Patents by Inventor Duncan James Watts

Duncan James Watts 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).

  • Patent number: 10103952
    Abstract: A tracking system is provided comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for monitoring a database. The storage medium comprises instructions for receiving a current shortened content address from a requesting user, the current shortened content address including a shortened content address base and an appended link identifier, and instructions for determining a content address associated with the current shortened content address. The storage medium further comprises instructions for storing the shortened content address base and the appended link identifier in a database and instructions for determining if the tracking system has previously received a request for a shortened content address associated with the content address from the requesting user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20170214587
    Abstract: A tracking system is provided comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for monitoring a database. The storage medium comprises instructions for receiving a current shortened content address from a requesting user, the current shortened content address including a shortened content address base and an appended link identifier, and instructions for determining a content address associated with the current shortened content address. The storage medium further comprises instructions for storing the shortened content address base and the appended link identifier in a database and instructions for determining if the tracking system has previously received a request for a shortened content address associated with the content address from the requesting user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicant: Excalibur IP, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Patent number: 9634913
    Abstract: A tracking system is provided comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for monitoring a database. The storage medium comprises instructions for receiving a current shortened content address from a requesting user, the current shortened content address including a shortened content address base and an appended link identifier, and instructions for determining a content address associated with the current shortened content address. The storage medium further comprises instructions for storing the shortened content address base and the appended link identifier in a database and instructions for determining if the tracking system has previously received a request for a shortened content address associated with the content address from the requesting user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Patent number: 9430755
    Abstract: Methods, system and computer readable medium for discovering social groups include extracting activity related data associated with a user's social interactions from a source. The activity related data identifies information related to social contacts used during the social interactions at the source. The activity related data of the user is analyzed to identify co-occurrences of the social contacts. The co-occurrences determine a set of related contacts. The set of related contacts identified from the activity related data are clustered into distinct social groups. The social groups are used by a user to facilitate subsequent interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Jake Hofman, Winter Mason, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20150295795
    Abstract: A tracking system is provided comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for monitoring a database. The storage medium comprises instructions for receiving a current shortened content address from a requesting user, the current shortened content address including a shortened content address base and an appended link identifier, and instructions for determining a content address associated with the current shortened content address. The storage medium further comprises instructions for storing the shortened content address base and the appended link identifier in a database and instructions for determining if the tracking system has previously received a request for a shortened content address associated with the content address from the requesting user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Patent number: 9100286
    Abstract: A tracking system comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for monitoring a database is provided. The storage medium includes instructions for storing a plurality of link identifiers in a database, each link identifier associated with a content address identifier and instructions for receiving a current shortened content address with an appended link identifier from a requesting user. The storage medium further includes instructions for determining a requested content address identifier associated with the current shortened content address and instructions for determining if the tracking system has previously received any previous shortened content address associated with the requested content address identifier from the requesting user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Patent number: 9100436
    Abstract: A tracking system comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor is provided. The storage medium of the tracking system includes instructions for receiving a request for content from a device using a first shortened content address, the first shortened content address including a shortened content address base and a first link identifier. The storage medium further includes instructions for determining a content address identifier associated with the first shortened content address and instructions for searching the device for a cookie associated with the content address identifier, the cookie including a cookie link identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20150163193
    Abstract: A tracking system comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor is provided. The storage medium of the tracking system includes instructions for receiving a request for content from a device using a first shortened content address, the first shortened content address including a shortened content address base and a first link identifier. The storage medium further includes instructions for determining a content address identifier associated with the first shortened content address and instructions for searching the device for a cookie associated with the content address identifier, the cookie including a cookie link identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20150156088
    Abstract: A tracking system comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for monitoring a database is provided. The storage medium includes instructions for storing a plurality of link identifiers in a database, each link identifier associated with a content address identifier and instructions for receiving a current shortened content address with an appended link identifier from a requesting user. The storage medium further includes instructions for determining a requested content address identifier associated with the current shortened content address and instructions for determining if the tracking system has previously received any previous shortened content address associated with the requested content address identifier from the requesting user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Patent number: 8990341
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method tracks diffusion. The method includes receiving a tracking request from an initiating user to track diffusion of content located at a content address. A computer tracking system generates a first shortened content address for the content address, from which the content is provided to the initiating user. The method includes receiving content requests from one or more requesting users, and generating, for each requesting user, a unique subsequent shortened content address for the content address. Content is provided to each requesting user using the subsequent shortened content address generated for each requesting user respectively. Each content request from the requesting users is made using either the first shortened content address or one of the subsequent shortened content addresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20140040385
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein may relate to determining individual experts to answer user queries utilizing computing platform in a communication system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Jake Hofman, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20140006523
    Abstract: Methods, system and computer readable medium for discovering social groups include extracting activity related data associated with a user's social interactions from a source. The activity related data identifies information related to social contacts used during the social interactions at the source. The activity related data of the user is analyzed to identify co-occurrences of the social contacts. The co-occurrences determine a set of related contacts. The set of related contacts identified from the activity related data are clustered into distinct social groups. The social groups are used by a user to facilitate subsequent interactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Jake Hofman, Winter Mason, Duncan James Watts
  • Publication number: 20130227057
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method tracks diffusion. The method includes receiving a tracking request from an initiating user to track diffusion of content located at a content address. A computer tracking system generates a first shortened content address for the content address, from which the content is provided to the initiating user. The method includes receiving content requests from one or more requesting users, and generating, for each requesting user, a unique subsequent shortened content address for the content address. Content is provided to each requesting user using the subsequent shortened content address generated for each requesting user respectively. Each content request from the requesting users is made using either the first shortened content address or one of the subsequent shortened content addresses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Gray Goldstein, Sharad Goel, Duncan James Watts