Sharing data over trusted networks

• US 8,560,630 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Malkhi, Dahlia, Zhou, Lidong, Fernandess, Yaacov
• Primary Examiner(s): CHRISTENSEN, SCOTT B
• Application Number:
  US11/680,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709/218, 715733-759
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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

Abstract

Data is automatically shared over one or more contact networks which are interrelated by a trust relationship. The data can be shared using a network-based communication service and is stored as a data record in a local data store. The communication service may be implemented as an instant messaging, electronic mail, mobile phone or some other type of communication service. The data record can include data created by a user, a relevance value, a maximum share count and/or other data. The number of times that data may be shared may be configured by the user that generates the data. The relevance of the data may be updated each time the data is shared.

Claims

1. A method for sharing data, comprising:

creating a first data record to be shared with multiple layers of contacts, wherein the multiple layers of contacts comprises;

a first layer of contacts comprising a first group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with a user creating the first data record,

a second layer of contacts comprising a second group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with one or more contacts of the first group of contacts, and

a third layer of contacts comprising a third group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with one or more contacts of the second group of contacts,

wherein the user defines in the data record a count value defining the number of layers of contacts to which the first data record may be disseminated;

determining a first relevance value for the first data record, the first relevance value defining a degree of importance associated with the data included in the first data record, each contact in each layer of contacts that receives the first data record capable of altering the first relevance value based on the degree of importance associated with the data record by the receiving contact;

inserting the first relevance value into the first data record;

automatically sharing the first data record and the first relevance value to each contact in the number of layers of the multiple layers of contacts defined in the count value, the first data record being automatically shared with each contact in defined number of layers through a network-based peer-to-peer communication service to avoid centralized storage of the first data record,

wherein the first data record is stored in a local data store of each contact receiving the first data record; and

storing a weight value for each contact associated with the first user, the weight value stored in local memory;

automatically updating the first relevance value in the first data record each time the first data record is shared with a contact in the multiple layers of contacts receiving the first data record, automatically updating the first relevance value in the first data record each time the first data record is shared including;

retrieving the first relevance value from the first data record;

updating the first relevance value retrieved from the first data record based on the first relevance value retrieved from the first data record and a weight value associated with a source from which the first data record is received, updating the first relevance value based on the first relevance value retrieved from the first data record and a weight value associated with a source from which the first data record is received including calculating a product of the retrieved first relevance value and the weight value associated with the source from which the first data record is received;

inserting the updated first relevance value into the first data record, thereby updating the first relevance value in the first data record; and

ranking search results performed by a contact of the one of the first, second, and third groups of contacts, wherein the search results includes the first data record and the ranking is based at least in part on the first relevance value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of creating the first data record includes:

receiving user input which specifies the first relevance value for the first data record.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inserting the count value into the first data record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

detecting a share event; and

automatically transmitting the first data record to a first contact over the communication service, the at least two contacts including the first contact.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

receiving the first data record by the first contact from a source, the source including the first client device;

retrieving the first relevance value from the received first data record;

automatically updating the first relevance value retrieved from the received first data record by calculating a product of the retrieved first relevance value and a weight value associated with the source by the first contact; and

inserting the updated first relevance value into the first data record, thereby updating the first relevance value in the first data record.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

receiving the first data record by a second contact from the first contact; and

automatically updating the first relevance value retrieved from the received first data record by calculating a product of the first relevance value retrieved from the first data record and a second weight value associated with the first contact by the second contact; and

inserting the updated first relevance value into the first data record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

storing a weight value for each contact associated with the first user, the weight value stored in local memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record includes the first relevance value, a path over which the first data record is shared with the at least two contacts, the count value, and a number of times the first data record has been shared with the at least two contacts.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication service is an instant messaging service provided over a network.

