U.S. patent application number 13/961868 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-13 for generating a user-defined section of a digital magazine from a search request.
This patent application is currently assigned to Flipboard, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Flipboard, Inc.. Invention is credited to Boris Aleksandrovsky, Markus Breunig, Sang Chi, Todd Lappin, Arthur van Hoff, Andrew Walkingshaw.
Application Number | 20140075275 13/961868 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50234658 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140075275 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Aleksandrovsky; Boris ; et
al. |
March 13, 2014 |
GENERATING A USER-DEFINED SECTION OF A DIGITAL MAGAZINE FROM A
SEARCH REQUEST
Abstract
A digital magazine server creates a section of a digital
magazine including content items identified based on a search query
received from a user. The digital magazine server receives a
request to create the section that includes the search query and
applies the search query to one or more sources. Content items
satisfying the search query are retrieved from the one or more
sources. A section of the digital magazine including various
content items satisfying the search query is generated and
presented to the user requesting creation of the section as well as
additional users of the digital magazine server.
Inventors: |
Aleksandrovsky; Boris;
(Berkeley, CA) ; Breunig; Markus; (Rosenheim,
DE) ; Chi; Sang; (Mountain View, CA) ;
Walkingshaw; Andrew; (San Francisco, CA) ; Lappin;
Todd; (San Francisco, CA) ; van Hoff; Arthur;
(Menlo Park, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Flipboard, Inc. |
Palo Alto |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Flipboard, Inc.
Palo Alto
CA
|
Family ID: |
50234658 |
Appl. No.: |
13/961868 |
Filed: |
August 7, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61700307 |
Sep 12, 2012 |
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61700308 |
Sep 12, 2012 |
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61752951 |
Jan 15, 2013 |
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61752952 |
Jan 15, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/202 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/166 20200101;
G06F 40/106 20200101; G06F 40/186 20200101; G06F 40/131
20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/202 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/24 20060101
G06F017/24 |
Claims
1. A method for generating a digital magazine, the method
comprising: receiving from a searching user a request to create a
section of a digital magazine including content satisfying a search
query included in the request; applying the search query to one or
more sources, each source comprising a dynamically updated
plurality of content items; obtaining a search query result
comprising one or more content items from the one or more sources
that satisfy the search query; receiving a request from a viewing
user to access the section of the digital magazine; generating the
section of the digital magazine to include the content items that
satisfy the search query; sending the generated section of the
digital magazine for display to the viewing user.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that at
least one source includes additional content items; applying the
search query to the at least one source including the additional
content items; obtaining an updated search query result including
one or more of the additional content items satisfying the search
query; modifying the generated section of the digital magazine to
include one or more of the additional content items satisfying the
search query; and sending the modified generated section of the
digital magazine for display to the viewing user.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving content
items for addition to the generated section of the digital magazine
from an additional source; and generating an additional section of
the digital magazine including the content items from the
additional source.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to create the section
of a digital magazine identifies one or more sources for
application of the search query.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing user is the searching
user.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the section of the
digital magazine to include the content items that satisfy the
search query comprises: selecting one or more content items based
on one or more attributes of the content items that satisfy the
search query; determining a spatial arrangement of the selected one
or more content items relative to each other based at least in part
on one or more stored page templates and attributes of the selected
one or more content items; and generating the section of the
digital magazine including the selected one or more content items
presented in the determined spatial arrangement.
7. A method for generating a digital magazine, the method
comprising: receiving from a searching user a request to create a
section of a digital magazine including content satisfying a search
query included in the request; obtaining a search query result by
applying the search query to one or more sources, the search query
result including content items from the one or more sources that
satisfy the search query; computing a score for each content item
in the search query result based on attributes of the content
items; generating an ordered listing of the content items in the
search query result based at least in part on the computed scores;
selecting one or more content items from the search query result
based at least in part on the ordered listing; generating the
section of the digital magazine including content satisfying the
search query, the section including the selected one or more
content items; and sending the generated section of the digital
magazine including content satisfying the search query to a client
device for display to a viewing user.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the section of the
digital magazine including content satisfying the search query, the
section including the selected one or more content items comprises:
retrieving information describing interaction with content items
presented via the digital magazine by the searching user; and
modifying the selected one or more content items based at least in
part on the interaction with content items presented via the
digital magazine by the searching user; and generating the section
of the digital magazine satisfying the search query, the section
including the modified selected one or more content items.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the selected one or
more content items based at least in part on the interaction with
content items presented via the digital magazine by the searching
user comprises: changing an order in which the selected one or more
content items are included in the generated section of the digital
magazine based at least in part on the interaction with content
items presented via the digital magazine by the searching user.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the section of the
digital magazine including content satisfying the search query, the
section including the selected one or more content items comprises:
retrieving a location associated with the searching user; and
modifying the selected one or more content items based at least in
part on the location associated with the searching user; and
generating the section of the digital magazine satisfying the
search query, the section including the modified selected one or
more content items.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein an attribute of a content item
is selected from a group consisting of: a connection between a user
interacting with the content item and the searching user, an
interaction between the searching user and the content item, a
quality indicator associated with the content item, and any
combination thereof.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting one or more content
items from the search query result based at least in part on the
ordered listing comprises: determining a type associated with
content items in the ordered listing; selecting one or more content
items from the search query result based on the ordered listing and
types associated with the content items in the ordered listing.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the type associated with the
content item is selected from a group consisting of: text data,
image data, video data, social networking system data, message,
audio data, and any combination thereof.
14. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting one or more content
items from the search query result based at least in part on the
ordered listing comprises: determining a source associated with
content items in the ordered listing; selecting one or more content
items from the search query result based on the ordered listing and
the sources associated with content items in the ordered
listing.
15. The method of claim 7, further comprising: determining that at
least one source includes additional content items; applying the
search query to the at least one source including the additional
content items; obtaining an updated search query result including
one or more of the additional content items satisfying the search
query; computing a score for each of the additional content items
based on attributes of the additional content items; modifying the
ordered listing to include the additional content items based on
the computed scores based on each of the additional content items;
modifying the generated section of the digital magazine to include
one or more of the additional content items satisfying the search
query based on the modified ordered listing; and sending the
modified generated section to the client device for display to the
viewing user.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving content
items for addition to the generated section of the digital magazine
from an additional source; and generating an additional section of
the digital magazine including the content items from the
additional source.
17. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the section of the
digital magazine including content satisfying the search query
occurs responsive to receiving a request from the viewing user to
access the section of the digital magazine including content
satisfying the search query.
18. The method of claim 7, wherein the viewing user is a different
user than the searching user.
