Customizing Tracking Changes to User Content in an Online Social Network

• US 20120079026A1
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kent Lindstrom, Ross Ainsley Mackinnon, William K. Tiu Jr
• Inventors: Tiu, William K. Jr., Lindstrom, Kent, MacKinnon, Ross Ainsley
• Granted Patent: US 10,275,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Updates to landing pages of users in an online social network are fed from external sources so that content maintained by any one user can be consolidated in a single location regardless of where the changes are made to the content. When an update event occurs, users of the online social network are notified according to various criteria that they have set. With this feature, users can browse through content of other users efficiently.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user associated with a social network, a request to receive one or more updates associated with one or more second users associated with the social network;

storing a set of notification rules for the first user to receive one or more updates associated with one or more second users;

receiving one or more updates associated with the one or more second users; and

transmitting the one or more updates to the first user in accordance with the notification rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the set of subscription rules occurs automatically and without action by the one or more second users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updates from the first user are not transmitted to the one or more second users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second users comprise all users associated with the social network separated from the first user by one degree of separation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more second users are associated with a particular group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second users are associated with one or more user profiles bookmarked by the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification rules define a frequency at which updates are transmitted to the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification rules define one or more distribution channels by which updates are transmitted to the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the updates transmitted to the first user are subject to the one or more second users'"'"' privacy policies.

10. The method of claim 1, the notification rules comprising a separate set of rules for each of the one or more second users.

11. A non-transitory, computer-readable media comprising instructions operable, when executed by one or more computing systems, to:

receive, from a first user associated with a social network, a request to receive one or more updates associated with one or more second users associated with the social network;

update a set of notification rules for the first user to receive one or more updates associated with the one or more second users;

receive one or more updates associated with the one or more second users; and

transmit the one or more updates to the first user in accordance with the notification rules.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein storing the set of subscription rules occurs automatically and without action by the one or more second users.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein updates from the first user are not transmitted to the one or more second users.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein the one or more second users comprise all users associated with the social network separated from the first user by one degree of separation.

15. The media of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more second users are associated with a particular group.

16. The media of claim 11, wherein the one or more second users are associated with one or more user profiles bookmarked by the first user.

17. The media of claim 11, wherein the notification rules define a frequency at which updates are transmitted to the first user.

18. The media of claim 11, wherein the notification rules define one or more distribution channels by which updates are transmitted to the first user.

19. The media of claim 11, the notification rules comprising a separate set of rules for each of the one or more second users.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface;

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media comprising instructions operable,

when executed by one or more processors, to;

receive, from a first user associated with a social network, a request to receive one or more updates associated with one or more second users associated with the social network;

store a set of notification rules for the first user to receive one or more updates associated with the one or more second users;

receive one or more updates associated with the one or more second users; and

transmit the one or more updates to the first user in accordance with the notification rules.