U.S. patent application number 14/569560 was filed with the patent office on 2015-09-03 for recommending content to digital magazine server users based on content inclusion in digital magazines.
The applicant listed for this patent is Flipboard, Inc.. Invention is credited to Andrew David Walkingshaw.
Application Number | 20150248683 14/569560 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54006855 |
Filed Date | 2015-09-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150248683 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Walkingshaw; Andrew David |
September 3, 2015 |
Recommending Content to Digital Magazine Server Users Based on
Content Inclusion in Digital Magazines
Abstract
A digital magazine server allows its users to create digital
magazines by including content items in sections of one or more
digital magazines. For various pairs of digital magazines, the
digital magazine server determines a score based on a number of
content items added to a digital magazine that were previously
added to an additional digital magazine in a pair. The score
indicates a frequency that the additional digital magazine added
content items before the digital magazine. Digital magazines may be
ranked for a user based on the scores, with the ranking used to
recommend digital magazines or other users to the user. Further,
the scores and connections between digital magazines may be used to
create an influence score for various digital magazines.
Inventors: |
Walkingshaw; Andrew David;
(San Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Flipboard, Inc. |
Palo Alto |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54006855 |
Appl. No.: |
14/569560 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61946491 |
Feb 28, 2014 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.33 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/2291 20190101;
G06F 16/958 20190101; G06Q 30/0282 20130101; G06Q 30/0204
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; G06F 17/30 20060101 G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: storing information describing a plurality
of digital magazines in a digital magazine server, each digital
magazine including one or more content items and timestamps
indicating times when each content item was added to a digital
magazine; identifying a subject user of the digital magazine server
that associated a content item with one or more digital magazines
associated with the subject user; identifying one or more
additional users who associated the content item with one or more
additional digital magazines after the subject user associated the
content item with the one or more digital magazines associated with
the subject user; determining a score for each additional user, the
score for an additional user based on a number of times that the
additional user associated one or more content items with one or
more additional digital magazine associated with the additional
user after the same one or more content items were associated with
the one or more digital magazines associated with the subject user
by the subject user; and defining a target group of users based on
the determined scores.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the score for the additional user
is based at least in part on a number of content items associated
with the one or more digital magazines associated with the subject
user and associated with the one or more additional digital
magazines associated with the additional user.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein a content item associated with a
digital magazine associated with the subject user and associated
with an additional digital magazine associated with the additional
user comprises a content item associated with a content identifier
that is associated with the digital magazine associated with the
subject user and is also associated with the additional digital
magazine associated with the additional user.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the score for the additional user
is based at least in part on a number of content items associated
with one or more additional digital magazines associated with the
additional user after being associated with one or more digital
magazines associated with the subject user and having at least a
threshold number of features matching features of at least one
content item associated with the one or more digital magazines
associated with the subject user.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein a feature is selected from a
group consisting of: a keyword, a topic, a category, an author, a
fingerprint, a type, a style, a manufacturer, a source, and any
combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the score for the additional user
is based at least in part on a percentage of content items
associated with one or more digital magazines associated with one
or more digital magazines associated with the additional user after
the content items were associated with at least one of the one or
more digital magazines associated with the subject user.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the score for the additional user
is based at least in part on a percentage of content items
associated with one or more digital magazines associated with one
or more digital magazines associated with the additional user after
the content items were associated with at least one of the one or
more digital magazines associated with the subject user and having
at least a threshold number of features matching features of at
least one content item associated with a digital magazine
associated with the subject user.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the target group of
users based on the determined scores comprises: defining the target
group of users as one or more additional users associated with at
least a threshold score.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the target group of
users based on the determined scores comprises: determining one or
more characteristics of the subject user; identifying one or more
additional users having associated with at least a threshold score;
and defining the target group as one or more of the identified one
or more additional users having at least a threshold number of
characteristics matching the determined one or more characteristics
of the user.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a score for each
additional user comprises: determining a topic associated with the
content item; determining a frequency with which the additional
user associates content items associated with the determined topic
with one or more digital magazines associated with the additional
user after the user associated the content item with the one or
more digital magazines associated with the user; and determining
the score for the user based at least in part on the determined
frequency.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing a suggestion
identifying the subject user for presentation to one or more users
in the target group of users.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request
from the subject user to send content to the target group of
users.
13. A method comprising: storing information describing a plurality
of collections of content in a server, each collection of content
including one or more content items and timestamps indicating times
when each content item was added to a collection of content;
identifying a subject user of the server that associated a content
item with one or more collections of content associated with the
subject user; identifying one or more additional users who
associated the content item with one or more additional collections
of content after the subject user associated the content item with
the one or more collections of content associated with the subject
user; determining a score for each additional user, the score for
an additional user based on a number of times that the additional
user associated one or more content items with one or more
additional collections of content associated with the additional
user after the same one or more content items were associated with
the one or more collections of content associated with the subject
user by the subject user; and defining a target group of users
based on the determined scores.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the score for the additional
user is based at least in part on a number of content items
associated with one or more collections of content associated with
the additional user after being associated with one or more
collections of content associated with the subject user and having
at least a threshold number of features matching features of at
least one content item associated with the one or more collections
of content associated with the subject user.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein a feature is selected from a
group consisting of: a keyword, a topic, a category, an author, a
fingerprint, a type, a style, a manufacturer, a source, and any
combination thereof.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the score for the additional
user is based at least in part on a percentage of content items
associated with one or more collections of content associated with
one or more collections of content associated with the additional
user after the content items were associated with at least one of
the one or more collections of content associated with the subject
user.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the score for the additional
user is based at least in part on a percentage of content items
associated with one or more collections of content associated with
one or more collections of content associated with the additional
user after the content items were associated with at least one of
the one or more collections of content associated with the subject
user and having at least a threshold number of features matching
features of at least one content item associated with a digital
magazine associated with the subject user.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein defining the target group of
users based on the determined scores comprises: defining the target
group of users as one or more additional users associated with at
least a threshold score.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein defining the target group of
users based on the determined scores comprises: determining one or
more characteristics of the subject user; identifying one or more
additional users having associated with at least a threshold score;
and defining the target group as one or more of the identified one
or more additional users having at least a threshold number of
characteristics matching the determined one or more characteristics
of the user.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a score for each
additional user comprises: determining a topic associated with the
content item; determining a frequency with which the additional
user associates content items associated with the determined topic
with one or more collections of content associated with the
additional user after the user associated the content item with the
one or more collections of content associated with the user; and
determining the score for the user based at least in part on the
determined frequency.
