ACCELERATION OF SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

• US 20110320536A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lobb, Kenneth A., Cupala, Shiraz J., Aftab, Omar, Novak, Christopher Michael, Wagner, Todd Garnet
• Granted Patent: US 10,198,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating social interactions between different individuals. Information available about each of the individuals engaged in a social interaction is used to provide a “social accelerator” for an interaction between the individuals. Social interactions are improved or accelerated by aggregating available information about individuals participating in an information system. When an interaction event trigger is received, the context of context for possible social interaction between the users around the trigger event is determined. A social accelerator is selected from available interest information common to the participating user and the target user, and the social accelerator is provided to one of the individuals.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating social interaction between a participating user and a target user, comprising:

aggregating available interest information about the participating user and the target user;

receiving an interaction event trigger;

determining a context for possible social interaction between the users around the trigger event;

selecting a social accelerator from available interest information common to the participating user and the target user;

providing the social accelerator to the participating user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of aggregating includes at least one of:

aggregating personal information about the target user previously known to the participating user;

aggregating personal information published about the target user by the target user;

aggregating information created about a target user and publically available;

aggregating publicly accessible information about a target user;

aggregating private personal information made available by the target user for use in creating a social accelerator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the social interaction comprises one of a real world event or an online event.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the interaction event trigger comprises at least one of the following:

between the participating user and the target user;

a personal meeting, a virtual meeting, a pre-arranged event;

a spontaneous event;

a phone call;

a message;

participation in a common on-line event;

participation in a common group event;

or

entering a group play application;

or

exiting a group play application;

or

a request by an application executed by at least one target user for a social accelerator.

5. The method of claim 1 further including determining an accelerator selection case based on the context of the social interaction, wherein the case comprises one of:

selecting a social interaction to avoid an awkward interaction between the participating user and the target user;

selecting a social interaction to create an interest match between the participating user and the target user;

or

selecting a social interaction to catalyze discussion amongst a group of users including the participating user and the target user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the context comprises evaluating a plurality of event characteristics, including assigning a weight to each characteristic and summing weights of characteristics of the event to classify the context of the social interaction.

7. The method of claim 1 in wherein the step of selecting a social accelerator comprises matching one or more common or related:

social relationships, interests, expertise, historical events, or current events.

8. A method for facilitating social interaction between a first user and at least some of a group of users, comprising:

collecting available user information about the first user and at least some of the group of users;

receiving an interaction trigger, the trigger indicating a possible social interaction between the first user and at least some of the group of users;

determining a context for the social interaction between the users;

selecting a subset of available user information;

selecting a social accelerator from amongst information common to the participating user and one or more of the group of users, including one of;

selecting a social interaction to avoid an awkward interaction between the participating user and a target user;

selecting a social interaction to create a match between the participating user and a target user;

or

selecting a social interaction to catalyze a group of users including the participating user and a target user; and

providing the social accelerator to at least the first user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of providing the social accelerator includes providing the social accelerator to the group of users.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the social accelerator comprises one of:

highlighting commonalities between users;

a group recommendation of a common interest, topic or activity;

a indicator of individuals present with a common interest;

an interface to connect to other individuals present with a common interest;

or

shared contact information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of collecting includes:

storing a first subset of available user information in a data store, and wherein the step of selecting a subset of available user information includes selecting information in the data store.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of collecting further includes searching network accessible information published by one or more of the group of users.

13. The method of claim 11 in wherein providing includes providing the social accelerator to an application executed by the first user and the group, the application responding to the social accelerator to alter an element of the application to reflect the social accelerator within the application to the first user and the group.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the method further includes notifying the first user and the step of selecting a social accelerator comprises matching one or more common or related:

social relationships, interests, expertise, historical events, or current events.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of notifying includes at least one of:

displaying on a user device interface an indicator of the social accelerator and the users matching the accelerator;

displaying on the user device interface known information about the user;

or

displaying on the user device interface a conversational topic between the first user and other users.

16. A computer-readable medium including instructions causing a computer to perform a process comprising:

aggregating social profile information from a user, the user being a participating user in an information system having a plurality of participating users;

determining a proximity of the user to one or more participating users;

for each participating user in the proximity, determining one or more social accelerators from information common to the first and at least one second user; and

providing the social accelerator to the user.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the process includes providing the social accelerator to each of the one or more participating users in the proximity.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the method further includes matching one or more key words in the information common to the first and at least one second user and said selecting includes performing a web search on a key word selected.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the step of aggregating includes continuously searching user information to determine one or more common or related social accelerators, and notifying the user of the social accelerator.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the method further includes initiating a World Wide Web search on one or more of the key words and returning results of the search to the user.