Systems and Methods to Provide Search Based on Social Graphs and Affinity Groups

• US 20090281988A1
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: YellowPages.com LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: YOO, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Methods, machine-readable media, apparatuses and systems are provided to identify and/or present information based on relationship-based recommendations. The information may be search results; and the relationship-based recommendations may be recommendations or preferences specified by related people in one or more social networks or affinity groups. For example, the search results can be presented in an order based at least in part on the recommendations and the relationship between the people who made the recommendations and the person who requested the search results.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

aggregating businesses and associated user identifications into a database;

receiving one or more relationship graphs, the relationship graphs comprising relationships between the user identifications;

searching the database; and

providing one or more selected businesses and one or more associated user identifications from the database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the businesses and associated user identifications are aggregated from at least one of a browser and a social network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user identifications comprise a user name.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the relationships between the user identifications comprise at least one of relationships between user identifications in one or more social networks and relationships between user identifications in one or more affinity groups.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more affinity groups are selected based on a user query.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein searching the database comprises selecting one or more selected business based at least in part on a search query.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein searching the database comprises selecting the one or more selected businesses based on the number of user identifications associated with each of the selected businesses in the database.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein searching the database comprises selecting the one or more selected businesses based on the number of related user identifications associated with each of the selected businesses in the database, the related user identifications satisfying a criteria based on the one or more relationship graphs.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the criteria comprises at least one of a specified user having a relationship within a predetermined number of degrees with the related user identifications and the specified user being in one or more common affinity groups with each of the related user identifications.

10. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions for a processor, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

aggregating businesses and associated user identifications into a database;

receiving one or more relationship graphs, the relationship graphs comprising relationships between the user identifications;

searching the database; and

providing one or more selected businesses and one or more associated user identifications from the database.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein the businesses and associated user identifications are aggregated from at least one of a browser and a social network.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein the user identifications comprise a user name.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein the relationships between the user identifications comprise at least one of relationships between user identifications in one or more social networks and relationships between user identifications in one or more affinity groups.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein the one or more common affinity groups are selected based on one or more relationships to a user query.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein searching the database comprises selecting one or more selected businesses based at least in part on a search query.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein searching the database comprises selecting the one or more selected businesses based on the number of user identifications associated with each of the selected businesses in the database.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 10 wherein searching the database comprises selecting the one or more selected businesses based on the number of related user identifications associated with each of the selected businesses in the database, the related user identifications satisfying a criteria based on the one or more relationship graphs.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17 wherein the criteria comprises at least one of a specified user having a relationship within a predetermined number of degrees with the related user identifications and the user being in one or more common affinity groups with each of the related user identifications.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to interface with a network;

a database coupled to the network interface and configured to aggregate businesses, user identifications associated with the businesses, and relationships between the user identifications;

a processor configured to receive a search query and search the database;

and present one or more selected businesses and one or more associated user identifications based at least in part on the relationships between user identifications.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the network interface is configured to be communicatively coupled to a user device and a social network.