Patents by Inventor Christopher Lunt

Christopher Lunt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120330945
    Abstract: Particular embodiments access a search query submitted by a first user of a social-networking system; identify one or more web pages in response to the search query; for each of the one or more web pages, determine a value indicating a number of user clicks associated with the web page by one or more second users of the social-networking system who are connected to the first user within the social-networking system; and send a set of hyperlinks for the one or more web pages, wherein hyperlinks for web pages where the value is greater than zero are visually emphasized over other hyperlinks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath, Jeffrey Winner
  • Publication number: 20120324373
    Abstract: Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) support the collaborative generation of life stories by helping the user view the development of the life stories of other users and facilitating interaction with them through these GUIs. A GUI according to a first type helps the user keep track of recent life stories and comments posted by other users of the collaborative system, and a GUI according to a second type helps the user view life stories of any user in a chronological manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Halliday, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20120311680
    Abstract: In particular embodiments, a method includes accessing a graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes and edges where each node represents a user, receiving a request to transmit content related to a first user to a second user, and prohibiting transmission of the content to the second user if the first user and the second user are connected in the graph structure through a series of edges and nodes that comprises an unauthorized node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Inventor: Christopher Lunt
  • Patent number: 8302164
    Abstract: An individual's social network is used to authorize information flow to the individual and to authenticate the individual for access to certain information or services. Information flow to the individual is authorized if the source of the information is a member of the individual's social network who is connected to the individual along a path that does not traverse through anyone on a gray list of the individual. The black list identifies those members who previously sent unwanted communication to the individual or posted content that was deemed offensive by the individual. The gray list identifies those members who are one degree separated from any black list member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Lunt
  • Patent number: 8291477
    Abstract: An individual's social network is used to authorize information flow to the individual and to authenticate the individual for access to certain information or services. Information flow to the individual is authorized if the source of the information is a member of the individual's social network who is connected to the individual along a path that does not traverse through anyone on a gray list of the individual. The black list identifies those members who previously sent unwanted communication to the individual or posted content that was deemed offensive by the individual. The gray list identifies those members who are one degree separated from any black list member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20120239764
    Abstract: An online social network is provided in which members of the online social network control who may view their personal information and who may communicate with them. The members control who may view their personal information by setting a visibility preference. A member may not view another member's full personal profile if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the visibility preference of the other member. The members also control who may communicate with them by setting a contactability preference. A member may not communicate with another member if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the contactability preference of the other member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventors: Nicholas Galbreath, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20120185539
    Abstract: The compatibility score of members of a social network is based on the compatibility of their expressed interests. The compatibility score between any two interests is calculated as the log of the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express both interests divided by the product of: (i) the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express the first of the two interests and (ii) the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express the second of the two interests. The compatibility score between two individuals is calculated as the sum of the compatibility scores between each interest appearing in a set of interests expressed by the first of the two individuals and each interest appearing in a set of interests expressed by the second of the two individuals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Xiao Ming Zhu, Christopher Lunt
  • Patent number: 8219500
    Abstract: An online social network is provided in which members of the online social network control who may view their personal information and who may communicate with them. The members control who may view their personal information by setting a visibility preference. A member may not view another member's full personal profile if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the visibility preference of the other member. The members also control who may communicate with them by setting a contactability preference. A member may not communicate with another member if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the contactability preference of the other member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Galbreath, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20120130992
    Abstract: An online social network is provided in which members of the online social network control who may view their personal information and who may communicate with them. The members control who may view their personal information by setting a visibility preference. A member may not view another member's full personal profile if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the visibility preference of the other member. The members also control who may communicate with them by setting a contactability preference. A member may not communicate with another member if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the contactability preference of the other member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Nicholas Galbreath, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20120102027
    Abstract: The compatibility score of individuals in a social network is computed based on the compatibility of interests expressed by these individuals. The compatibility score between any two interests is calculated as the log of the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express both interests as his/her interests divided by the product of: (i) the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express the first of the two interests as his/her interest and (ii) the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express the second of the two interests as his/her interest. The compatibility score between two individuals is calculated as the sum of the compatibility scores between each interest appearing in a set of interests expressed by the first of the two individuals and each interest appearing in a set of interests expressed by the second of the two individuals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventors: Xiao Ming Zhu, Christopher Lunt
  • Patent number: 8150778
