System and method for dynamically generating, maintaining, and growing an online social network
First Claim
1. A method performed on a computer for determining relationships between members of a content sharing service comprising:
- receiving a digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a computer associated with a first member of the content sharing service, wherein the digital content includes a tag element that identifies an individual depicted in the digital content, and wherein the digital content does not comprise an electronic mail message;
processing the tag element to determine a name of the individual depicted in the digital content;
determining that the name is associated with a second member of the content sharing service;
generating a relationship link comprising a member identification field that contains data identifying the second member, and a relationship strength field;
storing the relationship link in a memory;
receiving a second digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a second computer associated with the second member, wherein the second digital content includes a second tag element that identifies a second individual depicted in the second digital content;
processing the second tag element to determine a second name of the second individual depicted in the second digital content;
determining that the second name is associated with the first member;
obtaining the relationship link from the memory;
modifying a relationship strength value in the relationship strength field of the relationship link to indicate a greater relationship strength between the first member and the second member; and
storing the relationship link in the memory.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An on-line community/social network system and method for provide a novel technique that enables an on-line community system to obtain information necessary to provide additional and more robust features to its users, solely from the user'"'"'s participation in the community, and without requiring the users to do anything else (i.e., to explicitly provide the needed information). From this core approach, a number of advantageous novel techniques are provided by the inventive system to greatly enhance the quality and usefulness of various features and services that can be offered to community users as well as to provide them with entirely new and unique features as a result of user-specific data generated by the system'"'"'s novel infrastructure.
66 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method performed on a computer for determining relationships between members of a content sharing service comprising:
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receiving a digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a computer associated with a first member of the content sharing service, wherein the digital content includes a tag element that identifies an individual depicted in the digital content, and wherein the digital content does not comprise an electronic mail message; processing the tag element to determine a name of the individual depicted in the digital content; determining that the name is associated with a second member of the content sharing service; generating a relationship link comprising a member identification field that contains data identifying the second member, and a relationship strength field; storing the relationship link in a memory; receiving a second digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a second computer associated with the second member, wherein the second digital content includes a second tag element that identifies a second individual depicted in the second digital content; processing the second tag element to determine a second name of the second individual depicted in the second digital content; determining that the second name is associated with the first member; obtaining the relationship link from the memory; modifying a relationship strength value in the relationship strength field of the relationship link to indicate a greater relationship strength between the first member and the second member; and storing the relationship link in the memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer server for determining relationships between members of a content sharing service comprising:
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a network interface adapted to interface with a network; and a controller coupled to the network interface and adapted to; receive a digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a computer associated with a first member of the content sharing service, wherein the digital content includes a tag element that identifies an individual depicted in the digital content, and wherein the digital content does not comprise an electronic mail message; process the tag element to determine a name of the individual depicted in the digital content; determine that the name is associated with a second member of the content sharing service; generate a relationship link comprising a member identification field that contains data identifying the second member, and a relationship strength field; store the relationship link in a memory; receive a second digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a second computer associated with the second member, wherein the second digital content includes a second tag element that identifies a second individual depicted in the second digital content; process the second tag element to determine a second name of the second individual depicted in the second digital content; determine that the second name is associated with the first member; obtain the relationship link from the memory; modify a relationship strength value in the relationship strength field of the relationship link to indicate a greater relationship strength between the first member and the second member; and store the relationship link in the memory. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method performed on a computer for determining relationships between members of a content sharing service comprising:
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receiving a digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a computer associated with a first member of the content sharing service, wherein the digital content includes a tag element that identifies a location depicted in the digital content, and wherein the digital content does not comprise an electronic mail message; processing the tag element to determine the location depicted in the digital content; determining that the location is associated with a second member of the content sharing service; generating a relationship link comprising a member identification field that contains data identifying the second member, and a relationship strength field; storing the relationship link in a memory; receiving a second digital content comprising one of a digital picture and a digital video from a second computer associated with the second member, wherein the second digital content includes a second tag element that identifies an individual depicted in the second digital content; processing the second tag element to determine a name of the second individual depicted in the second digital content; determining that the name is associated with the first member; obtaining the relationship link from the memory; modifying a relationship strength value in the relationship strength field of the relationship link to indicate a greater relationship strength between the first member and the second member; and storing the relationship link in the memory.
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Specification