Social mapping of contacts from computer communication information

• US 7,761,549 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, Turski, Andrzej, Portnoy, William, Vronay, David P., Farnham, Shelly D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza; Faruk
• Application Number:
  US11/619,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709223-224, 715/734, 715/736, 715/737
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Social information, including computer communication information, is modeled according to a network approach, and users are provided with representations of patterns within their social spaces and graphical interface tools for navigating through the spaces. This can enhance the user'"'"'s ability to seek out social information and manage their online social relationships. The social mapping includes automatically collecting computer communication information relating to multiple contacts who are in computer communication with each other, one of the multiple contacts being a selected user. The computer communication information is filtered according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain the number of contacts associated with the selected user at or below a selected threshold. The computer communication information is analyzed to determine extents of similarity between the multiple contacts. A visualization of a social map based upon the extents of similarity between the multiple contacts is rendering on a computer display screen so that a user can access and navigate information represented in the social map visualization.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for analyzing communication information comprising the following computer executable components:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising components including;

a filtering component for filtering communication information associated with multiple contacts according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain a number of contacts associated with a user selected from the multiple contacts at or below a selected threshold;

a similarity component to determine extents of similarity within the multiple contacts;

a clustering component which clusters the multiple contacts communicating with the user into groups based on determined extents of similarities; and

a generating component for generating a social map visualization of the multiple contacts based upon the extents of similarity between the multiple contacts who communicate with each other, and further configured to create the social map visualization in a sector view, wherein the user is displayed generally at a center of the social map and the multiple contacts communicating with the user are arranged in one or more radial sections of the sector view.

2. The system of claim 1, the clustering component facilitates reclustering for a newly designated selected user by rearranging the multiple contacts in accordance with their similarities relative to the newly designated selected user.

3. The system of claim 1, the clustering component facilitates reclustering in accordance with different clustering tolerance levels, the tolerance levels are set by activating a tolerance graphical control.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a collection component for automatically collecting communication information relating to the multiple contacts.

5. The system of claim 1, the filtering component is configured to filter the communication information according to one or more of:

a number of occurrences in which each contact is identified in the communication information;

or

a predefined time period;

or

whether contacts are members of an organization;

or

roles played by the contacts.

6. The system of claim 1, the similarity component is configured to determine a local similarity between pairs of the multiple contacts, the local similarity indicating a proportion of occurrences in the communication information in which the pair of contacts occur together.

7. The system of claim 1, the similarity component is configured to determine a global similarity between pairs of the multiple contacts, the global similarity indicating a proportion of occurrences in the communication information in which the pair of contacts occur together relative to a greatest number of occurrences in the communication information for any contact.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a rendering component for rendering the social map visualization on a computer display screen.

9. The system of claim 8, the generating component generates the social map visualization as a connections map, the connections map includes a graph view of a network of nodes and connections wherein the nodes represent one or more of a user and/or a group.

10. The system of claim 9, the rendering component is configured to render profile information corresponding to a node in the graph in a profile window.

11. The system of claim 9, the rendering component is configured to render the nodes in different colors to indicate a type of contact or group represented by the nodes wherein a node color key associates the node colors with a corresponding contact or group.

12. The system of claim 10, the rendering component facilitates searching the social map visualization for information by one or more of:

rendering a search text box, graphically activating the nodes or the connections, rendering a profile section that displays profile information associated with the one or more user and/or group.

13. The system of claim 1, the clustering component is adapted to cluster the multiple contacts communicating with the user into the one or more radial sections such that the distance of each contact from the user is inversely proportional to a determined global similarity between the contact and the user.

14. The system of claim 1, the clustering component is configured to populate a contact list wherein the multiple contacts are arranged in a descending order based at least on one of their similarity or frequency of use.

15. A method for rendering a social mapping visualization on a computer display, comprising:

under control of one or more processors executing computer-executable instructions;

rendering a social map visualization of plural contacts identified from automatically collected computer communication information, one of the plural contacts being a selected user, wherein the computer communication information is filtered according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain a number of contacts associated with the selected user at or below a selected threshold;

indicating within the visualization further including indications of established extents of similarity between the plural contacts and at least the selected user, the plural contacts are clustered into groups according to similarities of the contacts; and

displaying extents of similarity between the plural contacts within the visualization with a sector view of the plural contacts, wherein the selected user is displayed generally at a center of the visualization and the plural contacts communicating with the selected user are arranged in one or more radial sections of the sector view.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising selecting a grouping control via a user operable graphical control to set the extent to which similarities between the plural contacts cause them to be rendered in clusters in the visualization.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein displaying further comprises the graph view being based upon an attractive spring model and a separate repulsive model component to provide increased separation between dissimilar contacts, and further includes an attractive spring component directed to a display screen focal point to constrain the plural contacts to a predefined display screen area.

18. A computer implemented system for analysis of communication information comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor;

a collecting component stored in the memory and executable on the processor for collecting computer-tracked communication information relating to multiple contacts who are in communication with each other, one of the multiple contacts being a selected user;

a filtering component stored in the memory and executable on the processor for filtering the computer-tracked communication information according to one or more preselected criteria;

a analyzing component stored in the memory and executable on the processor for analyzing the computer-tracked communication information to determine extents of similarity between the multiple contacts; and

a generating component stored in the memory and executable on the processor for generating a social map visualization in a sector view based upon the extents of similarity between the multiple contacts, wherein the selected user is displayed generally at a center of the social map and the multiple contacts communicating with the selected user are arranged in one or more radial sections of the sector view.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a providing component for providing the social map to a mobile communication device.