Profile Verification Service

• US 20160048549A1
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patterson, David, Fix, Jeremy, Meredith, Sheldon Kent
• Granted Patent: US 10,120,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for providing and/or interacting with a profile verification service. A processor executing a profile verification service can receive a request to verify a user profile associated with a user of a social networking application. The processor can identify a computing device associated with the user profile, obtain location data that relates to the user profile and the computing device, and identify an activity associated with the computing device based upon the location data. The processor can determine if the user profile is accurate based upon the activity identified. If a determination is made that the user profile is accurate, the processor can verify the user profile. If a determination is made that the user profile is not accurate, the processor can update the user profile.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processor executing a profile verification service, a request to verify a user profile associated with a user of a social networking application;

identifying, by the processor, a computing device associated with the user profile;

obtaining, by the processor, location data that relates to the user profile and the computing device;

identifying, by the processor, an activity associated with the computing device based upon the location data;

determining, by the processor, if the user profile is accurate based upon the activity identified;

if a determination is made that the user profile is accurate, verifying, by the processor, the user profile; and

if a determination is made that the user profile is not accurate, updating, by the processor, the user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the social networking application comprises a dating service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the computing device comprises querying the social networking application to identify the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the location data comprises receiving location data from a location server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity comprises first activity, and wherein determining if the user profile is accurate comprises determining a second activity associated with the user profile and comparing the first activity to the second activity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining if the user profile is accurate comprises identifying the user profile as accurate if the first activity matches the second activity.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining if the user profile is accurate comprises identifying the user profile as not accurate if the first activity does not match the second activity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the user profile comprises identifying an inaccuracy in the user profile, generating a profile update, and providing the profile update to the social networking service to update the user profile.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the activity comprises causing the computing device to present a user interface at the computing device to obtain an indication that identifies the activity as an activity associated with a location indicated by the location data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the activity comprises accessing a search engine to obtain information that identifies the activity as an activity associated with a location indicated by the location data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing profile verification data at a data store, wherein the profile verification data comprises data identifying the computing device as being associated with the user profile.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the profile verification data further comprises a setting associated with the computing device and the user profile.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the profile verification data is obtained via interactions with a user interface displayed at the computing device, the user interface comprising a plurality of location service selectors and a plurality of social networking profile source controls.

14. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

receiving a request to verify a user profile associated with a user of a social networking application,

identifying a computing device associated with the user profile,

obtaining location data that relates to the user profile and the computing device,

identifying an activity associated with the computing device based upon the location data,

determining if the user profile is accurate based upon the activity identified,

if a determination is made that the user profile is accurate, verifying the user profile, and

if a determination is made that the user profile is not accurate, updating the user profile.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the activity comprises first activity, and wherein determining if the user profile is accurate comprises determining a second activity associated with the user profile and comparing the first activity to the second activity, wherein determining if the user profile is accurate comprises identifying the user profile as accurate if the first activity matches the second activity, and wherein determining if the user profile is accurate comprises identifying the user profile as not accurate if the first activity does not match the second activity.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein updating the user profile comprises identifying an inaccuracy in the user profile, generating a profile update, and providing the profile update to the social networking service to update the user profile.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein obtaining the location data comprises receiving location data from a location server, wherein the location server comprises an element of a cellular communications network that supports communication of the computing device, and wherein the computing device comprises a smartphone.

18. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to verify a user profile associated with a user of a social networking application;

identifying a computing device associated with the user profile;

obtaining location data that relates to the user profile and the computing device;

identifying an activity associated with the computing device based upon the location data;

determining if the user profile is accurate based upon the activity identified;

if a determination is made that the user profile is accurate, verifying the user profile; and

if a determination is made that the user profile is not accurate, updating the user profile.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the social networking service comprises a dating service, and wherein the user profile is verified for purposes of ensuring safety of a further user of the dating service.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein updating the user profile comprises identifying an inaccuracy in the user profile, generating a profile update, and providing the profile update to the social networking service to update the user profile.