Digital file distribution in a social network system

• US 8,655,976 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• 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): Nguyen, Thai
• Application Number:
  US13/475,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 709213-216, 709217-219, 707/784, 707/781, 707/9, 707/102, 707/104.1
• 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 a social timeline of a first user of a social networking system, the social timeline containing information about interactions, relationships or experiences of the first user with other users of the social networking system that are organized chronologically, and the social timeline comprising a plurality of selectable links for further information regarding the interactions, relationships or experiences;

receiving a request from a mobile device associated with a second user of the social networking system;

formatting the social timeline based on configuration of the mobile device responsive to receiving the request; and

providing the formatted social timeline for display on the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the configuration of the mobile device from the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information from the first user to create the social timeline.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the received information comprises (i) chronological listing of times, (ii) categories corresponding to the listed times, and (iii) identification of the other users corresponding to each of the categories.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving confirmation or a request from at least one of the other users to modify information included in the social timeline that is associated with the at least one of the other users.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising exchanging requests to modify the information from the first user and the at least one of the other users until the first user and the at least one of the other users reach a mutual agreement on the information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating and providing a page for display including fields for population by the first user to define the social timeline.

8. A social networking system comprising:

a processor executing instructions stored on a memory; and

the memory comprising;

a social network database configured to store a social timeline of a first user of a social networking system, the social timeline containing information about interactions, relationships or experiences of the first user with other users of the social networking system that are organized chronologically, and the social timeline comprising a plurality of selectable links for further information regarding the interactions, relationships or experiences;

a formatting module configured to format the social timeline for display on the mobile device based on the configuration of the mobile device responsive to receiving the request; and

a server contact application configured to;

receive a request for the social timeline from the mobile device associated with the second user; and

provide the formatted social timeline for display on the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a privacy setting module configured to store a privacy setting established by the first user of the social network system to define whether to allow the second user to retrieve the social timeline associate with the first user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the social network database is further configured to receive information from the first user to create the social timeline.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the received information comprises (i) chronological listing of times, (ii) categories corresponding to the listed times, and (iii) identification of the other users corresponding to each of the categories.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the social network database is configured to receive confirmation or a request from at least one of the other users to modify information included in the social timeline that is associated with the at least one of the other users.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the social network database is further configured to exchange requests to modify the information from the user and at least one of the other users until the user and the at least one of the other users reach a mutual agreement on the information.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the server contact application is further configured to generate and provide a page for display including fields for population by the first user to define the social timeline.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

store a social timeline of a first user of a social networking system, the social timeline containing information about interactions, relationships or experiences of the first user with other users of the social networking system that are organized chronologically, and the social timeline comprising a plurality of selectable links for further information regarding the interactions, relationships or experiences;

receive a request from a mobile device associated with a second user of the social networking system;

format the social timeline based on configuration of the mobile device responsive to receiving the request; and

provide the formatted social timeline for display on the mobile device.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions causing the processor to receive the configuration of the mobile device from the mobile device.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions causing the processor to receive information from the first user to create the social timeline.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the received information comprises (i) chronological listing of times, (ii) categories corresponding to the listed times, and (iii) identification of the other users corresponding to each of the categories.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions causing the processor to receive confirmation or a request from at least one of the other users to modify information included in the social timeline that is associated with the at least one of the other users.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions causing the processor to exchange requests to modify the information from the first user and the at least one of the other users until the first user and the at least one of the other users reach a mutual agreement on the information.