Notification engine

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for providing recommendations to users. One of the methods includes receiving data indicating a selection, by a user, of a notification option relating to a first entity, adding the first entity to an interest list for the user, determining, based at least on adding the first entity to the interest list for the user, to provide a notification relating to an entity, and providing, based on determining to provide the notification relating to the entity, the notification.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method comprising:
 receiving data indicating a selection, by a user, of an entity;   identifying a topic associated with the entity based on the selection of the entity;   adding the entity and the topic associated with the entity to an interest list for the user based on the selection of the entity;   determining that the user likely has an interest in another entity associated with the topic based on the addition of the topic associated with the entity to the interest list for the user;   determining that a physical location associated with the other entity that is associated with the topic is located within a threshold distance of a user device associated with the user based on physical location data generated from the user device; and   in response to determining that the physical location associated with the other entity that is associated with the topic is located within the threshold distance of the user device associated with the user, providing a notification regarding the other entity that is associated with the topic.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 ,
 wherein determining that the user likely has an interest in another entity associated with the topic comprises determining that the user likely has an interest in multiple entities associated with the topic;   determining that respective physical locations associated with a plurality of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic are located within the threshold distance of the user device associated with the user based on physical location data generated from the user device;   generating a notification for each of the plurality of the multiple entities associated with the topic that are located within the threshold distance of the user device;   ranking the notifications generated for each of the plurality of the multiple entities associated with the topic that are located within the threshold distance of the user device; and   providing a highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with a particular one of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 in response to an indication that the user requests an additional entity, providing a next-highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with another of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 repeatedly providing a next highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with another of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic until (i) receiving input from the user that no further notifications should be provided or (ii) all of the ranked notifications have been provided.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein providing the notification comprises providing the notification to the user device associated with the user. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the notification comprises an audio, visual, or haptic notification. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 determining whether the other entity is open; and   wherein providing the notification is based on determining that the other entity is open.   
     
     
         9 . A system comprising:
 one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 receiving data indicating a selection, by a user, of an entity; 
 identifying a topic associated with the entity based on the selection of the entity; 
 adding the entity and the topic associated with the entity to an interest list for the user based on the selection of the entity; 
 determining that the user likely has an interest in another entity associated with the topic based on the addition of the topic associated with the entity to the interest list for the user; 
 determining that a physical location associated with the other entity that is associated with the topic is located within a threshold distance of a user device associated with the user based on physical location data generated from the user device; and 
 in response to determining that the physical location associated with the other entity that is associated with the topic is located within the threshold distance of the user device associated with the user, providing a notification regarding the other entity that is associated with the topic. 
   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 ,
 wherein determining that the user likely has an interest in another entity associated with the topic comprises determining that the user likely has an interest in multiple entities associated with the topic;   determining that respective physical locations associated with a plurality of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic are located within the threshold distance of the user device associated with the user based on physical location data generated from the user device;   generating a notification for each of the plurality of the multiple entities associated with the topic that are located within the threshold distance of the user device;   ranking the notifications generated for each of the plurality of the multiple entities associated with the topic that are located within the threshold distance of the user device; and   providing a highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with a particular one of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , the operations further comprising:
 in response to an indication that the user requests an additional entity, providing a next-highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with another of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , the operations further comprising:
 repeatedly providing a next highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with another of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic until (i) receiving input from the user that no further notifications should be provided or (ii) all of the ranked notifications have been provided.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein providing the notification comprises providing the notification to the user device associated with the user. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the notification comprises an audio, visual, or haptic notification. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , the operations further comprising:
 determining whether the other entity is open; and   wherein providing the notification is based on determining that the other entity is open.   
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 receiving data indicating a selection, by a user, of an entity;   identifying a topic associated with the entity based on the selection of the entity;   adding the entity and the topic associated with the entity to an interest list for the user based on the selection of the entity;   determining that the user likely has an interest in another entity associated with the topic based on the addition of the topic associated with the entity to the interest list for the user;   determining that a physical location associated with the other entity that is associated with the topic is located within a threshold distance of a user device associated with the user based on physical location data generated from the user device; and   in response to determining that the physical location associated with the other entity that is associated with the topic is located within the threshold distance of the user device associated with the user, providing a notification regarding the other entity that is associated with the topic.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 ,
 wherein determining that the user likely has an interest in another entity associated with the topic comprises determining that the user likely has an interest in multiple entities associated with the topic;   determining that respective physical locations associated with a plurality of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic are located within the threshold distance of the user device associated with the user based on physical location data generated from the user device;   generating a notification for each of the plurality of the multiple entities associated with the topic that are located within the threshold distance of the user device;   ranking the notifications generated for each of the plurality of the multiple entities associated with the topic that are located within the threshold distance of the user device; and   providing a highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with a particular one of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , the operations further comprising:
 in response to an indication that the user requests an additional entity, providing a next-highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with another of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic.   
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , the operations further comprising:
 repeatedly providing a next highest ranked notification, from among the ranked notifications, associated with another of the multiple entities that are associated with the topic until (i) receiving input from the user that no further notifications should be provided or (ii) all of the ranked notifications have been provided.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein providing the notification comprises providing the notification to the user device associated with the user. 
     
     
         21 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the notification comprises an audio, visual, or haptic notification.