Visitor-assisted user profile creation

• US 8,195,601 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Law, David W., Kunins, Jeffrey Craig, Zappa, Eric, Perrin, Brian M., Gadkari, Archana M., Wu, Dan, Bono, Joseph Andrew, Steinbok, Jeffrey Earl
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US12/238,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/104.1, 707/600, 709/231
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A visitor to a profile page is invited to modify a user profile associated with the profile page. If the visitor elects to provide a suggested modification to the profile page, a message is transmitted to the user that owns the profile page requesting authorization to perform the suggested modification. In response to the message, the user can accept the suggested modification to the user profile, decline the suggested modification to the user profile, or edit the suggested modification to the user profile. If the user accepts or edits the suggested modification to the user profile, the user profile is modified accordingly. In this manner, a visitor to a profile page can assist in the creation of a user profile.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a visitor to a profile page for a user of a social networking application to modify an incomplete user profile associated with the profile page, the method comprising:

receiving a request for the profile page for the user of the social networking application, the profile page comprising data stored in the incomplete user profile and an invitation for the visitor to provide new data that is not presently included in the data stored in the incomplete user profile in order to assist the user with creation of a complete user profile, thereby at least partially alleviating a burden from the user to self-complete the incomplete user profile;

providing the profile page in response to the request;

receiving a request to modify the incomplete user profile to include the new data in response to the invitation contained in the profile page; and

modifying the incomplete user profile to include the new data in response to receiving the request to modify the user profile, thereby assisting the user with creation of the complete user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to modify the incomplete user profile comprises a suggested modification to the incomplete user profile received from the visitor.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising in response to receiving the request to modify the incomplete user profile, transmitting a message to the user requesting authorization to perform the suggested modification on the incomplete user profile.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an authorization from the user to perform the suggested modification on the incomplete user profile in response to the message; and

modifying the incomplete user profile according to the suggested modification in response to receiving the authorization.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a reply to the message indicating that the incomplete user profile is not to be modified; and

in response to receiving the reply, not performing the suggested modification on the incomplete user profile.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an authorization from the user, the authorization including an edit to the suggested modification to the incomplete user profile; and

modifying the incomplete user profile according to the edit specified by the authorization.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the social networking application is configured to provide and maintain the incomplete user profile and the profile page, to transmit the message to the user requesting authorization, to receive the authorization to modify the incomplete user profile, and to modify the incomplete user profile in response to receiving the authorization.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the message comprises a private message transmitted to the user within the social networking application.

9. A computer storage medium having a social networking application comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

store an incomplete user profile for a user of the social networking application and a profile page for the user, the profile page comprising data stored in the incomplete user profile and an invitation for a visitor to the profile page to suggest a modification to the incomplete user profile to provide new data that is not presently included in the data stored in the incomplete user profile in order to assist the user with creation of a complete user profile, thereby at least partially alleviating a burden from the user to self-complete the incomplete user profile;

receive a request for the profile page;

provide the profile page in response to the request;

receive a suggested modification to include the new data in the incomplete user profile from the visitor in response to a selection of the invitation contained in the profile page by the visitor; and

to

modify the incomplete user profile to include the new data according to the suggested modification, thereby assisting the user with creation of the complete user profile.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer will cause the computer to transmit a message to the user requesting authorization to perform the suggested modification on the incomplete user profile in response to receiving the suggested modification.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 10, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer will cause the computer to:

receive a reply to the message comprising an authorization to perform the suggested modification; and

to

perform the suggested modification on the incomplete user profile in response to receiving the reply.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 10, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer will cause the computer to:

receive a reply to the message comprising a rejection of the suggested modification; and

to

not perform the suggested modification on the incomplete user profile in response to receiving the reply.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 10, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer will cause the computer to:

receive a reply to the message comprising an edit to the suggested modification; and

to

modify the incomplete user profile according to the edit specified by the reply.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 9, having further computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer will cause the computer to maintain the user profile and the profile page.

15. A method for enabling a first user to modify a user profile associated with a second user, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a profile page associated with the second user who is a member of a social networking Web application, the profile page comprising data stored in the user profile associated with the second user;

providing the profile page to the first user in response to the request;

selectively providing an invitation within the profile page based upon whether a confirmed two-way relationship exists within the social networking Web application between the first user and the second user, the invitation being for the first user to modify the data stored in the user profile in order to assist the second user with creation of the user profile only if the confirmed two-way relationship exists within the social networking Web application between the first user and the second user;

receiving a request from the first user to modify the user profile of the second user in response to the invitation contained in the profile page of the second user;

in response to receiving the request to modify the user profile, transmitting an authorization request to the second user requesting authorization to modify the user profile of the second user;

receiving an authorization from the second user to modify the user profile in response to the authorization request; and

modifying the user profile of the second user in response to receiving the authorization, thereby at least partially alleviating a burden from the second user to self-complete the user profile.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user profile is maintained by the social networking Web application for the second user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a reply to the authorization request indicating that the user profile is not to be modified; and

in response to receiving the reply, not modifying the user profile.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the request to modify the user profile of the second user comprises a suggested modification to the user profile.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a reply to the authorization request indicating that an edit to the suggested modification is to be utilized to modify the user profile; and

in response to receiving the reply, modifying the user profile according to the edit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the authorization request comprises a private message transmitted to the second user within the social networking Web application.