Abstract: A centralized location system includes a location update application programming interface (API) to receive varying types of location inputs for a user from at least one location-providing application. A memory stores a location of the user and the location inputs, wherein the location update API periodically updates in the memory the location inputs when location updates are received from the at least one location-providing application. A location export API, upon request from a location-based service application, processes the location inputs to estimate a location of the user, which location estimate replaces the stored location in memory and is sent to the location-based service application. A user interface enables the user to specify a location granularity for at least one of the at least one location-providing application and the location-based service application.

Abstract: A system and method for deriving income from URL based context queries. A URL based user context query is received over a network from a user, wherein the user context comprises at least one user context criteria. A query is formulated based on the context criteria so as to search for user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data, topical data and context query bid data that is available via the network and relates to the context so as to identify entries in a context query bid database that relate to user context criteria. A dynamic webpage is generated having content relating to the query and advertisements associated with the selected bid are inserted into the webpage. The dynamic webpage is transmitted to the user. The advertiser associated with the selected bid is charged a fee when a user interface event relating to the dynamic webpage occurs.

Abstract: A method, device and/or medium for generating a user profile based on an online user's self disclosed public status information. An indication may be received of updates self-published by the user at one or more sites. At least one context regarding the user may then be determined based on the published updates, and the context(s) may be employed to infer at least one attribute of the user. A profile of the user may then be determined based at least on the inferred attribute(s). The determined profile may be employed to enable an advertisement to be provided to the user. In this way, a heuristic may be provided for predicting advertising content that may be of interest to the user based on self-published information about the user. Thus, relevant advertisements may be more accurately targeted to those users who may be most interested in their content.

Abstract: Methods and systems for generating information about a physical context of a user are provided. These methods and systems provide the capability to render a context avatar associated with the user as a composite image that can be broadcast in virtual environments to provide information about the physical context of the user. The composite image can be automatically updated without user intervention to include, among other things, a virtual person image of the user and a background image defined by encoded image data associated with the current geographic location of the user.

Abstract: A method and system for communicating a message in an electronic messaging environment is provided. A method employed by the system may include generating a personalized communication model related to a user, determining the validity of a token associated with an intended recipient of the message based on information in the personalized communication model, extracting entities from the message, determining whether the entities extracted match the intended recipient, and indicating to the user whether the token is valid and whether the entities match the intended recipient. The tokens correspond to email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses associated with intended recipients. The personalized communication model includes the names and tokens associated with those individuals with whom the user communicates. The personalized communication model is seeded with information including social, spatial, temporal and logical information related to the user.

Abstract: A method for operating an electronic exchange includes receiving, at an exchange system, an offer that includes a description of information for offer and terms associated with access to the information. An offer processor of the electronic exchange stores an offer listing associated with the offer to an offer database. A matching engine of the electronic exchange searches a request database for a request listing that matches the offer listing. The electronic exchange communicates access instructions that enable access to the information to a requestor associated with the request listing when a match is found.

Abstract: Receive a plurality of data management policies from a user. Store in a memory the data management policies in association with a context and an identifier of the user. Receive personal data of the user collected in one or more contexts by one or more collection devices. Determine whether the personal data complies with one or more of the data management policies with respect to collecting personal data of the user. If the personal data complies with the data management policies with respect to collecting personal data on the user, then storing in the memory the personal data in association with the identifier of the user. Provide a centralized interface to the user for managing the personal data stored in the memory.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for targeting specific users with specific requested actions to be performed by the user and verified by any methods on behalf of an advertiser within an Internet display advertising campaign. The system discloses techniques for receiving an advertiser's requested actions and corresponding definitions of what constitutes a satisfaction of the action. The disclosure also details techniques for determining if and when and to what degree a requested action has been completed or satisfied by the targeted user, and details corresponding techniques for compensating the user and any other real or virtual entity who had contributed to the satisfaction of the requested action. The system implements a network of sensors that can aid in the determination of if and when and to what degree a requested action has been completed or satisfied. The network of sensors registers sensor recordings within a specialized sensor recording marketplace.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for targeting specific users with specific requested actions to be performed by the user and verified by any methods on behalf of an advertiser within an Internet display advertising campaign. The system discloses techniques for receiving an advertiser's requested actions and corresponding definitions of what constitutes a satisfaction of the action. The disclosure also details techniques for determining if and when and to what degree a requested action has been completed or satisfied by the targeted user, and details corresponding techniques for compensating the user and any other real or virtual entity who had contributed to the satisfaction of the requested action. The system implements a network of sensors that can aid in the determination of if and when and to what degree a requested action has been completed or satisfied. The network of sensors registers sensor recordings within a specialized sensor recording marketplace.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for targeting specific users with specific requested actions to be performed by the user and verified by any methods on behalf of an advertiser within an Internet display advertising campaign. The system discloses techniques for receiving an advertiser's requested actions and corresponding definitions of what constitutes a satisfaction of the action. The disclosure also details techniques for determining if and when and to what degree a requested action has been completed or satisfied by the targeted user, and details corresponding techniques for compensating the user and any other real or virtual entity who had contributed to the satisfaction of the requested action. The system implements a network of sensors that can aid in the determination of if and when and to what degree a requested action has been completed or satisfied. The network of sensors registers sensor recordings within a specialized sensor recording marketplace.