21. The method of claim 13, further comprising: storing a
suggestion identifying the subject user for presentation to one or
more users in the target group of users.
22. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a request
from the subject user to send content to the target group of users.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/946,491, filed Feb. 28, 2014, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention relates generally to digital magazines, and
more specifically to recommending content to a digital magazine
server user based on content inclusion in various digital magazines
maintained by the digital magazine server.
[0003] A digital magazine identifies content items for presentation
to users and the content items can be identified based on
user-defined preferences or parameters. These content items are
presented to users via devices such as mobile devices, tablet
computers, laptop computers, or desktop computers. As a user
interacts with content items presented in a digital magazine,
additional content items may be identified for presentation to the
user based on the interactions. For example, the additional content
items are selected based on their similarity to content items with
which the user previously interacted. However, because conventional
methods for identifying content items for recommendation to a user
are based on user interactions with content items, they rely on
limited information to identify content items for recommendation to
the user.
SUMMARY
[0004] A digital magazine server stores information describing
various digital magazines. Each digital magazine is associated with
one or more content items and one or more users authorized to
associate content items with the digital magazine. Additionally,
each content item associated with a digital magazine is associated
with a timestamp indicating a time when the content item was
associated with the digital magazine as well as information for
retrieving the content item from a source (e.g., a network
address). Based on a time when a content item was associated with
various digital magazines, the digital magazine server may
recommend content items for association with a digital
magazine.
[0005] A digital magazine associated with a user is identified by
the digital magazine server along with one or more additional
digital magazines associated with additional users of the digital
magazine server. For example, the user and the digital magazine are
identified when the user associates a content item with the digital
magazine. In one embodiment, the digital magazine server identifies
a digital magazine associated with a user and additional digital
magazines associated with additional users that include at least
one content item also included in the digital magazine but were
associated with the additional digital magazine at a time before
the content item was associated with the digital magazine.
Alternatively, the digital magazine server identifies a digital
magazine associated with a user and additional digital magazines
associated with additional users that include at least one content
item also included in the digital magazine but were associated with
the additional digital magazine at a time after the content item
was associated with the digital magazine.
[0006] The digital magazine server generates a score for each
additional digital magazine. A score associated with an additional
digital magazine is based at least in part on a number of content
items associated with the additional digital magazine before the
same content items were associated with the digital magazine. In
various embodiments, additional digital magazines are ranked based
at least in part on their scores. Based on the ranking, the digital
magazine server selects one or more of the additional digital
magazines and presents information describing the selected
additional digital magazines to the user. For example, a suggestion
identifying a title of an additional digital magazine and a user
authorized to associate content items with an additional digital
magazine is presented if the additional digital magazine has at
least a threshold position in the ranking.
[0007] Alternatively, the digital magazine server determines a
score for an additional digital magazine based on a number of times
content items were associated with the additional digital magazine
after the same content items were associated with the digital
magazine. Based on scores associated with various additional
digital magazines associated with an additional user, the digital
magazine server may determine a score. The digital magazine server
may identify content for presentation to the additional user based
at least in part on the determined score associated with the
additional user. For example, the digital magazine server may infer
that a selected additional digital magazine is influenced by the
content items the user associates with the digital magazine,
allowing the digital magazine server to leverage the user's
association of content items with the digital magazine to provide
additional content items (including advertisements) to the selected
additional digital magazine.
[0008] Additionally, the digital magazine server may determine
influence of a digital magazine on association of content items
with additional digital magazines. For example, the digital
magazine server identifies a target digital magazine and an
additional digital magazine. A score for the target digital
magazine is determined based on a number of content items
associated with the target digital magazine that are also
associated with the additional digital magazine at a time after
they were associated with the target digital magazine. The digital
magazine server stores a connection between the target digital
magazine and the additional digital magazine that includes the
score. Additional scores for the target digital magazine are
determined based on various additional digital magazines, with the
scores scored as connections between the target digital magazine
and each additional digital magazine.
[0009] Based on the scores determined based on various additional
digital magazines, an influence score is determined for the target
digital magazine. In one embodiment, the influence score of the
target digital magazine is based on influence scores of each
digital magazine connected to the target digital magazine and the
number of digital magazines connected to each digital magazine
connected to the target digital magazine. Influence scores
associated with a digital magazine may be used by the digital
magazine server to select or to recommend content items,
advertisements, applications, or other data for association with a
digital magazine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment in which a
digital magazine server operates, in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital magazine server, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is an example of presentation of content items in a
digital magazine using a page template, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for identifying content
for presentation to a user of a digital magazine server, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIGS. 5A and 5B are examples of identifying content for
presentation to a user of a digital magazine server based on
content items associated with various digital magazines, in
accordance with embodiments of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for determining influence
of a digital magazine on content items associated with additional
digital magazines, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0016] FIG. 7 is an example of information describing influence of
a digital magazine on additional digital magazines, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] The figures depict various embodiments of the present
invention 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
invention described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Overview
[0018] 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,
tablet, computer, or any other suitable computing system) and
presented to the user. For example, based on selections made by the
user and/or on behalf of the user, the digital server application
generates a digital magazine including one or more sections
including 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
interface via a computing device.
[0019] 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.
