Social Networking Patents (Class 705/319)
  • Patent number: 10750239
    Abstract: Disclosed is a server apparatus. The server apparatus comprises: a communication unit for receiving, from an external server, multiple first viewing log data for each of a plurality of first users using a first broadcast receiving apparatus and multiple user information of each of the plurality of first users; and a processor for updating a predictive model for predicting, from the viewing log data, the number of users using the broadcast receiving apparatus and user information of each of the users, on the basis of the received multiple first viewing log data and the received multiple user information, wherein, when second viewing log data is received from a second broadcast receiving apparatus through the communication unit, the processor predicts, using the updated predictive model, the number of users using the second broadcast receiving apparatus and user information of each of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ernesto Evgeniy Sanchesshayda, Vivek Agarwal, Jatin Garg, Min-suk Song, Jae-ook Kwon
  • Patent number: 10748533
    Abstract: A personal assistant device configured to control companion devices may include a memory configured to maintain a companion device library including a plurality of companion device each associated with at least one long-name, short-cut name and companion device room location, and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a user command from a microphone, extract a companion device name and action from the user command, determine whether the companion device name includes a unique name, and command a companion device associated with the unique name to perform the action from the user command in response to the user command including the unique name.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Craig Gunther
  • Patent number: 10742757
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for automating network account transfers based on predicted inactivity are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: OATH INC.
    Inventors: Mohit Goenka, Ashish Khushal Dharamshi, Nikita Varma
  • Patent number: 10735892
    Abstract: An engagement tracking system monitors user interactions with media items to calculate an engagement score of the media item. The engagement tracking system may be or include a group of one or more server machines configured to detect an exposure of a client device to a media item maintained by the engagement tracking system. In response to detecting the exposure of the client device to the media item, the engagement tracking system tracks a location of the client device based on access requests to location based media items. The engagement tracking system may thereby monitor client devices exposed to the media item in order to calculate an engagement score of the media item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Davis, Peter Sellis, Farnaz Azmoodeh, Samir Ahmed, Douglas Cohen
  • Patent number: 10735896
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a bilateral social media notification system. In one example, the social network system features the ability for users to have unique identification variables that are searchable. This social networking system also has a series of specific activity tags which may be associated with the unique identifications. Only unique identifications with the same activity tags will be matched and disclosed by the system to ensure no embarrassing rejections occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Inventor: Mohamed Elgamal
  • Patent number: 10733194
    Abstract: A method for personalizing reviews for a user on a social network, comprising the steps of: receiving from at least two or more users a rating and a recommendation for a reviewable item, wherein the rating is numerical value in a rating scale, and wherein a recommendation is a binary endorsement; receiving a request from a user to view the ratings and recommendations for one or more reviewable items; determining a combined rating and an combined recommendation for all users of the social network at one or more social degrees for the one or more reviewable items; and displaying, by a user interface, the combined rating and combined recommendation for all users of the social network at one or more social degrees for the one or more reviewable items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Inventor: Warren Young
  • Patent number: 10733251
    Abstract: An inferential user matching system can determine a mutual interest between a first user and a second user based on inferred trends corresponding to a set of usage behaviors by a plurality of users utilizing the system. Based on determining the mutual interest, the system can transmit, over one or more networks, a representation of the first and/or second user to the portable computing device of other user and monitor the first and/or second user to detect an expression of interest. Based on detecting the expression of interest, the system can transmit an expression of interest indication to a portable device(s) of the first and/or second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Dennis Flinn, Naomi Felina Moneypenny
  • Patent number: 10728360
    Abstract: A social networking system provides a user with a newsfeed that includes content selected by the social networking system for presentation to the user and allows the user to request a user-specific profile feed associated with an additional user connected to the user on the social networking system. The user-specific profile feed includes content received from the additional user and designated by the additional user as eligible for presentation in a user-specific profile feed associated with the additional user. If the user requests to view the user-specific profile feed, the social networking system generates and presents the user with the user-specific profile feed including the designated content and information identifying the additional user from whom the content was received. The social networking system stores a visitation state identifying the user presented with the user-specific profile feed and provides information describing the visitation state to the additional user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Sharon Zeng, Leo Litterello Mancini, Dolapo Omobola Falola, Michael Slater
  • Patent number: 10726843
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments relate to improvements in digital assistants incorporating personalization based on social network data. Various aspects of the agent, such as the agent's voice, language style, and avatar may be personalized. Personalization may be applied to components of an agent's architecture (e.g., the virtual agent's language model, natural language generator, voice generation component, etc.). Moreover, by interfacing with the social network's social graph, the agent may be provided with information useful to performing certain tasks (e.g., a calendar for scheduling, food preferences for ordering tasks, etc.). An agent may be provided (and personalized) for a single user, or a group of users (e.g., a family). The agent can be personalized to anyone, which may allow (e.g.) for the agent to represent a celebrity or a person who is not currently available in interactions with others. Different agents can talk to each other, e.g. for purposes of scheduling meetings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: Xiaohu Liu, Benoit F. Dumoulin, Baiyang Liu
  • Patent number: 10728310
    Abstract: Time-based media is distributed and promoted in a social networking environment. Accounts of a social networking system author social media content items (SMCIs) from which a social networking system infers relevance of content to users of those accounts. Content distributors submit time-based media content to the social networking system, which creates distributor SMCIs containing the time-based media content. Accounts are identified to receive distributor SMCIs based on SMCIs previously authored by those accounts as well as identifying information and the subject of the SMCI. Content promoters may add promotional material to distributor SMCIs, which the social networking service sends to additional accounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Twitter, Inc.
