Elastic logical groups

• US 8,930,459 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mallet, Vincent, Cheng, Jessica, Fiedel, Noah, Gillum, Eric William, Ramanarayanan, Ganesh, Woods, Nicholas James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US14/034,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 707/728, 707/999.005, 707/999.203, 715/800, 706/46, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/287 Visualization; Browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 : Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 : Version management

Abstract

In one example, a first group of users is selected among a plurality of possible groups based on a score generated for the first group, the score indicating appropriateness of the first group for the first user, the first group of users having a plurality of users. A first user is then added to the first group of users. Then, affinity levels between the first user and other users in the first group of users are measured, the affinity levels indicating how strong logical relationships are between the first user and the other users in the first group of users. The first user is then removed from the first group of users in response to a determination that the affinity level between the first user and the other users in the first group of users has dropped below a preset threshold over time.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

accessing logical relationship information describing logical relationships among a plurality of users, including a first user;

generating scores for each of a plurality of groups, the score for each group being based on the logical relationship information;

selecting a first group among the plurality of groups based on the scores, the first group having more than one users;

adding the first user to the first group;

measuring affinity levels between the first user and each of the more than one users in the first group, the affinity levels indicating how strong logical relationships are between the first user and each of the more than one users; and

removing the first user from the first group in response to a determination that the affinity level between the first user and one of the more than one users in the first group has dropped below a preset threshold over time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scores are based on content sent by the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scores are further based on location of the first user when the content was sent and locations of other users in the plurality of possible groups at times when the other users sent content.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the scores are further based on current location of the first user and current locations of other users in the plurality of possible groups.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user is added to the first group without explicit authorization from the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical relationship information comprises communications between at least two users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the affinity levels are based on recent interactions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the affinity levels are based on contributions of content by the first user and other users in the first group.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the contributions of content comprise supplying annotations to the content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting objectionable behavior corresponding to the first user and removing the first user from the first group based on the detection of the objectionable behavior.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory to store a plurality of modules comprising instructions for execution on the at least one processor, the modules comprising;

a candidate scorer module configured to generate scores for a plurality of possible groups, the scores being based on logical relationship information describing logical relationships among a plurality of user, including a first user; and

a group candidate indexer module configured to, add the first user to a first group based on the generated scores, the first group having more than one users prior to the first user being added;

measure affinity levels between the first user and each of the more than one users in the first group, the affinity levels indicating how strong logical relationships are between the first user and the more than one users; and

remove the first user from the first group in response to a determination that the affinity level between the first user and one of the more than one users in the first group has dropped below a preset threshold over time.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are based on content sent by the first user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are further based on location of the first user when the content was sent and locations of other users in the plurality of possible groups at times when the other users sent content.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the scores generated by the candidate scorer module are further based on current location of the first user and current locations of other users in the plurality of possible groups.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first user is added to the first group without explicit authorization from the first user.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the logical relationship information comprises communications between at least two users.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the affinity levels are based on recent interactions.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the affinity levels are based on contributions of content by the first user and users in the plurality of possible groups.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

accessing logical relationship information describing logical relationships among a plurality of users, including a first user;

generating scores for each of a plurality of groups, the score for each group being based on the logical relationship information;

selecting a first group among the plurality of groups based on the scores, the first group having more than one users;

adding the first user to the first group;

measuring affinity levels between the first user and each of the more than one users in the first group, the affinity levels indicating how strong logical relationships are between the first user and each of the more than one users; and

removing the first user from the first group in response to a determination that the affinity level between the first user and one of the more than one users in the first group has dropped below a preset threshold over time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the scores generated are based on content sent by the first user.