19. A method for generating a digital magazine, the method
comprising: receiving from a searching user a request to create a
section of a digital magazine including content satisfying a search
query included in the request; retrieving prior interactions
between the searching user and content items presented via the
digital magazine; determining additional content items connected to
content items with which the searching user previously interacted
by a server providing the digital magazine; determining one or more
candidate sources associated with the additional content items;
identifying one or more additional users connected to the searching
user through the server providing the digital magazine; determining
content items with which one or more of the additional users
connected to the searching user interacted; determining one or more
candidate sources associated with the content items with which one
or more of the additional users connected to the searching user
interacted; selecting one or more sources from the one or more
candidate sources associated with the additional content items and
the one or more candidate sources associated with the content items
with which one or more of the additional users connected to the
searching user interacted; applying the search query to the
selected one or more sources; and obtaining a search query result
comprising one or more content items from the selected one or more
sources that satisfy the search query.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: generating the
section of the digital magazine to include one or more content
items from the search query result; and sending the generated
section of the digital magazine for display to the viewing
user.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein determining additional content
items connected to content items with which the searching user
previously interacted by a server providing the digital magazine
comprises: identifying additional content items connected to a
content item with which the searching user previously performed a
type of interaction.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/700,307, filed on Sep. 12, 2012, U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/700,308, filed on Sep. 12, 2012,
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/752,951, filed on Jan. 15,
2013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/752,952, filed on
Jan. 15, 2013, each of which is incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure relates generally digital magazines, and
more particularly to generating a user-defined section of a digital
magazine based on the results of a search query.
[0003] To discover interesting digital content, a user typically
uses a web browser or other application to manually search various
content sources. For example, a user searches for news articles on
the website of an online newspaper, searches for blog posts from a
popular technology blog, searches a social networking service for
status updates from a friend, and searches a video sharing website
for video content. However, accessing and searching multiple
content sources, as well as reviewing search results from multiple
content sources, to identify content is tedious and inefficient for
users. Typically, content sources are not personalized for an
individual user, resulting in many search results of little
interest to a user. Search results from conventional content
sources are also typically not presented in a format that
encourages prolonged user engagement with the search results.
Accordingly, a user searching conventional content sources often
has difficulty readily identifying and accessing content most
relevant to the user.
SUMMARY
[0004] A digital magazine server creates a digital magazine for a
user including content items for presentation to a user. The
digital magazine server organizes content items having at least one
common characteristic into various sections, and presents content
items to the user according to the sections. Additionally, the
digital magazine server creates a user-defined section of a digital
magazine based on a search query received from a searching user.
For example, the digital magazine server receives a request from a
user to create a section of a digital magazine including content
items satisfying a search query included in the request. By
applying the search query to content sources, such as content
feeds, the digital magazine server generates a search query result.
In some embodiments, the content sources to which the search query
is applied are specified by the user. Alternatively, the content
sources to which the search query is applied are determined by the
digital magazine server based on information about the user and
content items on the digital magazine server. The search query
result includes one or more content items selected from the content
sources satisfying the search query. A section of the digital
magazine including the one or more content items identified by the
search query result is generated by the digital magazine server and
presented to the user from which the request to create the section
was received. Additionally, the section of the digital magazine
including the content items identified by the search query result
may be presented to additional users of the digital magazine
server.
[0005] In some implementations, the digital magazine server
determines that previously-selected content sources include
additional content items after application of the search query and
reapplies the search query to the previously-selected content
sources. If a previously-selected content source includes
additional content items satisfying the search query, the digital
magazine server updates the search query result to include the
additional content items satisfying the search query. The section
including content items identified by the search query result is
also updated to include the additional content items, and the
updated section, including one or more of the additional content
items satisfying the search query, is presented to digital magazine
server users.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment in which a
digital magazine server operates, in accordance with an
embodiment.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital magazine server, in
accordance with an embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 3 is an example of presentation of content items in a
digital magazine using a page template, in accordance with an
embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process for generating a
user-defined section of a digital magazine, in accordance with an
embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 5 one embodiment of a process for selecting sources to
which a search query is applied to identify content items for a
section of a digital magazine, in accordance with an
embodiment.
[0011] The figures depict various embodiments of the present
disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the
art will readily recognize from the following discussion that
alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated
herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the
disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Overview
[0012] A digital magazine server retrieves content from one or more
sources and generates a personalized, customizable digital magazine
for a user based on the retrieved content. The generated digital
magazine is retrieved by a digital magazine application executing
on a computing device (such as a mobile communication device, a
tablet computer, or any other suitable computing system) and
presented to the user. For example, based on selections made by the
user or on behalf of the user, the digital server application
generates a digital magazine including one or more sections having
content items retrieved from a number of sources and personalized
for the user. The generated digital magazine allows the user to
more easily consume content that interests and inspires the user by
presenting content items in an easily navigable print-style
magazine interface via a computing device.
[0013] The digital magazine may be organized into a number of
sections that each include content having a common characteristic
(e.g., content obtained from a particular source). For example, a
section of the digital magazine includes articles from an online
news source (such as a website for a news organization), another
section includes articles from a third-party-curated collection of
content associated with a particular topic (e.g., a technology
compilation), and an additional section includes content obtained
from one or more accounts associated with the user and maintained
by one or more social networking systems. For purposes of
illustration, content included in a section is referred to herein
as "content items" or "articles," which may include textual
articles, pictures, videos, products for sale, user-generated
content (e.g., content posted on a social networking system),
advertisements, and any other types of content capable of display
within the context of a digital magazine.
System Architecture
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment 100 for a
digital magazine server 140. The system environment 100 shown by
FIG. 1 comprises one or more sources 110, a network 120, a client
device 130, and the digital magazine server 140. In alternative
configurations, different and/or additional components may be
included in the system environment 100. The embodiments described
herein may be adapted to online systems that are not digital
magazine servers 140.
[0015] A source 110 is a computing system capable of providing
various types of content to a client device 130. For purposes of
illustration, content provided by a source is also referred to
herein as a "content feed." Examples of content provided by a
source 110 include text, images, video, or audio on web pages, web
feeds, social networking information, messages, or other suitable
data. Additional examples of content include user-generated content
such as blogs, tweets, shared images, video or audio, social
networking posts, and social networking status updates. Content
provided by a source 110 may be received from a publisher (e.g.,
stories about news events, product information, entertainment, or
educational material) and distributed by the source 110, or a
source 110 may be a publisher of content it generates. For
convenience, content from a source, regardless of its composition,
may be referred to herein as an "article," a "content item," or as
"content." A content item may include various types of content,
such as text, images, and video.
