Inferring user family connections from social information

• US 8,938,411 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lessin, Samuel, Wiseman, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): SITIRICHE, LUIS A
• Application Number:
  US13/569,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/047 Pattern matching networks; Rete networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A social networking system infers family connections between a target user and one or more additional social networking system users based on information stored by the social networking system about the target user and the target user'"'"'s connections. The inferred connections may be sent to the target user for verification and stored by the social networking system if confirmed by the target user. Stored connection information about a set of users connected to the target user may be used to infer connections between the target user and subject users connected to one or more of the users connected to the target user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing connection data for an inference target user of a social networking system, the connection data for the inference target user describing a relationship between the inference target user and an intermediate user of the social networking system;

accessing connection data for the intermediate user, the connection data for the intermediate user describing a relationship between the intermediate user and an inference subject user of the social networking system;

analyzing by a processor the connection data for the inference target user describing a relationship between the inference target user and an intermediate user of the social networking system and the connection data for the intermediate user describing a relationship between the intermediate user and an inference subject user of the social networking system;

inferring by the processor a new connection between the inference target user and the inference subject user based at least in part on the analyzed connection data for the inference target user and the intermediate user;

presenting the inferred new connection to the inference target user;

receiving a confirmation of the inferred new connection from the inference target user; and

storing the inferred new connection between the inference target user and the inference subject user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the inferred connection between the inference target user and the inference subject user comprises applying an inference rule to the connection data associated with the inference target user and the connection data associated with intermediate user, the inference rule mapping a connection type associated with the connection data associated with the inference target user and a connection type associated with the connection data associated with the intermediate user to an inference connection type.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the inferred connection between the inference target user and the inference subject user comprises:

accessing action data stored in the social networking system describing one or more actions taken by the inference target user recorded by the social networking system; and

generating the inferred connection object at least in part based on the one or more actions taken by the inference target user in addition to the connection data associated with the inference target user and the connection data associated with the intermediate user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the action data describes a marriage of the inference target user to the intermediate user;

the connection data associated with the intermediate user describes a sibling relationship between the intermediate user and the inference subject user; and

generating the inferred connection comprises generating a connection describing a sibling-in-law relationship between the inference target user and the inference subject user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the connection data associated with the inference target user describes a sibling relationship between the inference target user and the intermediate user;

the connection data associated with the intermediate user describes a sibling relationship between the intermediate user and the inference subject user; and

generating the inferred connection comprises generating a connection describing a sibling relationship between the inference target user and inference subject user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the connection data associated with the inference target user describes parental relationship between the inference target user and the intermediate user;

the connection data associated with the intermediate user describes a sibling relationship between the intermediate user and the inference subject user; and

generating the inferred connection comprises generating a connection describing a parental relationship between the inference target user and inference subject user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing social information associated with the inference subject user; and

targeting an advertisement for the inference target user based at least in part on the social information.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving connection data associated with an inference input set of users in the social networking system that are connected to an inference target user in the social networking system;

identifying by a processor one or more additional users connected to at least one user in the inference input set of users from the connection data associated with the inference input set of users but not connected to the inference target user;

analyzing, by the processor, connection data describing a relationship between the at least one user in the inference input set of users and the additional user and based at least in part on connection data describing a relationship between the inference target user and the identified at least one user in the inference input set of users;

inferring by the processor a new connection between the inference target user and an additional user connected in the social networking system to at least one user in the inference input set of users based at least in part on the analyzed connection data; and

storing, in the social networking system, the inferred new connection between the inference target user and the additional user connected to the at least one user in the inference input set.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the inferred new connection information indicates that the inference target user and the additional user connected to the at least one user in the inference input set are connected by a familial relationship.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein storing, in the social networking system, the inferred connection between the inference target user and the additional user connected to the at least one user in the inference set of input comprises:

sending a description of the inferred connection to the inference target user; and

responsive to receiving confirmation of the inferred connection information from the inference target user, storing the inferred connection in the social networking system.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the inference input set of users is a subset of users connected to the inference target user selected based on affinities of the inference target user for users connected to the inference target user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the inference input set of users is a subset of users connected to the inference target user by connections having a specified connection type.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the specified connection type indicates a familial relationship.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the inference input set of users is determined based on a connection type associated with the inferred connection.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

accessing social information associated with the one or more additional users connected to at least one user in the inference input set of users; and

targeting an advertisement for the inference target user based at least in part on the social information.