Contact Aggregation in a Social Network

• US 20140258401A1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• 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 9,838,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

In particular embodiments, a computing device receives from each of one or more contact-information sources a set of contact information associated with a user of a social-networking system. The set of contact information includes one or more instances of contact information in one or more categories of contact information. The computing device automatically selects, in each of the categories of contact information, one of the instances of contact information from the sets of contact information as a default for the category of contact information for a second user of the social-networking system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a computing device, for each of a plurality of first users of a social-networking system, receiving from each of one or more contact-information sources a set of contact information associated with the first user, the set of contact information comprising one or more instances of contact information in one or more categories of contact information; and

by the computing device, automatically selecting for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, one of the instances of contact information from the sets of contact information as a default for the category of contact information for a second user of the social-networking system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the contact-information sources comprises a third-party system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein for each of one or more of the first users one or more of the contact-information sources comprises a client device associated with the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the categories of contact information comprises:

e-mail address;

phone number;

or

address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on an indication by the first user of preferred contact information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on a recency of the instances of contact information in the category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on activity of one or more second users of the social-networking system.

8. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

for each of a plurality of first users of a social-networking system, receive from each of one or more contact-information sources a set of contact information associated with the first user, the set of contact information comprising one or more instances of contact information in one or more categories of contact information; and

automatically select for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, one of the instances of contact information from the sets of contact information as a default for the category of contact information for a second user of the social-networking system.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein one or more of the contact-information sources comprises a third-party system.

10. The media of claim 8, wherein for each of one or more of the first users one or more of the contact-information sources comprises a client device associated with the first user.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein one or more of the categories of contact information comprises:

e-mail address;

phone number;

or

address.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on an indication by the first user of preferred contact information.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on a recency of the instances of contact information in the category.

14. The media of claim 8, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on activity of one or more second users of the social-networking system.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

for each of a plurality of first users of a social-networking system, receive from each of one or more contact-information sources a set of contact information associated with the first user, the set of contact information comprising one or more instances of contact information in one or more categories of contact information; and

automatically select for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, one of the instances of contact information from the sets of contact information as a default for the category of contact information for a second user of the social-networking system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the contact-information sources comprises a third-party system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein for each of one or more of the first users one or more of the contact-information sources comprises a client device associated with the first user.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the categories of contact information comprises:

e-mail address;

phone number;

or

address.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on a recency of the instances of contact information in the category.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the selection for each of the first users, in each of the categories of contact information, of the default for the category of contact information is based at least in part on activity of one or more second users of the social-networking system.