Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for chat-enabling a social circle in response to user input provided by a first user, the social circle being defined by the first user and including one or more contacts, the one or more contacts including a second user, for each of the one or more contacts, issuing a chat service subscription request, determining that a subscription request associated with the second user is fulfilled, and in response to determining that the subscription request associated with the second user is fulfilled, adding the second user as a chat contact of the first user and adding the first user as a chat contact of the second user.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for trust propagation. The method according to one embodiment comprises calculating a first feature vector for a first user, calculating a second feature for a second user and comparing the first feature vector with the second feature vector to calculate a similarity value. A determination is made as to whether the similarity value falls within a threshold. If the similarity value falls within the threshold, a relationship is recorded between the first user and the second user in a first user profile and a second user profile.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for relating individual items to categories of items purchased concurrently by a customer. A representative category may be assigned to each of the items offered for sale by an online merchant. Purchase history data containing information regarding each item purchased by a customer on a specific date is augmented with information regarding each representative category of items from which an item was purchased by the customer on the same date. From the purchase history data, an attach rate is calculated between each particular item and a number of representative categories indicating the frequency of concurrency of purchase of the particular item with items assigned to the representative category. A user interface may then be generated containing the attach rates between the particular item and the representative categories and sent to a customer computer for display to the customer.

Abstract: A system and method of intelligently recommending items based on social media communications are provided. A communication in a first format is intercepted from a first service. An intent to transact is then detected within the communication. A recommendation engine can then be used to identify one or more items available at an ecommerce service, the one or more items related to the intent to transact within the communication. Then a reply communication can be posted to the first service in the first format, with the reply communication including the one or more identified items.

Abstract: Techniques for using social networking information may include making a determination that content authored by a first party references a second party more than a specified number of times. An adjustment in affinity may be made between the first party and the second party in the social network in response to the determination. Making the adjustment in affinity may include modifying a social graph of at least the first party that is referenced by the social network in order to reflect the adjustment in affinity. Modifying the social graph includes creating a closer connection between the first party and the second party than had existed prior to the determination. In response to the adjustment in the affinity, promotion is adjusted, to the first party, of content in the social network that has a connection to the second party.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed for suggesting recipes. Within the method, one or more point-of-sale transactions may be conducted. The transactions may involve a computer system and a customer possessing a mobile computing device. The computer system may store receipt data documenting the transactions. The computer system may also receive a request from the mobile computing device for one or more recipes, analyze the receipt data to identify at least one of the food patterns and food preferences of the customer, and identify one or more recipes corresponding to at least one of the food patterns and food preferences. The computer system may then pass the one or more recipes to the mobile computing device.

Abstract: A privacy processing system may use privacy rules to filter sensitive personal information from web session data. The privacy processing system may generate privacy profiles or privacy metadata that identifies how often the privacy rules are called, how often the privacy rules successfully complete actions, and the processing time required to execute the privacy rules. The privacy profiles may be used to detect irregularities in the privacy filtering process that may be associated with a variety of privacy filtering and web session problems.

Abstract: There are provided systems and methods for communication device input interfaces for use in determining a true cost of an item with associated purchases. A user may utilize a communication device, such as a mobile phone or wearable computing device, to input information identifying an item. The input may be an image, audio, or text input. The input may be communicated to a server that determines associated purchases required or recommended with the item identified by the user. For example, the user may be recommended to purchase additional items for the installation of the item or for repairs to a home, work, or vehicle when using the item. The user may also be required to purchase shipping, labor, or other additional costs. The additional purchases may be determined from user and merchant information. A total cost for the item and the additional purchases may be determined for the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented matching service matches users to other users, and/or to user communities, based at least in part on a computer analysis of event data reflective of user behaviors. The event data may, for example, evidence user affinities for particular items represented in an electronic catalog, such as book titles, music titles, movie titles, and/or other types of items that tend to reflect the traits of users. Event data reflective of other types of user actions, such as item-detail-page viewing events, browse node visits, search query submissions, and/or web browsing patterns may additionally or alternatively be considered. By taking such event data into consideration, the matching service reduces the burden on users to explicitly supply personal profile information, and reduces poor results caused by exaggerations and other inaccuracies in such profile information.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for providing personalized recommendations. One or more transactions are received from one or more customer interaction channels. The received one or more transactions are stored in an incremental data store. One or more predictive rules are generated based on the received one or more transactions and based on one or more transactions previously stored in the incremental data store. In real-time, one or more personalized recommendations specific to a user and to the received one or more transactions are generated using the one or more generated predictive rules.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a platform for automating the discovery of product bundles that are promising for sale to customers (i.e., they are relevant, valuable and/or timely). Techniques are disclosed for generating a set of potential product bundles according to criteria, thresholds and/or scores which indicate a propensity for items to be purchased together by customers. The generated set of potential product bundles may be ranked according to opportunity metrics and/or scores which indicate value to a merchant and/or customers. A subset of product bundles is selected from the set of potential product bundles based at least in part on the ranking, and each product bundle in the selected subset is matched to one or more entities, such as merchants. These product bundles may then be presented to the associated (i.e., matched) entity based on some criteria, such as offerings of the merchants.

