Providing Social-Network Information to Third-Party Systems

• US 20110093709A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Christopher Lunt, Jeffrey Winner, Nicholas Galbreath
• Inventors: Galbreath, Nicholas, Lunt, Christopher, Winner, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Particular embodiments receive, at a first computing device associated with a social-networking system and from a second computing device associated with a third-party system, a query comprising a first identifier corresponding to a user of the third-party system, wherein the first identifier is computed by applying a hash algorithm to a user credential associated with the user of the third-party system; determine, by the first computing device, whether the user of the third-party system matches any member of the social-networking system; and if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then send, by the first computing device to the second computing device, social-network information of the member of the social-networking system in response to the query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first computing device associated with a social-networking system and from a second computing device associated with a third-party system, a query comprising a first identifier corresponding to a user of the third-party system, wherein the first identifier is computed by applying a hash algorithm to a user credential associated with the user of the third-party system;

determining, by the first computing device, whether the user of the third-party system matches any member of the social-networking system, comprising;

for each member of the social-networking system,

accessing a second identifier corresponding to the member of the social-networking system computed by applying the hash algorithm to a user credential associated with the member of the social-networking system; and

comparing the first identifier and the second identifier; and

if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then sending, by the first computing device to the second computing device, social-network information of the member of the social-networking system in response to the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user credential is an email address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user credential is a personal name comprising a first name and a last name.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user credential is a telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hash algorithm is a one-way hash algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hash algorithm is a MD5 one-way hash algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hash algorithm is a SHA-1 one-way hash algorithm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hash algorithm is a Message Authentication Code (MAC) one-way hash algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the query further comprises a user credential type identifying the user credential, and a hash algorithm type identifying the hash algorithm.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing and storing, by the social-networking system, the second identifier corresponding to each member of the social-networking system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then determining the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system, comprising:

identifying one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within three degrees of separation;

computing a third identifier for each second member of the social-networking system by applying the hash algorithm to the user credential associated with each second member of the social-networking system; and

constructing the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system as comprising one or more third identifiers respectively computed for the one or more second members of the social-networking system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the query further comprises a specific degree of separation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then determining the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system, comprising:

identifying one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation;

computing a third identifier for each second member of the social-networking system by applying the hash algorithm to the user credential associated with each second member of the social-networking system; and

constructing the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system as comprising one or more third identifiers respectively computed for the one or more second members of the social-networking system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation comprises:

accessing a graph maintained by the social-networking system, the graph comprising a plurality of nodes and one or more edges, wherein each node corresponds to a specific member of the social-networking system, and two nodes are connected with an edge if the two corresponding members are directly connected within the social-networking system;

identifying in the graph a first node corresponding to the member;

identifying in the graph one or more second nodes, wherein a minimum number of edge hops required to traverse from each second node to the first node in the graph is less than or equal to the specified degree of separation; and

determining one or more members of the social-networking system corresponding to the one or more second nodes as the one or more second members.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation comprises accessing one or more adjacency lists associated with one or more members of the social-networking system to determine the one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation.

16. A first computing system associated with a social-networking system comprising:

a memory comprising instructions executable by one or more processors; and

the one or more processors coupled to the memory and operable to execute the instructions, the one or more processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

receive, from a second computing system associated with a third-party system, a query comprising a first identifier corresponding to a user of the third-party system, wherein the first identifier is computed by applying a hash algorithm to a user credential associated with the user of the third-party system;

determine whether the user of the third-party system matches any member of the social-networking system, comprising;

for each member of the social-networking system,

access a second identifier corresponding to the member of the social-networking system computed by applying the hash algorithm to a user credential associated with the member of the social-networking system; and

compare the first identifier and the second identifier; and

if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then send, to the second computing system, social-network information of the member of the social-networking system in response to the query.

17. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the user credential is an email address.

18. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the user credential is a personal name comprising a first name and a last name.

19. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the user credential is a telephone number.

20. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the hash algorithm is a one-way hash algorithm.

21. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the hash algorithm is a MD5 one-way hash algorithm.

22. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the hash algorithm is a SHA-1 one-way hash algorithm.

23. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the hash algorithm is a Message Authentication Code (MAC) one-way hash algorithm.

24. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the query further comprises a user credential type identifying the user credential, and a hash algorithm type identifying the hash algorithm.

25. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to compute and store, by the social-networking system, the second identifier corresponding to each member of the social-networking system.

26. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then determine the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system, comprising:

identify one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within three degrees of separation;

compute a third identifier for each second member of the social-networking system by applying the hash algorithm to the user credential associated with each second member of the social-networking system; and

construct the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system as comprising one or more third identifiers respectively computed for the one or more second members of the social-networking system.

27. The first computing system of claim 16, wherein the query further comprises a specific degree of separation.

28. The first computing system of claim 27, wherein the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then determine the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system, comprising:

identify one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation;

compute a third identifier for each second member of the social-networking system by applying the hash algorithm to the user credential associated with each second member of the social-networking system; and

construct the social-network information of the member of the social-networking system as comprising one or more third identifiers respectively computed for the one or more second members of the social-networking system.

29. The first computing system of claim 28, wherein identifying the one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation comprises:

access a graph maintained by the social-networking system, the graph comprising a plurality of nodes and one or more edges, wherein each node corresponds to a specific member of the social-networking system, and two nodes are connected with an edge if the two corresponding members are directly connected within the social-networking system;

identify in the graph a first node corresponding to the member;

identify in the graph one or more second nodes, wherein a minimum number of edge hops required to traverse from each second node to the first node in the graph is less than or equal to the specified degree of separation; and

determine one or more members of the social-networking system corresponding to the one or more second nodes as the one or more second members.

30. The first computing system of claim 28, wherein identifying the one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation comprises access one or more adjacency lists associated with one or more members of the social-networking system to determine the one or more second members of the social-networking system who are connected to the member within the specific degree of separation.