Integrated social network environment

• US 8,244,848 B1
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Narayanan, Srinivas, Li, Alex, Deng, Peter Xiu, Little, Chad Eugene, Gupta, Namita
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N.
• Application Number:
  US12/763,171
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/218, 709/223, 709/226, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system includes one or more computing systems that implement a social networking environment and are operable to access stored information including a plurality of nodes including a first set of user nodes that each correspond to a respective user and a second set of concept nodes that each correspond to a respective concept. The stored information further includes a plurality of edges that each define a connection between a corresponding pair of nodes including a first set and a second set of edges. Each edge from the first set defining a connection between a pair of user nodes and representing a social relationship between the users corresponding to the user nodes. Each edge from the second set defining a connection between a user node and a concept node and representing an interest of the user of the user node with respect to the corresponding concept node.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computing systems that collectively implement a social networking environment, the one or more computing systems being operable to access one or more data stores storing information comprising;

a plurality of nodes including;

a first set of user nodes that each correspond to a respective user of the social networking environment; and

a second set of concept nodes that each correspond to a respective concept; and

a plurality of edges that each define a connection between a corresponding pair of nodes from the plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of edges being of one of one or more edge types, the plurality of edge types including;

a first set of edges, each edge from the first set of edges defining a connection between a corresponding pair of user nodes from the first set of user nodes and representing a social relationship between the users corresponding to the respective pair of user nodes;

a second set of edges, each edge from the second set of edges defining a connection between a user node from the first set of user nodes and a concept node from the second set of concept nodes and representing an interest of the user of the respective user node with respect to the corresponding concept node; and

a third set of edges, each edge from the third set of edges defining a connection between a pair of concept nodes from the second set of concept nodes and representing a conceptual, informational, or categorical relationship between the concepts corresponding to the respective pair of concept nodes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each user has a user account and administrative privileges with respect to the user'"'"'s respective user account including administrative privileges with respect to the user'"'"'s corresponding user node.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of edges are each of a first edge type and the second set of edges are each of a second edge type that is different from the first edge type.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each edge from the second set of edges represents a user-declared interest of the user of the respective user node with respect to the corresponding concept node.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each node stores, is stored with, or identifies a corresponding webpage for the respective user or concept hosted, at least in part, by the one or more computing systems.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

each user node from the first set of user nodes corresponds to a user profile page hosted, at least in part, by the one or more computing systems; and

each user profile page may be modified, written to, contributed to, or otherwise administered by, and only by, the respective user registered to the user profile page and the corresponding user node.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein:

each concept node from the second set of concept nodes corresponds to a concept profile page hosted, at least in part, by the one or more computing systems; and

each concept page may be modified, written to, contributed to, or otherwise administered by any user registered with the social networking environment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein ones of the concept nodes from the second set of concept nodes were explicitly generated as a result of explicit actions by one or more users.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein ones of the concept nodes from the second set of concept nodes were automatically generated based on information extracted from one or more user nodes or other concept nodes from the first or second sets of nodes.

10. A method comprising:

maintaining, by one or more computing systems that collectively implement a social networking environment, access to one or more data stores storing information comprising;

a plurality of nodes including;

a first set of user nodes that each correspond to a respective user of the social networking environment; and

a second set of concept nodes that each correspond to a respective concept; and

a plurality of edges that each define a connection between a corresponding pair of nodes from the plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of edges being of one of one or more edge types, the plurality of edge types including;

a first set of edges, each edge from the first set of edges defining a connection between a corresponding pair of user nodes from the first set of user nodes and representing a social relationship between the users corresponding to the respective pair of user nodes;

a second set of edges, each edge from the second set of edges defining a connection between a user node from the first set of user nodes and a concept node from the second set of concept nodes and representing an interest of the user of the respective user node with respect to the corresponding concept node; and

a third set of edges, each edge from the third set of edges defining a connection between a pair of concept nodes from the second set of concept nodes and representing a conceptual, informational, or categorical relationship between the concepts corresponding to the respective pair of concept nodes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each user has a user account and administrative privileges with respect to the user'"'"'s respective user account including administrative privileges with respect to the user'"'"'s corresponding user node.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first set of edges are each of a first edge type and the second set of edges are each of a second edge type that is different from the first edge type.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein each edge from the second set of edges represents a user-declared interest of the user of the respective user node with respect to the corresponding concept node.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein each node stores, is stored with, or identifies a corresponding webpage for the respective user or concept hosted, at least in part, by the one or more computing systems.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

each user node from the first set of user nodes corresponds to a user profile page hosted, at least in part, by the one or more computing systems; and

each user profile page may be modified, written to, contributed to, or otherwise administered by, and only by, the respective user registered to the user profile page and the corresponding user node.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

each concept node from the second set of concept nodes corresponds to a concept profile page hosted, at least in part, by the one or more computing systems; and

each concept page may be modified, written to, contributed to, or otherwise administered by any user registered with the social networking environment.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating one or more new concept nodes, by one or more of the computing systems, as a result of and base don explicit actions by one or more users.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating one or more new concept nodes, by one or more of the computing systems, based on information extracted from one or more user nodes or other concept nodes from the first or second sets of nodes.