DYNAMIC PLACE VISIBILITY IN GEO-SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM

• US 20120047147A1
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharon, Eyal M., Redstone, Joshua, Gertzfield, Benjamin J., Narayanan, Srinivasa P., Hui, Daniel Jeng-Ping
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to search for a place near the user'"'"'s current location. The social networking system generates a list of places near the user'"'"'s current location, select a sub-set from the list of places based on visibility and activity of the user and the user'"'"'s social contacts for each place in the list, and returns the sub-set to the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising

maintaining a data store of places in a geo-social networking system, wherein one or more of the places includes a visibility state from a plurality of visibility states operative to control the visibility of the corresponding place to users;

and

analyzing, for a first place creation of a location, user activity data associated with the first place to modulate the visibility state of the first place in the data store.

2. The method claim 1 wherein the plurality of visibility states comprise:

a first visibility state wherein a place is visible to all users in the geo-social networking system;

a second visibility state wherein a place is visible only to social contacts of one or more users associated with the place;

a third visibility state wherein a place is visible only to a creator of the place; and

a fourth visibility state wherein the place is hidden from all users of the geo-social networking system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting an initial visibility state of a first user-created place;

if a second user expresses interest in the first user-created place, then;

increasing a visibility score of the first user-created place; and

if the visibility score is above a threshold value, then;

incrementing the visibility state of the first user-created place.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the increasing a visibility score of the first user created places is further adjusted based on trustworthiness of the second user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting an initial visibility state of a first user created place;

if a second user flags the first user created place, then;

decreasing a visibility score of the first user created place; and

if the visibility score is below a threshold value, then;

decrementing the visibility state of the first user created place.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the decreasing a visibility score of the first user created place is further adjusted based on trustworthiness of the second user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request, wherein the request includes a user identifier associated with a user and a geographic location;

accessing a data store of user profile information to identify a set of one or more direct social contacts of the requesting user;

accessing the data store of places to identify a set of one or more nearby places within the one or more nearby places are within a threshold distance from the geographic location;

selecting a sub-set of the set of one or more nearby places based on the visibility state for each place and one or more users associated with each place; and

providing the selected sub-set of the set of one or more nearby places to the requesting user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the request further includes a character string and wherein the accessing the data store of places comprises matching the character string to place identifiers corresponding to places stored in the data store.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the matching the character string to place identifiers corresponding to places stored in the data store further comprises matching the character string completely or partially to each place identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the user activity data associated with the first place comprises tagging other users in connection with a check-in to the first place.

11. A apparatus comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors;

a program comprising computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

access a data store of places in a geo-social networking system, wherein one or more of the places includes a visibility state from a plurality of visibility states operative to control the visibility of the corresponding place to users; and

analyze, for a first place creation of a location, user activity data associated with the first place to modulate the visibility state of the first place in the data store.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the plurality of visibility states comprise:

a first visibility state wherein a place is visible to all users in the geo-social networking system;

a second visibility state wherein a place is visible only to social contacts of one or more users associated with the place;

a third visibility state wherein a place is visible only to a creator of the place; and

a fourth visibility state wherein the place is hidden from all users of the geo-social networking system.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to:

set an initial visibility state of a first user-created place;

if a second user expresses interest in the first user-created place, then;

increase a visibility score of the first user-created place; and

if the visibility score is above a threshold value, then;

increment the visibility state of the first user-created place.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein increasing a visibility score of the first user created places is further based on trustworthiness of the second user.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to:

set an initial visibility state of a first user created place;

if a second user flags the first user created place, then;

decrease a visibility score of the first user created place; and

if the visibility score is below a threshold value, then;

decrement the visibility state of the first user created place.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the decreasing a visibility score of the first user created place is further based on trustworthiness of the second user.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the program further comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request, wherein the request includes a user identifier associated with a user and a geographic location;

access a data store of user profile information to identify a set of one or more direct social contacts of the requesting user;

access the data store of places to identify a set of one or more nearby places within the one or more nearby places are within a threshold distance from the geographic location;

select a sub-set of the set of one or more nearby places based on the visibility state for each place and one or more users associated with each place; and

provide the selected sub-set of the set of one or more nearby places to the requesting user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the request further includes a character string and wherein, to access the data store of places, the program further comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to match the character string to place identifiers corresponding to places stored in the data store.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein, to match the character string to place identifiers corresponding to places stored in the data store, the program further comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to match the character string completely or partially to each place identifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the user activity data associated with the first place comprises tagging other users in connection with a check-in to the first place.