[0016] The sources 110 communicate with the client device 130 and
the digital magazine server 140 via the network 120, which may
comprise any combination of local area and/or wide area networks,
using both wired and/or wireless communication systems. In one
embodiment, the network 120 uses standard communications
technologies and/or protocols. For example, the network 120
includes communication links using technologies such as Ethernet,
802.11, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX),
3G, 4G, code division multiple access (CDMA), digital subscriber
line (DSL), etc. Examples of networking protocols used for
communicating via the network 120 include multiprotocol label
switching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol
(TCP/IP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transfer
protocol (SMTP), and file transfer protocol (FTP). Data exchanged
over the network 120 may be represented using any suitable format,
such as hypertext markup language (HTML) or extensible markup
language (XML). In some embodiments, all or some of the
communication links of the network 120 may be encrypted using any
suitable technique or techniques.
[0017] The client device 130 is one or more computing devices
capable of receiving user input as well as transmitting and/or
receiving data via the network 120. In one embodiment, the client
device 130 is a conventional computer system, such as a desktop or
a laptop computer. Alternatively, the client device 130 may be a
device having computer functionality, such as a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a tablet
computer, or another suitable device.
[0018] In one embodiment, the client device 130 executes an
application allowing a user of the client device 130 to interact
with the digital magazine server 140. For example, an application
executing on the client device 130 communicates instructions or
requests for content items to the digital magazine server 140 to
modify content presented to a user of the client device 130. As
another example, the client device 130 executes a browser that
receives pages from the digital magazine server 140 and presents
the pages to a user of the client device 130. In another
embodiment, the client device 130 interacts with the digital
magazine server 140 through an application programming interface
(API) running on a native operating system of the client device
130, such as IOS.RTM. or ANDROID.TM.. While FIG. 1 shows a single
client device 130, in various embodiments, any number of client
devices 130 may communicate with the digital magazine server
140.
[0019] A display device 132 included in the client device 130
presents content items to a user of the client device 130. Examples
of the display device 132 include a liquid crystal display (LCD),
an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD), an organic light
emitting diode (OLED) display, or any other suitable device.
Different client devices 130 may have display devices 132 with
different characteristics. For example, different client devices
130 have display devices 132 with different display areas,
different resolutions, or differences in other characteristics.
[0020] One or more input devices 134 included in the client device
130 receive input from the user. Different input devices 134 may be
included in the client device 130. For example, the client device
130 includes a touch-sensitive display for receiving input data,
commands, or information from a user. Using a touch-sensitive
display allows the client device 130 to combine the display device
132 and an input device 134, simplifying user interaction with
presented content items. In other embodiments, the client device
130 may include a keyboard, a trackpad, a mouse, or any other
device capable of receiving input from a user. In another example,
the input device 134 is configured to receive information from a
user of the client device through a touchless interface. Examples
of a touchless interface include sensors, such as an image capture
device, to receive gestures from a client device user without the
user physically contacting the display device 132 or the client
device 130. Additionally, in some embodiments, the client device
130 may include multiple input devices 134. Inputs received via the
input device 134 may be processed by a digital magazine application
associated with the digital magazine server 140 and executing on
the client device 130 to allow a client device user to interact
with content items presented by the digital magazine server
140.
[0021] The digital magazine server 140 receives content items from
one or more sources 110, generates pages in a digital magazine by
processing the received content, and provides the pages to the
client device 130. As further described below in conjunction with
FIG. 2, the digital magazine server 140 generates one or more pages
for presentation to a user based on content items obtained from one
or more sources 110 and information describing organization and
presentation of content items. For example, the digital magazine
server 140 determines a page layout specifying positioning of
content items relative to each other based on information
associated with a user and generates a page including the content
items arranged according to the determined layout for presentation
to the user via the client device 130. This allows the user to
access content items via the client device 130 in a format that
enhances the user's interaction with and consumption of the content
items. For example, the digital magazine server 140 provides a user
with content items in a format similar to the format used by print
magazines. By presenting content items in a format similar to a
print magazine, the digital magazine server 140 reduces the amount
of user interaction with the client device 130 for accessing
various content items.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an architecture of the digital
magazine server 140. In the example shown by FIG. 2, the digital
magazine server 140 includes a user profile store 205, a template
store 210, a content store 215, a layout engine 220, a connection
generator 225, a connection store 230, a recommendation engine 235,
a search module 240, an interface generator 245, and a web server
250. In other embodiments, the digital magazine server 140 may
include additional, fewer, or different components for various
applications. Conventional components such as network interfaces,
security functions, load balancers, failover servers, management
and network operations consoles, and the like are not shown so as
to not obscure the details of the system architecture.
[0023] Each user of the digital magazine server 140 is associated
with a user profile, which is stored in the user profile store 205.
A user profile includes declarative information about the user that
was explicitly shared by the user and may also include profile
information inferred by the digital magazine server 140. In one
embodiment, a user profile includes multiple data fields, each
describing one or more attributes of the corresponding digital
magazine server user. Examples of information stored in a user
profile include biographic, demographic, and other types of
descriptive information, such as gender, hobbies or preferences,
location, or other suitable information. A user profile in the user
profile store 205 also includes data describing interactions by a
corresponding user with content items presented by the digital
magazine server 140. For example, a user profile includes a content
item identifier, a description of an interaction with the content
item corresponding to the content item identifier, and a time when
the interaction occurred.
[0024] While user profiles in the user profile store 205 are
frequently associated with individuals, allowing individuals to
provide and receive content items via the digital magazine server
140, user profiles may also be stored for entities such as
businesses or organizations. This allows an entity to provide or
access content items via the digital magazine server 140. An entity
may post information about itself, about its products or provide
other content items associated with the entity to users of the
digital magazine server 140. For example, users of the digital
magazine server 140 may receive a digital magazine or section
including content items associated with an entity via the digital
magazine server 140.
[0025] The template store 210 includes page templates each
describing a spatial arrangement of content items relative to each
other on a page ("layout") for presentation by a client device 130.
A page template includes one or more slots, each configured to
present one or more content items. In some embodiments, slots in a
page template may be configured to present a particular type of
content item or to present a content item having one or more
specified characteristics. For example, a slot in a page template
is configured to present an image while another slot in the page
template is configured to present text data. Each slot has a size
(e.g., small, medium, or large) and an aspect ratio. One or more
page templates may be associated with types of client devices 130,
allowing content items to be presented in different relative
locations and with different sizes when the content items are
viewed using different client devices 130. Additionally, page
templates may be associated with sources 110, allowing a source 110
to specify the format of pages presenting content items received
from the source 110. For example, an online retailer is associated
with a page template to allow the online retailer to present
content items via the digital magazine server 140 with a specific
organization. Examples of page templates are further described in
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/187,840, filed on Jul. 21,
2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
[0026] The content store 215 stores objects that each represent
various types of content. For example, the content store 215 stores
content items received from one or more sources 110 within a
threshold time of a current time. Examples of content items stored
by the content store 215 include a page post, a status update, a
photograph, a video, a link, an article, video data, or any other
type of content. A user may specify a section including content
items having a common characteristic, and the common characteristic
is stored in the content store 215 along with an association with
the user profile of the user specifying the section.
