized view, in addition to added functionality within a user's inbox, thereby enhancing a user's experience and engagement with received messages of a newsletter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for assigning functional labels to segments of web pages in an application-independent way. In the approach described herein, one of a generic set functional labels are automatically assigned to each segment of a web page, where the generic functional labels may be topic-independent and application-independent. Applications with different needs can determine which segments of the web page to process based on which functional labels correspond to the types of information needed by each application. Thus, the work of classifying the function of each segment of a web page is separated from the work of selecting which segments satisfy the need of a particular application. The work of classification can be performed in an application-independent way, relieving the burden from every application developer from having to create their own classifiers.

Abstract: Techniques are provided which facilitate mobile applications displaying advertisements on a larger screen space without worrying about screen clutter or interference with application functionality. Motion events are triggered once a computerized device detects a threshold magnitude of tilt along a first, second, and/or third coordinate axis. A graphical display is presented to the user which includes at least one advertisement. Several embodiments of the graphical display include a three-dimensional object and full-screen display which are maintained so long as a magnitude of tilt of the computerized device is detected.

Abstract: An Internet or other online service is personalized or customized based on data collected for a user of a computing device. In one embodiment, a method includes: storing a plurality of person profiles for persons associated with communications received by a user of a computing device; receiving data associated with an online service; and filtering, using at least one processor, the data based on the plurality of person profiles, wherein the filtered data is for display to the user on the computing device.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for executing a search query. In accordance with one embodiment, a search query is obtained. The search query is classified into one or more of a plurality of categories. The search query is executed for each of the one or more of the plurality of categories. Search results corresponding to the search query are obtained for each of the one or more of the plurality of categories. The search results are then provided for each of the one or more of the plurality of categories.

Abstract: Briefly, the disclosure describes embodiments of methods or apparatuses for processing, such as smoothing, a set of labeled measurements at a variety of scale levels. In one or more non-limiting embodiments purely for illustrative purposes, relatively fine details of labeled measurements may be displayed utilizing a relatively low-scale map, such as a map showing individual towns and/or villages. For display utilizing a relatively higher scale map, such as a map showing larger geopolitical areas, for example, relatively fine details may be omitted.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing content for webpages are disclosed. The disclosed method includes providing a plurality of selections to set webpage personalization settings and receiving a user selection chosen from one of the plurality of selections. The plurality of selections is provided for a graphic user interface to be defined on a webpage. After receiving a request for a second webpage made by a user through a user device, the content for the second webpage is selected based on the received user selection. The content selection for the second webpage includes identifying two or more content modules for presenting on the second webpage and at least one of the identified content modules includes an associated content indicator. The selected content for the second webpage is then forwarded to the user device for display.

Abstract: Among other disclosures, a method may include collecting historical communication data and personal data relating to a portion of a plurality of communications, a sender of one or more of the communications or one or more recipients of the communications. The method may include depositing the collected data into a repository of historical communication data and personal data. The method may include customizing an electronic communication based on one or more items in the repository, in response to user behavior.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system, method and computer program for enabling a user (100) (an auditor or a viewer) to access complementary information related to one or a plurality of sequences or topics of interest (102) in a recorded program (103) previously broadcast on the radio or television and played back on a device, such as an audio or video tape or disk recorder/player (104). The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a system and method for enabling a person (100) listening to or watching a recorded program (103), to select one or a plurality of topics (101) (102) drawing his or her attention and for immediately receiving further information related to these topics from the World Wide Web. The system is based on the synchronization of local times (204) (205) of transmitters (201) and recorders (203). The flow of information transmitted, received and recorded is always synchronized, independently of the relative positions of recorders and transmitters.

Abstract: A multiphase interactive advertisement includes a first phase having a first graphical interface and a second phase having a second graphical interface including at least a streaming media component space. In an exemplary embodiment, the second phase has a dimension that is greater than a dimension of the first phase. The multiphase interactive advertisement further includes a streaming media component incorporated into the streaming media component space of the second phase. The multiphase interactive advertisement, and specifically, the streaming media component, is generated using a software player engine that includes a core set of player variables and controls.

Abstract: Techniques are provided that include targeting a user of a mobile electronic device with an interest-based advertisement, based at least in part on various call logs on a user device. Techniques are provided in which a set of calls from a user's call log from a mobile device are assigned to one or more categories indicative of potential user interests for the purposed of targeted advertisements. The usage pattern of the user's call log takes into account the time of the day, week, and/or month that the user tends to make particular calls to determine recurring patterns and calculate individual metrics for comparison with other users.

Abstract: An information retrieval device includes a degree-of-association information storage unit capable of storing an item(s) of degree-of-association information indicating a degree of association between each of an item(s) of first information and each of an item(s) of second information; an accepting unit that accepts a query including an item(s) of query information which is/are an item(s) of information used for retrieval of content; a query converter that obtains, by using an item(s) of first information corresponding to each of the item(s) of query information, and the item(s) of degree-of-association information, an item(s) of second information whose degree of association with the item(s) of first information is greater as a predetermined condition is better satisfied; and a retrieval unit that retrieves content by using the item(s) of second information obtained by the query converter. Accordingly, content necessary for a user can be retrieved.