Application Relevance Determination Based On Social Context

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are described for using context-aware recommendation techniques to facilitate content discovery on a mobile device platform. In particular, the context-aware recommendation techniques evaluate both a current device context and a social context to generate application relevance scores for each of a number of applications downloaded to a mobile device. Application representations on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the mobile device are rearranged, resized, and/or otherwise affected according to their respective application relevance scores. In certain configurations, one or more applications are pinned, thereby altering (e.g., reducing or eliminating) how changes in their respective application relevance scores affect display of their respective application representations on the GUI of the mobile device.

1 . A method comprising:
 determining a current device context value of at least one of a plurality of device context parameters generated according to a dynamic characteristic of a mobile device of a user;   receiving, at the mobile device from a social networking application accessible by the mobile device over a communications network, context information from each client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein each client device corresponds to a different social contact of a plurality of social contacts of the user, and wherein the context information received from each client device comprises information relating to at least one of a device context or a social contact context of the client device;   determining, based on the context information received from each client device, a current social context value of at least one of a plurality of social context parameters;   calculating an application relevance score as a function of the current device context value and the current social context value for a designated application of a plurality of applications downloaded to the mobile device;   automatically executing the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be above a predetermined threshold value; and   automatically stopping the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be below a predetermined threshold value.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the current device context value comprises determining the current device context value based on substantially real-time data from a sensor integrated with the mobile device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one social context parameter relates to at least one of:
 an entry in a calendar application associated with the user;   an entry in a calendar application associated with a social contact;   contact history;   an update received via a social networking application;   application usage information contextualized according to geographic location of a social contact;   application usage information contextualized according to application usage of a social contact; or   current geographical location of the mobile device in relation to geographical location of a social contact.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 application relevance scores are calculated for all of the plurality of applications; and   the designated application is automatically executed on the mobile device when the application relevance score for the designated application is calculated to be above the application relevance scores for the other of the plurality of applications.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a subset of the plurality of applications is designated as automatically executable applications;   the subset comprises the designated application; and   applications not part of the subset cannot be automatically executed according to their respective application relevance scores.   
     
     
         6 . A system comprising:
 a display;   a memory configured to store a plurality of application representations each corresponding to one of a plurality of applications downloaded to a mobile device of a user; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the display, the processor being configured to implement a plurality of engines, the engines comprising:
 a device context determination engine configured to determine, based on a dynamic characteristic of the mobile device of the user, a current device context value of at least one of a plurality of device context parameters; 
 a social context determination engine configured to:
 receive, over a communications network, context information from each client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein each client device corresponds to a different social contact of a plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein the context information received from each client device comprises information relating to a social context of the client device of the social contact, and wherein the information relating to the social context of the client device of the social contact relates to historical application usage information of a plurality of applications of the client device of the social contact and 
 to determine a current social context value of at least one of a plurality of social context parameters generated based on the context information received from each client device; 
 
 a scoring engine, communicatively coupled with the device context determination engine and the social context determination engine, and configured to calculate an application relevance score as a function of the current device context value and the current social context value for a designated application of the plurality of applications downloaded to the mobile device; and 
   an execution engine, communicatively coupled with the data store and the scoring engine, and configured to automatically execute the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be above a predetermined threshold value and to automatically stop the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be below a predetermined threshold value.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising a sensor integrated with the mobile device, wherein the device context determination engine is configured to determine the current device context value based on substantially real-time data received from the sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the scoring engine is configured to calculate application relevance scores for all of the plurality of applications; and   the execution engine is configured to automatically execute the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score for the designated application is calculated to be above the application relevance scores for the other of the plurality of applications.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein:
 at least some of the plurality of applications are configured to be designated as automatically executable applications;   the designated application is designated as an automatically executable application; and   applications not designated as automatically executable applications cannot be automatically executed according to their respective application relevance scores.   
     
     
         10 . A mobile device comprising:
 a display;   a memory; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the display and the memory, the processor being configured to implement a plurality of controllers, the controllers comprising:
 a device context determination controller configured to determine, based on a dynamic characteristic of the mobile device, a current device context value of at least one of a plurality of device context parameters, wherein the mobile device is associated with a user; 
 a social context determination controller configured to:
 receive, over a communication network, context information from each client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein each client device corresponds to a different social contact of a plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein the context information received from each client device comprises information relating to a social contact of the client device of the social contact, and wherein the information relating to the social context of the client device of the social contact relates to historical application usage information of a plurality of applications of the client device of the social contact and 
 to determine a current social context value of at least one of a plurality of social context parameters based on the context generated based on the context information received from each client device; 
 
 a scoring controller, communicatively coupled with the device context determination engine and the social context determination engine, and configured to calculate an application relevance score as a function of the current device context value and the current social context value for a designated application of a plurality of applications downloaded to the mobile device; and 
 an execution controller, communicatively coupled with the scoring engine, and configured to automatically execute the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be above a predetermined threshold value and to automatically stop the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be below a predetermined threshold value. 
   
     
     
         11 . The processor of  claim 10 , further comprising a sensor integrated with the mobile device, wherein the device context determination controller is configured to determine the current device context value based on substantially real-time data received from the sensor. 
     
     
         12 . A computer program product residing on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and comprising processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a processor to perform steps comprising:
 determining, based on a dynamic characteristic of a mobile device of a user, a current device context value of at least one of a plurality of device context parameters;   receiving, at the mobile device and over a communication network, context information from each client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein each client device corresponds to a different social contact of a plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein the context information comprises information relating to a social context of the client device of the social contact, and wherein the information relating to the social context of the client device of the social contact relates to historical application usage information of a plurality of applications of the client device;   determining, based on the context information received from each client device of the plurality of social contacts, a current social context value of at least one of a plurality of social context parameters;   calculating an application relevance score as a function of the current device context value and the current social context value for a designated application of a plurality of applications downloaded to the mobile device;   automatically executing the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be above a predetermined threshold value; and   automatically stopping the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be below a predetermined threshold value.   
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to perform steps such that determining the current device context value comprises determining the current device context value based on substantially real-time data received from a sensor integrated with the mobile device. 
     
     
         14 . A system comprising:
 means for determining a current device context value of at least one of a plurality of device context parameters based on a dynamic characteristic of a mobile device of a user;   means for receiving, at the mobile device and over a communication network, context information from each client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein each client device corresponds to a different social contact of a plurality of social contacts of the user, wherein the context information received from each client device comprises information relating to a social context of the client device of the social contact, and wherein the information relating to the social context of the client device of the social contact relates to historical application usage information of a plurality of applications of the client device;   means for determining a current social context value of at least one of a plurality of social context parameters based on the context information received from each client device of the plurality of social contacts of the user;   means for calculating an application relevance score as a function of the current device context value and the current social context value for a designated application of a plurality of applications downloaded to the mobile device;   means for automatically executing the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be above a predetermined threshold value; and   means for automatically stopping the designated application on the mobile device when the application relevance score is calculated to be below a predetermined threshold value.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the means for determining the current device context value comprises means for determining the current device context value based on substantially real-time data received from a sensor integrated with the mobile device.