Content sharing based on social graphing

• US 9,660,951 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tunguz-Zawislak, Tomasz J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US14/584,529
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes generating a data structure that links users based on social relationships and permits a first user to target content to other users that are linked to the first user via a social relationship.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing a social graph that represents members of a group of computer users, wherein the social graph represents social relationships between members of the group of computer users and describes types of acquaintance relationship between members of the group of computer users, wherein at least some of the types of acquaintance relationships in the social graph are automatically determined by a computer system using data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users;

receiving, at the computer system and from a first computing device that is associated with a first user who is a member of the group of computer users, a request to distribute content to other members of the group of computer users;

receiving from the first computing device, an indication that the first user of the first computing device has selected, from among multiple provided types of acquaintances, a particular specified type of acquaintance with which the content is to be distributed;

identifying, from among the group of computer users and using the social graph, one or more second users who have one or more acquaintance relationships, of the specified type, with the first user, wherein at least some of the types of acquaintance relationships in the social graph are automatically determined by the computer system using data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users;

determining that a second computing device corresponds to one of the second users and that the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user; and

based on the determination that the second computing device corresponds to the one of the second users and that the one of the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user, transmitting the content submitted by the first user to the one of the second users for display to the one of the second users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user comprises determining that the first user has shared an electronic correspondence with the one of the second users.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the first computing device, budget information for the request to distribute content;

determining, from the budget information, a number of times to distribute the content; and

determining that the content has not been distributed the number of times.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining that the second user has selected the content; and

responsive to determining that the second user has selected the content, transmitting information associated with remuneration for the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users; and

generating the social graph by generating a node for each of the members of the group of computer users and generating, based on the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users, edges that describe types of acquaintance relationship between members of the group of computer users.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the social graph further comprises:

accessing data of a social network; and

generating, based on the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users and based on the data of the social network, the edges.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the edges further comprises identifying data of the social network that is associated with a particular user and identifying data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between the particular user and one or more other members of the group of computer users.

8. A system comprising:

a server system comprising a computer processor and memory configured to;

access a social graph that represents members of a group of computer users, wherein the social graph represents social relationships between members of the group of computer users and describes types of acquaintance relationship between members of the group of computer users, wherein at least some of the types of acquaintance relationships in the social graph are automatically determined by a computer system using data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users;

receive, from a first computing device that is associated with a first user who is a member of the group of computer users, a request to distribute content to other members of the group of computer users;

receive, from the first computing device, an indication that the first user of the first computing device has selected, from among multiple provided types of acquaintances, a particular specified type of acquaintance with which the content is to be distributed;

identify, from among the group of computer users and using the social graph, one or more second users who have one or more acquaintance relationships, of the specified type, with the first user, wherein at least some of the types of acquaintance relationships in the social graph are automatically determined by the computer system using data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users;

determine that a second computing device corresponds to one of the second users and that the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user; and

based on the determination that the second computing device corresponds to the one of the second users and that the one of the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user, transmit the content submitted by the first user to the one of the second users for display to the one of the second users; and

the first computing device; and

the second computing device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining that the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user comprises determining that the first user has shared an electronic correspondence with the one of the second users.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the server system is further configured to:

receive, from the first computing device, budget information for the request to distribute content;

determine, from the budget information, a number of times to distribute the content; and

determine that the content has not been distributed the number of times.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the server system is further configured to:

determine that the second user has selected the content; and

responsive to determining that the second user has selected the content, transmit information associated with remuneration for the first user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the server system is further configured to:

access the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users; and

generate the social graph by generating a node for each of the members of the group of computer users and generating, based on the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users, edges that describe types of acquaintance relationship between members of the group of computer users.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein to generate the social graph, the server system is further configured to:

access data of a social network; and

generate, based on the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users and based on the data of the social network, the edges.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein to generate the edges, the server system is further configured to identify data of the social network that is associated with a particular user and identifying data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between the particular user and one or more other members of the group of computer users.

15. A system comprising:

means for creating a social graph that represents members of a group of computer users, wherein the social graph represents social relationships between members of the group of computer users and describes types of acquaintance relationship between members of the group of computer users, wherein at least some of the types of acquaintance relationships in the social graph are automatically determined by a computer system using data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users;

a server system comprising a computer processor and memory configured to;

access the social graph;

receive, from a first computing device that is associated with a first user who is a member of the group of computer users, a request to distribute content to other members of the group of computer users;

receive, from the first computing device, an indication that the first user of the first computing device has selected, from among multiple provided types of acquaintances, a particular specified type of acquaintance with which the content is to be distributed;

identify, from among the group of computer users and using the social graph, one or more second users who have one or more acquaintance relationships, of the specified type, with the first user, wherein at least some of the types of acquaintance relationships in the social graph are automatically determined by the computer system using data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users;

determine that a second computing device corresponds to one of the second users and that the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user; and

based on the determination that the second computing device corresponds to the one of the second users and that the one of the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user, transmit the content submitted by the first user to the one of the second users for display to the one of the second users; and

the first computing device; and

the second computing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining that the one of the second users has at least an acquaintance relationship of the specified type with the first user comprises determining that the first user has shared an electronic correspondence with the one of the second users.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the server system is further configured to:

receive, from the first computing device, budget information for the request to distribute content;

determine, from the budget information, a number of times to distribute the content; and

determine that the content has not been distributed the number of times.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the server system is further configured to:

determine that the second user has selected the content; and

responsive to determining that the second user has selected the content, transmit information associated with remuneration for the first user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein creating the social graph further comprises:

accessing the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users; and

generate the social graph by generating a node for each of the members of the group of computer users and generating, based on the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users, edges that describe types of acquaintance relationship between members of the group of computer users.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein generating the social graph further comprises:

access data of a social network; and

generate, based on the data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between two or more members of the group of computer users and based on the data of the social network, the edges.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein generating the edges further comprises identifying data of the social network that is associated with a particular user and identifying data that represents instances of electronic correspondence between the particular user and one or more other members of the group of computer users.