IDENTIFYING AND RECOMMENDING CONNECTIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE ONLINE SERVICES

• US 20100312820A1
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramos, Raymund R., GOFFINET, Chris, Sampson, John A., Sampson, Todd B., Kennedy, Ian, Ho, Steve, Miller, Emanuel
• Granted Patent: US 10,204,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/48 for recognising items expressed in broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks

Abstract

Potential connections from a first user of a first online service to other users of the online service may be recommended by identifying a second online service from a plurality of online services, wherein the first user is a member of the second online service, identifying a second user of the second online service, wherein a connection exists in the second online service between the first user and the second user, and recommending that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the second user. Such recommendations may also be generated by identifying a second user and a third user, where the second user and the third user are members of a second online service, a connection exists in the first online service between the first user and the second user, and a connection exists in the second online service between the second user and the third user, and recommending that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the third user.

Claims

1. A computerized method of generating a recommended connection from a first user of a first online service to another user, comprising:

identifying a second online service from a plurality of online services, wherein the first user is a member of the second online service;

identifying a second user of the second online service, wherein a connection exists in the second online service between the first user and the second user;

generating a recommendation that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the second user; and

causing display of the recommendation to the first user of the first online service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the second online service comprises:

receiving at least one connection from at least one online service of which the first user is a member; and

searching the at least one connection for a connection that associates the first user with a corresponding user of a corresponding online service, wherein the second online service comprises the corresponding online service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second user comprises the corresponding user of the corresponding online service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the recommendation comprises generating text that describes the second user as a recommended connection for the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein causing display of the recommendation comprises sending a name of the second user to a client computer system for display on an output device associated with the client computer system as a recommended connection for the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second online services comprises social networking web sites.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first online service is a different online service from the second online service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the connections comprise social or business relationships between users of the online services.

9. A computerized method of generating a recommended connection from a first user of a first online service to another user, comprising:

identifying a second user and a third user of one or more online services,

wherein the second user and the third user are members of a second online service,

a connection exists in the first online service between the first user and the second user, and

a connection exists in the second online service between the second user and the third user;

generating a recommendation that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the third user; and

causing display of the recommendation to the first user of the first online service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the second user and the third user comprises:

receiving at least one connection from at least one online service of which the first user is a member; and

searching the at least one connection for a connection that associates the first user with a corresponding user of a corresponding online service, wherein the second online service comprises the corresponding online service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second user comprises the corresponding user of the corresponding online service.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the recommendation comprises generating text that describes the second user as a recommended connection for the first user.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein causing display of the recommendation comprises sending a name of the second user to a client computer system for display on an output device associated with the client computer system as a recommended connection for the first user.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second online services comprises social networking web sites.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first online service is a different online service from the second online service.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the connections comprise social or business relationships between users of the online services.

17. A system for generating a recommended connection from a first user of a first online service to another user, the system comprising:

a memory for storing computer-executable instructions; and

a processor for executing the instructions to cause performance of;

identifying a second online service from a plurality of online services, wherein the first user is a member of the second online service,

identifying a second user of the second online service, wherein a connection exists in the second online service between the first user and the second user, and

generating a recommendation that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the second user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying the second online service comprises:

receiving at least one connection from at least one online service of which the first user is a member; and

searching the at least one connection for a connection that associates the first user with a corresponding user of a corresponding online service, wherein the second online service comprises the corresponding online service.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second user comprises the corresponding user of the corresponding online service.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein generating the recommendation comprises generating text that describes the second user as a recommended connection for the first user.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor further executes the instructions to cause performance of sending a name of the second user to a client computer system for display on an output device associated with the client computer system as a recommended connection for the first user.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second online services comprises social networking web sites.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the first online service is a different online service from the second online service.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the connections comprise social or business relationships between users of the online services.

25. A system for generating a recommended connection from a first user of a first online service to another user, the system comprising:

a memory for storing computer-executable instructions; and

a processor for executing the instructions, the instructions for;

identifying a second user and a third user of one or more online services,

wherein the second user and the third user are members of a second online service, a connection exists in the first online service between the first user and the second user, and a connection exists in the second online service between the second user and the third user,

generating a recommendation that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the third user, and

causing display of the recommendation to the first user of the first online service.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein identifying the second online service comprises:

receiving at least one connection from at least one online service of which the first user is a member; and

searching the at least one connection for a connection that associates the first user with a corresponding user of a corresponding online service, wherein the second online service comprises the corresponding online service.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the second user comprises the corresponding user of the corresponding online service.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein generating the recommendation comprises generating text that describes the second user as a recommended connection for the first user.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein causing display of the recommendation comprises sending a name of the second user to a client computer system for display on an output device associated with the client computer system as a recommended connection for the first user.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the first and second online services comprises social networking web sites.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the first online service is a different online service from the second online service.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the connections comprise social or business relationships between users of the online services.

33. A computer program product for generating a recommended connection for a first user of a first online service, comprising:

a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory and operable to execute the computer-executable instructions to cause logic to;

identify a second online service from a plurality of online services, wherein the first user is a member of the second online service,

identify a second user of the second online service, wherein a connection exists in the second online service between the first user and the second user, and

generate a recommendation that a connection be established in the first online service between the first user and the second user.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein logic to identify the second online service comprises:

receive at least one connection from at least one online service of which the first user is a member; and

search the at least one connection for a connection that associates the first user with a corresponding user of a corresponding online service, wherein the second online service comprises the corresponding online service.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the second user comprises the corresponding user of the corresponding online service.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein generate the recommendation comprises generate text that describes the second user as a recommended connection for the first user.

37. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the processor is further operable to execute the computer-executable instructions to cause logic to send a name of the second user to a client computer system for display on an output device associated with the client computer system as a recommended connection for the first user.

38. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the first and second online services comprises social networking web sites.

39. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the first online service is a different online service from the second online service.

40. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the connections comprise social or business relationships between users of the online services.