PHYSICAL CONTEXT AND COOKIES

摘要

Users' browsing histories and other online activities are commonly tracked using cookies, and employed to customize users' web experiences. In accordance with certain aspects of the present technology, microphones, cameras, and other sensors of portable computing apparatuses are employed to gather information about users' offline experiences. This information can be used—alone, or in conjunction with traditional cookie data—to enable systems to adapt their behaviors based on a fuller view of user's circumstances. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

主权项

1. A method practiced by a user's computing apparatus, comprising the acts:
sensing information about a user's physical—as opposed to computational—environment; transmitting the sensed information, or data derived therefrom, to a remote service, and also transmitting identifier data associated with the user; in connection with a subsequent transaction, transmitting said identifier data associated with the user; and as part of said subsequent transaction, receiving information for rendering by the user's computing apparatus; wherein the information received for rendering is customized based on the information sensed about the user's earlier physical environment.