Social networking system capable of notifying users of profile updates made by their contacts

• US 8,126,759 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robertson, Brian D., Adams, Warren W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US13/111,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.19
• US Class Current: 705/7.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 : Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A networked computing system provides various services for assisting users in locating, and establishing contact relationships with, other users. For example, in one embodiment, users can identify other users based on their affiliations with particular schools or other organizations. The system also provides a mechanism for a user to selectively establish contact relationships or connections with other users, and to grant permissions for sharing personal data with such users. The system may also automatically notify users of personal information updates made by their respective contacts.

Claims

1. A social networking system, comprising

a server system that provides functionality for users to register with a service, and to selectively establish contact relationships with other registered users of the service such that each registered user can have one or more contacts defined within the social networking system, the server system additionally providing functionality for each registered user to supply and update personal data for viewing by other users, wherein the server system is responsive to a request by a first registered user to establish a contact relationship with a second registered user by notifying the second registered user of the request, and by providing an option for the second registered user to respond to the request by taking an action that causes a contact relationship to be established between the first and second registered users;

and

a computer data repository accessed by the server system, said computer data repository configured to store said personal data supplied by the registered users, and to store relationship data that specifies said contact relationships established between registered users;

said server system programmed to use the relationship data to provide a user interface that enables a registered user to view a listing the registered user'"'"'s contacts and to select a contact from said listing to view at least some of the selected contact'"'"'s personal data;

said server system additionally programmed to use the relationship data, in combination with personal data updates submitted by the registered users, to generate notification messages to notify the registered users of personal data updates made by their respective contacts.

2. The social networking system of claim 1, wherein the server system is configured to use time stamp data associated with particular personal data updates to limit the content of the notification messages to personal data updates made during particular time intervals.

3. The social networking system of claim 1, wherein the server system is capable of generating, for the first registered user, a notification message identifying personal data updates made by each of a plurality of contacts of the first registered user.

4. The social networking system of claim 1, wherein the server system provides functionality for each registered user to specify permissions for sharing personal data with contacts, and is programmed to send the notification messages in accordance with said permissions.

5. The social networking system of claim 4, wherein the server system is configured to use permissions specified by the first registered user to determine which contacts of the first registered user are to be notified of a personal data update made by the first registered user.

6. The social networking system of claim 4, wherein the server system is configured to enable a registered user to separately specify said permissions on a contact-by-contact basis, such that the registered user can grant different permissions to different contacts.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system provides an option for each registered user to specify, on a contact-by-contact basis, which elements of the personal data of the respective registered user are viewable via the service.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is operative to use the relationship data to detect, and to notify the first registered user that, a third registered user is a contact of a contact of the first registered user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system hosts a web site that provides web-based user access to the service.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing a user interface that provides functionality for users to register with a service, and to selectively establish contact relationships with other registered users of the service such that each registered user can have one or more contacts defined within the service, the user interface additionally providing functionality for each registered user to supply and update personal data for viewing by other users;

responding to a request by a first registered user to establish a contact relationship with a second registered user by notifying the second registered user of the request, and by providing an option for the second registered user to respond by taking an action that causes a contact relationship to be established between the first and second registered users;

storing relationship data that specifies contact relationships established via the user interface between particular registered users of the service;

storing personal data of the registered users, said personal data supplied by the registered users via the user interface;

generating, for the first registered user of the service based on the relationship data, a list of the contacts of the first registered user;

responding to user selection of a contact from said list by outputting, for display to the first registered user, at least a portion of the personal data of the selected contact; and

generating, for presentation to the first registered user, a notification of personal data updates made by one or more of the contacts of the first registered user;

said method performed by a network-based computing system that comprises a server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein outputting at least a portion of the personal data of the selected contact comprises using a permission level specified by the selected contact to determine which elements of the selected contact'"'"'s personal data to expose to the first registered user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the notification identifies personal data updates made by each of a plurality of contacts of the first registered user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the notification comprises using time stamp data to limit the notification to personal data updates that have been made since the first registered user was last provided with a notification of personal data updates.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the notification comprises limiting said notification to personal data updates that the first registered user is authorized to access based on permission settings of the associated contacts.

15. Non-transitory computer storage that stores executable code that directs a computing system to perform a method that comprises:

providing a user interface that provides functionality for users to register with a service, and to selectively establish contact relationships with other registered users of the service such that each registered user has one or more contacts defined within the service, the user interface additionally providing functionality for each registered user to supply and update personal data for viewing by other users;

responding to a request by a first registered user to establish a contact relationship with a second registered user by sending a notification of the request to the second registered user and providing an option for the second registered user to respond by performing an action that causes a contact relationship to be established between the first and second registered users;

storing relationship data that specifies contact relationships established via the user interface between particular registered users of the service;

storing personal data of the registered users, said personal data supplied by the registered users via the user interface;

generating, for the first registered user of the service based on the relationship data, a list of the contacts of the first registered user;

responding to user selection of a contact from said list by outputting, for display to the first registered user, at least a portion of the personal data of the selected contact; and

generating, for presentation to the second registered user, a notification of personal data updates made by one or more of the contacts of the second registered user.

16. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, wherein outputting at least a portion of the personal data of the selected contact comprises using permission data specified by the selected contact to determine which elements of the selected contact'"'"'s personal data to output to the first registered user.

17. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, wherein the notification identifies personal data updates made by each of a plurality of contacts of the second registered user.

18. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, wherein generating the notification comprises using time stamp data to limit the notification to personal data updates that have been made since a notification of personal data updates was last generated for the second registered user.

19. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, wherein generating the notification comprises limiting said notification to personal data updates that the second registered user is authorized to access based on permission settings of the associated contacts.

20. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 15, in combination with a computing system that is programmed with said executable code to perform said method.