Method and system for leveraging the power of one's social-network in an online marketplace

• US 8,713,000 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Elman, Josh, Blue, Allen, Work, James Duncan, Ly, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US11/146,815
• Time in Patent Office: 3,249 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/6, 707/102
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and systems for leveraging one'"'"'s social network in the context of an opportunities marketplace are described. One aspect of the invention involves integrating social networking features into an online marketplace, or exchange. Accordingly, one aspect of the invention involves facilitating an opportunity search in a manner that provides social networking information with the results of the search.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a computer-hosted social networking system configured to exchange data over a network with a separate externally-hosted opportunity exchange, receiving over a network from the externally-hosted opportunity exchange an entity name identifying an organization associated with a job posting that has been posted to the opportunity exchange and that satisfies search criteria received from a user;

querying a database to identify search results comprising persons who are within a defined social network of the user, including persons who are direct connections and/or indirect connections of the user, and who, according to associated personal profiles accessible to the social networking system, have current employment with the organization identified by the entity name; and

providing to the user from the computer-hosted social networking system search results identifying persons within the defined social network of the user who, according to associated personal profiles accessible by the social networking system, are employed with the organization associated with the job posting.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the persons which comprise the search results are persons with whom the user is connected via a chain of person-to-person connections as determined by records accessible to the social networking system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the persons comprising the search results are persons who, according to associated personal profiles accessible by the computer-hosted social networking system, are current or former members of the organization.