[0027] The layout engine 220 retrieves content items from one or
more sources 110 or from the content store 215 and generates a page
including the content items based on a page template from the
template store 210. Based on the retrieved content items, the
layout engine 220 may identify candidate page templates from the
template store 210, score the candidate page templates based on
characteristics of the slots in different candidate page templates,
based on previously-selected templates, and based on
characteristics of the content items. Based on the scores
associated with candidate page templates, the layout engine 220
selects a page template and associates the retrieved content items
with one or more slots to generate a page where the retrieved
content items are presented relative to each other and sized based
on their associated slots. When associating a content item with a
slot, the layout engine 220 may associate the content item with a
slot configured to present a specific type of content item or to
present content items having one or more specified characteristics.
An example of using a page template to present content items is
further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/187,840,
filed on Jul. 21, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference
in its entirety.
[0028] The connection generator 225 monitors interactions between
users and content items presented by the digital magazine server
140. Based on the interactions, the connection generator 225
determines connections between various content items, connections
between users and content items, or connections between users of
the digital magazine server 140. For example, the connection
generator 225 identifies when users of the digital magazine server
140 provide feedback about a content item, access a content item,
share a content item with other users, or perform other actions
with content items. In some embodiments, the connection generator
225 retrieves data describing user interaction with content items
from the user's user profile in the user profile store 205.
Alternatively, user interactions with content items are
communicated to the connection generator 225 when the interactions
are received by the digital magazine server 140. The connection
generator 225 may account for temporal information associated with
user interactions with content items. For example, the connection
generator 225 identifies user interactions with a content item
within a specified time interval or applies a decay factor to
identified user interactions based on times associated with
interactions. The connection generator 225 generates a connection
between a user and a content item if the user's interactions with
the content item satisfy one or more criteria. In one embodiment,
the connection generator 225 determines one or more weights
specifying a strength of the connection between the user and the
content item based on user interactions with the content item that
satisfy one or more criteria. Generation of connections between a
user and a content item is further described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/905,016, filed on May 29, 2013, which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0029] If multiple content items are connected to a user, the
connection generator 225 establishes implicit connections between
each of the content items connected to the user. In one embodiment,
the connection generator 225 maintains a user content graph
identifying the implicit connections between content items
connected to a user. In one embodiment, weights associated with
connections between a user and content items are used to determine
weights associated with various implicit connections between
content items. User content graphs for multiple users of the
digital magazine server 140 are combined to generate a global
content graph describing connections between various content items
provided by the digital magazine server 140 based on user
interactions with various content items. For example, the global
content graph is generated by combining user content graphs based
on mutual connections between various content items in user content
graphs.
[0030] In one embodiment, the connection generator 225 generates an
adjacency matrix from the global content graph or from multiple
user content graphs and stores the adjacency matrix in the
connection store 230. The adjacency matrix describes connections
between content items. For example, the adjacency matrix includes
identifiers of content items and weights representing the strength
or closeness of connections between content items based on the
global content graph. As an example, the weights indicate a degree
of similarity in subject matter or similarity of other
characteristics associated with various content items. In other
embodiments, the connection store 230 includes various adjacency
matrices determined from various user content graphs; the adjacency
matrices may be analyzed to generate an overall adjacency matrix
for content items provided by the digital magazine server 140.
Graph analysis techniques may be applied to the adjacency matrix to
rank content items, to recommend content items to a user, or to
otherwise analyze relationships between content items. An example
of the adjacency matrix is further described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/905,016, filed on May 29, 2013, which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0031] In addition to identifying connections between content
items, the connection generator 225 may also determine a social
proximity between users of the digital magazine server 140 based on
interactions between users and content items. The digital magazine
server 140 determines social proximity, or "social distance,"
between users using a variety of techniques. For example, the
digital magazine server 140 analyzes additional users connected to
each of two users of the digital magazine server 140 within a
social networking system to determine the social proximity of the
two users. In another example, the digital magazine server 140
determines social proximity between a first and a second user by
analyzing the first user's interactions with content items posted
by the second user, whether the content item is posted using the
digital magazine server 140 or on another social networking system.
Additional examples for determining social proximity between users
of the digital magazine server 140 are described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/905,016, which is incorporated by reference
in its entirety. In one embodiment, the connection generator 225
determines a connection confidence value between a user and an
additional user of the digital magazine server 140 based on the
user's and the additional user's common interactions with
particular content items. The connection confidence value may be a
numerical score representing a measure of closeness between the
user and the additional user. For example, a larger connection
confidence value indicates a greater similarity between the user
and the additional user. In one embodiment, if a user has at least
a threshold connection confidence value with another user, the
digital magazine server 140 stores a connection between the user
and the additional user in the connection store 230.
[0032] Using data from the connection store 230, the recommendation
engine 235 identifies content items from one or more sources 110
for recommending to a digital magazine server user. Hence, the
recommendation engine 235 identifies content items potentially
relevant to a user. In one embodiment, the recommendation engine
235 retrieves data describing interactions between a user and
content items from the user's user profile and data describing
connections between content items, and/or connections between users
from the connection store 230. In one embodiment, the
recommendation engine 235 uses stored information describing
content items (e.g., topic, sections, subsections) and interactions
between users and various content items (e.g., views, shares,
saved, links, topics read, or recent activities) to identify
content items that may be relevant to a digital magazine server
user. For example, content items having an implicit connection of
at least a threshold weight to a content item with which the user
interacted are recommended to the user. As another example, the
recommendation engine 235 presents a user with content items having
one or more attributes in common with a content item with which an
additional user having a threshold connection confidence score with
the user interacted. Recommendations for additional content items
may be presented to a user when the user views a content item using
the digital magazine, may be presented as a notification to the
user by the digital magazine server 140, or may be presented to the
user through any suitable communication channel (e.g., e-mail).
[0033] In one embodiment, the recommendation engine 235 applies
various filters to content items received from one or more sources
110 or from the content store 215 to efficiently provide a user
with recommended content items. For example, the recommendation
engine 235 analyzes attributes of content items in view of
characteristics of a user retrieved from the user's user profile.
