Apple patents method to rank content using hidden user behavior links
This patent describes a way to rank digital content, such as apps or media, by finding hidden connections between items. It uses data on how users interact with different pieces of content to determine if one item influences the likelihood of a user engaging with another, even if they are not directly related.
In the filing’s own words
The present technology has the ability to establish connections between content that do not have direct or explicit relationships. Implicit influence relationships can be established from user download sequence data, campaign data with keyword targeting, and content review data that mentions other content. Using these influence relationships, the relevance of content items can be determined based on the influence relationship of linked content items and a similarity relationship of content items. However, the importance of the influence relationship in ranking content items can vary depending on the parameters against which the content item is considered relevant. To address this, the present technology includes a context-driven factor that is used as a weight to adjust the impact of the influence relationship of the ranking, depending on the parameters against which the content item is considered relevant.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method for ranking content items by at least one processor and a memory, the method comprising: identifying a plurality of result content items matching at least one criterion, the plurality of result content items identified from content items in a collection of content items; and ranking the content items in the plurality of result content items based on a similarity relationship between the content items in the plurality of result content items, and an influence relationship between pairs of the content items in the plurality of result content items, wherein: the similarity relationship between a first content item and a second content item is based on a comparison of embeddings of the first content item and the second content item in an embedding space derived, at least in part, from content metadata; and the influence relationship between the first content item and the second content item is based on aggregated signals indicative that user engagement with the first content item increases a propensity for user engagement with the second content item.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Ranking of content based on implied relationships
- Patent number
- US12730852B2
- Application number
- 18458817
- Filed
- Aug 30, 2023
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 21
Classified under
G06F 16/954 Physics & computingG06F 16/951 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.