Enabling identification of online identities between different messaging services

• US 7,734,708 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fletcher, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang; Karen C
• Application Number:
  US10/744,349
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/203, 709/22, 709/204, 709/207, 707/2
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A method and system for populating identities in a message service involves registering a user of a first messaging service with a second messaging service. User identities for users other than the registered user may be identified. These user identities may be associated with the first messaging service and may be stored in a list associated with the registered user. It is determined if each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second messaging service. If so, a database associated with the second messaging service is populated with the matching user identities. Determining whether a matching user identity exists may be performed, for example, by making character strings comparisons between user identities or using a database that stores a mapping of first messaging service user identities to second messaging service user identities. The mapping database may be generated as corresponding user identities are discovered.

Claims

1. A method for populating identities in a message service, the method comprising:

registering a user of a first instant messaging service with a second instant messaging service different from the first instant messaging service;

identifying user identities for users other than the registered user, wherein the user identities are associated with the first instant messaging service and the user identities are stored in a list associated with the registered user;

determining when at least one of the user identities from the list of user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprising;

identifying a unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service has at least a required amount of common features with a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

determining a degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

adjusting the required amount of common features between the unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service and a unique portion of a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service based on the determined the degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

populating, by a hardware processor, a database associated with the second instant messaging service with the matching user identities; and

storing the database associated with the second instant messaging service, the database accessible by the second instant messaging service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user identities associated with the first instant messaging service are included in a contact list associated with an instant messaging service of the first instant messaging service.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user identities associated with the first instant messaging service comprise screen names.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the database associated with the second instant messaging service comprises a contact list for the registered user that is associated with the second instant messaging service.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising populating a contact list, associated with the second instant messaging service, for at least one of the other users with a user identifier for the registered user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining when each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprises identifying unique portion of each identified user identity is identical to a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining approval to populate a database associated with the second instant messaging service with each matching user identity, wherein the approval is obtained from at least one of the registered user and the other user associated with the matching user identity.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining approval to populate the database with each matching user identity, wherein the approval is obtained from at least one of the registered user and the other user associated with the matching user identity.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein obtaining approval to populate the database with each matching user identity comprises requesting confirmation from the other user associated with the matching user identity that the respective identified user identity is associated with the other user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining when at least one of the identified user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprises determining when each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein determining when at least one of the identified user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprises determining when profile data associated with the at least one of the identified user identities matches profile data associated with a potential matching user identity.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the matching user identities and the identified user identities comprise electronic mail addresses.

13. An article comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising:

registering a user of a first instant messaging service with a second instant messaging service different from the first instant messaging service;

identifying user identities for users other than the registered user, wherein the user identities are associated with the first instant messaging service and the user identities are stored in a list associated with the registered user;

determining when at least one of the user identities from the list of user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprising;

identifying a unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service has at least a required amount of common features with a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

determining a degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

adjusting the required amount of common features between the unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service and a unique portion of a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service based on the determined the degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

populating, by the one or more hardware processors, a database associated with the second instant messaging service with the matching user identities; and

storing the database associated with the second instant messaging service, the database accessible by the second instant messaging service.

14. The article of claim 13 wherein the user identities associated with the first instant messaging service are included in a contact list associated with the first instant messaging service.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein the user identities associated with the first instant messaging service comprise screen names.

16. The article of claim 14 wherein the non-transitory machine-readable medium stores instructions for causing one or more processors to perform further operations comprising populating a contact list, associated with the second instant messaging service, for at least one of the other users with a user identifier for the registered user.

17. The article of claim 13 wherein determining when each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprises identifying a unique portion of each identified user identity is identical to a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service.

18. The article of claim 13 wherein the non-transitory machine-readable medium stores instructions for causing one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

requesting approval to populate a database associated with the second instant messaging service with each matching user identity; and

receiving the approval from at least one of the registered user and the other user associated with the matching user identity.

19. The article of claim 13 wherein the non-transitory machine-readable medium stores instructions for causing one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

requesting approval to populate the database with each matching user identity; and

receiving the approval from at least one of the registered user and the other user associated with the matching user identity.

20. The article of claim 19 wherein requesting approval to populate the database with each matching user identity comprises requesting confirmation from each of the other users associated with the matching user identities that the respective identified user identity is associated with the other user.

21. The article of claim 13 wherein determining when at least one of the identified user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprises determining when each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service.

22. A system for populating identities in an instant message service, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

a memory storing instructions, when executed by the one or more hardware processors to cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations including;

registering a user of a first instant messaging service with a second instant messaging service different from the first instant messaging service;

identifying user identities for users other than the registered user, wherein the user identities are associated with the first instant messaging service and the user identities are stored in a list associated with the registered user;

determining when at least one of the user identities from the list of user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprising;

identifying a unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service has at least a required amount of common features with a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

determining a degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

adjusting the required amount of common features between the unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service and a unique portion of a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service based on the determined the degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;

populating, by the one or more hardware processors, a database associated with the second instant messaging service with the matching user identities; and

storing the database associated with the second instant messaging service, the database accessible by the second instant messaging service.