    Inventors: Glenn Brown, Mike Park, Jé Carr
  • Patent number: 10719522
    Abstract: An information processing system includes an acquisition unit that acquires time-series data representing vital sign information of a plurality of persons who share a location in a predetermined time and a control unit that specifies persons who have a same or similar emotional response as persons having a good affinity with each other in accordance with the time-series data acquired by the acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masamichi Asukai
  • Patent number: 10713267
    Abstract: Described are methods and systems to identify missing connections, facilitate establishing new connections by identifying an intermediary, and present the intermediaries and missing connections as an ordered set based on the connection criterion. According to various embodiments, the system receives a selection of a connection criterion from a first member and identifies a set of contact members. The system determines one or more contact members from the set of contact members and identifies a set of introduction members connected to the one or more contact members. The system determines one or more connected introduction members associated with the contact members. The system generates a contact order score for each contact member and causes presentation of the one or more contact members and the one or more connected introduction members based on the contact order scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Henri Kympers, Luke Whelan
  • Patent number: 10715534
    Abstract: Examples relate to collaborative security lists. The examples disclosed herein enable obtaining a first candidate entry suggested by a first user of a community to be included in a collaborative security list. The collaborative security list may comprise a list of entries known to be secure or a list of entries known to be insecure. The examples disclosed herein further enable providing a candidate security list comprising at least the first candidate entry to the community and obtaining, from a second user of the community, a first score indicating how confident the second user is that the first candidate entry is secure. The examples disclosed herein further enable determining whether to include the first candidate entry in the collaborative security list based on the first score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: MICRO FOCUS LLC
    Inventors: Tomas Sander, Prasad V. Rao, Brian Frederik Hosea Che Hein
  • Patent number: 10713295
    Abstract: System, apparatuses, and methods can provide customized exercise sessions and customized videos corresponding to the exercise session. Audio clips can be dynamically selected to make custom audio content for an exercise session. The audio clips and metadata can be obtained, where the audio clips correspond to categories. The exercise session can include one or more components. A destination timeline for a component can include one or more first segments that require audio, and one or more second segments that can optionally have audio. Audio clips can be selected for the various segments, where a segment can be designated for a particular category of audio clips. Identification information for the selected audio clips can be saved and used to generate the custom audio content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Fitbit, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Maser, Dave Grijalva
  • Patent number: 10705897
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a dynamic api, includes receiving a first message in a first format from a client, the first format being specified for the client, the first message including information sufficient to cause a target service to execute an operation. The method includes identifying, using the API message, the target service. The method includes determining based of the target, a second format. The method includes generating a second message in the second format prescribed by the target service using the first message, the second message including information sufficient to cause the target service to execute the operation. The method also includes sending the second message to the target service over the network connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Vinyl Development LLC
    Inventor: Thomas R. Kennedy, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10698907
    Abstract: A social networking system provides a user with a feed of content items associated with other users connected to the user via the social networking system. Additionally, the social networking system identifies additional content items for presentation to the user and generates an additional feed including the additional content items. The additional content items may be determined by identifying content items having various characteristics and scoring the content items based on the characteristics. Content items having at least a threshold score are identified as additional content items. Examples of characteristics of content items include users providing content items to the social networking system, locations associated with social networking system users, and interaction with content items by social networking system users. In some embodiments, the additional feed modifies presentation of the additional content items based on their associated scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Adrien Thomas Friggeri, Japinder Sing, Thomas Frederick Dimson, Gregory Hochmuth
  • Patent number: 10701021
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes a device receiving a request to connect a minor with another user within a social-networking system. The minor and the user may be associated with a first and a second account, respectively. The device may identify the minor's guardian. A first approval request may be sent to the minor or the guardian to seek approval of the requested connection between the minor and the other user. The first approval request may be sent to the guardian upon determining that the request is initiated by the minor, or it may be sent to the minor upon determining that the request is initiated by the guardian. The device may send a second approval request to the other user to seek approval of the requested connection as well. When the requests are approved, a connection may then be established between the minor and the other user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Tarunya Govindarajan, Zachary W. Gomez, Michael Novati
  • Patent number: 10699216
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can generate a set of candidate content items from a plurality of content items that are available in the social networking system for a first user. A corresponding score for each of the candidate content items can be generated based at least in part on one or more social affinity coefficients corresponding to the first user and a respective second user associated with a candidate content item, wherein a social affinity coefficient provides a quantitative measurement of the strength of a relationship between two users. A first set of content items from the set of candidate content items can be determined based at least in part on the respective scores, wherein content items in the first set are included in a content feed provided to the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Frederick Dimson, Taylor Gordon, Fei Huang, Jan Kalis, Justin T. Moore, Lars Seren Backstrom
  • Patent number: 10692027
