Providing profile information using servers

• US 9,020,938 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cort, Frank J., Jacobson, Joshua Robert Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Jami, Hares
• Application Number:
  US12/875,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 707/732, 707/733, 707/748, 707/722, 707/723, 707/724, 707/725, 707/734, 709/203, 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 707/732
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method includes: generating profile data for users including a first user, the profile data related to contacts or persons used in messages to or from each user; generating, via a server platform, parameters corresponding to the profile data for ranking contacts or persons; and transmitting the parameters to client devices to allow each client device to determine ranks of contacts or persons in the profile data based on the parameters and a function that uses the parameters.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

scanning a plurality of messages to or from a plurality of users, the plurality of messages including a new message to or from a first user;

generating, on a server platform, profile data for each of the plurality of users, the profile data related to contacts or persons referenced in messages to or from the respective user, wherein the generating comprises extracting information for each contact or person from a body of at least one message of the plurality of messages, including extracting an address from a body of one of the plurality of messages for one of the contacts or persons other than a sender or recipient of a message;

obtaining additional information for the profile data of each user from an information source other than the plurality of messages;

generating, via the server platform, parameters corresponding to the profile data for ranking contacts or persons;

transmitting, from the server platform, the parameters to a plurality of client devices to allow each of the client devices to determine ranks of contacts or persons based on the parameters and further based on a function that uses the parameters, the plurality of client devices including a first client device of the first user;

in response to scanning the new message, updating the parameters relevant to the new message to generate updated parameters; and

transmitting the updated parameters to the first client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated parameters include at least one of a time parameter, a parameter indicating a message read status, or a parameter indicating level of contact in a social network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the time parameter is a time since last message received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile data is related to contacts, each of the contacts corresponds to a set of values for the parameters, and the method further comprising transmitting values for the updated parameters for storage locally on the first client device to allow the first client device to determine ranks of contacts based on the updated parameters and further based on a function that uses the updated parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server platform, a copy of the new message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising fetching the copy of the new message from a message server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of client devices includes a second client device of the first user, the method further comprising synchronizing profile data among the first and second client devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the ranks of the contacts or persons are dependent upon a particular device used by the first user to provide an input, and wherein the particular device is the first or second client device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

provisioning an LDAP server of the server platform for each respective user; and

storing profile data for each respective user in a database associated with the LDAP server.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing configuration settings data to allow each respective user to configure a client for communication with the LDAP server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile data is related to contacts, and the rank of a first contact of the contacts is dependent on values of parameters for other of the contacts.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information source other than the plurality of messages is an online source.

13. A non-transitory tangible machine readable media embodying instructions, the instructions causing a client device of a user to:

receive, at the client device, parameters corresponding to profile data, the profile data comprising a profile for each of a plurality of persons and the profile data being related to contacts or addresses referenced in messages to or from the user, wherein the profile data has been generated by extracting information for each of the plurality of persons from a body of at least one of the messages, including extracting an address from a body of at least one of the messages for one of the contacts or persons other than a sender or recipient of a message, and by obtaining additional information for each person from an information source other than the messages;

receive, via the client device, an incomplete input from the user;

present, via the client device, a plurality of suggestions to the user for completion of the input, wherein the plurality of suggestions is presented in a ranked order determined by an evaluation of ranks of contacts or addresses based on the parameters and a formula that uses the parameters;

receive, via the client device, a selection by the user of a first suggestion from the plurality of suggestions;

complete the input with the first suggestion;

receive updated parameters relevant to a new message to or from the user; and

evaluate ranks of contacts or addresses based on the updated parameters and the formula.

14. The non-transitory tangible machine readable media of claim 13, wherein:

the profile data is related to contacts;

each of the contacts corresponds to a respective set of values for the parameters;

the respective set of values for each contact is stored locally on the client device; and

a rank for a first contact of the contacts is dependent on the respective set of values for the first contact and the respective set of values for a second contact of the contacts.

15. A data processing system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing profile data for each of a plurality of users including a first user, the profile data related to contacts or persons referenced in messages to or from the respective user, and the memory further storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to;

scan a plurality of messages to or from the plurality of users, including scanning a new message to or from the first user;

generate the profile data including extracting information for each contact or person from a body of at least one of the plurality of messages, including extracting an address from a body of one of the plurality of messages for one of the contacts or persons other than a sender or recipient of a message, and obtaining additional information for the profile data of each contact or person from an online source;

generate parameters corresponding to the profile data for ranking contacts or persons;

transmit the parameters to a plurality of client devices to allow each of the client devices to determine ranks of contacts or persons based on the parameters, the plurality of client devices including a first client device of the first user;

in response to scanning the new message, update at least a portion of the parameters to generate updated parameters; and

transmit the updated parameters to the first client device.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the generated parameters include at least one of a time parameter, a parameter indicating a message read status, or a parameter indicating level of contact in a social network.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the time parameter is a time since last message received.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the profile data is related to contacts, each of the contacts has a set of values for the parameters, and the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to transmit values for the updated parameters for storage locally on the first client device to allow the first client device to determine the ranks of contacts based on the updated parameters and further based on a function that uses the updated parameters.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the data processing system further comprises an LDAP server, and the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to:

provision the LDAP server for each respective user; and

store profile data for each respective user in a database associated with the LDAP server.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to provide configuration settings data to allow each respective user to configure a client for communication with the LDAP server.