Social network virtual private network

• US 8,332,476 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Abramson, Sandra, Sinha, Raj
• Primary Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US12/837,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/204, 709/205, 709217-218, 709/248, 715733-759, 715/853, 715/201, 715/700
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• 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 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method create an interconnection among users of different social networks. Each user can provide information about the social networks they use (e.g., username, passwords, etc.). An application may register with the social network and can inter-dispose the application between the user and the social network. Then, the system can interconnect the users into a “virtual private network” (VPN) where communications between the users and the social networks can be replicated to other social networks for the other users. As such, different users using different social networks can communicate.

Claims

1. A computer program product including computer executable instructions stored onto a non-transitory computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for establishing a social media virtual private network (VPN), the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a communication, from a first user, directed to a first social media network site;

instructions to post the communication to the first social media network site;

instructions to post automatically the communication to a second social media network site for a second user;

instructions to format the communication from a first format used by the first social media network site to a second format used by the second social media network site;

instructions to determine if the communication is part of a private conversation;

if the communication is part of a private conversation, instructions to post the communication as a private message on the first social media network site;

instructions to retrieve information about the first user for the second social media network site;

instructions to access a private message function for the second social media network site with the information about the first user; and

instructions to post the private message with the private message function to the second social media site.

2. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the first user prefers the first social media network site.

3. The computer program product as defined in claim 2, wherein the second user prefers the second social media network site.

4. The computer program product as defined in claim 3, further comprising instructions to translate the communication from a first protocol used by the first social media network site to a second protocol used by the second social media network site.

5. A method for establishing a social media virtual private network (VPN), comprising:

establishing, by a processor, a social media VPN group, wherein the VPN group includes two or more users that use two or more social media network sites to communicate content;

receiving, by the processor, content for a first social media network site from a user in the VPN group;

automatically posting, by the processor, the content to the first social media network site and to a second social media network site associated with the VPN group, wherein the VPN group is private;

retrieving user information about the user in the VPN group;

accessing a private message function for at least one of the two or more social media network sites with the user information;

posting the content as a private message with the private message function for the at least one of the two or more social media network sites;

retrieving information about the first user for the second social media network site;

accessing a private message function for the second social media network site with the information about the first user; and

posting the private message with the private message function for the second social media network site.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the two or more social media network sites includes, a blog, and a video blog.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising translating the content from a first protocol to a second protocol.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising formatting the content from a first format to a second format.

9. A system comprising:

a memory,

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor operable to execute software modules, the software modules comprising;

a social media gateway operable to receive or post content to two or more social media network sites, post the content as a private message with a private message function for at least one of the two or more social media network sites, and post the private message with the private message function for a second social media network site; and

a VPN engine in communication with the social media gateway, the VPN engine operable to;

create a VPN group including two or more users that post content to two or more social media network sites, wherein the VPN group is private;

intercept a communication, from a first user, directed to a first social media network site;

provide the communication to the social media gateway to post the communication to the first social media network site; and

provide the communication to the social media gateway to post automatically the communication to the second social media network site for a second user;

retrieve user information about the first user;

access the private message function for the two or more social media network sites with the user information;

retrieve information about the first user for the second social media network site; and

access a private message function for the second social media network site with the information about the first user.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the social media gateway comprises:

two or more social media network application programming interfaces (APIs) operable to receive content from or post content to two or more social media network sites; and

a content filter in communication with the social media network API, the content filter operable to filter content from the social media network sites.

11. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the VPN engine comprises:

an intercept module operable to intercept the communication to be posted to the first social media network site;

a translate module operable to translate the communication from a first protocol to a second protocol;

a format module operable to format the communication from a first format to a second format; and

a present module operable to present the communication to the social media gateway for posting.

12. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the VPN engine communicates with a user database that stores information about two or more users in the VPN group.

13. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the VPN engine communicates with a social media parameters database that stores information about the two or more social media network site used in the VPN group.

14. A computer program product including computer executable instructions stored onto a non-transitory computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for establishing a social media virtual private network (VPN), the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a communication, from a first user, directed to a first social media network site;

instructions to post the communication to the first social media network site;

instructions to post automatically the communication to a second social media network site for a second user;

instructions to format the communication from a first format used by the first social media network site to a second format used by the second social media network site;

instructions to determine if the communication is part of a private conversation;

if the communication is part of a private conversation, instructions to post the communication as a private message;

instructions to determine if the second social media network site has a private message function;

if the second social media network site does not have a private message function;

instructions to access a communication server to send the private message; and

instructions to, instead of automatically posting the communication to the second social media network, send the private message through the communication server.

15. The computer program product as defined in claim 14, wherein the private message is one of an email or instant message from the first user to the second user.