[0020] However, a digital magazine may describe any group of
content items associated with a user and also associated with a
timestamp. The timestamp associated with a content item specifies a
time when the content item was associated with the digital
magazine. Examples of a digital magazine include a feed of content
items for presentation to a user, a selection of items made by a
user (e.g., a shopping cart a user generates from an online
retailer, a selection of desired items specified by a user), a
selection of content items or items for presentation or a user, or
other groups of content items associated with one or more
users.
System Architecture
[0021] 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 can be adapted to online systems that are not digital
magazine severs 140.
[0022] A source 110 is a computing system capable of providing
various types of content to a client device 130. 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.
[0023] 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.
[0024] 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 or another
suitable device. In one embodiment, the client device 130 executes
an application allowing a user of the client device 110 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
110, 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.
[0025] 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 organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, an active matrix
liquid crystal display (AMLCD), or any other suitable device.
Different client devices 130 may have display devices 132 with
different characteristics. For example, different client devices
132 have display devices 132 with different display areas,
different resolutions, or differences in other characteristics.
[0026] 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. Additionally, the
client device may include multiple input devices 134 in some
embodiments. 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.
[0027] 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 allows a user to
interact with content items from multiple sources 110 via the
client device 130 with less inconvenience from horizontally or
vertically scrolling to access various content items.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an architecture of the digital
magazine server 140. The digital magazine server 140 shown in FIG.
2 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.
[0029] 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 social
networking system 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.
[0030] 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.
[0031] The template store 210 includes page templates each
describing a spatial arrangement ("layout") of content items
relative to each other on a page 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.
[0032] 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 115 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, audio data, a
check-in event at a location, 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 215 store along with an association with the user profile
or the user specifying the section.
[0033] 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
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.
[0034] 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] 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.
[0037] 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.
[0038] 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.
[0039] As further described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4 and
6, the recommendation engine 235 may account for content items
included in multiple digital magazines associated with different
users to recommend content items to a user. For example, the
recommendation engine 235 identifies a content item associated with
a digital magazine and also associated with an additional digital
magazine at a different time than it was associated with the
digital magazine. In one embodiment, the recommendation engine 235
determines a score for the additional digital magazine based on a
number of content items associated with the additional digital
magazine and also associated with the digital magazine after being
associated with the additional digital magazine. Based on the
score, the recommendation engine 235 may present information
describing the additional digital magazine to a user associated
with the digital magazine. Alternatively, the recommendation engine
determines a score for the additional digital magazine based on a
number of content items associated with the additional digital
magazine after being associated with the digital magazine. Based on
the score, the recommendation engine 235 may select content for
subsequent inclusion in the additional digital magazine based on
characteristics of the digital magazine or of the user associated
with the digital magazine. Additionally, as further described below
in conjunction with FIG. 6, the recommendation engine 235 may
determine and store influence scores associated with various
digital magazines indicating an amount of influence a digital
magazine has over content included in an additional digital
magazine.
[0040] 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.
Examples of 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. Examples of 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 more
refined set of recommended content items. A setting included in a
user's user profile may specify a length of time that content items
are analyzed before identifying recommended content items to the
user, allowing a user to balance refinement of recommended content
items with time used to identify recommended content items.
[0041] 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 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.
[0042] To more efficiently identify content items based on search
queries, the search module 110 may index content items, 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 data/time, user
interaction information, document title, or other information
capable of uniquely identifying the content item. Search queries
are compared to information maintained in the index to identify
content items for presentation to a user. The search module 140 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.
[0043] 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 or presented via 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.
[0044] 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.
[0045] 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. In one embodiment, an application
executing on the client device 130 and associated with the digital
magazine server 140 recommends digital magazines or other content
to a user by analyzing content items included in different digital
magazines as further described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4
and 6. Alternatively, an application executing on the client device
130 and the recommendation engine 235 exchange information to
recommend digital magazines or other content items to a user of the
client device 130. In additional embodiments, the recommendation
engine 235 analyzes digital magazines maintained by the digital
magazine server 140 and communicates information identifying
digital magazines or content items for recommendation to the client
device 130 for presentation to a user.
Page Templates
[0046] 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. 2, 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.
[0047] 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 102 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.
[0048] 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 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.
[0049] 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.
Recommending Content Items Based on Content Item Inclusion in a
Collection of Content
[0050] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for
recommending content to a user of a digital magazine server 140. In
other embodiments, the method may include different and/or
additional steps than those shown in FIG. 4. The functionality
described in conjunction with the digital magazine server 140 in
FIG. 4 may be provided by the recommendation engine 235, in one
embodiment, or may be provided by any other suitable component, or
components, in other embodiments. Additionally, the client device
130 may execute one or more instructions associated with the
digital magazine server 140, such as an application associated with
the digital magazine server 140, to provide the functionality
described in conjunction with FIG. 4. For purposes of illustration,
FIG. 4 describes recommendation of content based on inclusion of
content items in a digital magazine; however, the steps described
in conjunction with FIG. 4 may be used to recommend content based
on inclusion of content items in any suitable collection of
content. Example collections of content include: a feed of content
items for presentation to a user, a selection of items made by a
user (e.g., a shopping cart a user generates from an online
retailer, a selection of desired items specified by a user), a
selection of content items or items for presentation to a user, or
other groups of content items associated with one or more users
[0051] The digital magazine server 140 stores 405 information
describing various digital magazines. A digital magazine is one or
more content items each associated with one or more users and
associated with a time when a content item was associated with the
digital magazine. Examples of a digital magazine include a feed of
content items for presentation to a user, a selection of items made
by a user (e.g., a shopping cart a user generates from an online
retailer, a selection of desired items specified by a user), a
selection of content items or items for presentation or a user, or
other groups of content items associated with one or more
users.
[0052] In one embodiment, the digital magazine sever 140 stores 405
a digital magazine identifier corresponding to a digital magazine
and associates one or more user identifiers with the digital
magazine identifier to identify users of the digital magazine
server 140 authorized to modify content items associated with the
digital magazine. Content item identifiers are also associated with
the digital magazine identifier to specify content items associated
with the digital magazine. A content item identifier also includes
information for retrieving a content item from a source 110, such
as a network address of a content item, or includes information for
retrieving the content item from the content store 215.
