Data management in social networks

• US 9,141,704 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Meek, Christopher A., Horvitz, Eric J., Goodman, Joshua T., Flake, Gary W., Hurst-Hiller, Oliver, Gupta, Anoop, Naam, Ramez, Moss, Kenneth A., Gates, William H. III, Platt, John C., Griffin, Trenholme J., Brunell, Bradly A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, III, ALBERT M
• Application Number:
  US11/427,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,373 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Architecture that monitors interaction data (e.g., search queries, query results and click-through rates), and provides users with links to other users that fall into similar categories with respect to the foregoing monitored activities (e.g., providing links to individuals and groups that share common interests and/or profiles). A search engine can be interactively coupled with one or more social networks, and that maps individuals and/or groups within respective social networks to subsets of categories associated with searches. A database stores mapped information which can be continuously updated and reorganized as links within the system mapping become stronger or weaker. The architecture can comprise a social network system that includes a database for mapping search-related information to an entity of a social network, and a search component for processing a search query for search results and returning a link to an entity of a social network based on the search query.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor having computer-executable instructions encoded thereon to configure the system to perform operations comprising;

providing access to a database of mapping information that links search-related information to a plurality of users of one or more social networks;

continually monitoring a plurality of different search processes of the plurality of users for actions indicating shared interest in a first topic and shared interest in a second topic, wherein the first topic and the second topic are different;

continually updating the mapping information based at least on the actions indicating the shared interest in the first topic and the shared interest in the second topic;

creating a first social subnetwork by identifying, based at least in part on the mapping information, a first group of users of the plurality of users that have a common interest in the first topic;

creating a second social subnetwork by identifying, based at least in part on the mapping information, a second group of users of the plurality of users that have a common interest in the second topic;

monitoring interactions within the first social subnetwork and within the second social subnetwork to determine that a subgroup of users of the first group of users and of the second group of users share a common interest in a third topic;

determining that a number of users in the sub-group of users meets or exceeds a threshold level of interest; and

creating a third social subnetwork for the sub-group of users based at least in part on the determination that the number of users in the sub-group of users have met or exceeded the threshold level of interest, wherein the third social subnetwork facilitates interactions associated with the third topic for the sub-group of users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise providing a user enticement including one or more of a coupon, a discount, or a reward for sharing the search-related information via the one or more social networks.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise routing advertising via one or more of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork, the advertising relating to one or more of the first topic, the second topic or the third topic.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing search terms and phrases of the plurality of different search processes and making inferences about the search terms and phrases that leads to identification of the actions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the actions include different types of actions and the operations further comprises applying a weighting value to an individual action based on a type, the weighting value to be considered when determining indications of the shared interest in the first topic and of the shared interest in the second topic.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the indications of the shared interest in the first topic and of the shared interest in the second topic are based at least in part on click-through information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein creation of at least one of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork is based at least in part on common geo-location data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork comprises a collaboration application environment.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise implementing at least one of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork in a secure communications environment.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold level of interest comprises a threshold number of users.

11. A method, comprising:

providing access to a database of mapping information that links search-related information to a plurality of users of one or more social networks;

continually monitoring a plurality of different search processes of the plurality of users for actions indicating shared interest in a first topic and shared interest in a second topic, wherein the first topic and the second topic are different;

continually updating, by one or more processors, the mapping information based at least on the actions indicating the shared interest in the first topic and the shared interest in the second topic;

creating a first social subnetwork by identifying, based at least in part on the mapping information, a first group of users of the plurality of users that have a common interest in the first topic;

creating a second social subnetwork by identifying, based at least in part on the mapping information, a second group of users of the plurality of users that have a common interest in the second topic;

monitoring interactions within the first social subnetwork and within the second social subnetwork to determine that a subgroup of users of the first group of users and of the second group of users share a common interest in a third topic;

determining that a number of users in the sub-group of users meets or exceeds a threshold level of interest; and

creating a third social subnetwork for the sub-group of users based at least in part on the determination that the number of users in the sub-group of users have met or exceeded the threshold level of interest, wherein the third social subnetwork facilitates interactions associated with the third topic for the sub-group of users.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising routing advertising via one or more of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork, the advertising relating to one or more of the first topic, the second topic or the third topic.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing search terms and phrases of the plurality of different search processes and making inferences about the search terms and phrases that leads to identification of the actions.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the actions include different types of actions and the method further comprises applying a weighting value to an individual action based on a type, the weighting value to be considered when determining indications of the shared interest in the first topic and of the shared interest in the second topic.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the indications of the shared interest in the first topic and of the shared interest in the second topic are based at least in part on click-through information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein creation of at least one of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork is based at least in part on common geo-location data.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork comprises a collaboration application environment.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising implementing at least one of the first social subnetwork, the second social subnetwork or the third social subnetwork in a secure communications environment.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the threshold level of interest comprises a threshold number of users.

20. One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, configure one or more devices to perform operations comprising:

providing access to a database of mapping information that links search-related information to a plurality of users of one or more social networks;

continually monitoring a plurality of different search processes of the plurality of users for actions indicating shared interest in a first topic and shared interest in a second topic, wherein the first topic and the second topic are different;

continually updating the mapping information based at least on the actions indicating the shared interest in the first topic and the shared interest in the second topic;

creating a first social subnetwork by identifying, based at least in part on the mapping information, a first group of users of the plurality of users that have a common interest in the first topic;

creating a second social subnetwork by identifying, based at least in part on the mapping information, a second group of users of the plurality of users that have a common interest in the second topic;

monitoring interactions within the first social subnetwork and within the second social subnetwork to determine that a subgroup of users of the first group of users and of the second group of users share a common interest in a third topic;

determining that a number of users in the sub-group of users meets or exceeds a threshold level of interest; and

creating a third social subnetwork for the sub-group of users based at least in part on the determination that the number of users in the sub-group of users have met or exceeded the threshold level of interest, wherein the third social subnetwork facilitates interactions associated with the third topic for the sub-group of users.