Determining membership in a group based on loneliness score

• US 9,413,705 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• 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:
  US14/754,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Systems and methods for the forming of user device groups are presented. In one example, potential membership of a first user in a first group of users is determined, the first group of users containing a plurality of users, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, the scores based at least partially on the a loneliness score for the first user, the loneliness score being an estimate of how lonely the first user is and being calculated by examining past communications between an electronic device of the first user and other electronic devices via a social network service. The first user is then added to the first group of users based on the loneliness score. Content from a second user in the first group of users is received, and then the content is distributed to users in the first group of users.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining potential membership of a first user in a first group of users, the first group of users containing a plurality of users, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, the scores based at least partially on a loneliness score for the first user, the loneliness score being an estimate of how lonely the first user is and being calculated by examining past communications between an electronic device of the first user and other electronic devices via a social network service;

adding the first user to the first group of users based on the loneliness score;

receiving content from a second user in the first group of users; and

distributing the content from the second user to users in the first group of users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of logical relationships between the first user and other users in the social networking service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of contributors to other groups to which the first user is a member.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of other groups to which the first user is a member.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on content sent by the first user from the electronic device of the first user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the loneliness score is further based on a location of the electronic device of the first user when the content was sent and locations of electronic devices of other users in the plurality of possible groups at times when the other users sent content.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the loneliness score is further based on a current location of the electronic device of the first user and current locations of electronic devices of other users in the plurality of possible groups.

8. A server comprising:

a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the system to;

determine potential membership of a first user in a first group of users, the first group of users containing a plurality of users, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, the scores based at least partially on a loneliness score for the first user, the loneliness score being an estimate of how lonely the first user is and being calculated by examining past communications between an electronic device of the first user and other electronic devices via a social network service;

add the first user to the first group of users based on the loneliness score;

receive content from a second user in the first group of users; and

distribute the content from the second user to users in the first group of users.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of logical relationships between the first user and other users in the social networking service.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of contributors to other groups to which the first user is a member.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of other groups to which the first user is a member.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on content sent by the first user from the electronic device of the first user.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the loneliness score is further based on a location of the electronic device of the first user when the content was sent and locations of electronic devices of other users in the plurality of possible groups at times when the other users sent content.

14. The server of claim 12, wherein the loneliness score is further based on a current location of the electronic device of the first user and current locations of electronic devices of other users in the plurality of possible groups.

15. 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:

determining potential membership of a first user in a first group of users, the first group of users containing a plurality of users, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, the scores based at least partially on a loneliness score for the first user, the loneliness score being an estimate of how lonely the first user is and being calculated by examining past communications between an electronic device of the first user and other electronic devices via a social network service;

adding the first user to the first group of users based on the loneliness score;

receiving content from a second user in the first group of users; and

distributing the content from the second user to users in the first group of users.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of logical relationships between the first user and other users in the social networking service.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of contributors to other groups to which the first user is a member.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on a number of other groups to which the first user is a member.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the loneliness score is calculated at least partially based on content sent by the first user from the electronic device of the first user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the loneliness score is further based on a location of the electronic device of the first user when the content was sent and locations of electronic devices of other users in the plurality of possible groups at times when the other users sent content.