Managing information about relationships in a social network via a social timeline

• US 7,725,492 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sittig, Aaron, Zuckerberg, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown; Sheree N
• Application Number:
  US11/646,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/102, 707/104.1, 709/204, 709/218
• US Class Current: 707/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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, method, and computer program for generating a social timeline is provided. A plurality of data items associated with at least one relationship between users associated with a social network is received, each data item having an associated time. The data items are ordered according to the at least one relationship. A social timeline is generated according to the ordered data items.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing information about relationships in a social network via a social timeline, comprising:

maintaining in a computer system a plurality of relationships among members of the social network, each relationship comprising a connection between at least two members in the social network;

for at least one relationship, receiving one or more relationship details from at least one of the members connected in the relationship, each relationship detail comprising a durational time period of the relationship and a category of the relationship;

generating a social timeline for one or more relationships, the social timeline comprising a listing of the relationship details of the relationships, the listing sorted by chronological order of the time periods of the relationships, the social timeline further comprising selectable links such that selection of the links provide further information about the relationships associated with the links; and

displaying the social timeline of the relationships in a graphical user interface to a member of the social network.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the social timeline is displayed according to privacy settings selected by the member.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising enabling the members connected in the relationship displayed on the social timeline to edit the social timeline.

4. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising generating stories for the members based on the social timeline.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the social timeline further comprises photos of the members connected in relationship.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of data items about the relationship further comprises one or more events.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of data items about the relationship is received via a questionnaire.

22. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the category of the relationship in the received relationship details comprises a characterization of the details of the relationship between the members of the social network.

8. A computer system for managing information about relationships in a social network via a social timeline, comprising:

a social relationship editor module configured to maintain in a computer system a plurality of relationships among members of the social network, each relationship comprising a connection between at least two members in the social network;

a communications interface configured to receive, for at least one relationship, one or more relationship details from at least one of the members connected in the relationship, each relationship detail comprising a durational time period of the relationship and a category of the relationship;

a social timeline module configured to generate a social timeline for one or more relationships, the social timeline comprising a listing of the relationship details of the relationships, the listing sorted by chronological order of the time periods of the relationships, the social timeline further comprising selectable links such that selection of the links provide further information about the relationships associated with the links;

a display configured to display the social timeline of the relationships in a graphical user interface to a member of the social network.

9. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the social timeline is displayed according to privacy settings selected by the member.

10. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the social timeline module is further configured to enable the members connected in the relationship displayed on the social timeline to edit the social timeline.

11. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the social timeline module is further configured to generate stories for the members based on the social timeline.

12. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the social timeline further comprises photos of the members connected in the relationship.

13. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of data items about the relationship further comprises one or more events.

14. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of data items about the relationship is received via a questionnaire.

23. The system recited in claim 8, wherein the category of the relationship in the received relationship details comprises a characterization of the details of the relationship between the members of the social network.

15. A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodied thereon a program of instructions executable by a processor for performing a method for managing information about relationships in a social network via a social timeline, the method comprising:

maintaining in a computer system a plurality of relationships among members of the social network, each relationship comprising a connection between at least two members in the social network;

for at least one relationship, receiving one or more relationship details from at least one of the members connected in the relationship, each relationship detail comprising a durational time period of the relationship and a category of the relationship;

generating a social timeline for one or more relationships, the social timeline comprising a listing of the relationship details of the relationships, the listing sorted by chronological order of the time periods of the relationships, the social timeline further comprising selectable links such that selection of the links provide further information about the relationships associated with the links; and

displaying the social timeline of the relationships in a graphical user interface to a member of the social network.

16. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the social timeline is displayed according to privacy settings selected by the member.

17. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises enabling the members connected in the relationship displayed on the social timeline to edit the social timeline.

18. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises generating stories for the members based on the social timeline.

19. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the social timeline further comprises photos of the members connected in relationship.

20. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of data items about the relationship further comprises one or more events.

21. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of data items about the relationship is received via a questionnaire.

24. The computer readable medium recited in claim 15, wherein the category of the relationship in the received relationship details comprises a characterization of the details of the relationship between the members of the social network.