Utility based inquiry selection in a streaming data pipeline

Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed herein relate to utility based selection of inquiries in a streaming data pipeline. An indication of user identification data and a data source may be received by a server in communication with a distributed streaming data pipeline. This pipeline may be in communication with asynchronous event processing services. Those event processing services may determine an inquiry rule that includes an inquiry threshold. This rule may be based on the data source and retrieval of information related to that data source from memory in a database server. The rule may prompt a comparison of an inquiry count to an inquiry threshold. If the count is below the threshold, an inquiry may be sent to a user based in part upon expected utility that is itself based upon several indications of expected utility calculated by an event processing service.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A data processing method, comprising:
 receiving, with a server communicative with a distributed streaming data pipeline for communication with asynchronous event processing services, an indication of user identification data and an indication of a data source;   determining, based on the indication of the data source and retrieval of information related to the data source from a memory associated with a database server, an inquiry rule, wherein the inquiry rule defines an inquiry threshold;   comparing, with the server, an inquiry count to the inquiry threshold; and   sending, using the server, an inquiry for the user to the data source, wherein sending the inquiry for the user comprises:   receiving a plurality of indications of expected utility of an inquiry, wherein one of the plurality of indications of expected utility is calculated by an event processing service based on the utility of an inquiry response, the probability that the user will respond to the inquiry, the user's expected response to the inquiry, and utility sharing percentage,   comparing, using the server, the plurality of indications of expected utility, and   based on the comparing the plurality of indications of expected utility, transmitting with the server an inquiry to the data source.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 incrementing, with the server, the inquiry count; 
 if the incremented inquiry count is less than or equal to the inquiry threshold, repeating the step of sending an inquiry; and 
 if the incremented inquiry count is greater than the inquiry threshold, transmitting an indication of no further inquiries to the data source. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the inquiry comprises a question for the user to answer or an advertisement for the user to view. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating a difference between the inquiry count and the inquiry threshold; and   if the difference is greater than or equal to a drop-off threshold, determining that the inquiry comprises a question for the user to answer, and   if the difference is less than a drop-off threshold, determining that the inquiry may comprise a question for the user to answer or an advertisement for the user to view.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user's expected response to the inquiry is based on past responses to the inquiry by a plurality of prior users. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the plurality of indications of expected utility comprises an expected drop-off rate based on the rate at which a plurality of prior users discontinued responding to inquiries.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein
 the plurality of indications of expected utility further comprises an indication of the number of inquiries to which a user must respond before any utility is recognized.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the inquiry comprises an advertisement for the user to view; and   the plurality of indications of expected utility comprises an expected rate at which the user will take an action upon viewing the advertisement, and wherein the expected rate is based on the rate at which a plurality of prior users took the action upon viewing the advertisement.   
     
     
         9 . A data processing system, comprising:
 a computation network configured to:   receive, with a server communicative with a distributed streaming data pipeline for communication with asynchronous event processing services, an indication of user identification data and an indication of a data source;   determine, based on the indication of the data source and retrieval of information related to the data source from a memory associated with a database server, an inquiry rule, wherein the inquiry rule defines an inquiry threshold;   compare, with the server, an inquiry count to the inquiry threshold; and   send, using the server, an inquiry for the user to the data source, wherein sending the inquiry for the user comprises:   receiving a plurality of indications of expected utility of an inquiry, wherein one of the plurality of indications of expected utility is calculated by an event processing service based on the utility of an inquiry response, the probability that the user will respond to the inquiry, the user's expected response to the inquiry, and utility sharing percentage,   comparing, using the server, the plurality of indications of expected utility, and   based on the comparing the plurality of indications of expected utility, transmitting with the server an inquiry to the data source.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the computation network is further configured to:
 increment, with the server, the inquiry count;   if the incremented inquiry count is less than or equal to the inquiry threshold, repeat the step of sending an inquiry; and   if the incremented inquiry count is greater than the inquiry threshold, transmit an indication of no further inquiries to the data source.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the inquiry comprises a question for the user to answer or an advertisement for the user to view. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the computation network is further configured to:
 calculate a difference between the inquiry count and the inquiry threshold; and   if the difference is greater than or equal to a drop-off threshold, determine that the inquiry comprises a question for the user to answer, and   if the difference is less than a drop-off threshold, determine that the inquiry may comprise a question for the user to answer or an advertisement for the user to view.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the user's expected response to the inquiry is based on past responses to the inquiry by a plurality of prior users. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein
 the plurality of indications of expected utility comprises an expected drop-off rate based on the rate at which a plurality of prior users discontinued responding to inquiries.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transient computer-readable medium storing instructions that cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:
 receiving, with a server communicative with a distributed streaming data pipeline for communication with asynchronous event processing services, an indication of user identification data and an indication of a data source;   determining, based on the indication of the data source and retrieval of information related to the data source from a memory associated with a database server, an inquiry rule, wherein the inquiry rule defines an inquiry threshold;   comparing, with the server, an inquiry count to the inquiry threshold; and   sending, using the server, an inquiry for the user to the data source, wherein sending the inquiry for the user comprises:   receiving a plurality of indications of expected utility of an inquiry, wherein one of the plurality of indications of expected utility is calculated by an event processing service based on the utility of an inquiry response, the probability that the user will respond to the inquiry, the user's expected response to the inquiry, and utility sharing percentage,   comparing, using the server, the plurality of indications of expected utility, and   based on the comparing the plurality of indications of expected utility, transmitting with the server an inquiry to the data source.   
     
     
         16 . The medium of  claim 15 , storing further instructions that cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:
 incrementing, with the server, the inquiry count;
 if the incremented inquiry count is less than or equal to the inquiry threshold, repeating the step of sending an inquiry; and 
 if the incremented inquiry count is greater than the inquiry threshold, transmitting an indication of no further inquiries to the data source. 
   
     
     
         17 . The medium of  claim 15 , wherein the inquiry comprises a question for the user to answer or an advertisement for the user to view. 
     
     
         18 . The medium of  claim 15 , storing further instructions that cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:
 calculating a difference between the inquiry count and the inquiry threshold; and
 if the difference is greater than or equal to a drop-off threshold, determining that the inquiry comprises a question for the user to answer, and 
 if the difference is less than a drop-off threshold, determining that the inquiry may comprise a question for the user to answer or an advertisement for the user to view. 
   
     
     
         19 . The medium of  claim 16 , wherein the user's expected response to the inquiry is based on past responses to the inquiry by a plurality of prior users. 
     
     
         20 . The medium of  claim 17 , wherein
 the plurality of indications of expected utility comprises an expected drop-off rate based on the rate at which a plurality of prior users discontinued responding to inquiries.