PREFERRED CONTACT CHANNEL FOR USER COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20120089698A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: TSENG, Erick
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to look up a contact'"'"'s communication channel information in the user'"'"'s address book. The social networking system provides to the user the contact'"'"'s communication channels in an ordered sequence based on the user'"'"'s social graph and communication information.

Claims

1. A method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a request from a requesting user for communication channel information of a target user;

acquiring social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user;

determining a presentation set of communication channels for the target user based on the social proximity information;

presenting to the requesting user one or more of the communications channels in the presentation set for the target user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising

accessing a data store of communication history information between the target user and one or more other users, the one or more other users grouped into social proximity groups based on social proximity to the target user;

and

for each presentation set corresponding to a given social proximity group;

calculating a score for each of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the communication history information associated with the proximity group; and

arranging an order of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the calculated score for each of the communication channel types.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein acquiring social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user comprises:

accessing a data store of social graph information of the requesting user; and

determining degree of separation from the requesting user to the contact.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein acquiring social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user comprises:

assigning an affiliation coefficient to the contact.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the presentation set is an ordered list of communication channel types and communications channel information corresponding to the target user.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the presentation set is associated with one or more contacts of the same or similar social proximity to the requesting user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting to the requesting user one or more of the communications channels in the presentation set comprises:

adjusting the presentation set based on a current context of the target user; and

presenting to the requesting user the contact'"'"'s communication channels in the order of the adjusted presentation sequence.

8. A method, comprising

maintaining a contact information database for one or more users, the contact information for each of the users including contact information corresponding to a plurality of communications channel types;

updating a preferred communications channel set for one or more social proximity groups for a first user by

accessing a data store of communication history information between the first user and one or more other users, the one or more other users grouped into social proximity groups based on social proximity to the first user; and

for preferred communications channel set corresponding to a given social proximity group, calculating a score for each of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the communication history information associated with the proximity group; and

arranging an order of the communication channel types in the preferred communications channel set based on the calculated score for each of the communication channel types.

9. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory, storage medium storing computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request from a requesting user for communication channel information of a target user;

acquire social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user;

determine a presentation set of communication channels for the target user based on the social proximity information;

present to the requesting user one or more of the communications channels in the presentation set for the target user.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

access a data store of communication history information between the target user and one or more other users, the one or more other users grouped into social proximity groups based on social proximity to the target user; and

for each presentation set corresponding to a given social proximity group;

calculate a score for each of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the communication history information associated with the proximity group; and

arrange an order of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the calculated score for each of the communication channel types.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein to acquire social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user, further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

access a data store of social graph information of the requesting user; and

determine degree of separation from the requesting user to the contact.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein to acquire social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user, comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

assigning an affiliation coefficient to the contact.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the presentation set is an ordered list of communication channel types and communications channel information corresponding to the target user.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the presentation set is associated with one or more contacts of the same or similar social proximity to the requesting user.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein to present to the requesting user one or more of the communications channels in the presentation set, comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

adjust the presentation set based on a current context of the target user; and

present to the requesting user the contact'"'"'s communication channels in the order of the adjusted presentation sequence.

16. One or more computer-readable tangible storage media embodying software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

receive a request from a requesting user for communication channel information of a target user;

acquire social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user;

determine a presentation set of communication channels for the target user based on the social proximity information;

present to the requesting user one or more of the communications channels in the presentation set for the target user.

18. The media of claim 16, wherein to acquire social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user, further comprising software operable when executed by the one or more computing devices to:

access a data store of social graph information of the requesting user; and

determine degree of separation from the requesting user to the contact.

19. The media of claim 16, wherein to acquire social proximity information between the target user and the requesting user, comprising software operable when executed by the one or more computing devices to:

assigning an affiliation coefficient to the contact.

20. The media of claim 16 wherein the presentation set is an ordered list of communication channel types and communications channel information corresponding to the target user.

17. The media of claim 17 further comprising software operable when executed by the one or more computing devices to:

access a data store of communication history information between the target user and one or more other users, the one or more other users grouped into social proximity groups based on social proximity to the target user; and

for each presentation set corresponding to a given social proximity group;

calculate a score for each of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the communication history information associated with the proximity group; and

arrange an order of the communication channel types in the presentation set based on the calculated score for each of the communication channel types.