Additionally, the digital magazine server 140 associates a
timestamp with a content item identifier and a digital magazine
identifier to indicate a time when a content item corresponding to
the content item identifier was associated with a digital magazine
corresponding to the digital magazine identifier. In various
embodiments, digital magazine identifiers, content item
identifiers, and associations between digital magazine identifiers
and user identifiers are stored 405 in the content store 215.
[0053] Additionally, the digital magazine server 140 may associate
one or more features with a content item identifier to identify
features of a content item corresponding to the content item
identifier. Example features of a content item include: a keyword,
a topic, a category, an author, a fingerprint, or any other
information capable of categorizing the content item. Different
types of content items may be associated with different features.
For example, if a content item is an article, features of an
article may include one or more topics, one or more keywords, an
author, or a source 110 of the article. As another example, if a
content item is an advertisement, features of the advertisement may
be one or more topics, one or more characteristics of a product or
service associated with the advertisement, and an advertiser
associated with the advertisement. In an additional example, if the
content item is a product or service (e.g., items included in an
online shopping cart or in a wish list) features of the content
item may be a style, a type, a manufacturer, a provider, a
retailer, a price, a product name, or other information about the
product or service.
[0054] The digital magazine server 140 identifies 410 a user, also
referred to as a "subject user," of the digital magazine server 140
that associated a content item with a subject digital magazine
associated with the user. In various embodiments, the subject user
is identified 410 based on interactions between the subject user
and the digital magazine server 140. For example, the digital
magazine server 140 identifies a user associating a content item
with a digital magazine within a threshold amount of time from a
current time. As another example, the digital magazine server 140
identifies a user performing at least a threshold number of
interactions (e.g., associating a threshold number of content items
with one or more digital magazines) with the digital magazine
server 140 within a specified time interval. The digital magazine
server 140 also identifies the digital magazine associated with the
user, content item associated with the digital magazine by the
user, and a timestamp associated with the content item associated
with the digital magazine. For example, when a user associates a
content item with a digital magazine, the digital magazine server
140 identifies 410 the user identifier of the user, the digital
magazine identifier of the digital magazine, and the content item
identifier of the content item associated with the digital
magazine.
[0055] One or more additional digital magazines associated with
additional users are identified 415 by the digital magazine server
140 after the digital magazine server 140 identifies 410 the
subject user associating a content item with a subject digital
magazine. In one embodiment, the digital magazine server 140
identifies 415 the subject digital magazine with which the user
associated the content item and identifies one or more additional
digital magazines, each associated with one or more additional
users of the digital magazine server 140 and including the content
item, but with which the content item was associated at a time
before a time when the content item was associated with the subject
digital magazine. The time when the content item was associated
with the subject digital magazine is determined from a timestamp
associated with the content item identifier and subject digital
magazine identifier. For example, additional digital magazine
identifiers where the content item identifier is associated with
the additional digital magazine identifier and a timestamp
specifying an earlier time than a timestamp associated with the
content item identifier and with the subject digital magazine
identifier are identified 415.
[0056] In some embodiments, rather than identify 415 the one or
more additional digital magazines based on content items associated
with the digital magazine and with various additional digital
magazines, the digital magazine server 140 identifies 415 one or
more additional digital magazines based on features of content
items associated with the subject digital magazine. For example,
the digital magazine server 140 identifies 415 one or more features
of a content item associated with the subject digital magazine by
the user and identifies 415 one or more additional digital
magazines associated with a content item having at least a
threshold number of features matching the features of the content
item associated with the subject digital magazine by the subject
user and associated with an additional digital magazine at a time
before the subject user associated the content item with the
subject digital magazine. As another example, the digital magazine
server 140 identifies 415 one or more features of a content item
associated with the subject digital magazine by the subject user
and identifies 415 one or more additional digital magazines
associated with a content item having at least a threshold number
of features matching the features of the content item associated
with the subject digital magazine by the subject user and
associated with an additional digital magazine at a time after the
subject user associated the content item with the subject digital
magazine.
[0057] If the digital magazine server 140 identifies 415 one or
more additional digital magazines with which a content item was
associated at a time before the content item was associated with
the subject digital magazine by the subject user, the digital
magazine server 140 generates 420 a score for each of the
identified additional digital magazines based at least in part on a
number of content items associated with the additional digital
magazine before the same content item was associated with the
subject digital magazine. For example, the score is based on a
number of content identifiers associated with the additional
digital magazine that match a content identifier associated with
the subject digital magazine and that are associated with a
timestamp earlier than a timestamp associated with the same content
item and with the subject digital magazine.
[0058] Alternatively, the score associated with an additional
digital magazine is based at least in part on a number of content
items associated with the additional digital magazine that have at
least a threshold number of features matching features of a content
item associated with the subject digital magazine and that were
associated with the additional digital magazine before a content
item having the threshold number of features was associated with
the subject digital magazine. For example, a score of an additional
digital magazine may be a number of content items associated with
the additional digital magazine before the same content items were
associated with the subject digital magazine, a number of content
items associated with the additional digital magazine at times
before a content item having at least a threshold number of
features matching features of at least one of the content item were
associated with the subject digital magazine, a percentage of
content items associated with the additional digital magazine that
match content items associated with the subject digital magazine
and that were associated with the additional digital magazine at
times before the content items were associated with the subject
digital magazine, a percentage of content items associated with the
additional digital magazine that have at least a threshold number
of features matching features of a content item associated with the
subject digital magazine and associated with the additional digital
magazine before the matching content item was associated with the
subject digital magazine. Hence, the score of an additional digital
magazine provides a measure of similar content items associated
with the subject digital magazine and associated with the
additional digital magazine before the content items were
associated with the subject digital magazine. The score may be
stored in the content store 215 in association with an identifier
of the digital magazine and an identifier of the additional digital
magazine.