Example attributes of content items include a type (e.g., image,
story, link, video, audio, etc.), a source 110 from which a content
item was received, time when a content item was retrieved, and
subject matter of a content item. Example characteristics of a user
include biographic information about the user, users connected to
the user, and interactions between the user and content items. In
one embodiment, the recommendation engine 235 analyzes attributes
of content items in view of a user's characteristics for a
specified time period to generate a set of recommended content
items. The set of recommended content items may be presented to the
user or may be further analyzed based on user characteristics and
on content item attributes to generate a more refined set of
recommended content items. For example, a setting included in a
user's user profile specifies a length of time for analyzing
content items to identify content items for recommending to the
user, allowing a user to balance refinement of recommended content
items with time used to identify recommended content items.
[0034] The search module 240 receives a search query from a user
and retrieves content items from one or more sources 110 based on
the search query. For example, content items having at least a
portion of an attribute matching at least a portion of a search
query are retrieved from one or more sources 110. The user may
specify sources 110 from which content items are received through
settings maintained by the user's user profile or by identifying
one or more sources in the search query. In one embodiment, the
search module 240 generates a section of the digital magazine
including the content items identified based on the search query,
as the identified content items have a common attribute of their
association with the search query. Presenting identified content
items identified from a search query allows a user to more easily
identify additional content items at least partially matching the
search query when additional content items are provided by sources
110.
[0035] To more efficiently identify content items based on search
queries, the search module 240 may index content items from various
sources 110, groups (or sections) of content items, and user
profile information. In one embodiment, the index includes
information about various content items, such as author, source,
topic, creation date/time, user interaction information, document
title, geographic metadata, document text, or other information
capable of identifying the content item. In one example, the index
includes user-supplied metadata, such as commentary on a content
item, tags associated with the content item by the user, or
categories associated with the content items by the user. Search
queries are compared to information maintained in the index to
identify content items for presentation to a user. The search
module 240 may present identified content items based on a ranking.
One or more factors associated with the content items may be used
to generate the ranking. Examples of factors include: global
popularity of a content item among users of the digital magazine
server 140, connections between users interacting with a content
item and the user providing the search query, and information from
a source 110. Additionally, the search module 240 may assign a
weight to the index information associated with each content item
selected based on similarity between the index information and a
search query and rank the content items based on their weights. For
example, content items identified based on a search query are
presented in a section of the digital magazine in an order based in
part on the ranking of the content items.
[0036] Presenting the search results as a user-defined section of a
digital magazine allows a digital magazine server user to access
the search results by filtering sections of the digital magazine to
identify the user-defined section. Allowing identification of
search results by filtering for a section including the search
results enables a user to more easily identify the search results
from other content items and to identify additional
contextually-related content items more easily than through
conventional search methods. For example, the search results are
presented in a digital magazine as an ordered listing based on the
source 110 of the content items included in the search results; a
user may filter the ordered listing based on sources 110 to readily
access content items from specific sources 110.
[0037] Further, presenting search results as a section of a digital
magazine allows additional users of the digital magazine server 140
to subscribe to the section and view the search results from a
search query provided by another user. Additionally, search results
presented in a section may be ranked based on interaction of
digital magazine server users with content items in the search
results, user profile information of users accessing the section,
social proximity between digital magazine server users accessing
content items in the search results, or other suitable information.
In one embodiment, a section of a digital magazine generated based
on search results satisfying a search query remains unchanged as
additional content items satisfying the search query are identified
from one or more sources 110. Alternatively, a section of a digital
magazine including content items satisfying a search query is
updated to include additional content items from one or more
sources 110 satisfying the search query when the additional content
items are provided by the one or more sources 110; similarly, the
section may be updated as content items satisfying the search query
are removed from one or more sources 110, allowing dynamic
modification of content items presented by the section based on
changes to content items provided by sources 110.
[0038] To increase user interaction with the digital magazine, the
interface generator 245 maintains instructions associating received
input with actions performed by the digital magazine server 140 or
by a digital magazine application executing on a client device 130.
For example, instructions maintained by the interface generator 245
associate types of inputs or specific inputs received via an input
device 132 of a client device 130 with modifications to content
presented by a digital magazine. As an example, if the input device
132 is a touch-sensitive display, the interface generator 245
includes instructions associating different gestures with
navigation through content items presented by a digital magazine.
Instructions from the interface generator 245 are communicated to a
digital magazine application or other application executing on a
client device 130 on which content from the digital magazine server
140 is presented. Inputs received via an input device 132 of the
client device 130 are processed based on the instructions when
content items are presented via the digital magazine server 140 is
presented to simplify user interaction with content presented by
the digital magazine server 140.
[0039] The web server 250 links the digital magazine server 140 via
the network 120 to the one or more client devices 130, as well as
to the one or more sources 110. The web server 250 serves web
pages, as well as other content, such as JAVA.RTM., FLASH.RTM., XML
and so forth. The web server 250 may retrieve content item from one
or more sources 110. Additionally, the web server 250 communicates
instructions for generating pages of content items from the layout
engine 220 and instructions for processing received input from the
interface generator 245 to a client device 130 for presentation to
a user. The web server 250 also receives requests for content or
other information from a client device 130 and communicates the
request or information to components of the digital magazine server
140 to perform corresponding actions. Additionally, the web server
250 may provide application programming interface (API)
functionality to send data directly to native client device
operating systems, such as IOS.RTM., ANDROID.TM., WEBOS.RTM., or
BlackberryOS.
[0040] For purposes of illustration, FIG. 2 describes various
functionalities provided by the digital magazine server 140.
However, in other embodiments, the above-described functionality
may be provided by a digital magazine application executing on a
client device 130, or may be provided by a combination of the
digital magazine server 140 and a digital magazine application
executing on a client device 130. For example, the digital magazine
server 140 generates a user-defined section of the digital magazine
including content items satisfying a search query provided by a
user and sends the user-defined section to the client device 130
for presentation to one or more users. In another example, a
digital magazine application executing on the client device 130
receives a search query from the user and generates the
user-defined section of the digital magazine. Alternatively, the
digital magazine server 140 and the client device 130 operate in
conjunction with each other to generate the user-defined section of
the digital magazine. For example, certain functionality (e.g.,
identifying content items from sources 110 satisfying a search
query) is performed by the digital magazine server 140, while other
functionality (e.g., selecting a template for presenting a
user-defined section of the digital magazine) is performed by a
digital magazine application executing on the client device
130.
