People directory with social privacy and contact association features

• US 9,553,878 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Charles Chu-Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolentino, Roderick
• Application Number:
  US12/857,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,353 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

In one embodiment, a social networking system provides people look up service and establish anonymous communication session between users; creates contact association for future communication between users; and configures one or more privacy settings for users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by one or more computing devices associated with a social-networking system, receiving from an initiating user a request for contact information of a target user;

by one or more computing devices associated with the social-networking system, determining that one or more privacy settings of the target user prevent the contact information of the target user from being provided to the initiating user;

by one or more computing devices associated with the social-networking system, determining that the privacy settings allow for an anonymous communication session between the initiating user and the target user;

by one or more computing devices associated with the social-networking system, establishing the anonymous communication session between the initiating and target users, wherein contact information of the initiating user is presented to the target user in the anonymous communication session and contact information of the target user is hidden from the initiating user in the anonymous communication session;

by one or more computing devices associated with the social-networking system, in response to the anonymous communication session ending, providing an automatic prompt to the target user to;

create a social-networking relationship with the initiating user in the social-networking system;

or

block the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system; and

by one or more computing devices associated with the social-networking system, in response to input from the target user responsive to the automatic prompt;

creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system;

or

blocking the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system comprises sending a friend request to the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the social-networking system comprises a social graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes;

at least one node in the graph corresponds to the initiating user; and

at least one node in the graph corresponds to the target user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system comprises creating a relationship edge between at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the initiating user and at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user; and

blocking the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system comprises creating a blocking edge between at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the initiating user and at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein one or more of the privacy settings comprise a setting that, when selected, allows the contact information of the target user to be provided to the initiating user when at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user is connected within a threshold number of edges to at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the privacy settings comprise a setting that, when selected, allows the contact information of the target user to be provided to the initiating user when the target user was at a particular geographic location within a particular time period.

7. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media embodying software that is configured when executed to:

at a social-networking system, receive from an initiating user a request for contact information of a target user;

at the social-networking system, determine that one or more privacy settings of the target user prevent the contact information of the target user from being provided to the initiating user;

at the social-networking system, determine that the privacy settings allow for an anonymous communication session between the initiating user and the target user;

at the social-networking system, establish the anonymous communication session between the initiating and target users, wherein contact information of the initiating user is presented to the target user in the anonymous communication session and contact information of the target user is hidden from the initiating user in the anonymous communication session;

in response to the anonymous communication session ending, provide, from the social-networking system, an automatic prompt to the target user-to;

create a social-networking relationship with the initiating user in the social-networking system;

or

block the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system; and

at the social-networking system, in response to input from the target user responsive to the automatic prompt;

create the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system;

or

block the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system comprises sending a friend request to the initiating user from the target user.

9. The media of claim 7, wherein:

the social-networking system comprises a social graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes;

at least one node in the graph corresponds to the initiating user; and

at least one node in the graph corresponds to the target user.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein:

creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system comprises creating a relationship edge between at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the initiating user and at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user; and

blocking the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system comprises creating a blocking edge between at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the initiating user and at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein one or more of the privacy settings comprise a setting that, when selected, allows the contact information of the target user to be provided to the initiating user when at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user is connected within a threshold number of edges to at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user.

12. The media of claim 7, wherein one or more of the privacy settings comprise a setting that, when selected, allows the contact information of the target user to be provided to the initiating user when the target user was at a particular geographic location within a particular time period.

13. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

at a social-networking system, receive from an initiating user a request for contact information of a target user;

at the social-networking system, determine that one or more privacy settings of the target user prevent the contact information of the target user from being provided to the initiating user;

at the social-networking system, determine that the privacy settings allow for an anonymous communication session between the initiating user and the target user;

at the social-networking system, establish the anonymous communication session between the initiating and target users, wherein contact information of the initiating user is presented to the target user in the anonymous communication session and contact information of the target user is hidden from the initiating user in the anonymous communication session;

in response to the anonymous communication session ending, provide, from the social-networking system, an automatic prompt to the target user to;

create a social-networking relationship with the initiating user in the social-networking system;

or

block the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system; and

at the social-networking system, in response to input from the target user responsive to the automatic prompt;

create the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system;

or

block the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system comprises sending a friend request to the initiating user from the target user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

system comprises a social graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes;

at least one node in the graph corresponds to the initiating user; and

at least one node in the graph corresponds to the target user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

creating the social-networking relationship between the initiating and target users in the social-networking system comprises creating a relationship edge between at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the initiating user and at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user; and

blocking the initiating user from the target user in the social-networking system comprises creating a blocking edge between at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the initiating user and at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the privacy settings comprise a setting that, when selected, allows the contact information of the target user to be provided to the initiating user when at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user is connected within a threshold number of edges to at least one of the nodes in the social graph corresponding to the target user.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more of the privacy settings comprise a setting that, when selected, allows the contact information of the target user to be provided to the initiating user when the target user was at a particular geographic location within a particular time period.