Customizable content for distribution in social networks

• US 9,224,172 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Churchill, Elizabeth F., Jones, M. Cameron, Athsani, Athellina
• Primary Examiner(s): RUBIN, BLAKE J
• Application Number:
  US12/326,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,583 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Particular embodiments of the present invention are related to customizing content based on a social context associated with the viewer of the content. The social context may include information regarding the viewer'"'"'s friends or contacts in a social network, and information regarding the interaction of such friends or contacts with the customizable content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a computing device, the presence of a first user of an online social network;

delivering, by a computing device, content to the first user, the content allowing enhancement by the first user;

receiving, by the computing device, one or more enhancements to the content by the first user;

detecting, by the computing device, the presence of a second user on the social network, the second user different than the first user, the detecting the presence of the second user comprising detecting that a first client node to which the content may be displayed is geographically proximate to a second client node associated with the second user;

determining, by the computing device, a social context of the second user, the social context comprising data associated with the second user with respect to the social network, the data associated with the second user with respect to the social network comprising data related to an interaction with the particular content by friends or contacts of the second user;

modifying, by the computing device, the content, the modifying based on the determined social context of the second user and the one or more enhancements to the content by the first user;

notifying, by the computing device, the second user that the content has been modified by the first user, the notifying comprising displaying at least a portion of the modified content; and

delivering, by the computing device, the modified content to the second user, the delivering comprising displaying the modified content to the first client node in response to the determination that the first client node is geographically proximate to the second client node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes an interactive rich media file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content includes an interactive advertisement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the social context includes at least one of:

information regarding contacts of the second user with respect to the social networks; and

information regarding enhancements of the content by contacts of the second user with respect to the social network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined social context indicates that the first user and the second user are contacts with respect to the social network, and the modified content delivered to the second user includes the one or more enhancements of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first client node is proximate to the second client node is based on at least one of:

the second client node'"'"'s geographic location as determined by a global positioning system;

the second client node'"'"'s geographic location in a cellular network;

the second client node'"'"'s Internet protocol address; and

the second client node'"'"'s presence within a communication range of a short-range communication standard associated with the first client node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivered modified content is based on at least one of a temporal context, a geographical context, and a behavioral context of at least one of the first user and the second user.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more network interfaces;

a memory for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

detecting logic executed by the processor for detecting the presence of a first user of an online social network;

delivering logic executed by the processor for delivering content to the first user via the one or more network interfaces, the content allowing enhancement by the first user;

receiving logic executed by the processor for receiving via the one or more network interfaces one or more enhancements to the content by the first user;

detecting logic executed by the processor for detecting via the one or more network interfaces the presence of a second user on the social network, the second user different than the first user, the detecting the presence of the second user comprising detecting that a first client node to which the content may be displayed is geographically proximate to a second client node associated with the second user;

determining logic executed by the processor for determining a social context of the second user, the social context comprising data associated with the second user with respect to the social network, the data associated with the second user with respect to the social network comprising data related to an interaction with the particular content by friends or contacts of the second user;

modifying logic executed by the processor for modifying the content, the modifying based on the determined social context of the second user and the one or more enhancements to the content by the first user;

notifying logic executed by the processor for notifying the second user that the content has been modified by the first user, the notifying comprising displaying at least a portion of the modified content; and

delivering logic executed by the processor for delivering the modified content to the second user via the one or more network interfaces, the delivering comprising displaying the modified content to the first client node in response to the determination that the first client node is geographically proximate to the second client node.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the content includes an interactive rich media file.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the content includes an interactive advertisement.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the social context includes at least one of:

information regarding contacts of the second user with respect to the social networks; and

information regarding enhancements of the content by contacts of the second user with respect to the social network.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determined social context indicates that the first user and the second user are contacts with respect to the social network, and the modified content delivered to the second user includes the one or more enhancements of the first user.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein detecting that the first node is proximate to the second client node is based on at least one of:

the second client node'"'"'s geographic location as determined by a global positioning system;

the second client node'"'"'s geographic location in a cellular network;

the second client node'"'"'s Internet protocol address; and

the second client node'"'"'s presence within a communication range of a short-range communication standard associated with the first client node.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the delivered modified content is based on at least one of a temporal context, a geographical context, and a behavioral context of at least one of the first user and the second user.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions carried on the computer readable storage medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to:

detect via the one or more network interfaces the presence of a first user of an online social network;

deliver content to the first user via the one or more network interfaces, the content allowing enhancement by the first user;

receive via the one or more network interfaces one or more enhancements to the content by the first user;

detect via the one or more network interfaces the presence of a second user on the social network, the second user different than the first user, the detecting the presence of the second user comprising detecting that a first client node to which the content may be displayed is geographically proximate to a second client node associated with the second user;

determine a social context of the second user, the social context comprising data associated with the second user with respect to the social network, the data associated with the second user with respect to the social network comprising data related to an interaction with the particular content by friends or contacts of the second user;

modify the content, the modifying based on the determined social context of the second user and the one or more enhancements to the content by the first user;

notify the second user that the content has been modified by the first user, the notifying comprising displaying at least a portion of the modified content; and

deliver the modified content to the second user via the one or more network interfaces, the delivering comprising displaying the modified content to the first client node in response to the determination that the first client node is geographically proximate to the second client node.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the social context includes at least one of:

information regarding contacts of the second user with respect to the social networks; and

information regarding enhancements of the content by contacts of the second user with respect to the social network.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the determined social context indicates that the first user and the second user are contacts with respect to the social network, and the modified content delivered to the second user includes the one or more enhancements of the first user.