USER DEFINITION AND IDENTIFICATION

• US 20100082354A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Sundaresan, Neelakantan
• Application Number:
  US12/240,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082354A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Methods and system for user definition and identification are described. In one embodiment, a user selection criterion for an application associated with a target service provider may be accessed. User relationship information of a source user within a source service provider may be accessed. The user relationship information may define a relationship between the source user and a plurality of users of the source service provider. One or more target users of the plurality of users may be identified for the application based on the accessing of the user relationship information and the user selection criterion. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing a user selection criterion for an application associated with a target service provider;

accessing user relationship information of a source user within a source service provider, the user relationship information defining a relationship between the source user and a plurality of users of the source service provider; and

identifying one or more target users of the plurality of users for the application based on the accessing of the user relationship information and the user selection criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the user selection criterion comprises:

receiving from the source user the user selection criterion for the application associated with the target service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the reputation information comprises:

receiving the user relationship information of the source user within the source service provider through an application programmable interface (API).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the user relationship information comprises:

requesting the user relationship information of the source user within the source service provider; and

receiving the user relationship information of the source user from the source service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether source user relationship information of the source user is available to the application, the source user relationship information defining the relationship between the source user and a plurality of target users of the target service provider,

wherein the accessing of the user relationship information is responsive to the determining of the source user relationship information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving identification of the source service provider from the source user,

wherein the accessing of the user relationship information is responsive to the receiving of the identification of the source service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing identification of the one or more target users to the application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the source service provider is a social network service provider and the target service provider is a commerce service provider.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user relationship information includes at least one of a trust level, a user reputation, friendship identification, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is not associated with the source service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selection criterion includes a particular trust level, a user reputation status, a friendship status, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is a community bookmarking application.

13. A method comprising:

identifying a user associated with an application, the application being associated with a target service provider;

accessing a source role of the user within a source service provider; and

defining a new target role to the user within the target service provider based on the source role.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

accessing a pre-existing target role of the user within the target service provider,

wherein the defining of the new target role to the user within the target service provider is based on the source role and the pre-existing target role.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

eliminating a pre-existing target role of the user within the target service provider based on the providing of the new target role.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

modifying a profile of the user within the target service provider based on the defining of the new target role.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving identification of the source service provider from the user.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the source role is a moderator and the target role is a shopping assistant.

19. A method comprising:

identifying a user associated with an application, the application being associated with a target service provider;

accessing a source access right of the user within a source service provider; and

defining a target access right of the user within the target service provider based on the accessing of the user source access right.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the defining of the target access right comprises:

modifying a profile of the user within the target source to provider the target access right based on the accessing of the source access right.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving identification of the source service provider from the user.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a user request for the application; and

processing the user request based on the target access right.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user request includes a document modification request, an access request, an acceptance request, a rejection request, or combinations thereof.

24. A method comprising:

identifying a source user and a target user associated with a source application, the source application being associated with a source service provider;

accessing source relationship information between the source user and the target user within the source service provider; and

defining a target relationship between the source user and the target user with the target service provider based on the source relationship information.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

providing verification data to the source service provider,

wherein the accessing of the source relationship information is based on receipt of the verification data by the source service provider.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the source relationship is a reader-publisher relationship between the source user and the target user and the target relationship is a purchaser-purchaser assistant relationship between the source user and the target user.

27. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

access a user selection criterion for an application associated with a target service provider;

access user relationship information of a source user within a source service provider, the user relationship information defining a relationship between the source user and a plurality of users of the source service provider; and

identify one or more target users of the plurality of users for the application based on the user relationship information and the user selection criterion.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the following operations:

provide identification of the one or more target users to the application.

29. A system comprising:

a user selection criterion access module to access a user selection criterion for an application associated with a target service provider;

a user relationship information access module to access user relationship information of a source user within a source service provider, the user relationship information defining a relationship between the source user and a plurality of users of the source service provider; and

a target user identification module to identify one or more target users of the plurality of users for the application based on the accessing of the user relationship information by the user relationship information access module and the user selection criterion by the user selection criterion access module.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

an identification provider module to provide identification of the one or more target users identified by the target user identification module to the application.

31. A system comprising:

a user identification module to identify a target user associated with a target application, the target application being associated with a target service provider;

a role access module to access a source role of the target user identified by the user identification module within a source service provider; and

a role definition module to define a new target role for the target user within the target service provider based on the source role accessed by the role access module.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a right access module to access a source access right of the target user identified by the user identification module within the source service provider; and

an access right definition module to define a target access right of the target user within the target source based on the accessing of the source access right accessed by the right access module.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a relationship information access module to access source relationship information between a source user and the target user within the source service provider, a source application being associated with the source service provider; and

a relationship definition module to define a target relationship between the source user and the target user with the target service provider based on the source relationship information accessed by the relationship information access module,

wherein the source user and the target user are identified by the user identification module as being associated with the source application.