Abstract: A device includes a processor. The processor is configured to determine a hit time for each of a plurality of content items based on at least one of users' history of access to the content items on content distribution clusters in a content distribution network, the users' past ratings of the content items, and social network information associated with the users. The hit time of a content item indicates a number of times that the content item is likely to be accessed by the users. The processor is further configured to compute caching priorities of the content items based on a caching policy of the device and the determined hit times, and initiate a redistribution, over a network, of the plurality of content items over the content distribution clusters of the content distribution network based on the caching priorities.

Abstract: A technology is described for making a recommendation for an item. An example method may include identifying a user interest in an item and identifying individuals that may have an interest in the item. The individuals may be presented to a user via a recommendation interface control that allows a name of the item to be added to a recommendation list for an individual selected from the individuals. An individual selected from the individual list to receive the recommendation may be identified and the name of the item may be added to the recommendation list for the individual.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to computational, closed-loop user feedback systems and methods for ranking or updating beliefs for a user based on user feedback. The systems and methods are based on a data-agnostic user feedback formulation that uses user feedback to automatically rank beliefs for a user or update the beliefs. The methods and systems are based on a general statistical inference model, which, in turn, is based on an assumption of convergence in user opinion. The closed-loop user feedback methods and systems may be used to rank or update beliefs prior to inputting the beliefs to a recommender engine. As a result, the recommender engine is expected to be more responsive to customer environments and efficient at deployment and reducing the level of unnecessary user recommendations.

Abstract: A search ranking system may include a context mining module to determine a set of contexts based on profile of information rankable by the system and an access history of users that have accessed at least some of the information. A context detection module may compare an association of a user conducting a search with one or more of the contexts to thereby rank search results based on the comparison.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a generating unit configured to generate a message log including a plurality of messages sent from a device, a first calculating unit configured to calculate for the plurality of messages included in the message log a first probability of a case that after a first message occurs a second message occurs within a first period, a second calculating unit configured to calculate a second probability of a case that before the second message occurs the first message occurs within a second period, a third calculating unit configured to calculate a value which indicates a co-occurrence relation of the first message and the second message based on the first probability and the second probability.

Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and non-transitory computer readable medium that provide recommendations include determining personality traits of a sender and a recipient by applying a five-factor model to a plurality of datasets. Further, the method comprises associating a personality-product score with each of a plurality of products based on the personality traits and performing a need analysis on the user data to determine desired products from amongst the plurality of products. Further, the method comprises determining a multidimensional collaborative matrix by aggregating the personality traits, the personality-product score, the desired products, and product psychographic portfolio. Further, the method comprises determining an affinity score for at least one of the sender and the recipient towards each of the plurality of products based on the multidimensional collaborative matrix and recommending at least one product from amongst the plurality of products to the sender based on the affinity score.

Abstract: A system and method for providing online commerce that includes at an online commerce platform, configuring a product profile for selling; providing a URI link of the online commerce platform that is unique to the product profile; at the online commerce platform, receiving an request to the link; identifying a referral channel of the request; conditionally selecting a product purchase interface mode from a set of interface modes at least in part based on the referral channel; transmitting a response of the selected product purchase interface mode in reply to the request; and at the purchase interface, completing a purchase from the product purchase interface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for presenting media content. A user device (such as a personal computer, tablet, or smart phone) receives media elements from a media repository. The media repository may be remote. The device displays references associated with the media elements in a display area. The device outputs media content (e.g., music or video) associated with each of the media elements for a limited duration (e.g., 30 seconds). While outputting, the references displayed in the display area are scrolled. The display area may be provided as a 3D drum.