Page Templates
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates an example page template 302 having
multiple rectangular slots each configured to present a content
item. Other page templates with different configurations of slots
may be used by the digital magazine server 140 to present one or
more content items received from sources 110. As described above in
conjunction with FIG. 3, in some embodiments, one or more slots in
a page template are reserved for presentation of content items
having specific characteristics or for presentation of a specific
type of content item. In one embodiment, the size of a slot may be
specified as a fixed aspect ratio or using fixed dimensions.
Alternatively, the size of a slot may be flexible, where the aspect
ratio or one or more dimensions of a slot is specified as a range,
such as a percentage of a reference or a base dimension.
Arrangement of slots within a page template may also be
hierarchical. For example, a page template is organized
hierarchically, where an arrangement of slots may be specified for
the entire page template or for one or more portions of the page
template.
[0042] In the example of FIG. 3, when a digital magazine server 140
generates a page for presentation to a user, the digital magazine
server 140 populates slots in a page template 302 with content
items. Information identifying the page template 302 and
associations between content items and slots in the page template
302 is stored and used to generate the page. For example, to
present a page to a user, the layout engine 220 identifies the page
template 302 from the template store 210 and retrieves content
items from one or more sources 110 or from the content store 215.
The layout engine 220 generates data or instructions associating
content items with slots within the page template 302. Hence, the
generated page includes various "content regions" presenting one or
more content items associated with a slot in a location specified
by the slot.
[0043] A content region 304 may present image data, text, data, a
combination of image and text data, or any other information
retrieved from a corresponding content item. For example, in FIG.
3, the content region 304A represents a table of contents
identifying sections of a digital magazine, and content associated
with the various sections are presented in content regions
304B-304H. For example, content region 304A includes text or other
data indicating that the presented data is a table of contents,
such the text "Cover Stories Featuring," followed by one or more
identifiers associated with various sections of the digital
magazine. In one embodiment, an identifier associated with a
section describes a characteristic common to at least a threshold
number of content items in the section. For example, an identifier
refers to the name of a user of a social network from which content
items included in the section are received. As another example, an
identifier associated with a section specifies a topic, an author,
a publisher (e.g., a newspaper, a magazine) or other characteristic
associated with at least a threshold number of content items in the
section. Additionally, an identifier associated with a section may
further specify content items selected by a user of the digital
magazine server 140 and organized as a section. Content items
included in a section may be related topically and include text
and/or images related to the topic.
[0044] Sections may be further organized into subsections, with
content items associated with one or more subsections presented in
content regions. Information describing sections or subsections,
such as a characteristic common to content items in a section or
subsection, may be stored in the content store 215 and associated
with a user profile to simplify generation of a section or
subsection for the user. A page template associated with a
subsection may be identified, and slots in the page template
associated with the subsection used to determine presentation of
content items from the subsection relative to each other. Referring
to FIG. 3, the content region 304H includes a content item
associated with a newspaper to indicate a section including content
items retrieved from the newspaper. When a user interacts with the
content region 304, a page template associated with the section is
retrieved, as well as content items associated with the section.
Based on the page template associated with the section and the
content items, the digital magazine server 140 generates a page
presenting the content items based on the layout described by the
slots of the page template. For example, in FIG. 3, the section
page 306 includes content regions 308, 310, 312 presenting content
items associated with the section. The content regions 308, 310,
312 may include content items associated with various subsections
including content items having one or more common characteristics
(e.g., topics, authors, etc.). Hence, a subsection may include one
or more subsections, allowing hierarchical organization and
presentation of content items by a digital magazine.
Generating a Search-Result Based Digital Magazine Section
[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a process 400 for
generating a user-defined section of a digital magazine based on a
search query. In one embodiment, the process 400 is performed by
the digital magazine server 140, which may perform the steps
illustrated by FIG. 4 in different orders. Alternatively, the
process 400 is performed by a digital magazine application
executing on a client device 130 or by a combination of the digital
magazine server 140 and a digital magazine application executing on
a client device 130. In some embodiments, different or additional
steps than those shown in FIG. 4 may be performed.
[0046] The digital magazine server 140 receives 402 a request from
a searching user via a client device 130 and the network 120 to
create a section of a digital magazine including content satisfying
a search query included in the request. For example, the search
query includes one or more search terms describing an attribute of
a content item. Example attributes of a content item described by a
search term include a topic, a user, a source identifier, and a
hash tag. A search term may include alphanumeric characters as well
as symbols. A search term may also include structured data, such as
a latitude-longitude pair, or an item from a controlled vocabulary,
such as a stock ticker symbol or an International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) airport code. Additionally, the request may
identify one or more sources 110, allowing the user from which the
request is received 402 to identify sources 110 from which content
items are retrieved. For example, a request may specify the source
"@flipboard_username" to search for content items associated with a
digital magazine server user identified by "username." Other types
of sources 110 may be identified by the request, such as a social
networking service, a digital magazine, a blog, or any source 110
accessible by the digital magazine server 140.
[0047] The digital magazine server 140 applies 406 the search query
included in the search request to one or more sources 110. In one
embodiment, the digital magazine server 140 applies 406 the search
query to sources 110 identified by the request. Alternatively, the
digital magazine server 140 selects sources 110 to which the search
query is applied. For example, the digital magazine server 140
identifies sources 110 based on information in user profiles
describing user interactions with content items provided by various
sources 110, user profile information, connections between
additional content items and content items with which the user from
which the request was received interacted, connections between
users, or other suitable information. This allows the digital
magazine server 140 to identify sources 110 likely to include
content items relevant to the user, increasing the likelihood of
the search query providing the user with content items that
interest and inspires the user to explore additional content and to
share content items with other digital magazine server users.
Selection of sources 110 by the digital magazine server 140 is
further described below in conjunction with FIG. 5.
[0048] To apply the search query, the digital magazine server 140
compares information included in the search request to information
(e.g., author, source identifier, topic, creation date or time,
user interaction information, document title, or other information
suitable to uniquely identify the content item) maintained in an
index of content items from various sources 110 maintained by the
search module 240 and identifies content items having information
at least partially matching the search query for presentation to a
user. Alternatively, the digital magazine server 140 retrieves
information describing content items from one or more sources 110
and compares the retrieved information to the search query to
identify content items associated with information at least
partially matching the search query.
[0049] Content items maintained by various sources 110 may be
dynamically modified. For example, content items are added or
deleted from a source 110 over time. As content items maintained by
a source 110 are modified, the search query may be applied 404 to
the source 110 to determine if the modified content items at least
partially satisfy the search query. For example, if additional
content items are added to a source 110, the digital magazine
server 140 applies the search query to the source 110 to determine
if one or more of the additional content items at least partially
satisfy the search query. This allows the digital magazine server
140 to dynamically identify additional content items that at least
partially satisfy the search query or to determine when content
items that at least partially satisfy the search query are removed
from a source 110. To determine if content items maintained by a
source 110 have been modified (e.g., content items added to or
deleted from the source 110 since application 404 of the search
query to the source 110), the digital magazine server 140 may
compare metadata from a content item received from a source 110,
such as a time stamp, to a time stamp associated with application
of the search query to the source 110 from which the content item
was received.
