Extracting facts from social network messages

• US 8,775,400 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ickman, Steven W., Kinsel, Patrick A., Roberton, Nathanael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DEBBIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/827,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 707/707, 707/708, 707/770, 707/771
• US Class Current: 707/707
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Within a social network, users may submit various types of messages, such as personal messages to other users and status messages to be shared with all associated users. While these messages often relate to highly personal information such as opinions and personal emotions, such messages may also comprise one or more facts about a particular topic, such as a report of a weather condition in a particular location at a particular time. These facts may be identified in various messages, and may be stored in a fact store, such that when a user submits a query specifying a topic may receive from the fact store one or more facts that are responsive to the topic of the query. Additionally, user interfaces may be devised and provided to users submitting such messages, e.g., in order to reduce ambiguity and improve the reliable extraction of facts from messages.

Claims

1. A method of presenting facts extracted from a social network on a device having a processor and a fact store, respective facts associated with at least one topic, the method comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

upon receiving from a user within the social network a message conveying a personal opinion of the user;

identify in the message a reference identifying a topic associated with the personal opinion,

translate the personal opinion in the message into at least one fact associated with the topic identified by the reference and not explicitly stated in the message, and

store the fact in the fact store associated with the topic; and

upon receiving from a user a query related to a topic;

select from the fact store at least one fact associated with the topic, and

present the at least one fact to the user.

2. The method of claim 1:

identifying the at least one fact comprising;

identifying a time associated with the fact;

storing the fact in the fact store comprising;

storing the fact in the fact store associated with the topic and associated with the time; and

selecting the at least one fact from the fact store comprising;

selecting from the fact store at least one fact associated with the topic and associated with a time associated with the query.

3. The method of claim 1:

identifying the at least one fact comprising;

identifying at least one location associated with the fact;

storing the fact in the fact store comprising;

storing the fact in the fact store associated with the topic and associated with the at least one location; and

selecting the at least one fact from the fact store comprising;

selecting from the fact store at least one fact associated with the topic and associated with a location associated with the query.

4. The method of claim 3, identifying the location associated with the fact comprising:

identifying within the message at least one geotag identifying a location associated with the message.

5. The method of claim 3, the presenting comprising:

presenting a map comprising the location of the at least one fact selected from the fact store, the map overlaid with at least one fact positioned on the map according to the location associated with the fact.

6. The method of claim 1:

the fact store defining a fact schema specifying an organizational structure of the topics and the facts; and

identifying the at least one fact comprising;

identifying within the message at least one fact schema identifier that identifies at least one of the topic and the fact associated with the topic.

7. The method of claim 1, identifying the at least one fact comprising:

identifying the topic in the message by detecting within the message at least one topical keyword associated with the topic.

8. The method of claim 7:

at least one topic associated with at least one common topical keyword and at least one uncommon topical keyword; and

the instructions configured to, upon receiving from a user a message including at least one uncommon topical keyword associated with a topic, suggest to the user at least one common topical keyword associated with the topic.

9. The method of claim 1, identifying the at least one fact comprising:

identifying the fact in the message by detecting within the message at least one factual keyword associated with the fact.

10. The method of claim 1:

the instructions configured to present to the user submitting the message a user interface configured to receive messages including at least one fact associated with at least one topic; and

the message received through the user interface.

11. The method of claim 10:

the message ambiguously specifying at least one intended fact among at least two possible facts;

the user interface configured to, upon receiving the message;

query the user to select at least one intended fact among the at least two possible facts; and

selecting the at least one fact from the fact store comprising;

upon receiving from the user a selection of at least one intended fact among the at least two possible facts, selecting the at least one intended fact selected by the user.

12. The method of claim 1, identifying the at least one fact comprising:

upon receiving a message set comprising at least two messages, respective messages submitted within the social network by a user and including at least one fact associated with a topic, identifying the fact about the topic among the messages of the message set.

13. The method of claim 12:

a first fact in the message set comprising a first fact about the topic;

a second fact in the message set comprising a second fact about the topic that contradicts the first fact; and

identifying the at least one fact comprising;

among the facts about the topic included in the messages of the message set, selecting a fact.

14. The method of claim 1, the presenting comprising:

presenting to the user an anonymized fact based on the fact.

15. The method of claim 1:

the instructions configured to;

identify a desired fact associated with at least one topic, and

send to a user within the social network a solicitation for a message including the desired fact; and

the message received from the user in response to the solicitation.

16. The method of claim 15, identifying the desired fact comprising:

receiving from a user a query specifying the desired fact.

17. The method of claim 15, the sending comprising:

upon identifying a desired fact, identify at least one user within the social network who may know the desired fact; and

sending the solicitation for a message about the desired fact to the at least one user.

18. The method of claim 15:

the user submitting the query specifying a reward for the desired fact; and

the instructions configured to, upon receiving the message including the desired fact from the user, delivering to the user the reward from the user submitting the query.

19. A system configured to present facts extracted from a social network, the system comprising:

a fact store configured to store at least one fact associated with at least one topic;

a fact storing component configured to, upon receiving messages from at least two users within the social network;

identify in the respective messages a reference identifying a topic associated with the message;

identify in the respective messages at least one potential fact associated with the topic identified by the reference;

from the potential facts, identify at least one selected fact representing a consensus among the potential facts identified in the messages; and

store the at least one selected fact in the fact store associated with the topic; and

a fact presenting component configured to, upon receiving from a user a query related to a topic;

select from the fact store at least one fact associated with the topic, and

present the at least one fact to the user.

20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device having a fact store, present facts extracted from a social network by:

presenting to a user of the social network a user interface configured to receive messages including at least one fact associated with at least one topic;

upon receiving from a user through the user interface a message within the social network;

upon determining that the message includes at least one uncommon topical keyword associated with a topic, suggesting to the user at least one common topical keyword associated with the topic;

identifying in the message at least one fact associated with at least one topic by detecting within the message at least one topical keyword associated with the topic and at least one factual keyword associated with the fact;

upon determining that the message ambiguously specifies at least one intended fact among at least two possible facts;

querying the user to select at least one intended fact among the at least two possible facts, and

upon receiving from the user a selection of at least one intended fact among the at least two possible facts, selecting the at least one intended fact selected by the user;

identifying a time associated with the fact; and

storing the fact in the fact store associated with the topic and associated with the time;

upon receiving from a user a query related to a topic and associated with a time;

upon determining that the fact store does not include a fact associated with the topic of the query;

identifying at least one user within the social network who may know the fact;

sending to a user within the social network a solicitation for a message including the fact and specifying a reward for the fact; and

upon receiving the message including the fact from the user;

storing the fact in the fact store associated with the topic, and

delivering a reward to the user;

selecting from the fact store at least one fact associated with the topic and associated with the time associated with the query; and

presenting the at least one fact to the user.