Method and system for directly targeting and blasting messages to automatically identified entities on social media

• US 8,762,473 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp., DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.), Hoover's Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Credibility Corp. (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.)
• Inventors: Stibel, Jeffrey M., Stibel, Aaron B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US14/098,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 201 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/224, 709/220, 709/223, 709/203, 709/205, 709/217, 709/201, 709/200, 709/204, 709/207, 709/221, 709/226, 709/228, 709/245, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.4, 370/352, 370/353, 370/466, 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/412, 707/E17.014, 707/999.01, 707/999.003, 707/999.1, 707/607, 707/999.001, 707/999.005, 707/999.007, 707/999.104, 705/14.69
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/9994 Distributed or remote access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99941 Database schema or data structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a communication tool that directly sends messages to accounts of different entities across different social media sites by automatically identifying and associating the accounts of the entities when the entities are referenced in the contents of the messages. Such identification and association is performed without the message originator manually specifying the accounts as intended recipients for the messages. The communication tool also automatically sends messages to different social media accounts of the message originator. The communication tool also blasts messages to an information aggregator that aggregates messages to develop a database from which the messages that target a particular entity can be presented irrespective of whether the particular entity has registered an account with any social media site, irrespective of which social media site the messages are originally destined for, and irrespective of whether a recipient is explicitly specified for the messages by the message originator.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

with at least one machine having a processor;

aggregating a plurality of messages that are disseminated to a plurality of entities at any of a plurality of social media sites, wherein the plurality of messages comprise a first message that is disseminated to a first social media site of the plurality of social media sites and a second message that is disseminated to a second different social media site of the plurality of social media sites;

identifying a particular entity that is referenced in body text of at least the first message and the second message by detecting an alphanumeric identifier of the particular entity in the body text of the first and second messages, wherein the body text of a message is separate from a header of the message that specifies a source of and a recipient for the message; and

presenting at least the first and the second messages in one interface that is independent of interfaces of the first social media site and the second social media site to which the first and second messages are disseminated.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising configuring a communication tool running on a plurality of user devices to disseminate the plurality of messages to said machine in addition to any of the plurality of social media sites that is specified as a destination.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the particular entity comprises comparing different fragments from body text of the plurality of messages against a list of alphanumeric identifiers identifying a plurality of entities and determining at least one fragment from the body text of the first and second messages that matches to an alphanumeric identifier for the particular entity.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric identifier comprises at least one of an entity name, username, address, telephone number, and email address.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising presenting in conjunction with the first and second messages, an identifier identifying each social media site to which each of the first and second messages is disseminated.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising presenting in conjunction with the first and second messages, an identifier identifying each sender that originates and disseminates each of the first and second messages.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising presenting in conjunction with the first and second messages, a score quantifying credibility of the particular entity.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the score is derived in part from sentiment that is expressed in the body text of at least the first and second messages.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of an information aggregation system with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor of the information aggregation system to perform sets of instructions for:

aggregating a plurality of messages that are disseminated to a plurality of entities at any of a plurality of social media sites, wherein the plurality of messages comprise a first message that is disseminated to a first social media site of the plurality of social media sites and a second message that is disseminated to a second different social media site of the plurality of social media sites;

identifying a particular entity that is referenced in body text of at least the first message and the second message by detecting an alphanumeric identifier of the particular entity in the body text of the first and second messages, wherein the body text of a message is separate from a header of the message that specifies a source of and a recipient for the message; and

presenting at least the first and the second messages in one interface that is independent of interfaces of the first social media site and the second social media site to which the first and second messages are disseminated.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for configuring a communication tool running on a plurality of user devices to disseminate the plurality of messages to said machine in addition to any of the plurality of social media sites that is specified as a destination.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein identifying the particular entity comprises comparing different fragments from body text of the plurality of messages against a list of alphanumeric identifiers identifying a plurality of entities and determining at least one fragment from the body text of the first and second messages that matches to an alphanumeric identifier for the particular entity.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the alphanumeric identifier comprises at least one of an entity name, username, address, telephone number, and email address.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for presenting in conjunction with the first and second messages, an identifier identifying each social media site to which each of the first and second messages is disseminated.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for presenting in conjunction with the first and second messages, an identifier identifying each sender that originates and disseminates each of the first and second messages.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for presenting in conjunction with the first and second messages, a score quantifying credibility of the particular entity.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for deriving the score in part from sentiment that is expressed in the body text of at least the first and second messages.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for retrieving an advertisement that is relevant for the particular entity.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the program further instructs the processor to perform a set of instructions for passing said advertisement to a sender of the first message.

19. A computer system comprising:

a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

a computer processor in communication with the memory, the computer-executable instructions programming the computer processor in;

aggregating a plurality of messages that are disseminated to a plurality of entities at any of a plurality of social media sites, wherein the plurality of messages comprise a first message that is disseminated to a first social media site of the plurality of social media sites and a second message that is disseminated to a second different social media site of the plurality of social media sites;

identifying a particular entity that is referenced in body text of at least the first message and the second message by detecting an alphanumeric identifier of the particular entity in the body text of the first and second messages, wherein the body text of a message is separate from a header of the message that specifies a source of and a recipient for the message; and

presenting at least the first and the second messages in one interface that is independent of interfaces of the first social media site and the second social media site to which the first and second messages are disseminated.