[0050] Content items at least partially matching the search query
are obtained 406 from one or more sources 110 as a search query
result. In one embodiment, the digital magazine server 140 stores
content identifiers of the items in the search query results in the
content store 215 along with the search query to simplify retrieval
of the content items at least partially matching the search query.
The digital magazine server 140 receives 408 a request from a
viewing user to access content from the digital magazine server 140
including the search query result. For example, a viewing user
accesses a description of the search query, requests a section of a
digital magazine having content items from the search query result,
or provides an additional search query matching the search query
from the searching user to the digital magazine server 140. The
viewing user may be the searching user or may be a different user
requesting one or more sections of the digital magazine.
Additionally, the request may be received 408 from a different
client device 130 than the client device 130 from which the request
to create the section including content items satisfying the search
query was received 402.
[0051] Using the search query result the digital magazine server
140 generates 410 a section of a digital magazine including one or
more of the content items included in the search query result. An
example of generation of a digital magazine section is further
described above in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3. To generate 410
the section of the digital magazine including one or more content
items from the search query results, the digital magazine server
140 selects content items from the search query results and
determines a presentation of the selected content items relative to
each other on a page of the digital magazine.
[0052] In one embodiment, the digital magazine server 140 computes
scores for each content item in the search query result based on
one or more attributes associated with the content items. Examples
of attributes used to compute scores for content items include:
connections between users interacting with a content item and the
searching user, interactions between the user requesting the
section and content items presented by the digital magazine server,
geographic information associated with the content items and the
user requesting the section, and a popularity or a quality
indicator associated with various content items. For example, a
quality indicator provides an indication of the quality of an image
associated with a content item or the number of images included in
a content item. In another example, a quality indicator provides an
indication of the number of times a keyword about a topic appears
in one or more content items included in one or more selected
content sources.
[0053] Using the scores, the digital magazine server 140 ranks the
content items in the search query result. In some embodiments, when
ranking the content items, the digital magazine server 140 applies
one or more diversity settings based on content item attributes to
increase the likelihood of the user requesting the section being
presented with content items having different attributes. For
example, if a threshold number of content items from a source 110
are within a range of the ranking, scores of additional content
items from the source 110 are reduced to increase the likelihood of
the section including content items from a variety of sources 110.
Other attributes of content items may be used as a diversity
setting, such as content item type, content item creation date, or
any other suitable attribute.
[0054] The digital magazine server 140 may associate a weight with
index information in the search module 240 associated with each
content item in the search query result and use the weights to
generate scores for content items in the search query.
Additionally, weights may be associated with content items in the
search query result based on attributes of the content items.
Examples of attributes of content items associated with weights
include a number of images included in a content item, a difference
between a time associated with a content item and a time when the
request for the section including the content item was received, an
indication of the quality of the source 110 from which a content
item was received, and a digital magazine server user associated
with a content item.
[0055] Based at least in part on the scores, the digital magazine
server 140 generates an ordered list that ranks the content items
included in the search query result. Content items are selected
from the ordered list for inclusion in the section including the
search query result. For example, content items having at least a
threshold position in the ordered list are selected for inclusion
in the section. In some embodiments, the digital magazine server
140 accounts for one or more characteristics of the content items
in the ordered list so the section includes content items having a
variety of characteristics (e.g., various types of content items,
content items from various sources 110, etc.) to encourage user
interaction with content items in the section. Examples of
characteristics of content items used when selecting content items
include: type of content item, source 110 from which a content item
was retrieved, and characteristics of a user associated with a
content item. For example, content items are selected from the
ordered list so a threshold number of content types are included in
the section or a content items retrieved from a threshold number of
sources 110 are included in the section. This allows the digital
magazine server 140 to provide a user with content items from the
search query result most likely to interest and inspire a user
viewing the content items to interact with additional content
provided by the digital magazine server 140.
[0056] To generate 410 the section including content items from the
search query result, a layout for the content items selected from
the search query listing is the determined based on one or more
page templates to present content items included in the section to
the user. In one embodiment, the digital magazine server 140
dynamically arranges the selected content items relative to each
other based on a page template selected from the template store
210. For example, the digital magazine server 140 assigns a content
item type to selected content items. Examples of content item types
include: text data, image data, video data, social networking
system data, message, and audio data. The digital magazine server
140 may convert content items received from various sources 110
into a standardized format where each content item is associated
with a content item type according to rules included in the layout
engine 220. Based on a content item type associated with various
content items in the search query result, the digital magazine
server 140 selects one or more page templates from the template
store 210 and arranges the received content items based on the
selected page templates.
[0057] The digital magazine server 140 may dynamically modify the
content items in the generated section or the layout content items
presented in the generated section of the digital magazine. For
example, the digital magazine server 140 may update the layout and
one or more of the content items included in the generated section
of the digital magazine to allow a user to more easily explore
content items from a set, or space, of sources 110. In another
example, the digital magazine server 140 updates the layout of
content items relative to each other in the section based on user
interaction with content items in the section or updates the
content items presented in the generated based on location
information associated with a client device 130 presenting the
section, based on a time of day when the section is presented, or
based on interactions with content items by other digital magazine
server users.
[0058] In one embodiment, if the digital magazine server 140
determines that additional content items satisfying the search
query are included on one or more sources 110 after the search
query result was obtained 406, the digital magazine server 140
generates an additional section of the digital magazine presenting
the additional content items satisfying the search query. For
example, a third-party curator adds additional content items
satisfying the search query to a generated section of a digital
magazine via a client device 130 after the digital magazine server
140 obtains 406 the search query. To present the additional content
items to a user, the additional items are included in the generated
section or an additional section including the additional content
items is generated. In one example, a merchandiser adds brand
advertising content items to a generated section of a digital
magazine creating a print-style social advertisement that satisfies
the search query. The digital magazine server 140 may generate an
additional section including the brand advertising content items
added by the third-party curator.
[0059] The digital magazine server 140 sends 412 the generated
section of the digital magazine that includes content items from
the search query result to a client device 130 for presentation to
the viewing user. For example, the digital magazine server 140
sends 412 the generated section of the digital magazine to a client
device 130 when a request from the viewing user to access the
section of the digital magazine including content items from the
search query result is received. The request may include an
identifier of the section including content items from the search
query result. As another example, the request indicates that the
viewing user has subscribed to the section including content items
from the search query result, so the generated section is sent 412
to a client device 130 associated with the viewing user at a
subsequent time.
