USER FILTERING IN SOCIAL NETWORKING APPLICATIONS

• US 20120192290A1
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barefoot, Christopher B., Carper, Tyler I., Dukro, David D., Magill, Kevin N., O'Leary, Michael S., Thomason, M. Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/419,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192290A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

An apparatus and system are disclosed for filtering third-party generated content in a social network. A receive module receives, from a requesting third-party user, a request to view third-party generated content that is generated by one or more third-party users of a social network. A group module determines one or more group permissions set by a user for one or more groups. The one or more group permissions define access to the third-party generated content. A filter module filters the third-party generated content according to the one or more group permissions such that the third-party generated content is filtered prior to presentation of the third-party generated content to the requesting third-party user in response to the request.

Claims

1. An apparatus to filter third-party generated content in a social network, the apparatus comprising:

a receive module that receives, from a requesting third-party user, a request to view third-party generated content that is generated by one or more third-party users of a social network;

a group module that determines one or more group permissions set by a user for one or more groups, the one or more group permissions defining access to the third-party generated content; and

a filter module that filters the third-party generated content according to the one or more group permissions such that the third-party generated content is filtered prior to presentation of the third-party generated content to the requesting third-party user in response to the request.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an individual module that determines one or more individual permissions defining access to the third-party generated content, wherein the individual permissions are set for the requesting third-party user by the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the filter module filters the third-party generated content according to the one or more group permissions and according to the one or more individual permissions.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more individual permissions take precedence over the one or more group permissions.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein filtering the third-party content according to the one or more group permissions comprises applying a most restrictive set of group permissions in response to the requesting third-party user being a member of a plurality of groups.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is implemented in a server.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the requesting third-party user sends the request from a client communicatively connected to the server.