Method and system for customizing views of information associated with a social network user

• US 7,269,590 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slack Technologies, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hull, Mark Everett, Farmer, F. Randall, Perelman, Ellen Sue
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Leslie
• Application Number:
  US10/832,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/104.1, 709/219
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system are directed towards managing a view of a social network user'"'"'s personal information based, in part, on user-defined criteria. The user-defined criteria may be applied towards a user'"'"'s relationship with each prospective viewer. The user-defined criteria may include degrees of separation between members of the social network, a relationship to the prospective viewer, as well as criteria based, in part, on activities, such as dating, employment, hobbies, and the like. The user-defined criteria may also be based on a group membership, a strength of a relationship, and the like. Such user-defined relationship criteria may then be mapped against various categories of information associated with social network user to provide customized views of the social network user.

Claims

1. A method of managing social network user information over a network, comprising:

receiving a plurality of social network user information from a user;

receiving a request to view the social network user information from a requesting user;

if the request is related to an activity, determining an activity profile from the social network user information;

if the requesting user is included within a category, determining a category profile from the social network user information; and

combining a basic profile and zero or more of the activity profile and the category profile into a display to the requesting user, wherein combining comprises eliminating presentation of redundant information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the request is related to a relationship strength, determining a relationship strength profile from the social network user information;

and

including the relationship strength profile in the display profile for the requesting user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the requesting user is included within a group, determining a group profile from the social network user information;

and

including the group profile in the display profile for the requesting user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity further comprises at least one activity associated with dating, business, military, employment, help, advice, expertise, and alumni.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the display profile further comprises, determining if the requesting user is a member of a user-definable category.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display profile further includes at least one of an online status, a current audio file being played, a favorite picture, a favorite group, a journal entry, and a universal resource locator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the basic profile further comprises at least one of an age, a name, an alias, a nickname, and an email address associated with the user.

8. A method of managing social network user information over a network, comprising:

receiving a request to view social network user information associated with a requesting user;

if the requesting user is a member of a category, determining a dynamically user-definable set of social network user information;

if the request is associated with an activity for which the requesting user is a member, determining an activity related set of social network user information;

determining a basic set of social network user information;

if the requesting user is associated with a group, determining a group set of social network user information;

if the requesting user is associated with a predetermined relationship strength, determining a relationship strength set of social network user information; and

providing at least one of the user-definable set, the activity related set, relationship strength, group, and the basic set of social network user information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein if the request is from the user associated with the category, further comprises, determining a relationship between the between the user and the requesting user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the category further comprises a user-definable category.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the activity further comprises a globally defined activity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the activity is selectable from at least one activity associated with dating, business, military, employment, help, advice, expertise, and alumni.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the basic set of social network user information further comprises determining a globally defined set of information including at least one of an age, a name, an email address, and an alias.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein providing at least one further comprises:

if at least two of the user-definable set, the activity related set, the group set, relationship strength set, and the basic set of social network user information are determined, removing redundant social network user information among the determined sets, and providing a reduced set of social network user information.

15. A client device adapted to managing social network user information over a network, comprising:

a display configured to view social network user information; and

a client application coupled to the display, that is configured to perform actions, including;

requesting a first set of social network user information associated with a requesting user;

if the request is from a requesting user associated with a user-definable category, receiving at least a user-definable second set of social network user information, wherein the user-definable category and the user-definable set are dynamically defined by the requesting user;

if the request is associated with an activity for which the requesting user is a member;

receiving at least an activity related set of social network user information;

receiving a third set of social network user information; and

combining the received sets into a display profile that is displayed to the requesting user, wherein combining comprises eliminating presentation of redundant information.

16. The client device of claim 15, wherein receiving at least one of the user-definable set and the activity related set, and the third set of social network user information further comprises receiving a set of social network user information, wherein at least one redundant social network user information has been removed.

17. The client device of claim 15, wherein the client device further comprises a mobile device.

18. The client device of claim 15, wherein if the request is from a user associated with a category, further comprises, determining a relationship between the user and the requesting user.

19. The client device of claim 18, wherein determining the relationship further comprises determining a degree of separation between the user and the requesting user.

20. The client device of claim 15, wherein the activity further comprises a globally defined activity selectable from at least one activity associated with dating, business, military, employment, help, advice, and alumni.

21. A server for managing social network user information over a network, comprising:

a transceiver for receiving and sending information to a computing device; and

a view manager that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving a request to view a first set of social network user information associated with a user;

if the user is a member of a category, determining a dynamically user-definable second set of social network user information;

if the user is associated with an activity for which the user is a member;

determining an activity related set of social network user information;

determining a third set of social network user information;

providing at least one of the dynamically user-definable set, the activity related set, and the third set of social network user information; and

combining the sets into a display profile that is displayed to the user, wherein combining comprises eliminating presentation of redundant information.

22. The server claim 21, wherein the view manager is configure to perform further actions, comprising:

if the request is from the user that is associated with a group, determining a group set of social network user information;

if the request is from the user that is associated with a predetermined relationship strength, determining a relationship strength set of social network user information; and

providing at least one of the group set, and the relationship strength set, and the third set of social network user information.

23. The server of claim 21, further comprising:

a spam filter configured to employ at least one of the category, and the activity to determine whether a message is spam.

24. The server of claim 21, wherein if the request is from the user associated with the category further comprises determining a relationship between the user and the requesting user, wherein the category and the user-definable set of social network user information is definable by the requesting user.

25. The server of claim 21, wherein the activity further comprises a globally defined activity rather than a user-definable activity.

26. The server of claim 21, wherein the third set of social network user information comprises user information, including at least one of a name, an email address, an alias, and an age.

27. The server of claim 21, wherein providing at least one of the user-definable set, the activity related set, and the third set of social network user information further comprises providing the social network user information towards a mobile device.

28. A computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions thereon for managing social network user information over a network, the computer reader instructions cause a computing device to perform actions, comprising:

transferring a request to view a first set of social network user information associated with a requesting user;

if the requesting user is a member of a category, enabling a determination of a dynamically user-definable second set of social network user information;

if the request is associated with an activity for which the requesting user is a member;

enabling a determination of an activity related set of social network user information;

enabling a determination a third set of social network user information;

providing at least one of the dynamically user-definable set, the activity related set, and the third set of social network user information; and

combining the sets into a display profile for display to the requesting user, wherein combining comprises eliminating presentation of redundant information.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein providing at least one of further comprises providing the at least one of the social network user information towards a mobile device.

30. An apparatus for managing social network user information, comprising:

a means for receiving a plurality of social network user information;

a means for receiving a request to view the social network user information;

a means for determining an activity profile of the social network user information, if the request is related to an activity;

a means for determining a group profile of the social network user information, if the request is related to a group;

a means for determining a category profile of the social network user information, if the request is related to a category; and

a means for combining a basic profile and at least zero or more of the activity profile, the group profile and the category profile that is then displayed to the requesting user, wherein combining comprises eliminating presentation of redundant information.