Dynamic Communication Participant Identification

• US 20170048174A1
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Charignon, Laurent Gabriel Stephane
• Granted Patent: US 10,439,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an identifier for a first user initiating a communication between a first device associated with the first user and a second device associated with a second user, retrieving, using the identifier, a privacy rule associated with the first user, determining, based on the privacy rule and social-networking information associated with the first user, whether one or more items of information associated with the first user are allowed to be revealed to the second user, and sending, to the second device, any of the items of information associated with the first user that are allowed to be revealed to the second user for display in association with the communication between the first device and the second device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by one or more processors, receiving an identifier for a first user initiating a communication between a first device associated with the first user and a second device associated with a second user;

by the processors, retrieving, using the identifier, a privacy rule associated with the first user;

by the processors, determining, based on the privacy rule and social-networking information associated with the first user, whether one or more items of information associated with the first user are allowed to be revealed to the second user; and

by the processors, sending, to the second device, any of the items of information associated with the first user that are allowed to be revealed to the second user for display in association with the communication between the first device and the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a telephone call, and wherein the one or more items of information associated with the first user are sent as caller identification information to the second device by a telephone switch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the items of information associated with the first user is further based on whether the second user is listed in a contacts list of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving, from the second user, a request for information associated with the first user, sending, to the second device, at least one of the one or more items of information associated with the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a telephone call, and the unique identifier comprises a telephone number of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises an email message, and the unique identifier comprises an email address of the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a voice over internet protocol call.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving at least one of the one or more items of information associated with the first user by accessing a telephone network terminating central office to retrieve a name associated with the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving at least one of the one or more items of information associated with the first user from a social-networking system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving further comprises:

retrieving the one or more items of information associated with the first user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the one or more items of information associated with the first user are allowed to be revealed is based on a relationship in a social-networking system between the first user and the second user.

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

receive an identifier for a first user initiating a communication between a first device associated with the first user and a second device associated with a second user;

retrieve, using the identifier, a privacy rule associated with the first user;

determine, based on the privacy rule and social-networking information associated with the first user, whether one or more items of information associated with the first user are allowed to be revealed to the second user; and

send, to the second device, any of the items of information associated with the first user that are allowed to be revealed to the second user for display in association with the communication between the first device and the second device.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the communication comprises a telephone call, and wherein the one or more items of information associated with the first user are sent as caller identification information to the second device by a telephone switch.

14. The media of claim 12, wherein the determining the items of information associated with the first user is further based on whether the second user is listed in a contacts list of the first user.

15. The media of claim 12, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

in response to receiving, from the second user, a request for information associated with the first user, send, to the second device, at least one of the one or more items of information associated with the first user.

16. The media of claim 12, wherein the communication comprises a telephone call, and the unique identifier comprises a telephone number of the first user.

17. The media of claim 12, wherein the communication comprises an email message, and the unique identifier comprises an email address of the second user.

18. The media of claim 12, wherein the communication comprises a voice over internet protocol call.

19. The media of claim 12, wherein the software is further operable when executed to retrieve at least one of the one or more items of information associated with the first user by accessing a telephone network terminating central office to retrieve a name associated with the first user.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

receive an identifier for a first user initiating a communication between a first device associated with the first user and a second device associated with a second user;

retrieve, using the identifier, a privacy rule associated with the first user;

determine, based on the privacy rule and social-networking information associated with the first user, whether one or more items of information associated with the first user are allowed to be revealed to the second user; and

send, to the second device, any of the items of information associated with the first user that are allowed to be revealed to the second user for display in association with the communication between the first device and the second device.