SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SOCIAL GRAPH DATA ANALYTICS TO DETERMINE CONNECTIVITY WITHIN A COMMUNITY

• US 20120317200A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: www.TrustScience.com Inc.
• Original Assignee: www.TrustScience.com Inc.
• Inventors: Chan, Leo M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,443,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Systems and methods for social graph data analytics to determine the connectivity between nodes within a community are provided. A user may assign user connectivity values to other members of the community, or connectivity values may be automatically harvested or assigned from third parties or based on the frequency of interactions between members of the community. Connectivity values may represent such factors as alignment, reputation, status, and/or influence within a social graph of a network community, or the degree of trust. The paths connecting a first node to a second node may be retrieved, and social graph data analytics may be performed on the retrieved paths. These analytics may be outputted to third-party processes, services, and ratings agencies for use in initiating automatic transactions, making automated network-based or real-world decisions, determining or verifying the identity of a node within the community, scoring or ranking nodes, or making credit-granting decisions.

Claims

1. A method for determining the network connectivity between a first node and a second node connected to the first node by at least one path, the method comprising:

storing a first list that identifies outgoing paths from the first node;

storing a second list that identifies incoming paths to the second node;

joining paths to the second node from the first node, wherein joining paths comprises accessing the first list and the second list; and

using processing circuitry to determine a network connectivity indication based, at least in part, on the joined paths.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing a link threshold value, wherein joining paths to the second node from the first node comprises joining only those paths containing fewer links than the accessed link threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing a path weight threshold value, wherein joining paths to the second node from the first node comprises joining only those paths with a normalized path weight above the accessed path weight threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry determines a normalized path weight for each identified path by dividing a product of the link weights of each link in an identified path by a sum of the path weights of all identified paths.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry determines a user connectivity value for each identified path by multiplying the path weight for an identified path and a minimum connectivity value assigned to a link in the identified path.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the user connectivity value represents a subjective user trust value or competency assessment.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the processing circuitry to access third-party ratings data, wherein the network connectivity indication based, at least in part, on the third-party ratings information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein joining paths to the second node from the first node comprises accessing data from a social networking service.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising outputting the network connectivity indication to a requesting third-party process.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising automatically making at least one network-based decision based, at least in part, on the outputted network connectivity indication.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a normalized path weight for each identified path by dividing a product of the link weights of each link in an identified path by a sum of the path weights of all identified paths.

11. An application server for determining the network connectivity between a first node and a second node connected to the first node by at least one path, the application server comprising

a storage device configured to:

store a first list that identifies outgoing paths from the first node;

store a second list that identifies incoming paths to the second node; and

processing circuitry configured to;

join paths to the second node from the first node, wherein joining paths comprises accessing the first list and the second list; and

determine a network connectivity indication based, at least in part, on the joined paths.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to access a link threshold value, wherein joining paths to the second node from the first node comprises joining only those paths containing fewer links than the accessed link threshold value.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to access a path weight threshold value, wherein joining paths to the second node from the first node comprises joining only those paths with a normalized path weight above the accessed path weight threshold value.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a user connectivity value for each identified path by multiplying the path weight for an identified path and a minimum connectivity value assigned to a link in the identified path.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the user connectivity value represents a subjective user trust value or competency assessment.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to access third-party ratings data, wherein the network connectivity indication is based, at least in part, on the third-party ratings information.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein joining paths to the second node from the first node comprises accessing data from a social networking service.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to output the network connectivity indication to a requesting third-party process.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to automatically make at least one network-based decision based, at least in part, on the outputted network connectivity indication.

21-30. -30. (canceled)