10. A tangible computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable medium is not a signal, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

creating a first data record to be shared with multiple layers of contacts, wherein the multiple layers of contacts comprises;

a first layer of contacts comprising a first group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with a user creating the first data record,

a second layer of contacts comprising a second group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with one or more contacts of the first group of contacts, and

a third layer of contacts comprising a third group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with one or more contacts of the second group of contacts,

wherein the user defines in the data record a count value defining the number of layers of contacts to which the first data record may be disseminated;

associating a data record with a first relevance value provided by a first user, said data record is shared by the first user with other users interrelated by trust relationships;

comparing a number of times that the data record has been shared with said other users to confirm that the number is less than a maximum count value;

comparing a first time stamp associated with the data record to a second time stamp associated with a second user, said second time stamp associated with the second user indicates a time that data has been recently shared with the second user;

automatically transmitting the data record and the first relevance value to each contact in the number of layers of the multiple layers of contacts defined in the count value, the first data record being automatically transmitted to each contact in defined number of layers the second using a peer-to-peer network to avoid centralized storage of the data record network based communication service based on said steps of comparing, said automatically transmitting the data record and the first relevance value to the second user based on said steps of comparing includes transmitting the data record and the first relevance value to the second user in response to determining that the first time stamp associated with the data record is more recent than the second time stamp associated with the second user and in response to determining that the number of times that the data record has been shared with said other users is less than the maximum count value, the first user and second user having a first trust relationship, wherein the data record is stored in a local data store of the second user; and

automatically determining a second relevance value based on the first relevance value for the data record received by the second user and the first trust relationship between the first user and the second user.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said step of associating a first relevance value includes:

receiving the first relevance value input for the data record from the first user; and

storing the first relevance value as part of the data record.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said step of automatically determining a second relevance:

accessing the first relevance value;

accessing a weight value associated with the first user; and

determining the second relevance value as the result of multiplying the first relevance value by the weight value.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein contact information for the second user is stored in a communication service account for the first user.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

automatically transmitting the data record and the second relevance value to a third user using the communication service, the second user and third user having a second trust relationship; and

automatically determining a third relevance value based on the second relevance value for the data record received by the third user and the second trust relationship between the second user and the third user.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

accessing a list of two or more data items, each data item having a rank;

determining whether one of the two or more data items matches a portion of content of the data record; and

modifying the rank of the matching data item based on said step of determining.

16. A method for sharing data, comprising:

creating one or more data records to be shared with multiple layers of contacts, each data record including a URL that is;

i) in the stored list of favorite URLs for the user creating the one or more data records, or

ii) is in the stored browser history of URLs visited by the user creating the one or more data records,

wherein the multiple layers of contacts comprises;

a first layer of contacts comprising a first group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with a user creating the first data record,

a second layer of contacts comprising a second group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with one or more contacts of the first group of contacts, and

a third layer of contacts comprising a third group of contacts known to and having a defined trust relationship with one or more contacts of the second group of contacts,

wherein the user defines in the data record a count value defining the number of layers of contacts to which the first data record may be disseminated;

inserting one or more relevance values into the one or more data records, the one or more relevance values defining a degree of importance associated with the data included in the one or more data records, each contact in each layer of contacts that receives the first data record capable of altering the one or more relevance values based on the degree of importance associated with the data record by the receiving contact;

automatically sharing the one or more data records and the one or more relevance values to each contact in the number of layers of the multiple layers of contacts defined in the count value, the one or more data records being automatically shared with each contact in defined number of layers through a peer-to-peer communication network wherein the one or more data records are stored in a local data store of each contact receiving the first data record;

ranking search results in a search performed by a contact receiving the one or more data records by assigning a ranking to a URL identified in both the search results and in the one or more data records that is higher than a ranking of that URL had it not appeared in the one or more data records.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

detecting a share event; and

automatically transmitting the one or more data records to contacts in the number of layers of contacts specified in the count value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

receiving the first data record by the first contact from a source, the source including the first client device;

retrieving the first relevance value from the received first data record;

automatically updating the first relevance value retrieved from the received first data record by calculating a product of the retrieved first relevance value and a weight value associated with the source by the first contact; and

inserting the updated first relevance value into the first data record, thereby updating the first relevance value in the first data record.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of automatically sharing includes:

receiving the first data record by a second contact from the first contact; and

automatically updating the first relevance value retrieved from the received first data record by calculating a product of the first relevance value retrieved from the first data record and a second weight value associated with the first contact by the second contact; and

inserting the updated first relevance value into the first data record.