Organizing messages in a messaging system using social network information

• US 8,984,081 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Prashant, Liu, Jiakai, Bosworth, Andrew G., Seligstein, Joel Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US13/952,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A messaging system receives a message that is intended for a recipient, who is a user of a social networking system. An object associated with the message is identified based on the message content and/or metadata associated with the message. The messaging system accesses a social networking system database to obtain social information about a relationship between the recipient and the identified object. The message is then indexed using the social information, wherein an entry for the message is stored in a message index based on the social information. This process may be repeated for each received message, and multiple different message indexes may be generated for received messages to track different types of social information. A user interface for viewing messages uses the message index to organize the messages, such as to filter, categorize, and/or sort the messages in the display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of recipients of a message, the recipients of the message being users of a social networking system;

accessing a social networking database that includes social information about a relationship between the recipients of the message; and

organizing, by at least a computer, the message in accordance with the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein organizing the message comprises filtering the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein organizing the message comprises categorizing the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein organizing the message comprises sorting the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the social information includes information about a degree of connection between the recipients of the message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the social information includes information about an affinity between the recipients of the message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the social information includes information about whether the recipients have established a connection in the social networking system.

8. A system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for;

identifying a plurality of recipients of a message, the recipients of the message being users of a social networking system;

accessing a social networking database that includes social information about a relationship between the recipients of the message; and

organizing the message in accordance with the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein organizing the message comprises filtering the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein organizing the message comprises categorizing the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein organizing the message comprises sorting the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the social information includes information about a degree of connection between the recipients of the message.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the social information includes information about an affinity between the recipients of the message.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the social information includes information about whether the recipients have established a connection in the social networking system.