[0059] Based at least in part the scores associated with each of
the additional magazines with which a content item was associated
prior to the user associating the content item with the subject
digital magazine, the digital magazine server 140 ranks 425 the
additional digital magazines. For example, the ranking of
additional digital magazines is proportional to the scores
associated with additional digital magazines, so additional digital
magazines associated with larger scores have higher positions in
the ranking and additional digital magazines associated with lower
scores have lower positions in the ranking Additional information
may be used to rank 425 the additional digital magazines. For
example, a number of content items included in an additional
digital magazine may be used to modify the additional digital
magazine's position in the ranking, so a position of an additional
digital magazine in the ranking may be increased if the additional
digital magazine is associated with at least a threshold number of
content items. As another example, an additional digital magazine's
position in the ranking may be increased if the additional digital
magazine is associated with an additional user to which the subject
user has a connection.
[0060] One or more additional digital magazines are selected 430
based at least in part on the ranking. For example, additional
digital magazines having at least a threshold position in the
ranking or having the highest positions in the ranking are selected
430. In one embodiment, a number of additional digital magazines
selected 430 is based at least in part on preferences specified by
the subject user's user profile or based on a parameter specified
by the digital magazine server 140. Alternatively, rather than rank
425 the additional digital magazines, the digital magazine server
140 selects 430 additional digital magazines with which a content
item was associated prior the user associating the content item
with the digital magazine having at least a threshold score.
[0061] Information associated with the selected one or more
additional digital magazines is presented 435 to the subject user
via a client device 130. In some embodiments, the presented
information is a suggestion to the subject user that includes
information identifying one or more of the selected additional
digital magazines. For example, the digital magazine server 140
identifies a title and an additional user associated with a
selected additional digital magazine and communicates the title and
a description of the additional user to a client device 130 for
presentation 435 by an application executing on the client device
130 and associated with the digital magazine server 140.
Additionally, the presented information may identify the content
item associated with the subject digital magazine by the user and
also associated with the additional digital magazine before the
subject user associated the content item with the subject digital
magazine. Examples of presented information include a title of a
selected additional digital magazine, one or more additional users
associated with the selected additional magazine, or reasons for
presenting the selected additional digital magazine to the subject
user. Examples of reasons for presenting the selected additional
digital magazine to the subject user include the score of the
selected additional digital magazine, an indication of an amount of
similarity between the selected additional digital magazine and the
subject digital magazine (e.g., a value based on a number of
content items associated with the selected additional digital
magazine and associated with the subject digital magazine), and
information describing content items associated with the subject
digital magazine and associated with the selected additional
digital magazine (e.g., topics, keywords, or authors associated
with content items associated with the digital magazine and
associated with the additional digital magazine).
[0062] By generating scores associated with additional digital
magazines with which a content item was associated prior to the
user associating the content item with the subject digital magazine
and the digital magazine, the digital magazine server 140 may
identify additional digital magazines in which the subject user is
likely to have an interest. Additionally, identifying additional
digital magazines with which a content item was associated prior to
being associated with the subject digital magazine allows the
digital magazine server 140 to identify additional digital
magazines that may influence content items that the subject user
associates with the subject digital magazine. Hence, the digital
magazine server 140 may present 435 information about selected
additional magazines to identify additional magazines to the
subject user that are associated with content items that the
subject user may subsequently associate with the subject digital
magazine.
[0063] Additionally, if the digital magazine server 140 identifies
415 one or more additional digital magazines with which a content
item was associated at a time after the content item was associated
with the subject digital magazine by the subject user, the digital
magazine server 140 determines or generates 440 a score for each of
the identified additional digital magazines based at least in part
on a number of content items associated with the additional digital
magazine after the same content items were associated with the
subject digital magazine. For example, the score is based on a
number of content identifiers associated with the additional
digital magazine that match a content identifier associated with
the subject digital magazine and having a timestamp associated with
the additional digital magazine and the content identifier that is
after a timestamp associated with the subject digital magazine and
the content identifier.
[0064] Alternatively, the score associated with an additional
digital magazine is based at least in part on a number of content
items associated with the additional digital magazine that have at
least a threshold number of features matching features of a content
item associated with the digital magazine and were associated with
the additional digital magazine after a content item having the
threshold number of matching features was associated with the
subject digital magazine. For example, a score of an additional
digital magazine may be a number of content items associated with
the additional digital magazine after the same content items were
associated with the subject digital magazine, a number of content
items associated with the additional digital magazine at times
after a content item having at least a threshold number of features
matching features of at least one of the content item were
associated with the subject digital magazine, a percentage of
content items associated with the additional digital magazine that
match content items associated with the subject digital magazine
and that were associated with the additional digital magazine at
times after the content items were associated with the subject
digital magazine, a percentage of content items associated with the
additional digital magazine that have at least a threshold number
of features matching features of a content item associated with the
subject digital magazine and were associated with the additional
digital magazine after the matching content item was associated
with the subject digital magazine. Hence, the score of an
additional digital magazine provides a measure of similar content
items associated with the subject digital magazine and associated
with the additional digital magazine after the content items were
associated with the subject digital magazine
[0065] One or more additional digital magazines with which a
content item was associated after being associated with the subject
digital magazine by the user are selected 445 based at least in
part on the scores associated with the additional digital
magazines. For example, additional digital magazines with which a
content item was associated after being associated with the subject
digital magazine by the user having at least a threshold score are
selected 445. Because the additional digital magazines in this
embodiment were associated with a content item after the user
associated the content item with the subject digital magazine, the
digital magazine server 140 may infer that content items added to
the subject digital magazine have a threshold likelihood of
subsequently being associated with the selected additional digital
magazine.
[0066] In some embodiments, scores associated with multiple
additional digital magazines associated with an additional user are
combined to generate a score associated with the additional user.
