Communicating notifications from a third party system to online system users via the online system

• US 9,961,080 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vishwanath, Tirunelveli R., Raji, Vijaye Ganesh, Yu, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Mary
• Application Number:
  US14/641,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20160261594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

To allow a third party system to more particularly identify sets of users for distributing content, an online system receives data from a third party system identifying users of the online system who have authorized communication with the third party system and stores information authorizing communication between the third party system and the users in user profiles associated with the user. The online system receives a request from the third party system to transmit a notification to online system users satisfying criteria specified by the request. User profiles including information authorizing communication between the third party system and online system users are identified by the online system, which selects a set of the identified user profiles associated with information satisfying the criteria specified by the request. The online system transmits the notification to client devices associated with users associated with the set of the identified user profiles.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of user profiles by an online system, each user profile associated with a user of the online system and comprising characteristics of the user of the online system, at least a portion of the plurality of user profiles associated with a device identifier for a client device of a user;

receiving, by the online system from a third party system, a plurality of device identifiers each associated with an authorization that allows communication from the third party system to a client device, the authorization generated by the third party system in response to a request from the client device that authorized communication from the third party system to the client device;

identifying user profiles maintained by the online system that include a device identifier matching a device identifier received from the third party system;

for each identified user profile, updating the user profile with the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier received from the third party system;

receiving, at the online system, a request from the third party system to communicate a notification to users of the third party system, the request including one or more criteria specifying user characteristics of the users to be satisfied for the users to receive the notification from the online system on behalf of the third party system;

selecting a set of the identified user profiles that each include;

the authorization allowing communication from the third party system, and

the characteristics of the user of the online system satisfying at least a threshold number of the one or more criteria included in the request; and

transmitting the notification to client devices associated with users associated with user profiles in the set of the identified user profiles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization that allows communication from the third party system to the client device comprises a token generated by the third party system and associated with the device identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the user profile with the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier received from the third party system comprises:

storing the token in the identified user profile including the device identifier received from the third party system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria included in the request is selected from a group consisting of:

demographic information, actions associated with users, connections between users and additional users, and any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the notification to client devices associated with users associated with user profiles in the set of the identified user profiles comprises:

transmitting the notification to a client device associated with a user associated with a user profile in the set of the identified user profiles using a communication channel specified by an identified user profile associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the communication channel is selected from a group consisting of:

e-mail, text messaging, multimedia messaging, voice messaging, and push notification messaging.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the notification to client devices associated with users associated with user profiles in the set of the identified user profiles comprises:

transmitting the notification to client devices associated with users associated with user profiles in the set of the identified user profiles through a communication channel specified in the request.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to communicate a notification to users of the third party system is received by the online system at a time subsequent to receiving the plurality of device identifiers each associated with an authorization allowing communication from the third party system to a client device.

8. A method comprising:

maintaining a user profile by an online system associated with a user of the online system;

receiving, at the online system, information from a third party system comprising a device identifier associated with an authorization that allows the third party system to communicate with a client device, the authorization generated by the third party system in response to a request from the client device that authorized communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier;

determining the user profile associated with the user includes a device identifier that matches the device identifier identified in the received information from the third party system;

updating the user profile with the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier in the user profile associated with the user;

receiving, at the online system, a request from the third party system to communicate a notification to users of the third party system, the request including one or more criteria specifying user characteristics;

verifying the user profile associated with the user includes;

user characteristics that satisfy at least a threshold number of the one or more criteria included in the request; and

the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier included in the user profile;

transmitting the notification to the client device associated with the device identifier included in the user profile associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the authorization that allows communication from the third party system to the client device comprises a token generated by the third party system and associated with the device identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the user profile with the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier in the user profile associated with the user comprises:

storing the token in the user profile associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more criteria included in the request is selected from a group consisting of:

demographic information, actions associated with users, connections between users and additional users, and any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein transmitting the notification to the client device associated with the device identifier in the user profile associated with the user comprises:

transmitting the notification to the client device associated with the device identifier in the user profile using a communication channel specified by the user profile associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication channel is selected from a group consisting of:

e-mail, text messaging, multimedia messaging, voice messaging, and push notification messaging.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

maintain a plurality of user profiles by an online system, each user profile associated with a user of the online system and comprising characteristics of the user of the online system, at least a portion of the plurality of user profiles associated with a device identifier for a client device of a user

receive, by the online system from a third party system, a plurality of device identifiers each associated with an authorization that allows the third party system to communicate with a client device, the authorization generated by the third party system in response to a request from the client device that authorized communication from the third party system to the client device;

identify user profiles maintained by the online system that include a device identifier matching a device identifier received from the third party system;

for each identified user profile, update the user profile with the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier received from the third party system;

receive, at the online system, a request from the third party system to communicate a notification to users of the third party system, the request including one or more criteria specifying user characteristics of the users to be satisfied for the users to receive the notification from the online system on behalf of the third party system;

select a set of the identified user profiles that each include;

the authorization allowing communication from the third party system, and

the characteristics of the user of the online system satisfying at least a threshold number of the one or more criteria included in the request; and

transmit the notification to client devices associated with device identifiers included in the selected one or more user profiles.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the authorization that allows communication from the third party system to the client device comprises a token generated by the third party system and associated with the device identifier.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein update the user profile with the authorization allowing communication from the third party system to the client device associated with the device identifier received from the third party system comprises:

storing the token in the identified user profile including the device identifier.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more criteria included in the request is selected from a group consisting of:

demographic information, actions associated with users, connections between users and additional users, and any combination thereof.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein transmit the notification to client devices associated with device identifiers included in the selected one or more user profiles comprises:

transmit the notification to a client device associated with a user associated with a user profile in the set of the identified user profiles using a communication channel specified by an identified user profile associated with the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the communication channel is selected from a group consisting of:

e-mail, text messaging, multimedia messaging, voice messaging, and push notification messaging.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein transmit the notification to client devices associated with device identifiers included in the selected one or more user profiles comprises:

transmit the notification to client devices associated with users associated with user profiles in the set of the identified user profiles through a communication channel specified in the request.

22. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the request to communicate a notification to users of the third party system is received by the online system at a time subsequent to receiving the plurality of device identifiers each associated with an authorization allowing communication from the third party system to a client device.