Viral engine for network deployment

• US 9,516,134 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Plaxo Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Plaxo Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Masonis, John T., Parker, Sean, Ring, Cameron T., Carey, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger, Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belani, Kishin G
• Application Number:
  US13/438,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A private network system operates over a public network to provide an asymmetric service to members with information from other members and non-members. The system includes central servers and databases connected via the public network to client systems of public network users. The users may be members who communicate with a private protocol or non-members who communicate with the public protocol. A process for the private service includes communication of information between users via the private service servers. The private service server implements the private service, which includes a viral engine for network deployment. Features of the viral engine include genetic algorithms, data mining, personalization, frictionless service setup, user maximization, and member-controlled privacy. A sample setup process and contact update wizard that include several viral engine features are described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, potential members associated with a user based on an electronic mailbox associated with the user;

determining a plurality of conversion rates respectively for a plurality of invitations based on a respective number of persons that joined a contact information sharing network after being sent a respective one of the plurality of invitations to join the contact information sharing network;

determining, based on the plurality of conversion rates, a highest conversion rate invitation of the plurality of invitations; and

sending, to at least a subset of the potential members, the highest conversion rate invitation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a subset of aesthetic appeal related features from a variety of aesthetic appeal related features to be included in the highest conversion rate invitation based on empirical data showing the subset of the aesthetic appeal related features is statistically determined to prompt a response to the highest conversion rate invitation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a report comprising a frequency bar graphically representing a frequency of electronic mail communication with the potential members.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the potential members further comprises performing analysis of electronic mail messages within electronic mail folders of the user to determine potential members who are not members of the contact information sharing network or who are likely to respond to the highest conversion rate invitation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving contact information associated with a potential member of the subset of the potential members after the sending the highest conversion rate invitation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

designating, based on input received from the user, a set of contacts in a contact list of the user to be updated;

sending, to members of the contact information sharing network associated with the set of contacts, a request to verify their respective contact information; and

sending, to non-members of the contact information sharing network associated with the set of contacts, an electronic mail message asking the non-members to provide current contact information in a reply electronic mail message,

wherein the electronic mail message comprises a fill-in-the-blank form.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the plurality of conversion rates is based on tracking each invitation for a period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the highest conversion rate invitation elicited a response from the at least the subset of the potential members based on whether the at least the subset of the potential members joined the contact information sharing network; and

updating the highest conversion rate invitation based on a number of the potential members that joined the contact information sharing network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a familial relationship between the user and a potential member based on text of an at least one electronic mail message stored in the electronic mailbox.

10. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause a device to:

determine potential members associated with a user based on an electronic mailbox associated with the user;

determine a plurality of conversion rates respectively for a plurality of invitations based on a respective number of persons that joined a contact information sharing network after being sent a respective one of the plurality of invitations to join the contact information sharing network;

determine, based on the plurality of conversion rates, a highest conversion rate invitation of the plurality of invitations; and

send, to at least a subset of the potential members, the highest conversion rate invitation.

11. The one of more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the device to:

select a subset of aesthetic appeal related features from a variety of aesthetic appeal related features to be included in the highest conversion rate invitation based on empirical data showing the subset of the aesthetic appeal related features is statistically determined to prompt a response to the highest conversion rate invitation.

12. The one of more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10, further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the device to:

generate a report comprising a frequency bar graphically representing a frequency of electronic mail communication with the potential members.

13. The one of more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the device to perform analysis of electronic mail messages within electronic mail folders of the user to determine potential members who are not members of the contact information sharing network or who are likely to respond to the highest conversion rate invitation.

14. A method comprising:

sending, by a computing device, a plurality of invitations to potential members of a contact information sharing network;

determining a plurality of conversion rates respectively for the plurality of invitations based on a respective number of potential members that joined the contact information sharing network after being sent a respective one of the plurality of invitations to join the contact information sharing network;

determining, based on the plurality of conversion rates, a highest conversion rate invitation of the plurality of invitations;

determining one or more additional potential members to invite to the contact information sharing network; and

sending, to the one or more additional potential members, the highest conversion rate invitation.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a subset of aesthetic appeal related features from a variety of aesthetic appeal related features to be included in the highest conversion rate invitation based on empirical data showing the subset of the aesthetic appeal related features is statistically determined to prompt a response to the highest conversion rate invitation.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating a report comprising a frequency bar graphically representing a frequency of electronic mail communication with the potential members.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the one or more additional potential members further comprises performing analysis of electronic mail messages within electronic mail folders to determine the one or more additional potential members who are not members of the contact information sharing network or who are likely to respond to the highest conversion rate invitation.