MANAGING INTERACTIONS IN A NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100146118A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Social Communications Company
• Inventors: Wie, David Van
• Granted Patent: US 9,813,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A network communications environment has advanced interaction management functionality that enables the opportunities for users to interact with one another to be expanded beyond the opportunities that exist with closed interaction management approaches while still providing reasonable privacy and security protections that are not available with open interaction management approaches. The advanced interaction management functionality also encourages the proliferation of trust-based interactions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more relationship attribute values each characterizing a respective social network tie between the user and a respective one of the other communicants, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship attribute values based on (i) a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas and (ii) one or more place attribute values characterizing the at least one virtual area in which the concurrent interactions occurred;

storing the one or more relationship attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more relationship attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more relationship attribute values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship attribute values based on one or more place attribute values characterizing how the user relates to the at least one virtual area in which the concurrent interactions occurred.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises

based on the querying, ascertaining a relationship type attribute value that specifies a type of the social network tie between the user and the respective communicant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ascertaining comprises determining a relationship type attribute value corresponding to a class label selected from a set of class labels in an interaction type taxonomy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises

based on the querying, ascertaining a relationship level attribute value that specifies a level of relationship that the user has with the respective communicant.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ascertaining comprises determining the relationship level attribute value based on at least one attribute value respectively characterizing the at least one area in which the respective concurrent interactions occurred.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the ascertaining comprises ascertaining the relationship level based on at least one attribute value respectively characterizing how the user relates to the at least one virtual area in which the respective concurrent interactions occurred.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the managing comprises determining whether or not to grant the respective communicant access to one or more resources associated with the user based on the relationship level attribute value.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the managing comprises filtering messages sent from the respective communicant to the user based on the relationship level attribute value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises

based on the results of the querying, ascertaining a trust level attribute value that specifies a level of trust.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises assigning the trust level attribute value to the user as a whole.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ascertaining comprises ascertaining the trust level attribute value from a count of social network ties connecting other communicants to the user, respective relationship levels that are associated with those ties, and trust levels that are assigned to respective ones of the other communicants.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises assigning the trust level attribute value to one or more declarations asserted by the user in connection with the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ascertaining comprises ascertaining the trust level attribute value based on how long the one or more declarations have been asserted in connection with the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ascertaining comprises ascertaining the trust level attribute value based on how many of the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment occurred while the user was associated with the one or more declarations.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the ascertaining comprises ascertaining the trust level attribute value based on respective likelihoods that the user'"'"'s interactions are consistent with the asserted declarations.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the managing comprises verifying that at least one of the one or more declarations meets an access restriction predicate before granting the user access to a resource available through the network communications environment, wherein the verifying is performed based on the one or more trust level attribute values.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the managing comprises providing at least one trust recommendation to the one or more other communicants based on the trust level attribute value.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the managing comprises controlling the user'"'"'s access to a resource available through the network communications environment based on at least one of the relationship attribute values.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the controlling comprises determining whether at least one access control predicate associated with the resource is satisfied based on the one or more relationship attribute values, and providing at least one of the user and other communicants access to the resource in response to a determination that the at least one access control predicate is satisfied.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the providing comprises transmitting to each of the at least one of the user and the other communicants a respective network communication enabling access to the resource.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting a connection handle of one of the user and the other communicants in the respective network communication.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting in the respective network communication information enabling rendering of a virtual area in its current state on a respective node at which the at least one of the user and the other communicants are operating.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the resource is one of:

one of the one or more virtual areas;

a communication connection with one of the user and the other communicants; and

information characterizing one of the user and the other communicants.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising compiling a social network profile associated with the user from the relationship attribute values and explicit relationship data provided by at least one of the user and the other communicants.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the compiling comprises modifying the explicit relationship data based on results of the querying.

27. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment,

determining one or more relationship attribute values each characterizing a respective social network tie between the user and a respective one of the other communicants, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship attribute values based on (i) a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas and (ii) one or more place attribute values characterizing the at least one virtual area in which the concurrent interactions occurred,

storing the one or more relationship attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium, and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more relationship attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more relationship attribute values.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising deriving the one or more relationship attribute values based on one or more place attribute values characterizing how the user relates to the at least one virtual area in which the concurrent interactions occurred.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising

based on the querying, ascertaining a relationship type attribute value that specifies a type of the social network tie between the user and the respective communicant.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising

based on the querying, ascertaining a relationship level attribute value that specifies a level of relationship that the user has with the respective communicant.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising

based on the results of the querying, ascertaining a trust level attribute value that specifies a level of trust.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein in the managing the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising controlling the user'"'"'s access to a resource available through the network communications environment based on at least one of the relationship attribute values.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein based at least in part on the execution of the instructions the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising compiling a social network profile associated with the user from the relationship attribute values and explicit relationship data provided by at least one of the user and the other communicants.

34. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by a computer to implement a method comprising:

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more relationship attribute values each characterizing a respective social network tie between the user and a respective one of the other communicants, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship attribute values based on (i) a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas and (ii) one or more place attribute values characterizing the at least one virtual area in which the concurrent interactions occurred;

storing the one or more relationship attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more relationship attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more relationship attribute values.

35. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more relationship level attribute values each specifying a respective level of relationship that the user has with a respective one of the other communicants, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship level attribute values from a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas;

storing the one or more relationship level attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more relationship level attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more relationship level attribute values.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the determining comprises ascertaining the relationship level based on at least one attribute value respectively characterizing how the user relates to the at least one virtual area in which the respective concurrent interactions occurred.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the managing comprises determining whether or not to grant the respective communicant access to one or more resources associated with the user based on the one or more relationship level attribute values.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the determining comprises determining whether at least one access control predicate associated with the resource is satisfied based on the one or more relationship level attribute values, and providing at least one of the user and other communicants access to the resource in response to a determination that the at least one access control predicate is satisfied.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising ascertaining the relationship level based on at least one attribute value respectively characterizing how the user relates to the at least one virtual area in which the respective concurrent interactions occurred.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein in the managing the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising determining whether or not to grant the respective communicant access to one or more resources associated with the user based on the one or more relationship level attribute values.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising determining whether at least one access control predicate associated with the resource is satisfied based on the one or more relationship level attribute values, and providing at least one of the user and other communicants access to the resource in response to a determination that the at least one access control predicate is satisfied.

39. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment,

determining one or more relationship level attribute values each specifying a respective level of relationship that the user has with a respective one of the other communicants, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship level attribute values from a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas,

storing the one or more relationship level attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium, and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more relationship level attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more relationship level attribute values.

43. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by a computer to implement a method comprising:

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more relationship level attribute values each specifying a respective level of relationship that the user has with a respective one of the other communicants, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more relationship level attribute values from a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas;

storing the one or more relationship level attribute values in a computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more relationship level attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more relationship level attribute values.

44. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more trust level attribute values each specifying a respective level of trust that is associated with the user, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more trust level attribute values from a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas;

storing the one or more relationship attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more trust level attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more trust level attribute values.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the determining comprises assigning a given one of the one or more trust level attribute values to the user as a whole.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the determining comprises ascertaining the given trust level attribute value from a count of social network ties connecting other communicants to the user, respective relationship levels that are associated with those ties, and trust levels that are assigned to respective ones of the other communicants.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the determining comprises assigning the trust level attribute value to one or more declarations asserted by the user in connection with the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the determining comprises ascertaining each of the one or more trust level attribute values based on how long the one or more declarations have been asserted in connection with the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the determining comprises ascertaining each of the one or more trust level attribute values based on how many of the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment occurred while the user was associated with a respective one of the one or more declarations.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the determining comprises ascertaining the one or more trust level attribute values based on respective likelihoods that the user'"'"'s interactions are consistent with the asserted declarations.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein the managing comprises determining whether at least one access control predicate associated with the resource is satisfied based on the one or more trust level attribute values, and providing at least one of the user and other communicants access to the resource in response to a determination that the at least one access control predicate is satisfied.

52. The method of claim 44, wherein the managing comprises providing at least one trust recommendation to the one or more other communicants based on the one or more trust level attribute values.

53. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more trust level attribute values each specifying a respective level of trust that is associated with the user, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more trust level attribute values from a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas;

storing the one or more relationship attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more trust level attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more trust level attribute values.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising assigning a given one of the one or more trust level attribute values to the user as a whole.

55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising ascertaining the given trust level attribute value from a count of social network ties connecting other communicants to the user, respective relationship levels that are associated with those ties, and trust levels that are assigned to respective ones of the other communicants.

56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising assigning the trust level attribute value to one or more declarations asserted by the user in connection with the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising ascertaining each of the one or more trust level attribute values based on how long the one or more declarations have been asserted in connection with the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment.

58. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising ascertaining each of the one or more trust level attribute values based on how many of the user'"'"'s interactions in the network communications environment occurred while the user was associated with a respective one of the one or more declarations.

59. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein in the determining the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising ascertaining the one or more trust level attribute values based on respective likelihoods that the user'"'"'s interactions are consistent with the asserted declarations.

60. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein in the managing the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising determining whether at least one access control predicate associated with the resource is satisfied based on the one or more trust level attribute values, and providing at least one of the user and other communicants access to the resource in response to a determination that the at least one access control predicate is satisfied.

61. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein in the managing the data processing unit is operable to perform operations comprising providing at least one trust recommendation to the one or more other communicants based on the one or more trust level attribute values.

62. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by a computer to implement a method comprising:

querying records describing realtime network interactions between a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas of a network communications environment;

determining one or more trust level attribute values each specifying a respective level of trust that is associated with the user, wherein the determining comprises deriving the one or more trust level attribute values from a statistical analysis of results of the querying describing concurrent interactions between the user and one or more of the other communicants in at least one of the virtual areas;

storing the one or more relationship attribute values in at least one computer-readable medium; and

managing communicant interactions in the network communications environment based on the one or more trust level attribute values, wherein the managing comprises receiving from a network node at which one of the user and the other communicants is operating a first network communication comprising a request for an interaction in the network communications environment, and transmitting a second network communication enabling the requested interaction in response to satisfaction of a condition dependent at least in part on the one or more trust level attribute values.