Social networking relationship ranking and decay

• US 9,020,965 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sehrer, Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glasser, Dara J
• Application Number:
  US13/248,349
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for retrieving connection score data for a user, the user being a user of a computer-implemented social networking service, the connection score data comprising one or more connections scores, each connection score reflecting a degree of interaction between the user and a respective contact, determining that a first connection score is less than or equal to a minimum connection score, the first connection score being associated with a first contact of the user within the social networking service, and, in response to determining that the first connection score is less than or equal to the minimum connection score, removing the first contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing device including a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising;

retrieving connection score data for a user, the user being a user of a plurality of computer-implemented services, the plurality of computer-implemented services including a computer-implemented social networking service, the connection score data comprising two or more connection scores, each connection score being based on a plurality of sub-connection scores that are each specific to a computer-implemented service of the plurality of computer-implemented services and that each reflect a degree of interaction between the user and a respective contact within the computer-implemented service;

identifying a first connection score associated with a first contact of the user within the social networking service and a second connection score associated with a second contact of the user within the social networking service, the first and the second connection scores each being based on two or more of the sub-connection scores that are specific to respective computer-implemented services;

applying one or more decay factors to the first connection score based on a frequency of one or more interactions over a period of time between the user and the first contact, the one or more decay factors modifying a value of the first connection score;

in response to determining that the first connection score is less than or equal to a threshold connection score, removing the first contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service;

receiving user input associated with the user assigning the second contact to a particular social circle within the social networking service, wherein respective connection scores associated with one or more users assigned to the particular social circle are protected from decay; and

in response to receiving the user input, protecting, by the processor, the second connection score from decay by preventing application of the one or more decay factors to the second connection score to maintain the second contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise revising at least one connection score based on one or more interaction values, the one or more interaction values increasing a value of the at least one connection score.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein revising the at least one connection score comprises:

determining that the at least one connection score is to be increased from a first value to a second value;

determining that the second value is greater than a maximum value; and

in response to determining that the second value is greater than the maximum value, setting the at least one connection score equal to the maximum value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing a symmetrical relationship between the user and a third contact within the social networking service; and

in response to establishing the symmetrical relationship, setting a third connection score equal to a maximum value, the third connection score being associated with the third contact.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein interaction between the user and a respective contact comprises interaction within the social networking service.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user has logged into the social networking service, wherein retrieving connection score data is executed in response to determining that the user has logged into the social networking service.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user has logged out of the social networking service, wherein retrieving connection score data is executed in response to determining that the user has logged out of the social networking service.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input comprises receiving a selection of a user-selectable interface element that is associated with the second contact and is presented for display on a graphical user interface of a computing device associated with the user.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device encoded with one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

retrieving connection score data for a user, the user being a user of a plurality of computer-implemented services, the plurality of computer-implemented services including a computer-implemented social networking service, the connection score data comprising two or more connection scores, each connection score being based on a plurality of sub-connection scores that are each specific to a computer-implemented service of the plurality of computer-implemented services and that each reflect a degree of interaction between the user and a respective contact within the computer-implemented service;

identifying a first connection score associated with a first contact of the user within the social networking service and a second connection score associated with a second contact of the user within the social networking service, the first and the second connection scores each being based on two or more of the sub-connection scores that are specific to respective computer-implemented services;

applying one or more decay factors to the first connection score based on a frequency of one or more interactions over a period of time between the user and the first contact, the one or more decay factors modifying a value of the first connection score;

in response to determining that the first connection score is less than or equal to a threshold connection score, removing the first contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service;

receiving user input associated with the user assigning the second contact to a particular social circle within the social networking service, wherein respective connection scores associated with one or more users assigned to the particular social circle are protected from decay; and

in response to receiving the input, protecting the second connection score from decay by preventing application of the one or more decay factors to the second connection score to maintain the second contact as a contact of the user within the social networking.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving, from computer-readable memory, connection score data for a user, the user being a user of a plurality of computer-implemented services, the plurality of computer-implemented services including a computer-implemented social networking service, the connection score data comprising two or more connection scores, each connection score being based on a plurality of sub-connection scores that are each specific to a computer-implemented service of the plurality of computer-implemented services and that each reflect a degree of interaction between the user and a respective contact within the computer-implemented service;

identifying, using one or more processors, a first connection score associated with a first contact of the user within the social networking service and a second connection score associated with a second contact of the user within the social networking service, the first and the second connection scores each being based on two or more of the sub-connection scores that are specific to respective computer-implemented services;

applying one or more decay factors to the first connection score based on a frequency of one or more interactions over a period of time between the user and the first contact, the one or more decay factors modifying a value of the first connection score;

in response to determining that the first connection score is less than or equal to a threshold connection score, removing the first contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service;

receiving user input associated with the user assigning the second contact to a particular social circle within the social networking service, wherein respective connection scores associated with one or more users assigned to the particular social circle are protected from decay; and

in response to receiving the user input, protecting the second connection score from decay by preventing application of the one or more decay factors to the second connection score to maintain the second contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service.

10. A system comprising:

a computing device including a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising;

retrieving connection score data for a user, the user being a user of a plurality of computer-implemented services, the plurality of computer-implemented services including a computer-implemented social networking service, the connection score data comprising two or more connection scores, each connection score being based on a plurality of sub-connection scores that are each specific to a computer-implemented service of the plurality of computer-implemented services and that each reflect a degree of interaction between the user and a respective contact within the computer-implemented service;

identifying a first connection score associated with a first contact of the user within the social networking service and a second connection score associated with a second contact of the user within the social networking service, the first and the second connection scores each being based on two or more of the sub-connection scores that are specific to respective computer-implemented services;

applying one or more decay factors to the first connection score based on a frequency of one or more interactions over a period of time between the user and the first contact, the one or more decay factors modifying a value of the first connection score;

in response to determining that the first connection score is less than or equal to a threshold connection score, removing the first contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service

receiving user input associated with the user assigning the second contact to a particular social circle within the social networking service, wherein respective connection scores associated with one or more users assigned to the particular social circle are is protected from decay;

in response to the receiving the user input, protecting, by the processor, the second connection score from decay by preventing application of the one or more decay factors to the second connection score to maintain the second contact as a contact of the user within the social networking service; and

transmitting instructions to display the first and the second contact of the user in rank order based on respective connection scores.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to display a graphical visualization based on respective connection scores, each graphical visualization graphically depicting a relationship between the user and the respective contact.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical visualization comprises a transparency of an image associated with a contact.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical visualization comprises a gauge associated with a contact.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical visualization comprises an indicator associated with a contact.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to display the contacts in a web page of the social networking service.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise revising at least one connection score based on one or more interaction values, the one or more interaction values increasing a value of the at least one connection score.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein revising the at least one connection score comprises:

determining that the at least one connection score is to be increased from a first value to a second value;

determining that the second value is greater than a maximum value; and

in response to determining that the second value is greater than the maximum value, setting the at least one connection score equal to the maximum value.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing a symmetrical relationship between the user and a third contact within the social networking service; and

in response to establishing the symmetrical relationship, setting a third connection score equal to a maximum value, the third connection score being associated with the third contact.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein interaction between the user and a respective contact comprises interaction within the social networking service.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user has logged into the social networking service, wherein retrieving connection score data is executed in response to determining that the user has logged into the social networking service.