Delivery of messages for a life event of user of social networking system

• US 9,306,896 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morgenstern, Jared, Rabkin, Mark, Raganath, Rama
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US13/764,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A social networking system provides suggestions of gifts to users for presentation to a target user for a life event of the target user. Merchants provide bids for their products. The social networking system selects products as gift suggestions based on the merchants'"'"' bids, recipient'"'"'s interests, and the candidate user to whom the gift is suggested. The selected gift and any messages relating to the life event are held until a specified time and then delivered to the target user. At the time of delivery, the target user may be provided with alternative products that the target user can select instead of the gift. The social networking system can earn revenue based on promotion of products as gift suggestions, promotion of products as gift alternatives, and for any financial transaction related to the gift.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

identifying a life event of a target user of a social networking system;

prompting other users of the social networking system to provide messages for delivery to the target user for the life event of the target user;

receiving, by the social networking system, a plurality of electronic messages from the other users, the electronic messages received at different times;

determining a proposed delivery time for the plurality of electronic messages for the life event;

sending information describing the proposed delivery time to one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking system;

adjusting the proposed delivery time based on feedback received from the one or more other users;

storing the received electronic messages prior to the adjusted delivery time; and

responsive to reaching the adjusted delivery time, delivering the plurality of electronic messages for presentation to the target user.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the prompted users have a connection to the target user through the social networking system.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined based on the life event.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined to be substantially close to the midnight that starts a day of the life event.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined based on information received from one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking system.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the proposed delivery time based on feedback received from the one or more other users comprises changing the proposed delivery time responsive to the feedback indicating more than a threshold number of users disapprove of the proposed delivery time.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic messages include information describing a gift to the target user for the life event.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein delivering the plurality of electronic messages further comprises sending information for redeeming the gift.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of electronic messages is received from another user connected to the target user via the social networking system.

10. A computer implemented method comprising:

identifying a life event of a target user of a social networking system;

receiving, by a social networking system, a plurality of electronic messages, each electronic message for delivery to the target user for the life event of the target user, the electronic messages received at different times;

determining a proposed delivery time for the plurality of electronic messages for the life event;

sending information describing the proposed delivery time to one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking system;

adjusting the proposed delivery time based on feedback received from the one or more other users;

storing the received electronic messages prior to the adjusted delivery time; and

responsive to reaching the adjusted delivery time, delivering the plurality of electronic messages for presentation to the target user.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending information describing the messages for the life event of the target user to one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking time at a time prior to the proposed delivery time.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined based on the life event.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined to be substantially close to the midnight that starts a day of the life event.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined based on information received from one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking system.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the proposed delivery time based on feedback received from the one or more other users comprises changing the proposed delivery time responsive to the feedback indicating more than a threshold users disapprove of the proposed delivery time.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of electronic messages include information describing a gift to the target user for the life event.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein delivering the plurality of electronic messages further comprises sending information for redeeming the gift.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of electronic messages is received from another user connected to the target user via the social networking system.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions, the computer program instructions comprising instructions for:

identifying a life event of a target user of a social networking system;

receiving, by a social networking system, a plurality of electronic messages, each electronic message for delivery to the target user for the life event of the target user, the electronic messages received at different times;

determining a proposed delivery time for the plurality of electronic messages for the life event;

sending information describing the proposed delivery time to one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking system;

adjusting the proposed delivery time based on feedback received from the one or more other users;

storing the received electronic messages prior to the adjusted delivery time; and

responsive to reaching the delivery time of the life event, delivering the plurality of electronic messages for presentation to the target user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the instructions further comprising instructions for:

sending information describing the messages for the life event of the target user to one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking time at a time prior to the proposed delivery time.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined based on the life event.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined to be substantially close to the midnight that starts a day of the life event.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the proposed delivery time is determined based on information received from one or more other users connected to the target user via the social networking system.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein adjusting the proposed delivery time based on feedback received from the one or more other users comprises changing the proposed delivery time responsive to the feedback indicating more than a threshold users disapprove of the proposed delivery time.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of electronic messages include information describing a gift to the target user for the life event.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein delivering the plurality of electronic messages further comprises sending information for redeeming the gift.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of electronic messages is received from another user connected to the target user via the social networking system.