Digital file distribution in a social network system

• US 8,204,952 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stremel, Jed, Ramakrishnan, TS, Slee, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thai
• Application Number:
  US11/701,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 709213-216, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Systems and methods for obtaining a digital file similar to one used by a device associated with a member of a social network are provided. Digital file information about the digital file is stored on a web-based social network database. The digital file may be located on the same server as the web-based social network database or a third party server such as a mobile phone carrier. A user of the web-based social network database requesting the digital file may require a different format of the digital file than that used by the device of the member. If a different format is requested by the user, a server finds or converts the digital file to be compatible for use by a device specified by the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing identification information of a digital file associated with a first user of a social network system, the identification information enabling retrieval of the digital file from a source;

receiving a first request from a second user of the social network system for a page of a user profile of the first user;

transmitting the requested page to the second user, the page including the identification information of the digital file;

receiving a second request from the second user for the digital file, the second request identifying the digital file using identification information of the digital file transmitted with the page of the user profile of the first user;

determining, based on a first privacy setting established by the first user, whether to allow the second user of the social network system to retrieve the digital file;

responsive to determining to allow the second user to retrieve the digital file, facilitating the retrieval of the digital file from the source of the digital file identified in the identification information of the digital file by a device associated with the second user; and

determining, based on a second privacy setting established by the first user, whether to allow the second user of the social network system to access the page of the user profile of the first user, wherein the requested page is transmitted to the second user responsive to determining to allow the second user to access the page of the user profile of the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital file is a ringtone, a game or an image file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of the digital file is a third party server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising recommending an additional digital file based on the second request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising recommending an additional digital file based on characteristics of the second user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving device information from the device associated with the second user, the device information representing specifications of the device;

and

storing the device information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising locating a version of the digital file compatible with the device based on the device information.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising converting the digital file to a format compatible with the device using the device information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is associated with a third user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing an operation to comply with digital rights management technology.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital file originates from a device of the first user.

13. A social network system comprising:

a processor executing instructions stored on a memory; and

the memory comprising;

a privacy setting module configured to store a first privacy setting established by a first user of the social network system, the first privacy setting defining whether to allow a second user of the social network system to retrieve a digital file associate with the first user, the privacy setting module further configured to store a second privacy setting established by the first user, the second privacy setting defining whether to allow a second user of the social network system to access a page of a user profile of the first user;

a social network database configured to store identification information of the digital file associated with the first user, the identification information enabling retrieval of the digital file from a source;

a finder module configured to locate the source for obtaining the digital file; and

a server contact application configured to;

receive a first request from the second user of the social network system for the page of the user profile of the first user,

transmit the requested page to the second user responsive to determining to allow the second user to access the page of the user profile of the first user by the privacy setting module, the page including the identification information of the digital file,

receive a second request from the second user for the digital file, the second request identifying the digital file using the identification information of the digital file transmitted with the page of the user profile of the first user,

determine, based on the first privacy setting, whether to allow the second user to retrieve the digital file, and

responsive to determining to allow the second user to retrieve the digital file, facilitate the retrieval of the digital file from the source of the digital file identified in the identification information of the digital file by a device associated with the second user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital file is a ringtone, a game or an image file.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the source of the digital file is a third party server.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a recommendation module configured to recommend an additional digital file based on the second request.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a recommendation module configured to recommend an additional digital file based on characteristics of the second user.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the device is a mobile device.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising a device specification module configured to:

receive device information from the device associated with the second user, the device information representing specifications of the device; and

store the device information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the finder module is further configured to locate a version of the digital file compatible with the device using the device information.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a conversion module to convert the digital file to a format compatible with the device using the device information.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the device is associated with a third user.