Method and apparatus for identifying common interest between social network users

• US 9,225,788 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Naveh, Barak Reuven, Karnas, Georgios
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US13/646,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3349 Reuse of stored results of previous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Techniques for identifying mutual interests between users of a social networking system are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying, by a social networking system, a content object with which a first user of the social networking system has interacted. The social networking associates a keyword phrase with the first user. The keyword phrase has been previously associated with the content object. The social networking system further determines a mutual interest for the first user and a second user of the social networking system by identifying a match between the keyword phrase associated with the first user with a keyword phrase associated with the second user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a social networking system, a first content object with which a first user of the social networking system has interacted;

identifying, by the social networking system, a second content object with which a second user of the social networking system has interacted;

associating, by the social networking system, a first keyword phrase with the first user, wherein the first keyword phrase is associated with the first content object by conducting a reverse keyword search on the first content object, wherein the reverse keyword search includes searching a social network search pattern database containing information of social network relationships between content objects of the social network system and keyword phrases, and wherein the reverse keyword search receives the first content object or an identifier of the first content object as an input, and generates a keyword phrase that is related to the first content object as an output, and wherein the social network search pattern database is updated by results of a new reverse keyword search;

associating, by the social networking system, a second keyword phrase with the second user, wherein the second keyword phrase is associated with the second content object by conducting a reverse keyword search of the second content object; and

determining, by the social networking system, a common interest for the first user and the second user of the social networking system toward a topic by identifying a match between the first keyword phrase associated with the first user with the second keyword phrase associated with the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the first user or the second user that another user of the social networking system shares the mutual interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content object has been interacted by an action of the first user suggesting that the first user takes an interest in the first content object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user'"'"'s location is within a geographic region that is specified by the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein keyword phrases associated with the first user includes keyword phrases identified from a user profile of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the first user that another user of the social networking system in close proximity of the first user shares the mutual interest.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the first user that another user of the social networking system shares the mutual interest, wherein the other user plans to attend an event that the first user plans to attend.

8. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of database entries by a social networking system in a social network search pattern database containing information of social network relationships between content objects of the social network system and keyword phrases, wherein the plurality of database entries record relationships between content objects and keyword phrases;

receiving a notification that a first user of the social networking system has interacted with a first content object;

receiving another notification that a second user of the social networking system has interacted with a second content object;

identifying a database entry from the plurality of database entries, wherein the database entry records a relationship between the first content object and a first keyword phrase, wherein a reverse keyword search engine receives the firs content object or an identifier of the first content object as an input and generates the first keyword phrase that is related to the first content object as an output, and wherein the reverse keyword search engine updates the social network search pattern database by results of a new reverse keyword search;

identifying another database entry from the plurality of database entries, wherein the other database entry records a relationship between the second content object and a second keyword phrase;

associating, by the social networking system, the first keyword phrase with the first user;

associating, by the social networking system, the second keyword phrase with the second user; and

determining, by the social networking system, a common interest for the first user and the second user of the social networking system by identifying a match between the first keyword phrase associated with the first user with the second keyword phrase associated with the second user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

notifying the first user that another user of the social networking system shares the mutual interest.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first content object has been interacted by an action of the first user suggesting that the first user takes an interest in the first content object.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second user'"'"'s location is within a geographic region that is specified by the first user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein keyword phrases associated with the first user includes keyword phrases identified from a user profile of the first user.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

notifying the first user that another user of the social networking system in close proximity of the first user shares the mutual interest.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

notifying the first user that another user of the social networking system shares the mutual interest, wherein the other user plans to attend an event that the first user plans to attend.

15. A social networking system comprising:

a user activity track module configured to detect a first user of the social networking system interacting with a first content object and to detect a second user of the social networking system interacting with a second content object;

a reverse keyword search engine configured to generate a first keyword phrase based on the first content object and to generate a second keyword phrase based on the second content object;

an object store configured to record the first keyword phrase in a user object for the first user and to record the second keyword phrase in a user object for the second user; and

a user match module configured to determine a common interest for the first user and the second user of the social networking system by identifying a match between the first keyword phrase recorded in the user object for the first user and the keyword phrase recorded in a user object for the second user;

wherein the reverse keyword search engine includes a social networking search pattern database containing information of social network relationships between content objects of the social network system and keyword phrases, and wherein the reverse keyword search engine is further configured to update the database by results of a new reverse keyword search.

16. The social networking system of claim 15, wherein the user match module is further configured to notify the first user that another user of the social networking system shares the mutual interest.

17. The social networking system of claim 15, wherein the first content object and the second content object are the same content object.