Detect and qualify relationships between people and find the best path through the resulting social network

• US 20040122803A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dom, Byron E., Tewari, Geetika, Ruvolo, Joann
• Application Number:
  US10/323,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and structure that identifies relationships between users of a computerized network. The method extracts relationship information from databases in the network. The information includes address book information, calendar information, event information, to-do list information, journal information, and/or e-mail information. The invention evaluates the relationship information to produce relationship ratings of the users of the network. The invention determines the level of reciprocity of relations between different users; a longevity of relations between the different users; how current relations are between the different users; a frequency of relations between the different users; a level of exclusivity of relations between the different users; a level of complexity of relations between the different users; and/or a proximity of the different users.

Claims

1. A method of identifying relationships between users of a computerized network, said method comprising:

extracting relationship information from databases in said network, said information comprising at least one of address book information, calendar information, event information, to-do list information, journal information, and e-mail information; and

evaluating said relationship information to produce relationship ratings of said users of said network.

2. The method in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

determining a level of reciprocity of relations between different users;

determining a longevity of relations between said different users;

determining how current relations are between said different users;

determining a frequency of relations between said different users;

determining a level of exclusivity of relations between said different users; and

determining a level of complexity of relations between said different users.

3. The method in claim 1, further comprising evaluating whether a user is a direct or indirect correspondence recipient as reflected by said e-mail information.

4. The method in claim 1, further comprising evaluating times of events and users involved in events to establish relationships between said users.

5. The method in claim 1, further comprising evaluating time of day of one of event and e-mails to establish whether a relationship is personal or business related.

6. The method in claim 1, wherein said evaluating further comprises weighting at least two of said address book information, said calendar information, said event information, said to-do list information, said journal information, and said e-mail information differently to calculate said relationship ratings.

7. A method of identifying relationships between users of a computerized network, said method comprising:

extracting information from address books in said network; and

evaluating said information to produce relationship ratings of said users of said network.

8. The method in claim 7, wherein said evaluating comprises determining whether one or both of different users have the other user in their address book to establish a level of reciprocity of relations between said different users.

9. The method in claim 7, wherein said evaluating comprises determining a time of first creation to establish a longevity of relations between said different users.

10. The method in claim 7, wherein said evaluating comprises determining a time of a last access to establish how current relations are between said different users.

11. The method in claim 7, wherein said evaluating comprises determining how often two or more users communicate to establish a frequency of relations between said different users.

12. The method in claim 7, wherein said evaluating comprises determining the number of affiliations to establish a level of complexity of relations between said different users.

13. A method of identifying relationships between users of a computerized network, said method comprising:

extracting e-mail communications information between users of said network; and

evaluating said e-mail communications information to produce relationship ratings of said users of said network.

14. The method in claim 13, further comprising evaluating whether a user is a direct or indirect correspondence recipient of an e-mail message.

15. The method in claim 13, further comprising evaluating a time of day of users sent said e-mail transmission to establish relationships between said users.

16. The method in claim 13, wherein e-mail communications information comprises information indicating recipients of an e-mail message.

17. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of identifying relationships between users of a computerized network, said method comprising:

extracting relationship information from databases in said network, said information comprising at least one of address book information, calendar information, event information, to-do list information, journal information, and e-mail information; and

evaluating said relationship information to produce relationship ratings of said users of said network.

18. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises at least one of:

determining a level of reciprocity of relations between different users;

determining a longevity of relations between said different users;

determining how current relations are between said different users;

determining a frequency of relations between said different users;

determining a level of exclusivity of relations between said different users; and

determining a level of complexity of relations between said different users.

19. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises evaluating whether a user is a direct or indirect correspondence recipient as reflected by said e-mail information.

20. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises evaluating times of events and users involved in events to establish relationships between said users.

21. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises evaluating time of day of one of event to establish whether a relationship is personal or business related.

22. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said evaluating further comprises weighting at least two of said address book information, said calendar information, said event information, said to-do list information, said journal information, and said e-mail information differently to calculate said relationship ratings.