BOOTSTRAPPING SOCIAL NETWORKS USING AUGMENTED PEER TO PEER DISTRIBUTIONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES

• US 20080134052A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nordin, Per Staffan Andreas, Soderstrom, Stig Gustav Victor, Malmkvist, Carl Olof Daniel, Davis, Marc E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,390,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A mobile device, system, and method are directed towards enabling a social network member to bootstrap another person'"'"'s membership to a social network application and to send an invite using an augmented peer to peer distribution mechanism. The member may bootstrap membership by providing information about the invitee. A server may then determine sharable social networking information, to include within the invite, such as personal information about the member, and/or about the invitee. The invite is then automatically modified to make it appear as though it is sent by the member, by spoofing an identifier of the source of the invite. A link or other information associated with a link to the sharable social network application may be automatically included into the invite, where the link is configured to direct the invitee to a configuration of the social network application appropriate for the invitee'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. A system that is operative to distribute an application over a network, comprising:

a social network application that is configured to perform actions, including;

providing a selectable interface to enable a member of the social network application to generate an invite to the social network application; and

an augmented invite component that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving an identifier of a recipient of the invite;

registering the recipient as another member to the social network application;

automatically augmenting the invite with sharable social networking information about the recipient, the member, or both the recipient and the member;

spoofing a source identifier of the augmented invite to make the augmented invite appear to be from the member rather than from the augmented invite component;

inserting link information into the augmented invite to the social network application; and

transmitting at least a first portion of the augmented invite to the recipient over the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the link information is to a version of the social network application configured for a computing device associated with the recipient.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the augmented invite further comprises a link to another portion of the augmented invite;

and wherein the augmented invite component is configured to perform actions, further comprising;

receiving information about a computing device associated with the recipient based, in part, on transmitting of the first portion; and

employing the information about the computing device, to dynamically reconfigure the link information to be associated with a version of the social network application useable by the computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sharable social networking information further comprises at least one of a representation of other members of the member'"'"'s social network, a representation of other members of the member'"'"'s social network that are also known to be in the recipient'"'"'s social network, information about the member, information about the recipient, a location of the member and the recipient, or information about the recipient known to the member.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein transmitting at least the first portion further comprises transmitting the first portion using a first communication mechanism, and transmitting another portion using a different communication mechanism.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein spoofing a source identifier further comprises replacing a short code with an identifier associated with the member, including at least one of a name, a network address, or an alias.

7. A processor readable medium that includes data, wherein the execution of the data provides for distribute a digital object over a network by enabling actions, including:

receiving an identifier of a recipient of the digital object from a social networking member enabled to access the digital object;

registering the recipient to enable access to the digital object;

automatically augmenting an invite with sharable social networking information about the recipient, the member, or both the recipient and the member;

spoofing a source identifier of the augmented invite to make the augmented invite appear to be from the member rather than from the augmented invite component;

inserting link information into the augmented invite to the digital object; and

transmitting at least a first portion of the augmented invite to the recipient over the network.

8. The processor readable medium of claim 7, wherein the digital object further comprise at least one of a sharable social network application, a photograph, an audio file, a profile, an address book, a buddy list, game data, or a video file.

9. The processor readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving information about a computing device associated with the recipient based, in part, on transmitting of the first portion; and

employing the information about the computing device, to dynamically reconfigure the link information to be associated with at least a portion of a version of the digital object immediately useable by the computing device.

10. The processor readable medium of claim 7, wherein the sharable social networking information is configured to include at least one item known substantially exclusively by only the recipient and the member.

11. The processor readable medium of claim 7, wherein the digital object is configured to enable the recipient to register another recipient as a member enabled to access the digital object.

12. A network device to sharing of an application over a network, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over the network; and

a processor that is operative to perform actions, including;

receiving an identifier of a recipient to an invite enabling access to the application from a member to the application;

automatically augmenting the invite with sharable social networking information about the recipient, the member, or both the recipient and the member;

spoofing a source identifier of the augmented invite to make the augmented invite appear to be from the member rather than from the network device;

inserting link information into the augmented invite to the social network application; and

transmitting at least a first portion of the augmented invite to the recipient over the network.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is operative to perform actions, further comprising:

automatically registering the recipient to the application.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is operative to perform actions, further comprising:

receiving information about a mobile device associated with the recipient based, in part, on transmitting of the first portion; and

employing the information about the mobile device, to dynamically reconfigure the link information to be associated with at least a portion of a version of the digital object immediately useable by the mobile device.

15. The network device of claim 12, wherein the sharable social networking information further comprises at least one of a current location of the member, a current location of the recipient, information about the member'"'"'s interests, or the recipient'"'"'s interests.

16. A method of distributing an application over a network, comprising:

enabling a member of the social network application to generate an invite to a social network application;

receiving an identifier of a recipient of the invite;

automatically augmenting the invite with sharable social networking information about the recipient, the member, or both the recipient and the member;

spoofing a source identifier of the augmented invite to make the augmented invite appear to be from the member rather than from a server device;

transmitting a first portion of the augmented invite to the recipient;

receiving a request from the recipient to access another portion of the augmented invite;

determining a capability of a computing device associated with the request; and

transmitting a second portion of the augmented invite to the recipient with link information to a version of the social network application configured to be compatible with the capability of the computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

registering the recipient as another member to the social network application prior to transmitting the first portion of the augmented invite to the recipient.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the sharable social networking information further comprises at least one of information about a current location of the member, a current location of the recipient, information about a common friend known by both the member and the recipient, or a graphical image of the member or the recipient.

19. The method of claim 16, where spoofing a source identifier further comprises replacing at least one of a network address associated with the server device to at least one of a network address, a name, or an alias associated with the member.

20. A modulated data signal configured to include program instructions for performing the method of claim 16.