Adaptive Recommendations in Subscription-based Networks

Abstract

Adaptive recommendations that reference users of computer-implemented systems are generated based upon subscription-based relationships among the users of the computer-implemented systems and the recommendations are further based upon inferences of user preferences from user behavioral information. Behavioral-based priority rules may be applied in generating the inferences. Natural language-based explanations that explain the reasoning for the recommendations may be delivered to recommendation recipients. The explanations may further reference subscription relationships among users.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 establishing automatically a computer-implemented directionally distinct subscribing relationship between a first person who is a first user of a computer-implemented system and a second person who is a second user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the establishing of the directionally distinct subscribing relationship is responsive to a request by the first person;   accessing automatically a plurality of usage behaviors associated with one or more users of a computer-implemented system;   inferring automatically a preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors;   generating automatically a recommendation comprising a reference to a third person who is a third user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the generating of the recommendation is based upon the inference of the preference of the first user and the directionally distinct subscribing relationship between the first user and the second user; and   delivering automatically the recommendation to the first user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 establishing automatically the computer-implemented directionally distinct subscribing relationship between the first person who is the first user of the computer-implemented system and the second person who is the second user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the subscribing relationship delivers content from the second user to the first user.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 accessing automatically the plurality of usage behaviors associated with the one or more users of a computer-implemented system, wherein one of the plurality of usage behaviors comprises the first user interacting with the delivered content.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 accessing automatically the plurality of usage behaviors associated with the one or more users of a computer-implemented system, wherein one of the plurality of usage behaviors comprises a geographic location of the second user.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 inferring automatically the preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors, wherein the inferring of the preference is based upon the application of a plurality of inference weightings that are determined in accordance with usage behavior priority rules that are applied to the plurality of usage behaviors.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating automatically the recommendation, wherein the recommendation is further based upon matching the inferred preference of the first user with an inferred preference of the third user.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 delivering automatically to the first user a natural language-based explanation for the recommendation, wherein the explanation comprises reasoning that is associated with the generating of the recommendation, wherein the reasoning comprises the matching of the inferred preference of the first user with the inferred preference of the third user.   
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented system comprising one or more processors configured to:
 establish a computer-implemented directionally distinct subscribing relationship between a first person who is a first user of the computer-implemented system and a second person who is a second user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the establishment of the directionally distinct relationship is responsive to a request by the first person;   access a plurality of usage behaviors associated with one or more users of the computer-implemented system;   infer a preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors;   generate a recommendation comprising a reference to a third person who is a third user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the generation of the recommendation is based upon the inference of the preference of the first user and the directionally distinct subscribing relationship between the first user and the second user; and   deliver the recommendation to the first user.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 establish the computer-implemented directionally distinct subscribing relationship between the first person who is the first user of the computer-implemented system and the second person who is the second user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the subscribing relationship delivers content from the second user to the first user. 
 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 access the plurality of usage behaviors associated with the one or more users of the computer-implemented system, wherein one of the plurality of usage behaviors comprises a monitored geographical location of the second user. 
 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 infer the preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors, wherein the inference of the preference is further based on an automatic interpretation of text-based content. 
 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 infer the preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors, wherein the inference of the preference is based upon the application of a plurality of inference weightings that are determined in accordance with usage behavior priority rules that are applied to the plurality of usage behaviors. 
 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 deliver to the first user a natural language-based explanation for the recommendation, wherein explanation comprises reasoning that is associated with the delivery of the recommendation to the first user. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 deliver the explanation for the recommendation, wherein the explanation further comprises a reference to a subscribing relationship between two users of the computer-implemented system. 
 
     
     
         15 . A computer-implemented system comprising one or more processors configured to:
 establish a first computer-implemented subscribing relationship between a first person who is a first user of the computer-implemented system and a second person who is a second user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the establishment of the first computer-implemented subscribing relationship is responsive to a request by the first person;   establish a second computer-implemented subscribing relationship between the second user and a third person who is a third user of the computer-implemented system, wherein the establishment of the second computer-implemented subscribing relationship is responsive to a request by the second person;   access a plurality of usage behaviors associated with one or more users of the computer-implemented system;   infer a preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors;   generate a recommendation comprising a reference to the third person, wherein the generation of the recommendation is based upon the inference of the preference of the first user, the first subscribing relationship, and the second subscribing relationship; and   deliver the recommendation to the first user.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 access the plurality of usage behaviors associated with the one or more users of the computer-implemented system, wherein one of the plurality of usage behaviors comprises a geographic location of the third user. 
 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 infer the preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors, wherein the inference of the preference is further based on an automatic interpretation of computer-implemented content. 
 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 infer the preference of the first user of the computer-implemented system from the plurality of usage behaviors, wherein the inference of the preference is based upon the application of a plurality of inference weightings that are determined in accordance with usage behavior priority rules that are applied to the plurality of usage behaviors. 
 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 generate the recommendation, wherein the recommendation is further based upon an automatic matching of the inferred preference of the first user with an automatically inferred preference of the third user. 
 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15  comprising the one or more processors, further configured to:
 deliver to the first user a natural language-based explanation for the recommendation, wherein the explanation comprises reasoning that is associated with the delivery of the recommendation to the first user.