Context-Aware Social Browsing via Web Page Entity Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face inconvenience when interacting with online social networking applications while performing other tasks, as they must interrupt their current activity to review social networking content, and existing solutions are impractical for pushing messages in a non-intrusive manner.

Innovation Solution

A system that analyzes web page content and social networking messages to extract relevant keywords, ranks messages based on relevance, and highlights them on the web page, allowing users to view and respond to messages without leaving their current task, using a browser plugin or server-based engine.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If social networking messages are displayed to users while they are performing other tasks, then users can stay informed about messages without interrupting their workflow, but the messages may interrupt the user's focus and distract from the primary task

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime lost by interrupting workflowVSAvoiddistraction from primary task

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively displaying social networking messages only at specific locations within the browser window where they are relevant to the current web page content. Messages are positioned locally near the related content rather than being displayed globally, allowing users to contextualize messages with their current task without broad distraction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments social networking messages into context-relevant and context-irrelevant categories based on the current web page content. Only messages that are semantically related to the current page are displayed, while unrelated messages are filtered out. This segmentation reduces the overall number of displayed messages and minimizes distraction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of information

If numerous social networking messages are pushed to users when they are performing other tasks, then users receive comprehensive updates, but the user's focus is interrupted and the burden on the individual increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of message updatesVSAvoidconvenience of interacting with messages

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by displaying only a subset of social networking messages - specifically those that are context-relevant to the current web page - rather than pushing all messages to the user. This selective display maintains information completeness for relevant messages while reducing the overall burden on the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of both the web page content and social networking messages to pre-determine which messages are context-relevant before displaying them. This preliminary filtering action ensures that only appropriate messages are presented to the user, eliminating the need for users to manually filter through irrelevant updates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If users must log into a website to review social networking content and generate replies, then users can fully interact with the social networking application, but users must interrupt their current task and switch contexts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to interact with social networkingVSAvoidtime lost to task interruption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the social networking interaction capability directly into the web browser environment. Users can view and interact with context-relevant social networking messages within the same browser window where they are viewing web pages, eliminating the need to switch to a separate social networking website and maintaining their current task context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The browser-based social networking integration provides multi-functionality by combining web browsing and social networking interactions in a single platform. Users can perform both web browsing and social networking tasks without leaving the browser, making the system versatile and eliminating context switching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10867123B2Social browsing

Publication Date: 2020.12.15 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A method described herein includes acts of extracting at least one entity from an arbitrary web page being viewed by an individual on a computing device and comparing the at least one entity with social network data of the individual, wherein the social network data comprises a plurality of messages generated by members of a social network of the individual. The method further includes the acts of identifying at least one message in the plurality of messages based at least in part upon the comparing of the at least one entity with the social network data of the individual and causing the at least one message to be displayed on the web page in conjunction with the at least one entity.