Clarifying search results using social-networking information

• US 8,949,261 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lunt, Christopher, Galbreath, Nicholas, Winner, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US12/975,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 707/722, 707/732, 707/727, 707/784, 707/781
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Particular embodiments access a query from a first user, the query comprising a first user attribute; identify a plurality of candidate users sharing the same first user attribute; retrieve one or more members of a social-networking system who are connected to the first user within a threshold degree of separation; compare each candidate user with each member who is connected to the first user within the threshold degree of separation; and if a candidate user matches a member who is connected to the first user within the threshold degree of separation, then identify the matching candidate user as a match result to the query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a query associated with a first user of a social-networking system, the query comprising a first user attribute, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user;

identifying, by one or more of the computing devices, a plurality of second users of a third-party-application system that is external to the social-networking system, each of the second users of the third-party-application system being associated with a user attribute matching the first user attribute of the query;

identifying, by one or more of the computing devices, one or more third users of the social-networking system, for each of the third users at least one node in the graph corresponding to the third user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to a third user being connected to each other by an edge;

comparing, by one or more of the computing devices, each of the second users of the third-party-application system with each of the third users of the social-networking system to identify one or more of the second users who match the third users based on the first user attribute of the query; and

providing, by one or more of the computing devices, a search results page responsive to the receive query, the search results page comprising information associated with each of the second users of the third-party-application system who match the third users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user attribute is a personal name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third users are identified based at least in part on one or more second user attributes of the first user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a second user attribute is a user identifier and each user identifier is unique within the social-networking system.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

comparing each of the second users with each of the third users comprises comparing one or more second user attributes of each of the second users with one or more second user attributes of each of the third users; and

the method further comprises identifying a second user that matches a third user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the query further comprises a second user attribute; and

the second users are further associated with the second user attribute.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second user attribute is a telephone number.

8. A system comprising:

a memory comprising instructions executable by one or more processors; and

the one or more processors coupled to the memory and operable to execute the instructions, the one or more processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

receive a query associated with a first user of a social-networking system, the query comprising a first user attribute, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user;

identify a plurality of second users of a third-party-application system that is external to the social-networking system, each of the second users of the third-party-application system being associated with a user attribute matching the first user attribute of the query;

identify one or more third users of the social-networking system, for each of the third users at least one node in the graph corresponding to the third user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to a third user being connected to each other by an edge;

compare each of the second users of the third-party-application system with each of the third users of the social-networking system to identify one or more of the second users who match the third users based on the first user attribute of the query; and

provide a search results page responsive to the receive query, the search results page comprising information associated with each of the second users of the third-party-application system who match the third users.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first user attribute is a personal name.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the third users are identified based at least in part on one or more second user attributes of the first user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a second user attribute is a user identifier and each user identifier is unique within the social-networking system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein:

to compare each of the second users with each of the third users, the processors are operable when executing the instructions to compare one or more second user attributes of each of the second users with one or more second user attributes of each of the third users; and

the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to identify a second user that matches a third user.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the query further comprises specifies a second user attribute; and

the second users are further associated with the second user attribute.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second user attribute is a telephone number.

15. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software operable when executed to instruct one or more computer systems to:

receive a query associated with a first user of a social-networking system, the query comprising a first user attribute, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user;

identify a plurality of second users of a third-party-application system that is external to the social-networking system, each of the second users of the third-party-application system being associated with a user attribute matching the first user attribute of the query;

identify one or more third users of the social-networking system, for each of the third users at least one node in the graph corresponding to the third user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to a third user being connected to each other by an edge;

compare each of the second users of the third-party-application system with each of the third users of the social-networking system to identify one or more of the second users who match the third users based on the first user attribute of the query; and

provide a search results page responsive to the receive query, the search results page comprising information associated with each of the second users of the third-party-application system who match the third users.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the first user attribute is a personal name.

17. The media of claim 15, wherein the third users are identified based at least in part on one or more second user attributes of the first user.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the second user attribute is a user identifier and each user identifier is unique within the social-networking system.

19. The media of claim 17,

to compare each of the second users with each of the third users, the software is operable when executed to instruct one or more computer systems to compare one or more second user attributes of each of the second users with one or more second user attributes of each of the third users;

and

the software is further operable when executed to instruct one or more computer systems to identify a second user that matches a third user.

20. The media of claim 15, wherein:

the query further comprises second user attribute; and

the second users are further associated with the second user attribute.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein the second user attribute is a telephone number.