Authentication of Service Requests Initiated From a Social Networking Site

• US 20120150973A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LivePerson Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LivePerson Incorporated
• Inventors: Barak, Matan
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for authenticating user service requests from a social networking site. Data representing a selected message and an originator of the selected message is stored. Data representing a reply to the originator of the selected message is transmitted for posting at the social networking server, the reply including data that causes transmission of a service request to the server when actuated. Data representing the service request and a sender of the service request is received. Data representing a user profile of the sender of the service request is retrieved from the social networking server. One or more attributes of the user profile of the sender are compared against one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message in order to verify the one or more attributes of the user profile.

Claims

1. A computerized method for authenticating user service requests from a social networking site, comprising:

monitoring, at a server, data representing messages posted at a social networking server;

storing, by the server, data representing a selected message and an originator of the selected message;

transmitting, from the server, data representing a reply to the originator of the selected message for posting at the social networking server, the reply including data that causes transmission of a service request to the server when actuated;

receiving, at the server, data representing the service request and a sender of the service request;

retrieving, by the server, data representing a user profile of the sender of the service request from the social networking server;

comparing, by the server, one or more attributes of the user profile of the sender against one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message in order to verify the one or more attributes of the user profile; and

processing, by the server, the service request from the sender if the one or more attributes of the user profile of the sender match the one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request is a request to initiate a chat session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing comprises comparing a person attribute in the user profile to a person attribute in the stored data representing the originator to determine whether the sender is the originator of the selected message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing comprises comparing a follower attribute in the user profile to a follower attribute in the stored data representing the originator to determine whether the sender is a follower of the originator of the selected message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing comprises comparing a location attribute in the user profile to a location attribute in the stored data representing the originator to determine whether the sender is in a same location as the originator of the selected message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the data representing a user profile comprises:

transmitting data representing an access authorization to the sender of the service request for authorization to retrieve the data representing the user profile; and

receiving data representing a response to the access authorization, the response comprising data indicative of the sender providing access authorization.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the service request comprises transmitting a request to a chat server to establish a chat between the sender of the service request and a third party.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving data representing a second user profile of the originator of the selected message from a second social networking server; and

transmitting data representing the reply to the originator at the second social networking server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing an aggregated social media profile for the originator comprising the second user profile and the data representing the selected message and the originator of the selected message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the social networking server provides a social networking service to users, the social networking service comprising a social networking service provided by a social networking site selected from the group consisting of twitter.com, facebook.com, myspace.com, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request is an advertisement request, a support request, a voice call request, or any combination thereof.

12. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions being configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

monitor data representing messages posted at a social networking server;

store data representing a selected message and an originator of the selected message;

transmit data representing a reply to the originator of the selected message for posting at the social networking server, the reply including data that causes transmission of a service request to the server when actuated;

receive data representing the service request and a sender of the service request;

retrieve data representing a user profile of the sender of the service request from the social networking server;

compare one or more attributes of the user profile of the sender against one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message in order to verify the one or more attributes of the user profile; and

process the service request from the sender if the one or more attributes of the user profile of the sender match the one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message.

13. An apparatus for authenticating user service requests from a social networking site, comprising:

a database configured to store data representing a selected message and an originator of the selected message; and

a server in communication with the database with a processor and memory configured to;

monitor data representing messages posted at a social networking server;

transmit data representing a reply to the originator of the selected message for posting at the social networking server, the reply including data that causes transmission of a service request to the server when actuated;

receive data representing the service request and a sender of the service request;

retrieve data representing a user profile of the sender of the service request from the social networking server;

compare one or more attributes of the user profile of the sender against one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message in order to verify the one or more attributes of the user profile; and

process the service request from the sender if the one or more attributes of the user profile of the sender match the one or more attributes of the stored data representing the originator of the selected message.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the social networking server provides a social networking service to users, the social networking service comprising a social networking service provided by a social networking site selected from the group consisting of twitter.com, facebook.com, myspace.com, or any combination thereof.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the server comprises a user interface configured to display the data representing messages posted at the social networking server.