Abstract: A system and method for contextual advertising based on status messages. A plurality of status messages sent to a user via at least one socially aware messaging service are retrieved where the user is a member of the socially aware messaging service, has defined at least one social contact on the service, and where each of status messages was sent to the user by one of the user's social contacts. The status messages are analyzed to determine the user's status update context, where the user's status update context comprises a set of social, topical, spatial and temporal data present in the messages. The user's status update context is matched to targeted advertisements. The user's status update context is matched to the targeting criteria of targeted advertisements. Matched advertisements are transmitted to the user.

Abstract: A system and method is described herein for managing bandwidth and cost in connection with a plurality of sensors in an ad hoc network. The system and method receives sensor data that is provided from a plurality of sensors and constructs an ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on the sensor data. The system and method also receives and analyzes bandwidth information from each sensor in a group of sensors in the ad hoc network. Based on the analysis, the system and method then modifies a manner in which at least one sensor in the group exchanges data, including sensor data and multimedia content.

Abstract: A method for targeted advertisement is provided, for which one or more tags relating to an advertisement is/are determined, one or more of the most representative entities for the tag(s) is/are determined, and the advertisement is targeted to the one or more most representative entities. In addition, for each of a plurality of tags, one or more of the most representative entities is/are determined based on term frequency-inverse document frequency, such that an entity is relatively more representative of a tag if the tag is more uniquely and/or frequently associated with the entity. For each tag, the associated entities may be divided into multiple categories, such that one or more most representative entities within each category is/are determined for each tag.

Abstract: A user interface for targeted advertisement is provided, which comprises a plurality of interface components, wherein selected ones of the plurality of interface components are capable of: receiving a list of advertising targets; presenting a list of most representative entities for the list of advertising targets, wherein an entity is relatively more representative of an advertising target if the advertising target is relatively more uniquely and frequently associated with the entity; receiving a list of target entities selected from the list of most representative entities; and presenting an estimated advertising cost for the list of target entities.

Abstract: A method for ranking entities with respect to a tag for targeted advertisement is provided. For each entity to be ranked, a first score is calculated, which indicates the level of uniqueness the tag is to the entity. For each entity to be ranked, a second score is calculated, which indicates the number of people connected with the entity. For each entity to be ranked, a final score is calculated, which combines the first score and the second score. The entities are ranked based on their respective final scores. Optionally, the entity rankings may be used to determine the cost of advertisement for each entity and to recommend entities with respect to an advertisement.

Abstract: A method for targeted advertisement is provided, for which one or more tags relating to an advertisement is/are accessed, one or more of the most representative activities for the tag(s) is/are determined, and the advertisement is targeted to the one or more most representative activities. In addition, for each of a plurality of tags, one or more of the most representative activities is/are determined based on term frequency-inverse document frequency, such that an activity is relatively more representative of a tag if the tag is more uniquely and/or frequently associated with the activity. The advertisement is delivered to participants of the activities, and optionally during a time interval relevant to the activities.

Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methods for facilitating annotation of media objects by a user. Mechanisms present a user with an easily usable set of annotation suggestions that are most likely to be relevant to the particular user and/or media context. In general, existing annotations are analyzed to determine a set of suggested annotations. Annotation suggestions for a particular user are based on an analysis of the relevance, to the particular user, of existing annotations of one or more media objects so that the most likely relevant annotations are presented as suggested annotations. In particular embodiments, this analysis depends on whether the existing annotations were created and/or selected by the particular user, a member of the particular user's social network, or members of the general public.

Abstract: A system and method for context based query augmentation. A question is received over a network from a questioning user comprising an identification of a user and at least one question criteria. A first query is formulated so as to search, via the network, for user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data so as to identify user context data relevant to question criteria. The question is modified using the user context data to create at least one modified question having at least one additional criteria based on the user context data. A second query is formulated so as to search, via the network, for knowledge data, user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data so as to identify knowledge data relevant to the identified user and the modified question criteria. The knowledge data is transmitted, over the network, to the questioning user.

Abstract: A system and method for autohyperlinking and navagation in URL based context queries. A result set from a context query is received from a user over a network, wherein the result set comprises at least one reference to a data object and further comprises the context query. The reference to the data object is translated, via the network, to a URL configured to retrieve the data object. A plurality of related URLs are generated via the network, wherein the result set of the context query is used to seed generation. At least one advertisement associated with the context query is retrieved via the network. A webpage comprising the URL configured to retrieve the data object, the plurality of related URLs and the advertisement is assembled and transmitted over the network to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for generation of URL context queries. A request is received over a network from a user for generation a URL based context query, wherein the request comprises at least one query generation criteria. A multidimensional datapace having a spatial axis, a temporal axis, a topical axis and a social axis is searched for clusters of related data objects using the query generation criteria, wherein at least one cluster of data objects relating to the query generation criteria is identified. Permissions are checked relating to each data object cluster of related data objects. If the user does not have permission to view the data object, it is removed from the cluster. A URL having a context query comprising at least one context criteria is generated from the properties of the cluster of data objects. The URL having a context query is then transmitted to the end user.