Characteristic tagging

• US 8,024,312 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Esther Hsiu-Meng, Kishore, Ajitesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus; Jean M
• Application Number:
  US12/839,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 707/713, 707/721, 707/758, 707/759, 707/765, 707/766, 707/767, 707/705
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Embodiments are provided to enable a user to easily and conveniently assign, share, and/or locate characteristic and other information associated with others. In an embodiment, a user can assign, share, and use one or more characterizing tags. A user can use the one or more characterizing tags to characterize a person of interest and/or a relationship or association between the user and the person of interest. A user can also perform searches using one or more characterizing tags to locate others who may be associated with the one or more characterizing tags. Users can also view user profiles including any characterizing tags and/or communicate with others based in part on a characterizing tag. The various embodiments provide a forum for social tagging, allowing a user to apply and use one or more characterizing tags that are associated with a person of interest.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user interface comprising:

an interactive computer display configured to;

identify a person of interest to associate with a tag;

collect information associated with a number of electronic communications;

present one or more recommended tags based in part on information collected from electronic communications with the person of interest;

use a user characteristic tag selection to assign a characteristic tag for the person of interest according to a personal perception of a tagging user, wherein the characteristic tag identifies information associated with a contact and defines an association with the contact based in part on prior electronic communications with the contact; and

present characteristic tag information to other users and any common tags including shared common characteristic tags.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to add tags for other persons of interest by selecting another person of interest to tag with a common or a different tag.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to enable selection of a recommended tag to tag the person of interest.

4. The user interface of claim 1 implemented as part of a web-based application.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the characteristic tag includes metadata associated with an object that represents the person of interest.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to locate a contact based in part on a search for characteristic tag.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to present a profile of a contact including any associated characteristic tags.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the characteristic tag corresponds to something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of the person of interest.

9. The user interface of claim 8, wherein the characteristic tag refers to particular aspects of life, culture, or society.

10. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to present one or more words of a prior communication with the person of interest as recommended characteristic tags.

11. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to provide profile information associated with a search result including any other characteristic tags.

12. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to provide a search result including a number of external contacts associated with one or more tags.

13. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is further configured to block one or more people from being tagged.

14. A method comprising:

collecting information associated with a number of electronic communications;

recommending a number of characteristic tags associated with a person of interest as part of a tagging operation, including recommending one or more characteristic tags based in part on the information collected from the electronic communications;

using a user characteristic tag selection and applying the user selected characteristic tag to the person of interest, wherein the user selected characteristic tag is based in part on at least one of a communication or an association with the person of interest;

identifying other users that share a common characteristic tag; and

,

storing the select characteristic tag and identification information associated with a tagging user that tagged the person of interest with the user selected characteristic tag in a tag store comprising a computer-readable storage medium.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying tag information including information of other users that share common characteristic tags.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising recommending one or more tags based in part on collected nouns and phrases.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising notifying the person of interest of a tag event.

18. A device comprising:

a processor, memory, and a display configured to;

identify a person of interest to associate with a tag;

collect information associated with a number of electronic communications;

present one or more recommended tags based in part on the information collected from electronic communications with the person of interest, wherein the recommended one or more characteristic tags are based in part on the information collected from the electronic communications;

associate a user selected characteristic tag with the person of interest wherein the user selected characteristic tag is based in part on at least one of a communication or an association with the person of interest; and

present characteristic tag information associated with the user selected characteristic tag and other user information including any associated common tags.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the processor, memory, and display resources are further configured to provide one or more persons of interests based in part on a characteristic tag search.

20. The device of claim 18, further comprising a client computing device in communication with a serving computing device.