Patents by Inventor Spencer Ahrens

Spencer Ahrens 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: 9930137
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Publication number: 20180004715
    Abstract: Disclosed are ways to transform an unoptimized hierarchy of views into an optimized display view hierarchy that achieves the same user interface specified by the unoptimized hierarchy but with fewer views. Various embodiments of the present disclosure render pages more quickly and with less overhead by automatically removing “layout-only” views that may affect the positioning of other views but are not drawn themselves. Reducing the number of views created and the depth of the display view hierarchy decreases memory usage and improves computing device display system performance and reliability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Andrew Lankes Street, Spencer Ahrens, Adam John Ernst
  • Patent number: 9596312
    Abstract: A method and system for static resource caching in a networking system are provided. The system includes a fetcher instantiated on a particular user device. The fetcher can be a browser plug-in, a separate process or a program integrated into another process on the particular user device. The fetcher downloads static resource data from a web server and groups the downloaded static resource data into a plurality of static resource packages. In some embodiments, the fetcher may predict new static resource package(s) that the particular user may need by analyzing the particular user's activities on the web server and web traffics on the particular user device. Therefore, static resource data from the web server may be effectively cached on the particular user device even before any browser is launched on the particular user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Spencer Ahrens
  • Publication number: 20150256644
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Patent number: 9065798
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Patent number: 8983928
    Abstract: Indexing and retrieving real time content in a social networking system is disclosed. A user-term index includes user-term partitions, each user-term partition comprising temporal databases. As a post is received from a user, a user identifier, a post identifier, and a post is extracted. An object store communicatively coupled to a temporal database for recently received content is queried to determine whether terms in the post has already been stored. A term identifier is stored in the user-term index with the user and post identifiers. A forward index stores the post by post identifier. Responsive to a search query, the user-term index is searched by the user's connections and the terms. A real time search engine compiles the results of the user-term index query and retrieves the stored posts from the forward index. The search results may then be ranked and cached before presentation to the searching user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Akhil Wable, Hong Yan, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Guizhen Yang
  • Publication number: 20140250101
    Abstract: Indexing and retrieving real time content in a social networking system is disclosed. A user-term index includes user-term partitions, each user-term partition comprising temporal databases. As a post is received from a user, a user identifier, a post identifier, and a post is extracted. An object store communicatively coupled to a temporal database for recently received content is queried to determine whether terms in the post has already been stored. A term identifier is stored in the user-term index with the user and post identifiers. A forward index stores the post by post identifier. Responsive to a search query, the user-term index is searched by the user's connections and the terms. A real time search engine compiles the results of the user-term index query and retrieves the stored posts from the forward index. The search results may then be ranked and cached before presentation to the searching user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Akhil Wable, Hong Yan, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Guizhen Yang
  • Publication number: 20140215019
    Abstract: A method and system for static resource caching in a networking system are provided. The system includes a fetcher instantiated on a particular user device. The fetcher can be a browser plug-in, a separate process or a program integrated into another process on the particular user device. The fetcher downloads static resource data from a web server and groups the downloaded static resource data into a plurality of static resource packages. In some embodiments, the fetcher may predict new static resource package(s) that the particular user may need by analyzing the particular user's activities on the web server and web traffics on the particular user device. Therefore, static resource data from the web server may be effectively cached on the particular user device even before any browser is launched on the particular user device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Inventor: Spencer AHRENS
  • Publication number: 20140019551
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc., a Delaware corporation
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Patent number: 8583738
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Patent number: 8572174
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Publication number: 20130246390
    Abstract: Indexing and retrieving real time content in a social networking system is disclosed. A user-term index includes user-term partitions, each user-term partition comprising temporal databases. As a post is received from a user, a user identifier, a post identifier, and a post is extracted. An object store communicatively coupled to a temporal database for recently received content is queried to determine whether terms in the post has already been stored. A term identifier is stored in the user-term index with the user and post identifiers. A forward index stores the post by post identifier. Responsive to a search query, the user-term index is searched by the user's connections and the terms. A real time search engine compiles the results of the user-term index query and retrieves the stored posts from the forward index. The search results may then be ranked and cached before presentation to the searching user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: c/o Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Akhil Wable, Hong Yan, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Guizhen Yang
  • Patent number: 8527496
    Abstract: Indexing and retrieving real time content in a social networking system is disclosed. A user-term index includes user-term partitions, each user-term partition comprising temporal databases. As a post is received from a user, a user identifier, a post identifier, and a post is extracted. An object store communicatively coupled to a temporal database for recently received content is queried to determine whether terms in the post has already been stored. A term identifier is stored in the user-term index with the user and post identifiers. A forward index stores the post by post identifier. Responsive to a search query, the user-term index is searched by the user's connections and the terms. A real time search engine compiles the results of the user-term index query and retrieves the stored posts from the forward index. The search results may then be ranked and cached before presentation to the searching user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Akhil Wable, Hong Yan, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Guizhen Yang
  • Patent number: 8443155
    Abstract: An object storage system comprises one or more computer processors or threads that can concurrently access a shared memory, the shared memory comprising an array of equally-sized cells. In one embodiment, each cell is of the size used by the processors to represent a pointer, e.g., 64 bits. Using an algorithm performing only one memory write, and using a hardware-provided transactional operation, such as a compare-and-swap instruction, to implement the memory write, concurrent access is safely accommodated in a lock-free manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Adams, Spencer Ahrens
  • Publication number: 20120284614
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Patent number: 8280959
    Abstract: A user device requests a web page from a web server of a third-party website, which is separate from a social networking system. The web server from the third-party website sends a markup language document for the requested web page to the user device which includes an instruction for a browser application running on the user device to incorporate information obtained from the social networking system within the web page. Based on the instruction in the received markup language document, the user device requests personalized content from the social networking system, which generates the requested personalized content based on social information about the user. The user device then renders the web page with the personalized content contained in a frame and displays the rendered web page and the frame to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Ray C. He, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Chaitanya Mishra, Austin Daniel Haugen, Xin Liu, Michael Steven Vernal
  • Publication number: 20110196855
    Abstract: Indexing and retrieving real time content in a social networking system is disclosed. A user-term index includes user-term partitions, each user-term partition comprising temporal databases. As a post is received from a user, a user identifier, a post identifier, and a post is extracted. An object store communicatively coupled to a temporal database for recently received content is queried to determine whether terms in the post has already been stored. A term identifier is stored in the user-term index with the user and post identifiers. A forward index stores the post by post identifier. Responsive to a search query, the user-term index is searched by the user's connections and the terms. A real time search engine compiles the results of the user-term index query and retrieves the stored posts from the forward index. The search results may then be ranked and cached before presentation to the searching user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Inventors: Akhil Wable, Hong Yan, Spencer Ahrens, Yofay Kari Lee, Guizhen Yang
  • Publication number: 20110161602
    Abstract: An object storage system comprises one or more computer processors or threads that can concurrently access a shared memory, the shared memory comprising an array of equally-sized cells. In one embodiment, each cell is of the size used by the processors to represent a pointer, e.g., 64 bits. Using an algorithm performing only one memory write, and using a hardware-provided transactional operation, such as a compare-and-swap instruction, to implement the memory write, concurrent access is safely accommodated in a lock-free manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Inventors: Keith Adams, Spencer Ahrens