Organizing application-reported information

• US 10,187,481 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2012
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chia, Teck, Liu, Deborah, Raji, Vijaye
• Primary Examiner(s): Algibhah, Hamza N
• Application Number:
  US13/712,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20140164481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes a server computing device receiving several notifications from several different software applications on a client computing device associated with a user. A notification is sent by a software application on a client computing, indicates a user interaction with a software application has occurred, and identifies the application sending the notification. The server correlates each received notification with the appropriate user and stores information associated with the correlated notification.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by one or more server computing devices, receiving a plurality of notifications from a first software application on a client computing device associated with a user, wherein each notification;

originates with one of a plurality of second software applications on the client computing device;

indicates an event comprising user interaction by the user with the one of the second software applications; and

identifies the one of the second software applications that the notification originated with; and

by one or more server computing devices, for each notification;

correlating the notification with the user; and

storing information about the notification as correlated with the user in a database comprising correlation information of a plurality of user interactions with a plurality of users, wherein at least some of the information, as stored in the database, is configured to be used for targeting one or more advertisements to the user, wherein;

the one or more advertisements include one or more social-networking system functionalities that are interactable by the user; and

interacting with an advertisement that includes a social-networking system functionality causes information about the interaction to be displayed in a profile page of the user on the social-networking system;

by one or more server computing devices, modifying the information in the database by removing at least part of the correlation information based on privacy controls associated with one or more of the plurality of users, wherein the privacy controls are based on selections by the one or more users to opt out of the correlation information to be removed; and

by one or more server computing devices, providing to a provider of one or more of the first or second software applications access to the modified information in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client computing device associated with the user is a mobile computing device of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interaction with the one of the second software applications comprises an installation or purchase of the one of the second software applications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interaction with the one of the second software applications comprises usage of the one of the second software applications by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the information, as stored in the database, indicates one or more characteristics of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a user of the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, with at least one node in the graph corresponding to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein storing the information about the notification comprises storing the information in one or more data stores associated with one or more of the plurality of nodes or edges of the social-networking system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more social-networking system functionalities associated with the one or more advertisements enable the user to endorse the one or more advertisements or share the one or more advertisements with other users on the social-networking system.

9. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive a plurality of notifications from a first software application on a client computing device associated with a user, wherein each notification;

originates with one of a plurality of second software applications on the client computing device;

indicates an event comprising user interaction by the user with the one of the second software applications; and

identifies the one of the second software applications that the notification originated with; and

for each notification;

correlate the notification with the user; and

store information about the notification as correlated with the user in a database comprising correlation information of a plurality of user interactions with a plurality of users, wherein at least some of the information, as stored in the database, is configured to be used for targeting one or more advertisements to the user, wherein

the one or more advertisements include one or more social-networking system functionalities that are interactable by the user; and

interacting with an advertisement that includes a social-networking system functionality causes information about the interaction to be displayed in a profile page of the user on the social-networking system;

modify the information in the database by removing at least part of the correlation information based on privacy controls associated with one or more of the plurality of users, wherein the privacy controls are based on selections by the one or more users to opt out of the correlation information to be removed; and

provide to a provider of one or more of the first or second software applications access to the modified information in the database.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the client computing device associated with the user is a mobile computing device of the user.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the user interaction with the one of the second software applications comprises an installation or purchase of the one of the second software applications.

12. The media of claim 9, wherein the user interaction with the one of the second software applications comprises usage of the one of the second software applications by the user.

13. The media of claim 9, wherein at least some of the information, as stored in the database, indicates one or more characteristics of the user.

14. The media of claim 9, wherein the user is a user of the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, with at least one node in the graph corresponding to the user.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein storing the information about the notification comprises storing the information in one or more data stores associated with one or more of the plurality of nodes or edges of the social-networking system.

16. The media of claim 9, wherein the one or more social-networking system functionalities associated with the one or more advertisements enable the user to endorse the one or more advertisements or share the one or more advertisements with other users on the social-networking system.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

receive a plurality of notifications from a first software application on a client computing device associated with a user, wherein each notification;

originates with one of a plurality of second software applications on the client computing device;

indicates an event comprising user interaction by the user with the one of the second software applications; and

identifies the one of the second software applications that the notification originated with; and

for each notification;

correlate the notification with the user; and

store information about the notification as correlated with the user in a database comprising correlation information of a plurality of user interactions with a plurality of users, wherein at least some of the information, as stored in the database, is configured to be used for targeting one or more advertisements to the user, wherein;

the one or more advertisements include one or more social-networking system functionalities that are interactable by the user; and

interacting with an advertisement that includes a social-networking system functionality causes information about the interaction to be displayed in a profile page of the user on the social-networking system;

modify the information in the database by removing at least part of the correlation information based on privacy controls associated with one or more of the plurality of users, wherein the privacy controls are based on selections by the one or more users to opt out of the correlation information to be removed; and

provide to a provider of one or more of the first or second software applications access to the modified information in the database.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the client computing device associated with the user is a mobile computing device of the user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the user is a user of the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, with at least one node in the graph corresponding to the user.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more social-networking system functionalities associated with the one or more advertisements enable the user to endorse the one or more advertisements or share the one or more advertisements with other users on the social-networking system.