System and method for employing social networks for information discovery

• US 20040148275A1
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Achlioptas, Dimitris
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,110 B2
• 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: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that enable searches of social networks by acting as a “compass” that assists users in navigating the social network. Individual user participation is not required in response to queries from other users. The systems and methods offer navigational assistance or information as opposed to a traditional search which returns requested information, thus currently acceptable social mechanisms for arbitrating trust can be exploited. As a result, users do not make their personal information publicly searchable, while at the same time, they are protected from potential misrepresentations of facts.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented search system comprising:

a storage component that stores attributes relating to an individual;

a search engine that receives a user query, the search engine performing a social network-based search of the storage component to determine a referral path from a source of the query to a destination, the referral path comprising nodes representing individuals;

and a privacy component that selectively exposes portions of the referral path to the source of the query

2. The system of claim 1 being implemented across a distributed computing environment.

3. The system of claim 1, the storage component being propagated at least in part with individual and/or entity profiles.

4. The system of claim 3, the profiles at least partially being directly input.

5. The system of claim 1, the attributes obtained via data scavenging.

6. The system of claim 1, at least one node within the referral path controlling downstream exposure of a remaining portion of the path to the destination.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising indices for the attributes that facilitate searching.

8. The system of claim 1, the attributes being obtained from profiles.

9. The system of claim 8, the profiles respectively comprising buddy list information.

10. The system of claim 8, the attributes being represented as a directed graph comprising nodes and arcs, the arcs indicating relationships between the nodes.

11. The system of claim 1, a first node of the referral path being viewable by a requesting user and remaining nodes of the referral path being hidden from the requesting user.

12. The system of claim 1, the storage component storing buddy lists that comprise lists of users having direct personal relationships with respective users.

13. The system of claim 10, the private storage component utilizing encryption.

14. The system of claim 1, the user query comprising a query distance, the query distance being a number of arcs from a user requesting the query through which the query extends.

15. A system for utilizing a social network comprising:

a private storage component that maintains information relating to a social network, the social network represented via at least one directed graph that functionally represents relationships between individuals and/or entities within the social network; and

a search engine that receives a query for requested information, and searches the private storage component for the requested information, the search engine selectively exposing at least a portion of the at least one directed graph as part of a query result.

16. The system of claim 15, the information comprising buddy lists, personal information and corroboration information.

17. The system of claim 16, the buddy lists comprising a first set of users that can be contacted for information by a respective user and a second set of users that can contact the respective user for information.

18. The system of claim 16, the corroboration information indicating which users of the first set of users are searchable by the second set of users.

19. The system of claim 18, the corroboration information further indicating which users is willing to perform corroboration.

20. The system of claim 16, the buddy lists comprising a list of users, the list of users respectively assigned a familiarity level.

21. The system of claim 20, the private storage component represents the buddy lists, the personal information and corroboration information as a directed graph wherein users are represented via vertices, and relationships between users are represented via respective arcs connecting the vertices, the arcs having respective familiarity values assigned thereto.

22. The system of claim 20, the familiarity for respective arcs between a first user and a second user being a minimum of a first familiarity assigned by the first user and a second familiarity assigned by the second user.

23. The system of claim 15, the query result comprising a referral path.

24. The system of claim 15, the query result comprising an encoded subgraph of a referral path.

26. The system of claim 24, the directed graph comprising a plurality of nodes, each node representing an individual or entity with the social network, the plurality of directed subgraphs having a subgraph limit wherein the subgraph limit is predefined number of nodes from a user of which the subgraph extends.

27. The system of claim 26, the subgraph limit being 3 degrees wherein a degree equals one path between two adjacent nodes.

28. The system of claim 26, the encrypted subgraphs respectively having a base user and being at least partially hidden from the base user.

29. The system of claim 27, the encrypted subgraphs being returnable to a number of users and being respectively searchable for a referral path by a base user.

25. A computer-implemented system for utilizing a social network comprising:

a coordinator component that receives a plurality of buddy lists and personal information corresponding to a social network, the coordinator component generates a plurality of directed subgraphs based on the buddy lists and the personal information, the directed subgraphs being subsets of a directed graph that functionally represents relationships between individuals and/or entities within the social network; and

a subgraph encrypter that encrypts the plurality of directed subgraphs.

30. A computer implemented method that utilizes a social network represented by a database storing a collection of information about individuals and/or entities and intra-relationships there between, the method comprising:

generating a query for requested information;

parsing the query to obtain query parameters;

performing a search of a directed graph for the requested information, the directed graph being a functional representation of at least a portion of the social network; and

locating the requested information and returning navigation information toward the requested information.

31. The method of claim 30, the query generated with a query distance.

32. The method of claim 31, the query further generated with a familiarity limit.

33. The method of claim 32, the query generated by a first user.

39. The method of claim 32, further comprising obtaining the requested information via the navigation information.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising obtaining corroboration of the requested information via a user on a referral path.

36. The method of claim 35, the search performed via a breadth first search from a vertex representing the first user.

38. The method of claim 36, the navigation information returned with a first referral of a referral path towards the requested information from the first user.

37. The method of claim 34, the search performed according to the query distance and the familiarity limit.

41. A computer implemented method that utilizes a social network represented by a database storing a collection of information about individuals and/or entities and intra-relationships there between, the method comprising:

receiving information for users of the social network, the information comprising attribute and relationship information; and

generating a directed graph of the social network by representing the individuals and/or entities as nodes and the relationship information as arcs interconnecting the nodes.

42. The method of claim 41, the relationship information received including buddy lists.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising entering the information by the users employing predefined categories and default attributes.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising assigning the arcs familiarities, the familiarities being a portion of the relationship information.

45. The method of claim 41, the arcs having a directionality according to the relationship information received.

46. The method of claim 41, the information received further comprising corroboration information, the corroboration information being assigned to the nodes.

47. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

generating a query for requested information;

searching the directed graph for the requested information; and

returning a referral path towards the requested information.

48. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for performing the method of claim 41.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 48 further comprising:

a component for receiving a query for requested information;

a component for performing a search of the directed graph for the requested information; and

a component for returning navigational information toward the requested information.

50. The method of claim 41 further comprising distributing the directed graph to a third party.

51. The method of claim 41 further comprising permitting a third party to employ the directed graph.

52. A data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes, the data packet comprising a directed graph, the directed graph comprising nodes interconnected via directional arcs, the nodes representing users of a social network and the directional arcs representing relationships between the users, the directed graph operative to be searched for requested information and to return navigation information towards the requested information.

53. The data packet of claim 52 further comprising a security mechanism that provides for selectively exposing portion(s) of the directed graph to an individual and/or entities authorized to view the portion(s).

54. A search system comprising:

means for storing attributes relating to a plurality of individuals and/or entities, and intra-relationships between the respective individuals and/or entities;

means for searching the attributes for requested information and selectively providing a referral path towards the requested information, the referral path comprising a subset of the plurality of individuals and/or entities arranged in linking manner corresponding to intra-relationships between the individuals and/or entities; and

means for selectively shielding portions of the referral path.