Further, scores associated with multiple additional digital
magazines associated with an additional user and multiple subject
digital magazines associated with the subject user may be generated
440 and combined to generate the score associated with the
additional user. A score associated with an additional user may
also be based in part on a frequency with which an additional user
associates content items with additional magazines after the
subject user associates the same content items with a digital
magazine. Hence, a score associated with an additional user may
provide an indication of a frequency with which the additional user
associates content items with an additional digital magazine
associated with the additional user after the subject user
associates the content items with a subject digital magazine
associated with the user. Additional users may be ranked based on
their associated scores, with one or more of the additional users
selected based on their associated scores. For example, the digital
magazine server 140 ranks additional users based on their
associated scores and selects additional users having at least a
threshold position in the ranking Because the selected additional
users associate content items with one or more of their associated
digital magazines after the subject user associated the content
items with a subject digital magazine associated with the subject
user, the digital magazine server 140 infers that content items
associated with a subject digital magazine by the subject user
influences content items associated with an additional digital
magazine by a selected additional user. This allows the digital
magazine server 140 to modify content items presented or
recommended to the subject user to increase the likelihood of a
selected additional user subsequently interacting with the content
items presented or recommended to the subject user (e.g., that a
selected additional user associates a content item with an
additional digital magazine).
[0067] Additionally, the digital magazine server 140 may determine
a target group of users based at least in part on scores generated
for multiple additional users. For example, different target groups
include additional users associated with different scores. Other
information may be used to determine the target group of users. For
example, a target group of users includes users having one or more
characteristics matching characteristics of the subject user and
having at least a threshold score. Different characteristics or
threshold scores may be associated with different target
groups.
[0068] In some embodiments, the digital magazine server 140
receives 450 a request from the subject user to present content to
a target group of additional users. For example, the request
identifies a content item and a target group to identify that users
in the target group are eligible to be presented with the content
item, while users not in the target group are ineligible to be
presented with the content item. In one embodiment, the content
item is an advertisement, allowing the subject user to target
advertisements to different users based on the target groups
including various users. In some embodiments, the request may be
received from another entity authorized to access the scores
associated with additional users, allowing the entity to leverage
information about the influence of the subject user on the
additional users when identifying content for presentation to the
additional users.
[0069] The digital magazine server 140 may also store a suggestion
identifying the subject user for presentation to a user in the
target group of users. The suggestion identifying the subject user
may also be communicated to a client device 130 for presentation to
a user in the target group of users. For example, in the previous
example, if the content item is an advertisement and the subject
user is targeting the advertisement to users in the target group of
users, a user in the target group of users may receive a suggestion
identifying the subject user. The user in the target group of users
may subsequently request to receive additional content from the
subject user from the digital magazine server 140 based on the
suggestion identifying the subject user.
[0070] In some embodiments, one or more features associated with
content items are also used to identify content for presentation to
an additional user. For example, a topic associated with a content
item associated with the subject digital magazine before being
associated with an additional digital magazine is determined along
with an additional user associated with the additional digital
magazine. The digital magazine server 140 may determine a number of
times, or a frequency with which, the subject user associates
content items associated with the topic with the digital magazine
before the additional user associates content items associated with
the topic with the additional digital magazine. If the determined
frequency determined number of times is at least a threshold value,
the request may identify one or more content items associated with
the topic that the subject user associates with the digital
magazine. In other embodiments, any suitable feature associated
with a content item may be used (e.g., author, keyword, source 110,
etc.).
Example Identification of Content for Recommendation
[0071] FIG. 5A is an example of identifying a digital magazine for
recommendation to a user of the digital magazine server 140. In
FIG. 5A, digital magazine 510 is associated with user 505A and
digital magazine 520 is associated with user 505B. Digital magazine
510 includes content items 510A, 510B, 510C, 510D, which are
associated with times 515A, 515B, 515C, 515D, respectively.
Similarly, digital magazine 520 includes content items 510C, 520A,
520B, 520D, which are associated with times 525A, 525B, 525C, 525D,
respectively. In this example, a time associated with a content
item represents a time when the content item was associated with a
digital magazine including the content item.
[0072] For purposes of illustration, time 525A is earlier than time
515C, so content item 510C was associated with digital magazine 520
before it was associated with digital magazine 510. If scores are
generated for digital magazine 510 and digital magazine 520 based
on a number of content items associated with digital magazine 510
and also associated with digital magazine 520, but associated with
digital magazine 520 before being associated with digital magazine
510, digital magazine 520 has a score based on content item 510C.
In the example of FIG. 5A, digital magazine 520 is identified as
having at least a threshold score or at least a threshold position
a ranking because of the score based on content item 510C. Hence,
the digital magazine server 140 determines that digital magazine
520 affects the content included in digital magazine 520.
Accordingly, information describing digital magazine 520 is
presented to user 505A, allowing the user to establish a connection
or otherwise identify content items associated with digital
magazine 520. However, in other embodiments, the digital magazine
server 140 may use other thresholds, so an increased number of
content items are associated with digital magazine 520 before being
associated with digital magazine 510 for digital magazine 520 to be
identified to the user 505A.
[0073] FIG. 5B is an example of identifying content for association
with a digital magazine based on content items in an additional
digital magazine. In FIG. 5B, digital magazine 510 is associated
with user 505A and digital magazine 530 is associated with user
505C. Digital magazine 510 includes content items 510A, 510B, 510C,
510D, which are associated with times 515A, 515B, 515C, 515D,
respectively. Similarly, digital magazine 530 includes content
items 530A, 530B, 510A, 530C, which are associated with times 535A,
535B, 535C, 535D, respectively. As in FIG. 5A, a time associated
with a content items represents a time when the content item was
associated with a digital magazine including the content item.
