Real-World View of Location-Associated Social Data

• US 20140067937A1
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bosworth, Andrew Garrod, Toksvig, Michael John McKenzie, Garcia, David Harry
• Granted Patent: US 9,712,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Particular embodiments maintain social-networking information associated with a user, wherein the user is represented by a user node in a social graph. One or more nodes of the social graph may be associated with respective locations. A request for social information related to a location may be received from a computing device. The request may comprise a location of the computing device, an orientation of the computing device, and an identifier for the user. A relevance score may be determined for one or more proximate nodes based on the request, the social-networking information associated with the user, and the location information for the respective proximate node. Each proximate node may be associated with at least one location within a threshold distance from the location of the computing device. Particular embodiments may provide social-networking information associated with at least one of the proximate nodes for display in conjunction with an image.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by one or more processors associated with a social-networking system, social-networking information associated with a user, wherein the user is represented by a user node in a social graph;

associating, by the one or more processors, one or more nodes of the social graph with respective locations;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a request for social information related to a location from a computing device, the request comprising a location of the computing device, an orientation of the computing device, and an identifier for the user;

determining, by the one or more processors, a relevance score for one or more proximate nodes based on the request, the social-networking information associated with the user, and the location information for the respective proximate node, each proximate node being associated with at least one location within a threshold distance from the location of the computing device; and

providing, by the one or more processors, social-networking information associated with at least one of the one or more proximate nodes for display in conjunction with an image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a screen, a heads-up display, a camera, a gyroscope, a compass, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the social information comprises:

maintaining affinity information for the user according to one or more categories; and

maintaining a plurality of connections between the user and other users of the social networking system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the relevance score comprises:

combining a location value, an interest value, a connection value, and a time value to determine the relevance score.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the relevance score comprises determining a location value for the proximate node, the location value based on (1) a proximity between the location associated with the proximate node and the location in the request, (2) the orientation in the request, or (3) any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the relevance score comprises determining an interest value for the proximate node, the interest value based on whether a category associated with the proximate node is included in the one or more categories associated with the affinity information for the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the relevance score comprises:

determining a connection value for the proximate node, the connection value based on a number of the user'"'"'s connections with the proximate node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the relevance score comprises:

determining a time value for the proximate node, the time value based on whether a current time is within a delivery time range assigned to the proximate node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery time range assigned to the proximate node has an action associated with it, where the action can be performed by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery time range assigned to the proximate node indicates whether the proximate node is eligible to be received by the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a location of a computing device associated with the user comprises receiving the location from the computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location is received from the computing device at predetermined intervals.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a user exposure to a node of the social graph.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting the relevance scores of at least one of the one or more proximate nodes based on the user exposure to the at least one of the one or more proximate nodes.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the one or more proximate nodes by their relevance scores.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving indication of an action by the user in association with a proximate node; and

updating the social graph in response to the indication.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more nodes of the social graph comprise information provided by third-parties, information about interactions of users with the social networking system, or any combination thereof.

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

maintain, by one or more processors associated with a social-networking system, social-networking information associated with a user, wherein the user is represented by a user node in a social graph;

associate, by the one or more processors, one or more nodes of the social graph with respective locations;

receive, by the one or more processors, a request for social information related to a location from a computing device, the request comprising a location of the computing device, an orientation of the computing device, and an identifier for the user;

determine, by the one or more processors, a relevance score for one or more proximate nodes based on the request, the social-networking information associated with the user, and the location information for the respective proximate node, each proximate node being associated with at least one location within a threshold distance from the location of the computing device; and

provide, by the one or more processors, social-networking information associated with at least one of the one or more proximate nodes for display in conjunction with an image.

19. A social-networking system comprising:

one or more processors associated with the social-networking system; and

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

maintain social-networking information associated with a user, wherein the user is represented by a user node in a social graph;

associate one or more nodes of the social graph with respective locations;

receive a request for social information related to a location from a computing device, the request comprising a location of the computing device, an orientation of the computing device, and an identifier for the user;

determine a relevance score for one or more proximate nodes based on the request, the social-networking information associated with the user, and the location information for the respective proximate node, each proximate node being associated with at least one location within a threshold distance from the location of the computing device; and

provide social-networking information associated with at least one of the one or more proximate nodes for display in conjunction with an image.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the social-networking information associated with at least one of the one or more proximate nodes is provided to a computing device associated with the user.