Wireless data privacy maintained through a social network

• US 9,325,778 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maguire, Yael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Hieu
• Application Number:
  US13/843,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

In one embodiment, one or more servers providing an on-line service send a token to a first client computing device associated with a first user of the on-line service, the token being generated by the servers based at least in part on a user identifier of the first user; the serves receive the token from a second client computing device associated with a second user of the on-line service, the token being sent to the second client computing device from the first client computing device through a wireless connection; the servers verify the token based at least in part on the user identifier of the first user; the servers determine data accessible to the second user if the token is verified; the servers also send to the second client computing device at least some of the data accessible to the second user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

by one or more servers of a system providing an online service, sending a token to a first client computing device associated with a first user of the online service, the token being generated by the servers based at least in part on a user identifier of the first user;

by the servers, receiving the token from a second client computing device associated with a second user of the online service, the token being sent to the second client computing device from the first client computing device through a wireless connection;

by the servers, verifying the token based at least in part on the user identifier of the first user and a least number of edges traversed in a social graph from a first node corresponding to the first user to a second node corresponding to the second user;

by the servers, determining data accessible to the second user in an event that the token is verified, wherein said determining includes determining a list of nodes in the social graph for access to the second user, the list of nodes representing connections common to both the first node and the second node; and

by the servers, sending to the second client computing device at least some of the data accessible to the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data accessible to the second user comprises the user identifier of the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying the token is further based on respective locations associated with the first and second client computing devices, wherein the respective locations are determined by the first and second client computing devices based on global positioning system (GPS), cellular signal triangulation, Wi-Fi hotspot locations, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the token expires after being verified by the servers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the token to the first client computing device is through a secured connection between the first client computing device and the servers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection is based on a Wi-Fi, short-range wireless communications interface, peer-to-peer cellular, or Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection comprises a third client computing device associated with a third user of the online service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the system is a social-networking system comprising the social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, including the first node and the second node; and

the online service is a social-networking service provided by the social- networking system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the nodes include at least two user nodes and a concept node, the concept node connected to at least the first node or the second node via an edge representing an activity performed by the first user or the second user.

10. A computer readable data storage memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system to perform a computer-implemented method, the instructions comprising:

instructions for sending, by a system providing an online service, a token to a first client computing device associated with a first user of an online service, wherein the token is generated based at least in part on a user identifier of the first user;

instructions for receiving the token from a second client computing device associated with a second user of the online service, the token being sent to the second client computing device from the first client computing device through a wireless connection;

instructions for verifying the token based at least in part on the user identifier of the first user and a least number of edges traversed in a social graph from a first node corresponding to the first user to a second node corresponding to the second user;

instructions for determining data accessible to the second user in an event that the token is verified, wherein said determining includes determining a list of nodes in the social graph for access to the second user, the list of nodes representing connections common to both the first node and the second node; and

instructions for sending to the second client computing device at least some of the data accessible to the second user.

11. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the data accessible to the second user comprises the user identifier of the first user.

12. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the verifying the token is further based on respective locations associated with the first and second client computing devices, wherein the respective locations are determined by the first and second client computing devices based on global positioning system (GPS), cellular signal triangulation, Wi-Fi hotspot locations, or any combination thereof.

13. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the token expires after being verified.

14. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the sending the token to the first client computing device is through a secured connection with the first client computing device.

15. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the wireless connection is based on a Wi-Fi, short-range wireless communications interface, peer-to-peer cellular, or Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol.

16. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the wireless connection comprises a third client computing device associated with a third user of the online service.

17. The computer readable data storage memory of claim 10, wherein the online service is a social-networking service provided by a social-networking system.

18. A computer system, comprising:

a data storage component configured to store executable instructions;

one or more processors configured, by the executable instructions, to;

provide an online service;

send a token to a first client computing device associated with a first user of the online service, wherein the token is generated based at least in part on a user identifier of the first user;

receive the token from a second client computing device associated with a second user of the online service, the token being sent to the second client computing device from the first client computing device through a wireless connection;

verify the token based at least in part on the user identifier of the first user and a least number of edges traversed in a social graph from a first node corresponding to the first user to a second node corresponding to the second user;

determine data accessible to the second user in an event that the token is verified by at least determining a list of nodes in the social graph for access to the second user, the list of nodes representing connections common to both the first node and the second node; and

send to the second client computing device at least some of the data accessible to the second user.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to expire the token after the token is verified.