SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING ACTIVITY OF A SPECIFIED USER ON INTERNET-BASED SOCIAL NETWORKS

• US 20110113096A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Profile Protector LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Youdiligence LLC
• Inventors: Howe, Michael, Husher, Nicholas, Long, Kevin, Crane, Ellery
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system and method are provided for monitoring activity on an internet-based social network. Monitoring criteria is pre-established by a client for monitoring activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the social network. Activity monitoring access to the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network is established via an application programming interface of the social network based on pre-established identification information that identifies the specified user within the internet-based social network. The client is notified when the monitored activity satisfies at least one of the pre-established monitoring criteria.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring activity on an internet-based social network, the system comprising:

a client electronic device configured to receive information via an internet link, and

a server including a memory having instructions stored therein that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page or pages visited by the user of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria, and to send a notification to the client electronic device via the internet link when the monitored activity satisfies at least one criterion of the pre-established criteria, the memory further having instructions stored therein that are executable by the server to establish activity monitoring access to the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network via an application programming interface of the social network based on pre-established identification information that identifies the specified user within the internet-based social network.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the client electronic device comprises one or more of a personal computer (PC), laptop PC, notebook PC, Tablet PC, Smartbook, Ultra-Mobile PC, Handheld PC, personal data or digital assistant (PDA), wireless mobile device and a smart phone.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the internet-based social network is one or more of Facebook®

, MySpace®

, LinkedIn®

, Twitter®

, YouTube®

, Flickr®

, Nexopia, Bebo, Hi5, StudiVZ, iWiW, Tuenti, Decayenne, Tagged, XING, Badoo, Skyrock, Orkut, Hi5, Friendster, Mixi, Multiply, Orkut, Wretch, Xiaonei, Cyworld and Areapal.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory has instructions stored therein that are executable by the server to receive as data input one or more specified monitoring criterion, and to use the one or more specified monitoring criterion as the pre-established monitoring criteria.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page or pages visited by the specified user of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences on the specified user'"'"'s page of one or more specified words.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page or pages visited by specified user of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences on the specified user'"'"'s page of one or more specified phrases.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page or pages visited by the specified user of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences on the specified user'"'"'s page of one or more specified authors of words or phrases that appear on the specified user'"'"'s page.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network comprises a number of sub-pages,

and wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences on one or more specified ones of the specified user'"'"'s sub-pages of at least one of one or more specified words, phrases and authors of words or phrase that appear on the one or more specified user'"'"'s subpages.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of one or more friend requests made by the specified user.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of one or more friend acceptances made by the specified user.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of one or more friend requests sent by another to the specified user'"'"'s page.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of words or phrases on the specified user'"'"'s page indicating that another user has accepted the specified user as a friend in response to a friend request made by the specified user.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of words or phrases on the specified user'"'"'s page indicating that the specified user has joined a social group within the social network.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of words or phrases on the specified user'"'"'s page indicating that the specified user has participated in one of a game, a contest and a survey made available to users of the social network.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page for occurrences of words or phrases on the specified user'"'"'s page indicative of one or more searches conducted by the specified user for other users within the social network or social groups within the social network.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory has instructions stored therein that are executable by the server to receive as data input one or more specified notification receiving methods, and to use the one or more specified notification receiving methods to send the notification to the client electronic device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more specified notification receiving methods include any of a client-accessible web page, e-mail, Short or Silent Messaging Service (SMS), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary (RSS) web feed format.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria further include instructions to produce a report of the monitored activity on a client-accessible web page.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria further include instructions to provide on the client-accessible web page a hyperlink to a 3^rd party person information search application for investigation of authors of words or phrases on the specified user'"'"'s page made other than by the specified user.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory has instructions stored therein that are executable by the server to receive as data input one or more identification items specific to the specified user within the internet-based social network, and to use the one or more identification items as the pre-established identification information.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the one or more identification items include at least one of the specified user'"'"'s name and a social network identification number or code assigned to the specified user by the internet-based social network,

and wherein the instructions that are executable by the server include instructions to establish activity monitoring access to the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network via a publicly available application programming interface feed of the social network based on the pre-established identification information if the one or more identification items are publicly available.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the one or more identification items include at least one of the specified user'"'"'s name and a social network identification number or code assigned to the specified user by the internet-based social network,

and wherein the instructions that are executable by the server include instructions to establish activity monitoring access to the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network if the one or more identification items are not publicly available by requesting the specified user to install a software application internal to the internet-based social network that causes the internet-based social network to make activity on the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network available to the client via the application programming interface feed of the social network based on the pre-established identification information.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to monitor activity on the specified user'"'"'s page or pages visited by the specified user for occurrences on the specified user'"'"'s page or pages visited by the user of content that matches at least one training set of content.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions that are executable by the server to monitor activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network based on pre-established monitoring criteria include instructions to produce a score or rating of the monitored activity on a client-accessible web page that compares occurrence activities of the specified user against at least one of the occurrence activities of the specified user over time and of the occurrence activities of at least one other specified user being monitored.

25. A method for monitoring activity on an internet-based social network, the method comprising:

pre-establishing monitoring criteria for monitoring activity on a specified user'"'"'s page of the social network,

establishing activity monitoring access to the specified user'"'"'s page of the internet-based social network via an application programming interface of the social network based on pre-established identification information that identifies the specified user within the internet-based social network, and

notifying a client when the monitored activity satisfies at least one of the pre-established monitoring criteria.