PEOPLE DIRECTORY WITH SOCIAL PRIVACY AND CONTACT ASSOCIATION FEATURES

• US 20120042392A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Charles Chu-Shin
• Granted Patent: US 9,553,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

In one embodiment, a social networking system provides people look up service and establish anonymous communication session between users; creates contact association for future communication between users; and configures one or more privacy settings for users.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from an initiating user, a message with information identifying a target user, wherein the message requests contact information of the target user;

accessing a data store of directory information to identify communication channel information of the target user;

accessing one or more privacy settings of the target user;

if the privacy settings of the target user allow access to the communication channel information, returning the communication channel information to the initiating user;

otherwise

if the privacy settings allow for anonymous communication sessions, establishing an anonymous communication session with the target user;

in association with the anonymous communication session, allowing the target user to create a contact association with the initiating user; and

creating the contact association between the target user and the initiating user, responsive to an indication received from the target user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating the contact association comprises

sending a friend request to the initiating user from the target user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating the contact association comprises

blocking further communication requests from the initiating user to the target user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating the contact association comprises

adding the initiating user to a white list associated with the target user, the white list operative to authorize further communication requests from the initiating user to the target user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more privacy settings define access parameters for the target user'"'"'s communication channel information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more privacy settings are configured to specifically block the initiating user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more privacy settings comprise one or more of a spatio-temporal attribute, a social attribute and a user profile attribute.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, from an initiating user, a request for communications channel information of a target user;

accessing a data store of directory information to identify communication channel information of the target user;

accessing a privacy setting of the target user, wherein the privacy setting includes spatiotemporal conditions

if the request satisfies the spatiotemporal condition, providing the communication channel information of the target user to the initiating user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the privacy setting further comprises a social condition.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the social condition comprises a maximum degree of separation.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the spatiotemporal condition comprises a requirement that current locations of the initiating and target users be within a threshold distance.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the spatiotemporal condition comprises a requirement that at least one past location of the initiating user be within a threshold spatiotemporal distance of the target user.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more computer-readable tangible storage media that, when executed by the one or more processors, is operable to;

receive, from an initiating user, a message with information identifying a target user, wherein the message requests contact information of the target user;

access a data store of directory information to identify communication channel information of the target user;

access one or more privacy settings of the target user;

if the privacy settings of the target user allow access to the communication channel information, return the communication channel information to the initiating user;

otherwise

if the privacy settings allow for anonymous communication sessions, establish an anonymous communication session with the target user;

in association with the anonymous communication session, allow the target user to create a contact association with the initiating user; and

create the contact association between the target user and the initiating user, responsive to an indication received from the target user.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the creating the contact association comprises

sending a friend request to the initiating user from the target user.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the creating the contact association comprises

blocking further communication requests from the initiating user to the target user.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the creating the contact association comprises

adding the initiating user to a white list associated with the target user, the white list operative to authorize further communication requests from the initiating user to the target user.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein one or more privacy settings define access parameters for the target user'"'"'s communication channel information.

18. The system of claim 13 the one or more privacy settings are configured to specifically block the initiating user.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more privacy settings comprise one or more of a spatio-temporal attribute, a social attribute and a user profile attribute.