Temporary virtual identities in a social networking system

• US 8,549,597 B1
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Strand, William Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, JEREMIAH L
• Application Number:
  US12/780,510
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating temporary virtual identities in a social networking system. An identity associated with a user is authenticated. A time period, location or other parameter associated with the user is authenticated. The temporary virtual identity is registered in the social networking system. Content generated by the user is published in the social networking system under the temporary virtual identity.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:

a program executable in a computing device, the program configured to cause the computing device to;

retrieve an identity associated with a user in a social networking service;

authenticate the identity associated with the user in the social networking service by verifying login credentials provided in a request from a client with login credentials in the social networking service;

authenticate at least one parameter associated with the user in addition to authentication of the identity, the at least one parameter being a requirement for issuing the user a temporary virtual identity in the social networking service, the at least one parameter comprising at least one of;

a geographic location of the user, a time period, or attendance of the user at an event;

generate the temporary virtual identity associated with the user within the social networking service;

register the temporary virtual identity in the social networking service;

associate the temporary virtual identity with the identity of the user in the social networking service;

publish, in the social networking service, content associated with the user under the temporary virtual identity, the published content associated with at least one of the time period, the geographic location, or the event, the published content further being disassociated from the identity associated with the user in the social networking service; and

expire the temporary virtual identity by deleting the temporary virtual identity from the social networking service after a predetermined period of time.

2. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

a temporary virtual identity application executable in the at least one computing device, the temporary virtual identity application comprising;

logic that authenticates an identity within a social networking service, the identity being associated with a user;

logic that authenticates at least one parameter associated with the user in addition to authentication of the identity, the at least one parameter being a requirement for issuing the user a temporary virtual identity, the at least one parameter comprising at least one of;

a time period, a location, or attendance of the user at an event and the temporary virtual identity being associated with the at least one parameter and the identity within the social networking service;

logic that generates the temporary virtual identity within the social networking service, the temporary virtual identity being associated with the user; and

logic that registers the temporary virtual identity in the social networking service.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

logic that retrieves an identity associated with the user in the social networking service;

wherein

the identity associated with the user is retrieved from the social networking service.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising logic that publishes, in the social networking service, content associated with the user under the temporary virtual identity, the published content associated with at least one of a time period or a location.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the logic that authenticates the identity with the social networking service further comprises logic that verifies login credentials provided in a request from a client with login credentials in the social networking service.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the logic that authenticates the at least one parameter further comprises:

logic that issues an authentication certificate to the user; and

logic that verifies the authentication certificate when the temporary virtual identity is registered.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the temporary virtual identity is associated with an event occurring in the location and the time period.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic that issues the authentication certificate further comprises logic that verifies the attendance of the user at the event.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the logic that establishes the temporary virtual identity further comprises the logic that detects a geographic location of the user from a mobile device of the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the logic that detects the geographic location of the user further comprises logic that accesses a global positioning system (GPS) capability of the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the logic that establishes the temporary virtual identity further comprises logic that detects a network location of the user based at least upon an internet protocol (IP) address from which the mobile device is communicating.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein the logic that registers the temporary virtual identity further comprises logic that associates the temporary virtual identity with the identity of the user in the social networking service.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the logic that publishes content associated with the user under the temporary virtual identity further comprises logic that masks a relationship between the temporary virtual identity and the identity of the user.

14. The system of claim 3, further comprising logic that expires the temporary virtual identity after a predetermined period of time.

15. A computer-implemented method, comprising

retrieving, in at least one computing device, an identity associated with a user in a social networking service;

establishing, in the at least one computing device, a temporary virtual identity associated with the user within the social networking service, the temporary virtual identity associated with at least one of;

a time period, a location or attendance of the user at an event;

registering the temporary virtual identity in the social networking service; and

publishing, in the social networking service, content associated with the user under the temporary virtual identity, the published content associated with at least one of;

the time period, the location or the event, the content further being disassociated from the identity of the user in the social networking service.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising authenticating the temporary virtual identity by authenticating at least one of:

an identity of the user, the time period or the location.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the event is associated with the location and the time period.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein authenticating the temporary virtual identity further comprises:

issuing an authentication certificate to the user; and

verifying the authentication certificate when the temporary virtual identity is registered.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein issuing the authentication certificate further comprises verifying the attendance of the user at the event.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein issuing the authentication certificate further comprises issuing the user an authentication code;

and

registering the temporary virtual identity with the social networking service further comprises verifying the authentication code.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein establishing the temporary virtual identity further comprises detecting a geographic location of the user from a mobile device of the user.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein detecting the geographic location of the user further comprises access a global positioning system (GPS) capability of the mobile device.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein establishing the temporary virtual identity further comprises detecting a network location of the user based at least upon an internet protocol (IP) address from which the user is communicating.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein registering the temporary virtual identity further comprises associating the temporary virtual identity with the identity of the user in the social networking service.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein publishing content associated with the user under the temporary virtual identity further comprises masking a relationship between the temporary virtual identity and the identity of the user.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising expiring the temporary virtual identity after a predetermined period of time.