Abstract: Systems and methods for conducting one or more surveys are provided herein. In certain embodiments, one or more participants may be identified to take part in a survey. Each of the participants may be associated with a respective user computing device. The user computing devices may present each of the participants with content to rate and/or review. In this manner, each of the participants may provide a review and/or rating of the content via the user computing devices. Further, based at least in part on the review and/or rating of the content, a survey profile of the content may be determined.

Abstract: According to embodiments described in the specification, a method, system and apparatus for code and expiry date generation are provided. The method comprises receiving a request to generate a code at the processor; automatically selecting one of a plurality of code generation rules from the memory based on an item identifier derived from the request, the selected rule including one or more code fragment definitions; retrieving data from at least one reference table stored in the memory, based on the code fragment definitions; generating the one or more code fragments according to the selected rule using the retrieved data; and concatenating the generated code fragments to generate the code.

Abstract: Methods for ranking users based on contextual factors are provided. An example method may include receiving an online question by an asking user. The method may further include identifying one or more topics of the received online question. The method may further include identifying a set of candidate answering users from a plurality of users based on an expertise level of each user of the plurality of users, wherein the expertise level is related to the identified one or more topics of the received online question. In addition, the method may include ranking the set of candidate answering users based on a commonality of one or more contextual factors between the asking user and the set of candidate answering users, wherein the one or more contextual factors are distinct from the identified one or more topics. Systems and computer-readable media for ranking users based on contextual factors are also described.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented that may involve receiving a causal fact dataset including facts relating to items perceived to cause actions, wherein the causal fact dataset includes a data attribute that is associated with a causal fact datum. It may also involve pre-aggregating a plurality of the combinations of a plurality of causal fact data and associated data attributes in a causal bitmap. It may also involve selecting a subset of the pre-aggregated combinations based on suitability of a combination for the analytic purpose. It may also involve storing the subset of pre-aggregated combinations to facilitate querying of the subset.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for generating a customized virtual world. A set of entities to be rendered within the customized virtual world is identified. An entity is a location within the customized virtual world. A representation associated with a target style for each entity in the set of entities is selected to form a set of selected representations. A customized virtual world is constructed using the set of selected representations. The set of representations are rendered within the customized virtual world.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving, by a first computing device and from a second computing device, an image comprising an object. A user may be associated with a social networking service and the second computing device. The method further includes selecting a social group associated with the user in the social networking service. The selection may be based at least in part on one or more characteristics associated with the object. The method also includes sending, by the first computing device to the second computing device, an indication of the social group selected by the first computing device.

Abstract: An image handling support system extracts an image corresponding to a support target image from images associated with a user with use of information indicating association established between the user and the images, from a user's activity on an SNS. Then, the image handling support system supports handling of the support target image based on the extracted image. The image handling support system provides support for acquisition of an output image that matches various image conditions and complies with a user's preference without requiring a complicated operation to be performed in advance.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed provide various enhancements and/or improvements to the conventional shopping process used by brick-and-mortar stores. In some embodiments, a customer may use a mobile computing device, such as a smart phone, to select and pay for items in a brick-and-mortar store. Such shopping process may permit the customer to purchase numerous items without the using of shopping basket or a wheeled shopping cart. The shopping process may further permit the customer to pay for items and leave the store with such items without waiting in a checkout line.

Abstract: A multi-level approach for generating suggestions and/or recommendations associated with one or more items is provided. A group of related items may be identified, for example, by generating a collaborative filtering graph or other graph that includes items and connections between the items. Description data associated with items included in the group may be evaluated in order to determine respective keywords associated with the items and/or a list of common keywords representative of the group of items or a subset of the group of items. Based at least in part upon the list of common keywords, at least one suggestion may be generated.

Abstract: A method for recommending broadcasting contents, is performed by a multimedia contents reproducing device of a first user. The method includes the operations of logging a broadcasting contents viewing behavior pattern of the first user and generating a first user profile; transmitting the generated first user profile to an external server by using a network; receiving a recommendation result about one or more recommended broadcasting contents from the server, wherein a preference degree correlation between the first user profile and a second user profile of at least a second user registered in an account of the first user is reflected in the recommendation result; classifying the one or more recommended broadcasting contents in the received recommendation result into broadcasting timetable categories; and displaying on a screen a recommendation result about the classified one or more recommended broadcasting contents.

Abstract: A first cluster of web objects is identified from a click-through data structure. The click-through data structure can organize web objects into clusters based on query results of web objects selected by a user. Also, a second cluster of web objects can be identified from a metadata data structure. The metadata data structure can organize web objects into clusters based on metadata associated with the web objects. An output set of web objects is selected, in real time, from the identifier clusters.

