Adding user to logical group or creating a new group based on scoring of groups

• US 8,935,332 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mallet, Vincent, Cheng, Jessica, Fiedel, Noah, Gillum, Eric William, Ramanarayanan, Ganesh, Woods, Nicholas James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US14/036,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/200, 709/206, 706/12, 707/999.203, 707/728, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/287 Visualization; Browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 : Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 : Version management

Abstract

Content is received from a first user. Then, in response to the receiving, logical relationship information describing logical relationships among a plurality of users is accessed and potential membership of the first user in a first group of users is determined based on the logical relationship information, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, by a candidate scorer module. Then, in response to a determination that the first group has a score from the candidate scorer module that does not meet a preset threshold, a new group is created comprising users that are located proximate to each other. The content received from the first user is forwarded to other users of either the first group or the new group, based on the threshold determination.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving content from a first user;

in response to the receiving;

accessing logical relationship information describing logical relationships among a plurality of users; and

determining, using at least one processor, potential membership of the first user in a first group of users based on the logical relationship information, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, by a candidate scorer module, wherein the candidate scoring module bases the scores at least partially on user affinity between the first user and users of the possible groups, wherein the affinity is based on contributions of content by the first user and users of the possible groups;

in response to a determination that the first group has a score from the candidate scorer module that does not meet a preset threshold, creating a new group comprising users that are located proximate to each other; and

forwarding the content received from the first user to other users of either the first group or the new group, based on the threshold determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are based on metadata associated with the content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the membership in the first group comprises repeatedly adjusting membership in the first group based on the logical relationship information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical relationship information comprises interactions between at least two users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical relationship information comprises communications between at least two users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein proximity of users is determined by location data and environmental data captured by user devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the affinity is based on recentness of interactions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the contributions of content comprise supplying annotations to the content.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting objectionable behavior corresponding to the first user and removing the first from the first group based on the detection of the objectionable behavior.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory to store a plurality of modules comprising instructions for execution on the at least one processor, the modules comprising;

an interaction recording module configured to record interactions among a plurality of users;

a candidate scorer module configured to, in response to the receiving of content by a transfer module, access logical relationship information, and to determine potential membership in a first group of users based on the recorded interactions and the content, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups based on scores generated by a candidate scorer module, wherein the candidate scoring module bases the scores at least partially on user affinity between the first user and users of the possible groups, wherein the affinity is based on contributions of content by the first user and users of the possible groups;

a group candidate indexer module configured to, in response to a determination that the first group has a score from the candidate scorer module that does not meet a preset threshold, create a new group comprising users that are located proximate to each other;

the transfer module configured to receive content from the first user and to forward the content to other users of either the first group or the new group, based on the threshold determination.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are based on metadata associated with the content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the determining of the potential membership in the first group comprises repeatedly adjusting potential membership in the first group based on the logical relationship information.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein proximity of users is determined by location data and environmental data captured by user devices.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the affinity is based on recentness of interactions.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving content from a first user;

in response to the receiving;

accessing logical relationship information describing logical relationships among a plurality of users; and

determining, using at least one processor, potential membership of the first user in a first group of users based on the logical relationship information, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, by a candidate scorer module, wherein the candidate scoring module bases the scores at least partially on user affinity between the first user and users of the possible groups, wherein the affinity is based on contributions of content by the first user and users of the possible groups;

in response to a determination that the first group has a score from the candidate scorer module that does not meet a preset threshold, creating a new group comprising users that are located proximate to each other; and

forwarding the content received from the first user to other users of either the first group or the new group, based on the threshold determination.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are based on metadata associated with the content.