Semantics-based interests in computing environments and systems

A computer-implemented method of generating an interest value for a first input situation, comprising:

• obtaining a first input situation represented by at least first and second context variables;
• obtaining data including interest values for a plurality of context variables including said first and second context variables, wherein said data includes first data pertaining to the first input situation and other data pertaining to one or more other situations;
• (a) determining whether said first context variable is associated with a discrete range of values or a continuous range of values;
• (b) determining whether values of said second context variable of said other data are within an acceptable range of the value of said second variable of said first input situation when said determining (a) determines that said first context variable is associated with said discrete range of values;
• (c) determining at least a portion of said other data pertaining to one or more other situations to be proximate data proximate to said first input situation when said determining (b) determines that said values of said second variable of said other data are within an acceptable range of the value of said second variable of said first input situation;
• and
• generating, based on said proximate data pertaining to said one or more other situations and said first data pertaining to the first input situation, an interest value for said first input situation.

A computer-implemented method of determining interest in an object of interest in a given situation, wherein said method comprises:

• obtaining a first input situation represented by at least a first context variable;
• obtaining data including interest values for a plurality of context variables including said first context variable, wherein said data includes first data pertaining to the first input situation and other data pertaining to one or more other situations;
• (a) determining whether the first context variable is associated with a discrete range of values or a continuous range of values;
• (b) determining at least a portion of said other data pertaining to one or more other situations to be proximate data to said first input situation when said determining (a) determines that said first context variable is associated with a continuous range of values;
• generating, based on said proximate data pertaining to said one or more other situations and said first data pertaining to the first input situation, a computed interest value for a generated situation-based interest rating component, said computed interest value indicative of interest in said object of interest in said first input situation;
• obtaining a plurality of situation-based interest rating components for a plurality of situations, said plurality of situation-based interest rating component including said generated situation-based interest rating component, wherein each one of said plurality of situation-based interest rating components includes an interest value indicative of interest in said object of interest in one of said plurality of situations, each one of the plurality of situations effectively represented by said plurality of context variables, each one of said plurality of context variables having an associated plurality of possible context values;
• obtaining a second input situation that is effectively represented by a plurality of input context values;
• identifying, based on said second input situation, one of said plurality of situation-based interest rating components as a matching situation-based interest rating component for said input situation;
• determining the relevance of at least a portion of one or more other situation-based interest rating components to said matching situation-based interest rating component;
• and
• determining, based on said one or more relevancies, a projected interest value indicative of a projected interest in said object of interest in said second input situation.

A computing system, wherein said computing system is operable to:

• obtain a first input situation represented by at least a first context variable;
• obtain data including interest values for a plurality of context variables including said first context variable, wherein said data includes first data pertaining to the first input situation and other data pertaining to one or more other situations;
• (a) determine whether the first context variable is associated with a discrete range of values or a continuous range of values;
• (b) determine at least a portion of said other data pertaining to one or more other situations to be proximate data to said first input situation when said determining (a) determines that said first context variable is associated with a continuous range of values;
• generate, based on said proximate data pertaining to said one or more other situations and said first data pertaining to the first input situation, an interest value for said first input situation.

A computer readable storage medium embodied in a tangible form that includes executable computer code operable to generating an interest value for a first input situation, including:

• executable computer code operable to obtain a first input situation represented by at least a first context variable;
• executable computer code operable to obtain data including interest values for a plurality of context variables including said first context variable, wherein said data includes first data pertaining to the first input situation and other data pertaining to one or more other situations;
• executable computer code operable to (a) determine whether the first context variable is associated with a discrete range of values or a continuous range of values;
• executable computer code operable to (b) determine at least a portion of said other data pertaining to one or more other situations to be proximate data to said first input situation when said determining (a) determines that said first context variable is associated with a continuous range of values;
• and
• generating, based on said proximate data pertaining to said one or more other situations and said first data pertaining to the first input situation, an interest value for said first input situation.