Abstract: A method is described for making a recommendation for an item. The method may include the operation of presenting a recommendation interface control to a user on a client device after the user has consumed an item. Using the recommendation interface control, the user then selects an individual and adds the name of the item the user consumed to the selected individual's recommendation list.

Abstract: A server computing device for a social networking web site receives from a user, via access of the web site, confidential information regarding the user, including information that the user does not socially share on the web site. The device associates the confidential information with a user identifier that uniquely identifies the user on the web site, and with an export group identifier corresponding to a type of the confidential information. The device associates the export group identifier with a password different from a user password the user employs to access the web site. The device receives, from a third party, a purported user identifier, a purported export group identifier, and a purported password, which the device validates against the user identifier, the export group identifier, and the password. Where validation is successful, the device permits access to the confidential information by the third party.

Abstract: A server computing device for a social networking web site receives from a user, via access of the web site, confidential information regarding the user, including information that the user does not socially share on the web site. The device associates the confidential information with a user identifier that uniquely identifies the user on the web site, and with an export group identifier corresponding to a type of the confidential information. The device associates the export group identifier with a password different from a user password the user employs to access the web site. The device receives, from a third party, a purported user identifier, a purported export group identifier, and a purported password, which the device validates against the user identifier, the export group identifier, and the password. Where validation is successful, the device permits access to the confidential information by the third party.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a rank aggregation from a series of partial preferences is presented. A distribution is learned over preferences from partial preferences with sparse support. A computer receives a plurality of partial preferences selected from two or more preference lists. Weights are assigned to each of said plurality of partial preferences, resulting in multiple ranked lists.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for item categorizer. The item categorizer is configured to parse, in at least one computing device, at least a plurality of product descriptions of a like item category for identifying a plurality of keywords with regard to the like item category. Furthermore, the item categorizer selects a plurality of subsets of keywords from the plurality of keywords, each subset of keywords comprises a unique combination of the plurality of keywords with respect to each other. Moreover, the item categorizer is configured to generate a respective rule for each corresponding subset of keywords, wherein an application of each respective rule specifies a respective binary result depending upon whether the corresponding subset of keywords is included in a seller product description.

Abstract: Systems and methods for gathering distributed information to improve routing that uses Anycast for assigning deliveries between a number of geographically-distant points of presence (POPs) are disclosed. The POPs share the same Internet protocol (IP) address. According to Anycast resolution, the Internet aids in assigning a content request initially to a POP. Delivery statistics are gathered from deliveries a the number of POPs and possibly other sources. Where it is determined that Anycast found the wrong POP, the content request is reassigned to another POP.

Abstract: A browser-based personalized recommendation system and method for lifestyle items comprising style dimension mapping, inputs, outputs, and a computer-algorithm is described. The system gathers information about a user's unique lifestyle preferences, which is then correlated to clothing and lifestyle items. The recommendation system uniquely and directly matches users to discrete items without the need for historic user data.

Abstract: Techniques are described for performing actions for users based at least in part on spoken information, such as spoken voice-based information received from the users during telephone calls. The described techniques include categorizing spoken information obtained from a user in one or more ways, and performing actions on behalf of the user related to the categorized information. For example, in some situations, spoken information obtained from a user is analyzed to identify one or more spoken information items (e.g., words, phrases, sentences, etc.) supplied by the user, and to generate corresponding textual representations (e.g., via automated speech-to-text techniques). One or more actions may then be taken regarding the identified information items, including to categorize the items by adding textual representations of the spoken information items to one or more of multiple predefined lists or other collections of information that are specific to or otherwise available to the user.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method, and program product for recommending a digital publication. A computing device identifies a time interval for consuming a digital publication, based on schedule information in an electronic calendar. The computing device determines, based on characteristics of the time interval and a criteria, a digital publication, from a plurality of digital publications, for human consumption within the identified time interval.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for evaluating a user's interests and making gift recommendations using social media data. Interests and attributes of a user may be detected from social media content and products corresponding to the interests and attributes may be selected and presented as gift recommendations for the user. Methods are disclosed for resolving ambiguity as to interests reflected by textual data in social media content. Also disclosed are methods for inferring a user's interests from the interests of friends of the user.