[0074] For purposes of illustration, time 515A is earlier than time
535C, so content item 510A was associated with digital magazine 510
before it was associated with digital magazine 530. If scores are
generated for digital magazine 510 and digital magazine 530 based
on a number of content items associated with digital magazine 510
and also associated with digital magazine 530 after being
associated with digital magazine 510, digital magazine 510 has a
score based on content item 510A. In the example of FIG. 5B,
digital magazine 510 is identified as having at least a threshold
score or at least a threshold position a ranking because of the
score based on content item 510A. Hence, the digital magazine
server 140 determines that digital magazine 510 affects content
included in digital magazine 530. Accordingly, information
associated with digital magazine 510 or with user 505A is used to
identify additional content items for recommendation to user 505C
or for subsequent inclusion in digital magazine 530. However, in
other embodiments, the digital magazine server 140 may use other
threshold scores or positions in a ranking, so an increased number
of content items are associated with digital magazine 510 before
being associated with digital magazine 530 for characteristics of
digital magazine 510 or user 505A to be used to identify content
items for inclusion in digital magazine 530 or for presentation to
user 505C.
Determining Influence of a Digital Magazine on Additional Digital
Magazines
[0075] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for
determining influence of a digital magazine on content items
associated with additional digital magazines. In other embodiments,
the method may include different and/or additional steps than those
shown in FIG. 6. The functionality described in conjunction with
the digital magazine server 140 in FIG. 6 may be provided by the
recommendation engine 235, in one embodiment, or may be provided by
any other suitable component, or components, in other embodiments.
Additionally, the client device 130 may execute one or more
instructions associated with the digital magazine server 140, such
as an application associated with the digital magazine server 140,
to provide the functionality described in conjunction with FIG.
6.
[0076] As described above in conjunction with FIG. 4, the digital
magazine server 140 stores 605 information describing various
digital magazines. A digital magazine is one or more content items
each associated with one or more users and associated with a time
when a content item was associated with the digital magazine.
Examples of a digital magazine include a feed of content items for
presentation to a user, a selection of items made by a user (e.g.,
a shopping cart a user generates from an online retailer, a
selection of desired items specified by a user), a selection of
content items or items for presentation to a user, or other groups
of content items associated with one or more users. For example,
the digital magazine server 140 stores 605 a digital magazine
identifier and an association between the digital magazine
identifier and one or more user identifiers as well as an
association with one or more content item identifiers. The user
identifiers associated with the digital magazine identifier specify
users of the digital magazine server 140 capable of modifying
content items associated with the digital magazine, while the
content item identifiers specify content items associated with the
digital magazine. Additionally, a timestamp is associated with each
content item identifier and digital magazine identifier combination
to specify a time when a content item corresponding to a content
item identifier was associated with a digital magazine
corresponding to a digital magazine identifier, as described above
in conjunction with FIG. 4.
[0077] The digital magazine server selects 610 a target digital
magazine. In various embodiments, the target digital magazine may
be selected 610 based on any suitable criteria. For example, the
target digital magazine is selected 610 based on a time when a
content item was associated with the target digital magazine, based
on a time when the target digital magazine was created, an amount
of interaction with the target digital magazine by users of the
digital magazine server 140 (e.g., association of at least a
threshold number of content items with the target digital magazine
during a specified time interval, interaction with the target
digital magazine by at least a threshold number of users within a
specified time interval, etc.), or any other suitable information.
Alternatively, the target digital magazine may be selected 610 by
the digital magazine server 140 at random or based on any suitable
function or criteria.
[0078] An additional digital magazine is selected 615 by the
digital magazine server 140. The additional digital magazine may be
selected 615 based on any suitable criteria, such as those
described above, or may be selected 615 at random by the digital
magazine server 140. Based at least in part on a number of content
items associated with the target digital magazine and associated
with the additional digital magazine after a time when the content
items were associated with the target digital magazine, the digital
magazine server 140 generates 620 a score associated with the
target digital magazine. For example, the score associated with the
target digital magazine is a number of content items associated
with the target digital magazine and subsequently associated with
the additional digital magazine, a percentage of content items
associated with the target digital magazine that are also
subsequently associated with the additional digital magazine, a
number of content items associated with the target digital magazine
having at least a threshold number of features that match features
of a content item subsequently associated with the additional
digital magazine, a percentage of content items associated with the
target digital magazine that match content items subsequently
associated with the additional digital magazine, a percentage of
content items associated with the target digital magazine that have
at least a threshold number of features matching features of a
content item subsequently associated with the additional magazine,
or any other suitable value. Hence, the score associated with the
target digital magazine and the additional digital magazine
provides a measure of the influence of associating content items
with the target digital magazine on the content items being
associated with the additional digital magazine.
[0079] The digital magazine server 140 stores 625 a connection
between the target digital magazine and the additional digital
magazine in the content store 215 that specifies the generated
score. For example, the stored connection is information specifying
an identifier associated with the target digital magazine, an
identifier associated with the additional digital magazine, and the
score generated for the target digital magazine. By storing 625 the
score generated for the target digital magazine based on the
additional digital magazine, the digital magazine server 140
maintains information describing the influence of associating a
content item with the target digital magazine on subsequent
association of the content item with the additional digital
magazine.
[0080] In one embodiment, another additional digital magazine is
selected 615, and a score for the target digital magazine based on
a number of content items associated with the target digital
magazine and associated with the other additional digital magazine
is generated 620, as described above. The score generated 620 based
on the target digital magazine and the other additional digital
magazine is stored 625 along with an association between the target
digital magazine and the other additional digital magazine.
Multiple additional digital magazines may be selected 615 and
scores associated with the target digital magazine generated 620
based on each of the additional digital magazines, allowing the
digital magazine server 140 to maintain connections between the
target digital magazine and various additional magazines describing
an amount of influence associating a content item with the target
digital magazine has on subsequent association of the content item
with various additional digital magazine.
[0081] The digital magazine server may generate 620 a score for the
target digital magazine based on each additional digital magazine
stored by the digital magazine server 140, with the generated
scores stored 625 by the digital magazine server 140 as described
above. Alternatively, scores are generated 620 for the target
digital magazine based on a specified number of additional digital
magazines maintained by the digital magazine server 140, with the
scores stored 625 by the digital magazine server 140 as connections
between the target digital magazine and the various additional
digital magazines. Generating 620 scores for a target digital
magazine based on various additional digital magazines allows the
digital magazine server 140 to maintain a graph of digital
magazines, where a connection between the target digital magazine
and an additional digital magazine represent an influence of the
target digital magazine on content associated with the additional
digital magazine.
