Professional and employee social networks and social media systems

• US 9,449,091 B1
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IP Holdings Incorporated (IP Holdings LLC), Rehka K. Rao
• Original Assignee: IP Holdings Incorporated (IP Holdings LLC), Rehka K. Rao
• Inventors: Rao, Sunil K., Rao, Raman K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Djenane
• Application Number:
  US14/011,673
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement

Abstract

Professional and employee social networks and social media systems. Questions and answers are organized in different categories for easy selection to assist in the personality profile definition and subsequent behavioral model development. The Question-Answer creator, Matching Engine, and Personal and Group Relations Manager have the potential to provide career matching and career counseling services to individuals. Individuals using this infrastructure are able to determine career opportunities available to them in their Personal Matching Network and Group Matching Network. They are able to complete an assessment of their skills and provide these to employers with transparent or masked identity. This network determines the nodes that are enabled to be viewed at a certain degree of connectivity. The social media system may provide access to multiple groups or sub social networks based on match between profile data such as an email address domain name and an access control list.

Claims

1. A method for a social network service on a server, comprising:

storing a first profile for a first user in a memory accessible to the server, wherein the first profile comprises at least one profile component containing a list of questions and a list of answers thereto; and

matching the first user to a second user of the social network service based at least in part on the answers to the questions in the first profile for the first user,

wherein a second profile is associated with an employer, wherein the first user is enabled to search for a first career opportunity, wherein the first user provides a listing of their skills in the first profile, wherein a second career opportunity is matched to the first user based at least in part on the answers to the questions in the first profile for the first user, and

wherein the first user is enabled to send an email to a third user, wherein the server is enabled to prevent email communication between the first user and the third user if the first user is separated from the third user at more than one degree of connectivity, wherein the server sends an email notification to the first user with reference to email communication from the third user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first profile is defined as a public profile for the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second profile is defined as a private profile for the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user has a set of profiles associated with an account of the first user stored in the memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a third profile for the first user is dynamically created based on a request by the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a third profile for the first user is dynamically created based on counterpart questions and answers thereto of the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user can create multiple profiles based on the first user'"'"'s answers.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing a permission setting associated with a specific question in the memory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein responsive to the match the permission setting for the specific question of the first user is set for access by the second user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second profiles of the first user is dynamically selected based on a request of the second user to view the first user'"'"'s profile.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the questions are generated dynamically based on at least one of prior history, similar queries by other users, contextual awareness and computer defined heuristics.

12. A social network system, comprising:

a server;

a memory storing a first profile for a first user wherein the first profile comprises at least one profile component containing a list of questions and answers thereto, wherein the first profile for the first user is viewable by a first set of users;

a second profile for the first user viewable by a second set of users;

a selection component configured to select a profile from the first profile and the second profile based on membership of a second user in the first set of users or the second set of users; and

a matching component configured to match the first user to the second user based at least in part on the answers to the questions in the first profile for the first user,

wherein the second profile is associated with an employer, wherein the first user searches for a career opportunity, wherein the first user provides a listing of their skills in the first profile, wherein career opportunities are matched to the first user based at least in part on the answers to the questions in the first profile for the first user, and

wherein the first user is enabled to send an email to a third user, wherein the server is enabled to prevent communication between the first user and the third user if the first user is separated from the third user at more than one degree of connectivity, wherein the third user determines whether an email notification is sent from the server to an email address for the third user.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising plural different groups of the social network, each group comprising one or more users, wherein the server is configured to accept a request for a user to join the social network based on an email address, and wherein a user is authenticated to one or more groups on the social network based on the email address.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the email address is an address ending in a.EDU and wherein the server matches a.EDU postfix to approve access to a network for an educational group of the social network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server assigns a new email address for the user and wherein the new email address masks the identity of the original email address.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the server personalizes information for a first user based on a profile characteristic of a first user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server personalizes information for a second user based on a profile characteristic of a first user and wherein the first user and second user are connected in the social network.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a permission setting associated with a specific question in the memory.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein responsive to a match the permission setting for the specific question of the first user is set for access by the second user.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the first profile and second profile are each a subset of a larger complete profile for a user.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the server receives profile information for a first user from user entry on a communication device.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the first profile is in a first language, wherein the second profile is in a second language, wherein the server performs language translation of either the first profile, the second profile or both profiles to facilitate the matching of the first user to the second user.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the first user views the second set of users on a mobile device with cellular telephone functionality.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first user communicates with the social network service through a web browser on the mobile device with cellular telephone functionality.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein the first profile is in a first language, wherein the second profile is in a second language, wherein the server performs language translation of either the first profile, the second profile or both profiles to facilitate the matching of the first user to the second user.

26. The method of claim 12, wherein the first user views the second set of users on a mobile device with cellular telephone functionality.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first user communicates with the social network service through a web browser on the mobile device with cellular telephone functionality.

28. The system of claim 12, wherein the questions are generated dynamically based on at least one of prior history, similar queries by other users, contextual awareness and computer defined heuristics.

29. A system for a professional or a social network accessible on at least one server, the system comprising:

a user profile for a user stored in a location that resides on a network or one or more servers, wherein the user profile comprises at least one profile component, and wherein the user profile is generated based at least in part on a plurality of questions and answer data; and

a matching component configured to match the user to a plurality of users and/or groups of the professional or the social network based at least in part on responses to the answers to the questions in the user profile,

wherein the user is enabled to provide an assessment of the user'"'"'s skills,

wherein the system enables the user to determine career opportunities available to them in their network,

wherein at least one server is enabled to receive email,

wherein the system is enabled for email filtering based on the user'"'"'s profile, and

wherein the system is enabled to permit, deny, and/or filter connectivity messages and/or email of a separate user based on a degree of connectivity between the user and the separate user, wherein the system is enabled to notify the user of the separate user.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the first user views the second set of users on a mobile device with cellular telephone functionality.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the server personalizes information for a second user based on a profile characteristic of a first user and wherein the first user and second user are connected in the social network.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the questions are generated dynamically based on at least one of prior history, similar queries by other users, contextual awareness and computer defined heuristics.