Communicating plans for users of a social networking system

• US 8,887,066 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Deng, Peter, Marlette, Scott, Laverdet, Marcel, Zuckerberg, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAPANESE, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US12/080,808
• Time in Patent Office: 2,414 Days
• Field of Search: 715/963, 715/753, 705/9
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods for calendaring are provided. Exemplary systems include a natural language receiving component configured to receive a natural language entry corresponding to a future status, a calendar generation engine configured to create a calendar entry based on the natural language entry, a social network database configured for accessing and querying by the calendar generation engine, a privacy component configured to receive a privacy setting indicating a person who is approved to view the calendar entry, and a display module configured to display the calendar entry on a calendar. Exemplary methods include receiving a natural language entry corresponding to a future status, creating a calendar entry, and displaying the calendar entry.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring by a social networking system one or more actions, each action performed by one or more users of the social networking system, each user having established a connection within the social networking system to at least one other user of the one or more users, the connection stored by the social networking system;

receiving an entry from a first user of the one or more users, the received entry comprising a future status for the first user;

storing the entry in a data store in association with an account of the first user;

generating a plurality of stories, wherein the plurality of stories includes a first story and a second story, the first story being of a first story type comprising a description of a future status of a social networking system user, the first story comprising a description of the future status for the first user and one or more user interface elements for a viewing user to interact with the first story, and the second story being of a second story type, the second story comprising a description of one of the monitored actions comprising a previous status of a second social networking system user;

selecting, by a computer system of the social networking system and without the first user'"'"'s input, at least the first and second stories for display in a news feed of one or more other users of the plurality of users; and

transmitting the selected stories for display to the news feed of the one or more other users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry comprises a natural language entry.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving a privacy setting indicating one or more other users who are approved to view the information about the future status of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the other users are selected for receiving one or more of the plurality of stories for display based upon an affinity between the first user and the one or more other users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the information about the future status of the user to the other users comprises adding the information about the future status of the user to a news feed of one or more of the other users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the selected for display in the news feed of one or more other users comprises:

sending for display to a selected user a description of the future status of the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the selected for display in the news feed of one or more other users comprises:

sending for display to a second user a user interface element that enables the second user to request that the social networking system add the information about the future status of the first user for the second user'"'"'s own future status.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a request from the second user to add the information about the future status of the first user for the second user'"'"'s own future status,

storing the future status in an entry in association with an account of the second user, and

sending the information about the future status of the second user for display to another user of the social networking system with whom the selected user has established a connection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the selected stories for display in the news feed of one or more other users comprises pushing a notification to the one or more other users, the notification comprising the information about the future status.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a generated story comprising a description of the entry further comprises a link allowing the one or more other users to join the future status of the first user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first story comprises a natural language description of the future status for the first user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first story further comprises information indicating a first time corresponding to a time of receiving the entry from the first user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first story further comprises information indicating a second time corresponding to a time of the future status for the first user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the received entry comprises a text entry of the future status for the first user; and

generating the first story comprises adding to the text entry by the first user, an indication that the text entry was received from the first user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user interface elements for the viewing user to interact with the first story includes an option for the viewing user to add an event corresponding to the future status for the first user to the viewing user'"'"'s calendar.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user interface elements for the viewing user to interact with the first story includes an option for the viewing user to comment on the description of the future status for the first user.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having embedded thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor for performing a method, the method comprising:

monitoring by a social networking system one or more actions, each action performed by one or more users of the social networking system, each user having established a connection within the social networking system to at least one other user of the one or more users, the connection stored by the social networking system;

receiving an entry from a first user of the one or more users, the received entry comprising a future status for the first user;

storing the entry in a data store in association with an account of the first user;

generating a plurality of stories, wherein the plurality of stories includes a first story and a second story, the first story being of a first story type comprising a description of a future status of a social networking system user, the first story comprising a description of the future status for the first user and one or more user interface elements for a viewing user to interact with the first story, and the second story being of a second story type, the second story comprising a description of one of the monitored actions comprising a previous status of a second social networking system user;

selecting, by a computer system of the social networking system and without the first user'"'"'s input, at least the first and second stories for display in a news feed of one or more other users of the plurality of users; and

transmitting the selected stories for display to the news feed of the one or more other users.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first story comprises a natural language description of the future status for the first user.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein a generated story comprising a description of the entry further comprises a link allowing the one or more other users to join the future status of the first user.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the entry comprises a natural language entry.

21. The computer readable method of claim 19, the method further comprising:

receiving a privacy setting indicating one or more other users who are approved to view the information about the future status of the first user.