    Abstract: The compatibility score of individuals in a social network is computed based on the compatibility of interests expressed by these individuals. The compatibility score between any two interests is calculated as the log of the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express both interests as his or her interests divided by the product of: (i) the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express the first of the two interests as his or her interest and (ii) the estimated probability that a member of the social network will express the second of the two interests as his or her interest. The compatibility score between two individuals is calculated as the sum of the compatibility scores between each interest appearing in a set of interests expressed by the first of the two individuals and each interest appearing in a set of interests expressed by the second of the two individuals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiao Ming Zhu, Christopher Lunt
  • Patent number: 8103947
    Abstract: A collaborative system and method are used to capture, organize, share and preserve life stories. Life stories can be expressed in first person or third person. In either case, the process of developing the life stories is carried out with collaboration with and contributions from other users. The collaboration among the users is desirable because it serves to encourage and prompt users to record their life stories and also increases the relevance of the recorded life stories, so that an online community of users containing highly relevant and meaningful content, that is also relatively permanent in nature, about the users can be created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Timecove Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Andrew Halliday
  • Patent number: 8010458
    Abstract: An online social network is provided in which members of the online social network control who may view their personal information and who may communicate with them. The members control who may view their personal information by setting a visibility preference. A member may not view another member's full personal profile if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the visibility preference of the other member. The members also control who may communicate with them by setting a contactability preference. A member may not communicate with another member if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the contactability preference of the other member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Galbreath, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20110145931
    Abstract: An online social network is provided in which members of the online social network control who may view their personal information and who may communicate with them. The members control who may view their personal information by setting a visibility preference. A member may not view another member's full personal profile if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the visibility preference of the other member. The members also control who may communicate with them by setting a contactability preference. A member may not communicate with another member if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the contactability preference of the other member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Inventors: Nicholas Galbreath, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20110119335
    Abstract: An online social network is provided in which members of the online social network control who may view their personal information and who may communicate with them. The members control who may view their personal information by setting a visibility preference. A member may not view another member's full personal profile if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the visibility preference of the other member. The members also control who may communicate with them by setting a contactability preference. A member may not communicate with another member if the measure of relatedness between the two is greater than the contactability preference of the other member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventors: Nicholas Galbreath, Christopher Lunt
  • Publication number: 20110093506
    Abstract: Particular embodiments access a query submitted by a first user; retrieve information concerning one or more second users; retrieve a degree of separation between the first user and each second user within a social-networking system; and for each second user, if the degree of separation between the first user and the second user is less than or equal to a threshold degree of separation, then send the information concerning the second user to the first user in response to the query.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath, Jeffrey Winner
  • Publication number: 20110093346
    Abstract: Particular embodiments access a search query submitted by a first user; identify one or more sponsored web pages in response to the search query, wherein each sponsored web page is associated with a hyperlink; determine whether one or more of the sponsored web pages has been accessed by one or more second users, wherein the one or more second users are connected in a graph structure to the first user within a threshold degree of separation; and send a response comprising a hyperlink for at least one of the sponsored web pages in response to the search query, wherein the response further includes a visual tag or a reference to the visual tag for the hyperlink if the sponsored web page has been accessed by at least one of the one or more second users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath, Jeffrey Winner
  • Publication number: 20110093460
    Abstract: Particular embodiments access a search query submitted by a first user of a social-networking system; identify one or more web pages in response to the search query; retrieve, from the social-networking system, social-networking information of the first user to identify one or more second users of the social-networking system who are connected to the first user within a predetermined degree of separation within the social-networking system; for each of the one or more web pages, determine a value indicating a number of times that the web page has been accessed by the one or more second users; rank the one or more web pages based on the value determined for each web page; and send a ranked set of hyperlinks for the one or more web pages to a second computing device associated with the first user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath, Jeffrey Winner
  • Publication number: 20110093709
    Abstract: Particular embodiments receive, at a first computing device associated with a social-networking system and from a second computing device associated with a third-party system, a query comprising a first identifier corresponding to a user of the third-party system, wherein the first identifier is computed by applying a hash algorithm to a user credential associated with the user of the third-party system; determine, by the first computing device, whether the user of the third-party system matches any member of the social-networking system; and if the second identifier corresponding to a member of the social-networking system matches the first identifier, then send, by the first computing device to the second computing device, social-network information of the member of the social-networking system in response to the query.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath, Jeffrey Winner
  • Publication number: 20110093498
    Abstract: Particular embodiments access a query from a first user, the query comprising a first user attribute; identify a plurality of candidate users sharing the same first user attribute; retrieve one or more members of a social-networking system who are connected to the first user within a threshold degree of separation; compare each candidate user with each member who is connected to the first user within the threshold degree of separation; and if a candidate user matches a member who is connected to the first user within the threshold degree of separation, then identify the matching candidate user as a match result to the query.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath, Jeffrey Winner