[0060] In another example, the digital magazine server 140
generates 410 the section of the digital magazine at specified
intervals. The interval may be specified by the digital magazine
server 140, by a setting in a user profile maintained by the
digital magazine server 140 for a user viewing the generated
section (e.g., when the viewing user elects to subscribe to the
generate magazine). For example, the interval specifies generating
the section including content items satisfying the search query
when the digital magazine server 140 reapplies the search query to
one or more sources 110. As another example, the section including
content items satisfying the search query is generated 410 based on
a viewing user's interactions with content items presented by the
digital magazine (e.g., at time of day of when the user accesses
the digital magazine server 140), or any interval suitable to allow
discovery of new and interesting content. In a further example, the
digital magazine server 140 generates 410 the section including
content items satisfying the search query when a request to create
the section is received from the searching user. Additionally, when
generating 410 the section including content items satisfying the
search query, the order in which one or more content items
satisfying the search query may be modified based on interactions
by the searching user with content items presented by the digital
magazine server 140, allowing the generated section to account for
additional interactions by the searching user with content
items.
[0061] The generated section of the digital magazine may be
displayed to a viewing user on the display of a client device 130
in a listing of multiple sections of a digital magazine, with each
section including content items having a common characteristic
(e.g., content items about a particular topic). The listing may be
ordered by source of content items (e.g., digital magazine server
140, social networking system, video sharing system service, users
of the digital magazine server 140, image sharing service, etc.).
Alternatively, the digital magazine server 140 sends 412 the
generated section to a client device 130 associated with a
third-party curator, which adds additional content to the section.
Through the digital magazine server 140, the generated section and
additional content is sent 412 to a client device 130 for
presentation to a viewing user. For example, the viewing user may
interact with the additional content items access a digital
magazine including content items associated with the third-party
curator.
[0062] FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a process 500 for selecting
sources to which a search query is applied to identify content
items for presentation to a digital magazine server user. In one
embodiment, the process 500 is performed by the digital magazine
server 140, which may perform the steps illustrated by FIG. 5 in
different orders. Alternatively, the process 400 is performed by a
digital magazine application executing on a client device 130 or by
a combination of the digital magazine server 140 and a digital
magazine application executing on a client device 130. In some
embodiments, different or additional steps than those shown in FIG.
5 may be performed.
[0063] In one embodiment, the digital magazine server 140 selects
sources to which a search query in a request to create a section of
a digital magazine is applied. In the example shown by FIG. 5, the
digital magazine server 140 retrieves 502 interactions between the
user from which the request was received and content items
presented by the digital magazine server 140. For example, the
digital magazine server 140 retrieves a user profile associated
with the user from the user profile store 205 and retrieves 502 the
user's interactions with content items from the user profile. In
one embodiment, a content item identifier and a type of action are
identified 502.
[0064] The digital magazine server 140 retrieves connections
between the identified content items and additional content items
from the connection store 230. Based on the retrieved connections,
the digital magazine server 140 determines 504 additional items
connected to the content items with which the user interacted. In
one embodiment, the digital magazine server 140 determines 504
additional content items connected to content items with which the
user performed one or more types of interactions. Additionally, the
digital magazine server 140 may determine 504 the additional items
based in part on weights representing the strength or closeness of
connections between content items based on a global content graph
from the connection store 230. For example, additional content
items are determined 504 to be content items having at least a
threshold connection strength to a content item with which the user
interacted or with which the user performed a specific type of
interaction.
[0065] One or more sources 110 associated with the additional
content items are determined 506. For example, a source identifier
is associated with content item identifiers maintained in the user
profile store 205 or in the content store 215, and source
identifiers associated with the additional content items are
determined 506. In one embodiment, the additional content items are
ranked based in part on the strength of their connection to a
content item with which the user interacted and sources 110 for
additional content items having at least a threshold position in
the ranking are determined 506.
[0066] While the digital magazine server 140 may apply the search
query to the sources 110 determined 506 from the additional content
items, in some embodiments, the digital magazine server 140 may
refine source 110 selection based on connections between digital
magazine server users. In the example shown by FIG. 5, the digital
magazine server 140 identifies 508 additional users connected to
the user from which the search query was received based on data in
the connection store 230. In one embodiment, the digital magazine
server 140 identifies 508 additional users having at least a
connection confidence value with the user from which the search
query was received.
[0067] Content items with which the additional users interacted are
identified from user profiles of the additional users and sources
110 associated with the content items with which the additional
users interacted are determined 510, as described above. In one
embodiment, the additional users are ranked based in part on their
connection confidence values with the user from which the search
query was received and a group of additional users are identified
from the ranking (e.g., users having at least a threshold position
in the ranking); content items with which users in the group of
additional users interacted are identified and sources 110
associated with those content items are determined 510. Based on
the sources 110 providing the additional content items or the
sources 110 associated with the content items with which additional
users interacted, one or more sources 110 are selected 512 for
application of the search query. For example, sources 110 may be
selected which are disproportionally popular among the additional
users relative to a global user base of the digital magazine server
140. These selected sources 110 are likely to be popular among
people of like mind with the additional users in terms of interest,
social circles, and viewpoints on issues. This increases the
likelihood of the digital magazine server 140 identifying content
items likely to engage a digital magazine server user.
SUMMARY
[0068] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the
invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is
not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the
precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can
appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in
light of the above disclosure.
[0069] Some portions of this description describe the embodiments
of the invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic
representations of operations on information. These algorithmic
descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled
in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work
effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while
described functionally, computationally, or logically, are
understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent
electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has
also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of
operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described
operations and their associated modules may be embodied in
software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.
[0070] Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein
may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware or
software modules, alone or in combination with other devices. In
one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer
program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing
computer program code, which can be executed by a computer
processor for performing any or all of the steps, operations, or
processes described.
[0071] Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus
for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be
specially constructed for the required purposes, and/or it may
comprise a general-purpose computing device selectively activated
or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such
a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible
computer readable storage medium, or any type of media suitable for
storing electronic instructions, which may be coupled to a computer
system bus. Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the
specification may include a single processor or may be
architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased
computing capability.
[0072] Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product
that is produced by a computing process described herein. Such a
product may comprise information resulting from a computing
process, where the information is stored on a non-transitory,
tangible computer readable storage medium and may include any
embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination
described herein.
[0073] Finally, the language used in the specification has been
principally selected for readability and instructional purposes,
and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the
inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope
of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but
rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon.
Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is
intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the
invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
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