[0082] Based on scores associated with the target digital magazine
based on one or more additional digital magazines, the digital
magazine server 140 determines 630 an influence score for the
target digital magazine. For example, the digital magazine server
140 generates 620 multiple scores associated with the target
digital magazine each based on a different additional digital
magazine and determines 630 the influence score for the target
digital magazine based on the stored scores associated with the
target digital magazine. In various embodiments, the influence
score for the target digital magazine is determined 630 by
combining stored scores associated with the target digital
magazine.
[0083] In some embodiments, influence scores associated with
additional digital magazines connected to the target digital
magazine affect the influence score determined 620 for the target
digital magazine. For example, the influence score of the target
digital magazine is determined 620 based at least in part on
influence scores associated with each additional digital magazine
connected to the target digital magazine and a number of digital
magazines connected to each additional digital magazine connected
to the target digital magazine. In one embodiment, an influence
score for the target digital magazine is based on a set of content
items associated with the target digital magazine and also
associated with an additional digital magazine, so influence scores
for the additional digital magazine and other digital magazines
based on the set of content items affect the influence score for
the target digital magazine. Influence scores for the other digital
magazines and digital magazines based on the set of content items
may also be factors in determining 630 the influence score for the
target digital magazine. The relative amount of contribution of an
influence score of a digital magazine to the influence score of the
target digital magazine may be based a number of intermediate
digital magazines connected directly or indirectly to the target
digital magazine before a connection the digital magazine.
Additionally, a number of additional digital magazines including
content items included in the target digital magazine may modify
the influence score of the target digital magazine.
[0084] The digital magazine server 140 stores 635 the determined
influence score in association with the target digital magazine. An
influence score associated with a digital magazine may affect
content items recommended to a user associated with the digital
magazine, advertisements presented via the digital magazine, or
other selections of data for presentation via the digital magazine.
For example, if a digital magazine is associated with at least a
threshold influence score, content items may be identified as
recommendations for inclusion in the digital magazine to increase
the likelihood of additional users associating the content items
with additional digital magazines, increasing the distribution of
the content items to digital magazine server users. As another
example, an influence score associated with a digital magazine is
used as a factor for selecting advertisements for presentation via
the digital magazine; for example, the digital magazine server 140
ranks advertisements based in part on bid amounts associated with
the advertisements and modifies the ranking of various
advertisements based at least in part on the influence score
associated with the digital magazine in which one or more
advertisements are to be presented.
[0085] In some embodiments, the digital magazine server 140
identifies a user associated with the target digital magazine and
identifies other digital magazines associated with the user. Based
on the influence score of the target digital magazine and influence
scores associated with other digital magazines associated with the
user, the digital magazine server 140 may generate a user score,
which provides a measure of the influence of the user's association
of content items with digital magazines associated with the user on
subsequent association of one or more of the content items with
digital magazines by additional users of the digital magazine
server 140. For example, a user score is based on a sum of the
influence scores of each digital magazine associated with the user
or based on a sum of influence scores of each magazine in a set of
digital magazines associated with the user. In one embodiment, the
digital magazine server 140 ranks various users based on their
associated user scores and uses the ranking when determining
content items or applications to recommend to a user. For example,
certain content items or applications are recommended to a user
with at least a threshold user score to increase the likelihood of
additional users interacting with the content items or applications
if a user with at least a threshold user score interacts with the
content items or applications. User scores may similarly be used
when selecting advertisements to a user, as advertisements
presented to users with at least a threshold user score may have an
increased likelihood of receiving interactions from additional
users that are influenced by a user with the threshold user
score.
[0086] In some embodiments, the scores generated 620 for the target
digital magazine may be based on content items having one or more
specific features that were associated with the target digital
magazine before being associated with an additional digital
magazine. For example, the score is generated 620 based on a number
of content items having a specific topic, keyword, or author
associated with the target digital magazine before being associated
with an additional digital magazine. As described above, scores
generated based on the target digital magazine and various
additional digital magazines are used to determine 630 an influence
score for the target digital magazine. However, because the scores
were generated 620 based on content items having one or more
specific features, the determined influence score indicates the
target digital magazine's influence over association of content
items having the one or more specific features in additional
digital magazines.
[0087] FIG. 7 is an example of information stored by the digital
magazine server 140 identifying influence of digital magazines on
additional digital magazines. In FIG. 7, digital magazines 705,
710, 715, 720 are stored by the digital magazine server 140. As
described above in conjunction with FIG. 6, an influence score for
various digital magazines is determined. For clarity, FIG. 7 shows
influence scores based on digital magazine 705. As shown in FIG. 7,
each digital magazine or other collection of content is associated
with a node in a graph, with connections between a pair of nodes
having a direction based on which node in the pair of nodes a
content item was first associated.
[0088] Connections between pairs of digital magazines describe an
amount of influence of one digital magazine in the pair on the
other digital magazine in the pair. For example, connection 712A
includes an influence score describing an amount of influence of
digital magazine 705 on digital magazine 710, while connection 712B
includes an influence score describing an amount of influence of
digital magazine 710 on digital magazine 705. Similarly, connection
714A is associated with an influence score describing an amount of
influence on digital magazine 715 by digital magazine 705, and
connection 716A is associated with an influence score describing an
amount of influence on digital magazine 720 by digital magazine
705. An influence score associated with connection 714B indicates
an amount of influence on digital magazine 705 by digital magazine
715, while an influence score associated with connection 716B
describes an amount of influence on digital magazine 705 by digital
magazine 720. Accounting for the influence score associated with a
connection between digital magazines allows the digital magazine
server 140 to determine a value describing an influence of a
digital magazine on various digital magazines maintained by the
digital magazine server 140.
SUMMARY
[0089] 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.
[0090] 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.
[0091] 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.
[0092] 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.
[0093] 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.
[0094] 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.
* * * * *