Identifying and using identities deemed to be known to a user

• US 8,874,672 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ben-Yoseph, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABU ROUMI, MAHRAN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/372,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

The people a user is presumed to know or be associated with may be determined using a number of techniques. This information about people that the user knows is used in relation to the user'"'"'s communications. For example access to a user'"'"'s online presence may be restricted based on the known people such that access to presence is provided only to those people that the user knows.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, in a storage device, a list of people who are known to a user;

detecting one or more actions performed by the user on one or more messages received by the user from a person, the actions including one or more of (a) saving the one or more messages from the person;

(b) printing the one or more messages from the person;

(c) moving the one or more messages from the person from an inbox to a folder;

(d) leaving the one or more messages from the person open for a predetermined period of time; and

(e) replying to the one or more messages from the person;

determining, using at least one processor, that the person is known to the user based on a score associated with the detected one or more actions, wherein the score is determined from two or more associated scores, and wherein the score supports a positive inference that the person is known to the user;

in response to determining that the person is known to the user, updating the list of people to reflect that the person is known by the user; and

communicating, to the user via a messaging application, presence information based on the updated list of people known to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining to communicate the presence information of the person when the person is included in the list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence information is communicated to an instant messaging application of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the presence information on a web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inbox is a folder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence information is communicated in response to a request for online presence information from the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more messages comprises an e-mail.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more associated scores are associated with a single action selected from the detected one or more actions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting one or more user actions that mitigate against factors that otherwise indicate a person is known to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to expressly designate a person as known to the user; and

adding the designated person to the list.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the following steps:

maintaining a list of people who are known to a user;

detecting one or more actions performed by the user on one or more messages received by the user from a person, the actions including one or more of (a) saving the one or more messages from the person;

(b) printing the one or more messages from the person;

(c) moving the one or more messages from the person from an inbox to a folder;

(d) leaving the one or more messages from the person open for a predetermined period of time; and

(e) replying to the one or more messages from the person;

determining that the person is known to the user based on a score associated with the detected one or more actions, wherein the score is determined from two or more associated scores, and wherein the score supports a positive inference that the person is known to the user;

in response to determining that the person is known to the user, updating the list of people to reflect that the person is known by the user; and

communicating, via a messaging application, presence information based on the updated list of people known to the user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the following step:

determining to communicate the presence information of the person when the person is included in the list.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the following step:

displaying the presence information on a web page.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the inbox is a folder.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the presence information is communicated in response to a request for online presence information from the user.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following steps;

maintaining a list of people who are known to a user;

detecting one or more actions performed by the user on one or more messages received by the user from a person, the actions including one or more of (a) saving the one or more messages from the person;

(b) printing the one or more messages from the person;

(c) moving the one or more messages from the person from an inbox to a folder;

(d) leaving the one or more messages from the person open for a predetermined period of time; and

(e) replying to the one or more messages from the person;

determining that the person is known to the user based on a score associated with the detected one or more actions, wherein the score is determined from two or more associated scores, and wherein the score supports a positive inference that the person is known to the user;

in response to determining that the person is known to the user, updating the list of people to reflect that the person is known by the user; and

communicating, via a messaging application, presence information based on the updated list of people known to the user.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following step:

determining to not communicate the presence information of the person when the person is not included in the list.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following step:

displaying the presence information on a web page.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the inbox is a folder.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the presence information is communicated in response to a request for online presence information from the user.