Abstract: A region recommendation device 100 includes a visibility analysis unit 101 which identifies a region where a viewing order satisfies a set criterion as a frequent viewing region, a selection possibility analysis unit 102 which identifies a object which the selection possibility satisfies a set criterion as a frequent selection object, and a recommended-region identification unit 103 which recommends a suitable region from among regions besides the region in which the placed frequent selection object in the frequent viewing region.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating gift campaigns in a social networking system. An initiator of a gift campaign can select a recipient of a gift campaign as well as participants. Embodiments of the disclosure can facilitate selection of participants, collection of funds for the gift campaign and fulfillment of the gift to the recipient.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for providing syndicated commerce recommendations. A widget is configured to display a recommendation and is then embedded within a user interface (UI) window. Social data associated with a user is then processed to generate a recommendation object (e.g., a product, an offer, a deal, an advertisement, text, a video, an image, a URI, etc.), which is then displayed within the widget.

Abstract: The subject disclosure provides systems and methods for enhancing a purchasing experience by enabling a purchaser to receive a variety of real-time updates or recommendations regarding products that the purchaser, such as a user, may need or intend to purchase. A recommendation provided by the system may be based upon comparing the product with a plurality of sources. The recommendation may include a recommendation that a product may near depletion and thus may need to be replaced, a recommendation that the user may already have a sufficient amount or number of the product, a recommendation that the product may or may not match an existing item owned by the user, or a recommendation not to purchase a product. A virtual closet may also be created according the systems and methods of the subject disclosure, allowing users and contacts selected by the user to collaborate on products.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods that score content, URLs, domains, phrases or any entity based on an expected relevance to an individual user which may be based on that user's previous engagement with digital resources. A server receives identification of a plurality of actions of a user, which may include a click by the user on a link associated with a digital resource of a plurality of digital resources. The server may receive identification of actions of the user to share one or more digital resources of the plurality of digital resources. The server may identify a plurality of keywords from content of the plurality of digital resources, classify patterns from the actions of the users and the keywords and generate, based on the pattern classification, a relevance score responsive to receiving a user identifier and a digital resource keyword.

Abstract: A method comprises identifying a first user having stored in a database a set of first bookmarks associated with a topic of interest; determining a level of relatedness of a second user to the first user by comparing a first number of overlapping bookmarks that were stored in the database by the second user and that overlap the set of first bookmarks; determining a level of value of the second user to the first user by comparing a second number of related nonoverlapping bookmarks that were stored in the database by the second user that, relate to the topic of interest, and that do not overlap the set of first bookmarks; and presenting at least a portion of the related nonoverlapping bookmarks to the first user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed herein. The method includes the step of receiving, with a processing device of a commerce server, a signal from a consumer transmitted through an augmented reality device worn by the consumer. The method also includes the step of confirming, with the processing device, the signal contains a query from the consumer. The method also includes the step of retrieving, with the processing device, a proposed answer to the query. The method also includes the step of transmitting, with the processing device, the proposed answer to the augmented reality device. The method also includes the step of verifying, with the processing device, the proposed answer is accepted by the consumer. The method also includes the step of prompting, with the processing device, the consumer to resubmit the signal if the query is not confirmed in the confirming step or if the proposed answer is not accepted in the verifying step.

Abstract: Embodiments of computer-implemented methods and systems for activity-based recommendations are described. One example embodiment includes receiving data indicating historical activities of a user community, the historical activities including historical activities of the target user, selecting a reference group of users from the user community based on analysis of the historical activities of the target user, receiving generally current time activities of the reference group of users, the generally current time activities including those activities that have occurred within a defined time window, and recommending items to the target user based on the generally current time activities of the reference group of users.

Abstract: A content search device includes a feature quantity computing unit that computes a feature quantity of at least any one of an image feature, an acoustic feature and a semantic feature included in each piece of content data, and that stores feature quantity data. The device also includes an unknown feature quantity computing unit that computes an unknown feature quantity of each feature type not associated with a content identifier in the feature quantity data by use of the feature quantity of the feature type associated with the content identifier, and that stores the unknown feature quantity as a feature estimated value in the feature quantity data. The device further includes a distance computing unit that computes a distance indicating a similarity between each two pieces of content data based on the feature quantities and the feature estimated values stored in the feature quantity data.

Abstract: A method and a system to determine a product identification of an item for sale in an online publication system is shown and described. For example, the method may be initiated when an input identifying an item is received from a user. An input type (e.g., image, text, audio recording, etc.) may be determined and one or more identification services may be selected based on the input type. At least a portion of the input is transmit to the selected one or more identification services. A product identification is received from each of the one or more identification services. Based on the received product identifications, a recommended product identification is determined. The recommended product identification is transmitted to the user.