Method and apparatus for sending authentication request message in a social network

• US 9,432,470 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Mo, Jianxiang, Ye, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US14/035,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a method and an apparatus for sending an authentication request message in a social network. In order to resolve the problem that there are few parameters to be relied on when a user authenticates a request seeking to establish a social network relationship with the user, the method disclosed by the present disclosure includes: a social network server that, after obtaining an authentication request message sent by a first client to a second client to request to establish a social network relationship, modifies the first client'"'"'s identification information in the first authentication request message to a third client'"'"'s identification information to obtain a second authentication request message. The third client has a social network relationship with the first client and also has a direct social network relationship with the second client. The second authentication request message is sent to the second client. As the third client'"'"'s identification information is used as identification information of a sending party in the second authentication request message that is sent to the second client, there will be more parameters for use when the second client verifies the request to establish the social network relationship.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for establishing connections, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device including one or more processors and from a user device of a first user, a request for a connection with a second user,

wherein receipt of the request from the user device causes the computing device to perform acts including;

determining, using the computing device and based on the request, a third user that has a direct connection with the first user and the second user within a social network, the determining the third user including;

determining one or more users that have direct connections with the first user and the second user, and

determining, among the one or more users, the third user based on a degree of familiarity of the third user and the first user, the degree of familiarity being calculated based on a time period during which the third user and the first user have a connection within the social network and a number of times that the third user and the first user exchange messages during a certain time period within the social network,

providing, using the computing device, a notification associated with the request to the third user, and

providing, in response to a confirmation of the notification, by the computing device, an additional request for acceptance of the connection from the second user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to an acceptance from the second user, causing the connection to be established between the first user and the second user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request includes identification information of the first user and the second user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing the notification associated with the request to the third user comprises providing the notification to indicate that the first user requests the connection with the second user using identification information associated with the third user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing the additional request for the acceptance from the second user comprises modifying the request to generate the additional request that includes identification information associated with the third user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the additional request further includes social attribute information that is common between the first user and the second user within the social network.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the additional request further includes one or more users that are common between the first user and the second user within the social network and relationship categories of the one or more users.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory to maintain a plurality of components executable by the one or more processors, the plurality of components including;

a receiving module configured to receive, from a user device of a first user, a request for establishment of a social connection with a second user,

a modification module configured to determine, based on the request, a third user that has a certain social connection with the first user and the second user, including;

determining one or more users that have direct connections with the first user and the second user, and

determining, among the one or more users, the third user based on a degree of familiarity of the third user and the first user, the degree of familiarity being calculated based on a time period during which the third user and the first user have a connection within a social network and a number of times that the third user and the first user exchange messages during a certain time period within the social network,

a first sending module configured to provide a notification associated with the request to the third user, and

a second sending module configured to, in response to a confirmation of the notification, provide an additional request for acceptance of the social connection from the second user,

wherein receipt of the request from the user device causes the modification module to determine the third user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the request includes identification information of the first user and the second user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the third user has a direct social connection with the first user and the second user,

wherein the first sending module is further configured to provide the notification to indicate that the first user requests the connection with the second user using identification information associated with the third user, and

wherein the second sending module is further configured to modify the request to generate the additional request that includes identification information associated with the third user.

11. Non-transitory server memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, instruct the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving, from a user device of a first user, a request for a connection with a second user,

wherein receipt of the request from the user device causes the one or more processors to perform acts including;

determining, based on the request, a third user that has a connection with the first user and the second user within a social network, the determining the third user including;

determining one or more users that have direct connections with the first user and the second user, and

determining, among the one or more users, the third user based on a degree of familiarity of the third user and the first user, the degree of familiarity being calculated based on a time period during which the third user and the first user have a connection within the social network and a number of times that the third user and the first user exchange messages during a certain time period within the social network,

providing a notification indicating that the first user requests the connection with the second user using identification information associated with the third user; and

providing, in response to a confirmation of the notification, an additional request for acceptance of the connection from the second user.

12. The non-transitory server memory of claim 11, wherein the acts further comprise, in response to the acceptance from the second user, causing the connection to be established between the first user and the second user.

13. The non-transitory server memory of claim 11, wherein the providing the additional request for the acceptance from the second user comprises modifying the request to generate the additional request that includes identification information associated with the third user.

14. The non-transitory server memory of claim 13, wherein the additional request further includes social attribute information that is common between the first user and the second user within the social network.