ORGANIZATIONAL DIRECTORY ACCESS CLIENT AND SERVER LEVERAGING LOCAL AND NETWORK SEARCH

• US 20170031998A1
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Linkedln Corporation
• Inventors: Olivier, Michael, Miyamoto, Carleton
• Application Number:
  US14/927,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20170031998A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to an organizational directory access client and an organizational directory server and, in particular, to an organizational directory access client that performs a local search and a network search for one or more member profiles of members of the organization. The organizational directory access client executes on a client device and is configured to authenticate a user of the client with the organizational directory server. Once authenticated, the client device receives a member profile database that is then made locally available. As the user enters a search query, the organizational directory access client searches the local member profile database and, when the search query is completed, the organizational directory access client communicates the search query to the organizational directory server for performing a search across one or more social networking services. The local and network search results are then displayed for review by the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a machine-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one hardware processor communicatively coupled to the machine-readable medium that, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the at least one hardware processor is configured to;

receive a search query for member profile information corresponding to at least one member of an organization;

conduct a first search for the member profile information within a first member profile database local to the at least one hardware processor, the first search being conducted with a first portion of the received search query;

request a second search for the member profile information from a second member profile database, the second search being conducted with a second portion of the received search query, the second portion including more of the search query relative to the first portion;

determine first member profile information from the first search;

receive second member profile information from the requested second search; and

display an integrated set of search results on a display communicatively coupled to the at least one hardware processor, the integrated set of search results including the first member profile information and the second member profile information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first member profile database is stored within a machine-readable medium housed within the same housing as the at least one hardware processor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second member profile database is housed within a different housing than the at least one hardware processor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first member profile database includes a subset of member profile information derived from a third member profile database, the third member profile database being associated with the organization.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to:

communicate an access code that authenticates a member of the organization, the access code having been communicated to an organizational identifier previously registered with the organization; and

the search query is receivable in response to a determination that the communicated access code is valid.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein first member profile information is derived from member profile information obtained by the organization and the second member profile information is derived from member profile information obtained by a social networking service, the social networking service being different than the organization.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to:

receive a selection of at least one search result selected from the integrated set of search results; and

display the selected at least one search on the display, the display of the at least one search result including at least one of the first member profile information or the second member profile information.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one hardware processor, a search query for member profile information corresponding to at least one member of an organization;

conducting, by the at least one hardware processor, a first search for the member profile information within a first member profile database local to the at least one hardware processor, the first search being conducted with a first portion of the received search query;

requesting, by the least one hardware processor, a second search for the member profile information from a second member profile database, the second search being conducted with a second portion of the received search query, the second portion including more of the search query relative to the first portion;

determining, by the at least one hardware processor, first member profile information from the first search;

receiving, by the at least one hardware processor, second member profile information from the requested second search; and

displaying, on a display communicatively coupled to the at least one hardware processor, an integrated set of search results, the integrated set of search results including the first member profile information and the second member profile information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first member profile database is stored within a machine-readable medium housed within the same housing as the at least one hardware processor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second member profile database is housed within a different housing than the at least one hardware processor.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first member profile database includes a subset of member profile information derived from a third member profile database, the third member profile database being associated with the organization.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

communicating, by the at least one hardware processor, an access code that authenticates a member of the organization, the access code having been communicated to an organizational identifier previously registered with the organization; and

the search query is receivable in response to a determination that the communicated access code is valid.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein first member profile information is derived from member profile information obtained by the organization and the second member profile information is derived from member profile information obtained by a social networking service, the social networking service being different than the organization.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by an input device communicatively coupled to the at least one hardware processor, a selection of at least one search result selected from the integrated set of search results; and

displaying, by the display, the selected at least one search, the display of the at least one search result including at least one of the first member profile information or the second member profile information.

15. A machine-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one hardware processor, cause the at least one hardware processor to perform a plurality of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, by at least one hardware processor, a search query for member profile information corresponding to at least one member of an organization;

conducting, by the at least one hardware processor, a first search for the member profile information within a first member profile database local to the at least one hardware processor, the first search being conducted with a first portion of the received search query;

requesting, by the least one hardware processor, a second search for the member profile information from a second member profile database, the second search being conducted with a second portion of the received search query, the second portion including more of the search query relative to the first portion;

determining, by the at least one hardware processor, first member profile information from the first search;

receiving, by the at least one hardware processor, second member profile information from the requested second search; and

displaying, on a display communicatively coupled to the at least one hardware processor, an integrated set of search results, the integrated set of search results including the first member profile information and the second member profile information.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first member profile database is stored within a machine-readable medium housed within the same housing as the at least one hardware processor.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first member profile database includes a subset of member profile information derived from a third member profile database, the third member profile database being associated with the organization.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of operations further comprise:

communicating, by the at least one hardware processor, an access code that authenticates a member of the organization, the access code having been communicated to an organizational identifier previously registered with the organization; and

the search query is receivable in response to a determination that the communicated access code is valid.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first member profile information is derived from member profile information obtained by the organization and the second member profile information is derived from member profile information obtained by a social networking service, the social networking service being different than the organization.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of operations further comprise:

receiving, by an input device communicatively coupled to the at least one hardware processor, a selection of at least one search result selected from the integrated set of search results; and

displaying, by the display, the selected at least one search, the display of the at least one search result including at least one of the first member profile information or the second member profile information.