Social network for providing recommendations for items of interest

• US 10,049,345 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2011
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slack Technologies LLC (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Hull, Mark E., Farmer, F. Randall, Perelman, Ellen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormick, Gabrielle A
• Application Number:
  US13/197,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,568 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1, 705319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system are directed towards seeding a user'"'"'s contacts for their online social network. The invention is arranged to automatically recommend to the user a set of seed contacts that the user may employ to invite to join their social network. The set of seed contacts may be harvested from the user'"'"'s existing portal activities, as well as other sources. In one embodiment, the invention analyzes portal activity, such as email exchanges with the user, and the like, to determine a frequency of contact with the user. Other sources may include but not be limited to emails, names within an address book of the user, names within an address book of another person, a buddy list, an instant messaging list, an activity, a mailing list, an online discussion group, a membership in a category, chat group, and the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a social networking server over a network, information related to a first and second user'"'"'s intent to utilize a service of a social network provided by the social networking server;

the social network comprising user profiles for the first and second user, each profile comprising a first portion of data being specific to the intended service and accessible by other users accessing the user profile, each profile further comprising a second portion of data having features enabling content generation and modifications by an owner user and a visiting user;

receiving, at the social networking server over the network, social network interaction information of the second user related to the second portion data of the second user'"'"'s profile, said social network interaction information comprising information generated by the second user and identification information of the second user;

analyzing, via the social networking server, in response to receiving the social interaction information of the second user, user profile information of the first user, and based on said analysis, determining that said second user is within a network of users of the first user within said social network;

communicating, via the social networking server over the social network based on the second user being determined to be within the network of users of the first user, the social network interaction information of the second user to the first user, said communication comprising identifying the first user on the social network and transmitting, via the social networking server, said social network interaction information to the first user via the social networking portal, said communication causing the second user social network interaction information to be displayed on a social networking page of the first user in accordance with the first user'"'"'s second portion data;

in response to said communication, receiving, at the social networking server, information generated by the first user respective to the second user social network interaction information displayed on the social networking page of the first user; and

communicating, via the social networking server over the social network, upon receiving said first user generated information, information related to the first user generated information to each other user in the network of users of the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user generated information comprises a digital image associated with the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user generated information comprises a textual string.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is related to posted text.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is related to a digital image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is related to a web page.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is related to a video.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is related to an audio file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is associated with the second user'"'"'s user profile.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s social network interaction is associated with at least one user profile of the plurality of other users on the social network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tagging the second user'"'"'s social network activity with a tag, the tag comprising the first user generated information.

12. A social networking server system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

logic executed by the processor for receiving, by the social networking server over a network, information related to a first and second user'"'"'s intent to utilize a service of a social network provided by the social networking server;

the social network comprising user profiles for the first and second user, each profile comprising a first portion of data being specific to the intended service and accessible by other users accessing the user profile, each profile further comprising a second portion of data having features enabling content generation and modifications by an owner user and a visiting user;

logic executed by the processor for receiving, at the social networking server over the network, social network interaction information of the second user related to the second portion data of the second user'"'"'s profile, said social network interaction information comprising information generated by the second user and identification information of the second user;

logic executed by the processor for analyzing, via the social networking server, in response to receiving the social interaction information of the second user, user profile information of the first user, and based on said analysis, determining that said second user is within a network of users of the first user within said social network;

logic executed by the processor for communicating, via the social networking server over the social network based on the second user being determined to be within the network of users of the first user, the social network interaction information of the second user to the first user, said communication comprising identifying the first user on the social network and transmitting, via the social networking server, said social network interaction information to the first user via the social networking portal, said communication causing the second user social network interaction information to be displayed on a social networking page of the first user in accordance with the first user'"'"'s second portion data;

logic executed by the processor for receiving, at the social networking server, information of the first user respective to the second user social network interaction information displayed on the social networking page of the first user; and

logic executed by the processor for communicating, via the social networking server over the social network, upon receiving said first user generated information, information related to the first user generated information to each other user in the network of users of the first user.