Degrees of separation for handling communications

• US 9,462,046 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US14/554,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT
• 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

Abstract

A sender'"'"'s degrees of separation from a recipient may be used to aid in spam filtering or to otherwise handle a communication. The “degrees of separation” represent a metric used to quantify whether/how the recipient is linked to the sender through intermediary people or other entities. For example, a recipient may know a first user (first degree of separation) and the first user may know a second user (second degree of separation) who knows the sender of an e-mail. In this case, the sender is separated from the recipient by two degrees of separation (by two other contacts). A level of “trust” or “legitimacy” about a sender'"'"'s communication can be inferred by looking at whether the sender is linked to an intended recipient. Typically, user contact lists (e.g., address book, buddy list, and/or white list) are evaluated to determine the number of degrees (or hops) are required to link or relate two users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a communication from a sender, wherein the communication is directed to an intended recipient;

accessing one or more contact lists associated with the intended recipient or the sender to determine whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than a threshold number of degrees of separation; and

selectively handling, using at least one processor, the communication based on whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively handling the communication comprises initially blocking the communication when the sender and the intended recipient are not linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a notification to the intended recipient, prior to providing the communication to the intended recipient, when the sender and the intended recipient are not linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification informs the intended recipient that the sender has sent the communication to the intended recipient.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification comprises a selectable element that allows the intended recipient to indicate that the communication should be displayed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation includes determining whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by at least one intermediary entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the communication to the intended recipient when the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more contact lists comprise at least one of an address book, a buddy list, a personal phone book, or a white list.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is one of an email message, an instant message, an SMS message, or a telephone call.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the communication to the intended recipient when the sender and the intended recipient are linked by at most one degree of separation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a notification to the intended recipient prior to providing the communication when the sender and the intended recipient are linked by at least two degrees of separation.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer system to:

receive a communication from a sender, wherein the communication is directed to an intended recipient;

access one or more contact lists associated with the intended recipient or the sender to determine whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than a threshold number of degrees of separation; and

selectively handle the communication based on whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein selectively handling the communication comprises initially blocking the communication when the sender and the intended recipient are not linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to provide a notification to the intended recipient, prior to providing the communication to the intended recipient, when the sender and the intended recipient are not linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the threshold number of degrees of separation corresponds to a value of at least two.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the notification comprises a selectable element that allows the intended recipient to indicate that the communication should be provided.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to provide the communication to the intended recipient when the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the communication is one of an email message, an instant message, an SMS message, or a telephone call.

19. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive a communication from a sender, wherein the communication is directed to an intended recipient;

access one or more contact lists associated with the intended recipient or the sender to determine whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than a threshold number of degrees of separation; and

selectively handle the communication based on whether the sender and the intended recipient are linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein selectively handling the communication comprises initially blocking the communication when the sender and the intended recipient are not linked by less than the threshold number of degrees of separation.