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention can be a method of protecting confidentiality in a real-time survey, the method including receiving from each of a plurality of organization respondents a real-time response to a survey topic; receiving an indication of an organizational change affecting a first member of the organization, the organizational change comprising the first member departing or joining a first department, the first department comprising a plurality of first department respondents, the plurality of first department respondents being a first subset of the plurality of organization respondents; defining a first safe group comprising a first subset of the plurality of first department respondents, the first safe group having first safe group responses to the survey topic; and providing a response report for at least the first department, the response report excluding the first safe group responses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: ENERGAGE, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Johnson Joi, Anthony Douglas Moquin, Douglas J. Claffey, Mark Daniel Suwyn, John W. Quillen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10692060
    Abstract: A method for allowing a purchaser to purchase an electronic gift includes providing code to a merchant that, when selected opens an overlay on the merchant's website, with the code being selected in association with at least one item available for sale on the website. The purchaser provides recipient and billing information using a device accessing he overlay. A service provider receives payment, in an amount at least equal to a purchase price of the item, and obtains an electronic gift card having at least a unique gift card number and a balance at least equal to the purchase price of the item. After the electronic gift card has been obtained, the service provider electronically notifies the recipient that the electronic gift has been purchased by the purchaser. The notification is viewable by the recipient and includes at least an identification of the item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: CASHSTAR, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel P. Gardner, Gerard R. Gilbert, Shaun D. White, Benjamin H. Kaplan
  • Patent number: 10681428
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes sending videos to users that use a video delivery service. The videos include shows that have episodes released sequentially. The method records historical records of video views for the video based on the sending of the videos to the users. For a show, a show-specific model is determined to predict future video views by performing: determining historical records of video views for different episodes of the show; training the show-specific model with the historical records, wherein the show-specific model models a decay curve with a regularizing term to regularize a decay speed; using the show-specific model to predict future video views for a future time range for episodes of the show; and outputting the future video views to an ad system configured to sell ads for the show.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Cailiang Liu, Zhibing Wang, Dong Guo
  • Patent number: 10678800
    Abstract: Methods and systems for generating prediction data are described. In an example, a processor may retrieve preferential data from a memory. The preferential data may include a set of preferences that corresponds to a first subset of objects among a set of objects, and may exclude preferences associated with a second subset of objects among the set of objects. Each preference may indicate a preferred object between a respective pair of objects among the first subset of objects. The processor may determine first predicted ratings corresponding to the first subset of objects based on the preferential data. The processor may determine second predicted ratings corresponding to the second subset of objects based on the preferential data. The processor may generate prediction data by populating entries of the prediction data with the first and second predicted ratings, where the prediction data may include predicted ratings of the set of objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jinfeng Yi, Jun Wang, Kush Varshney, Aleksandra Mojsilovic
  • Patent number: 10681169
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request from an application installed on a client system for one or more interactive elements associated with a respective platform for sharing content to a website associated with the platform, wherein the request includes a user identifier and a content identifier; calculating a ranking score for each of a plurality of interactive elements based on profile information associated with the user identifier; and sending to the application a personalized set of the interactive elements, each of the interactive elements in the personalized set having a ranking score above a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Varun Vikram Bhartia, Todd Michael Hamilton, Raman Kaur Hansi, Yugal Jindle
  • Patent number: 10678560
    Abstract: For a user group to which a first user is assigned, a plurality of configuration settings on client devices used by respective other users in the user group can be identified. A respective homogeneity score can be assigned to each of the identified plurality of configuration settings. For each of the respective configuration settings, at least one configuration setting value can be selected as a candidate configuration setting value based on, at least in part, the homogeneity score assigned to each configuration setting. The candidate configuration setting value for each confirmation setting can be communicated to a client device used by the first user, wherein the client device sets at least one of the configuration settings with a respective candidate configuration setting value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alice Guidotti, Marco Vettori, Fabio Cerri, Roberto Ragusa
  • Patent number: 10666636
    Abstract: A method establishes a session between a network service and a user device used by the user having a particular sociometric identity. One or more processors identify an interaction between a user and one or more provider entities. The processor(s) identify profiles for the one or more provider entities, where each profile of the one or more provider entities describes a type of service provided by a respective provider entity of the one or more provider entities, and compute a sociometric identity of the user based on the profiles of the one or more provider entities with which the user has had an interaction. One or more processors transmit the sociometric identity to a network service in order to establish a session between the network service and a user device used by the user having the sociometric identity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ashish Kundu, Nalini K. Ratha
  • Patent number: 10643222
    Abstract: Provided is a process for selecting candidates for participating in a market-research survey, or receiving other offers, based on location history while protecting privacy of the candidates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Inventor: David Cristofaro
  • Patent number: 10642581
    Abstract: Systems and methods relate to creating applications using building blocks linked together with metadata. A user interface can enable a user to create an application. Creating the application can include defining a new building block configured to generate output data. The new building block can include one or more existing building blocks and the metadata associated with the existing building blocks. For example, a building block can include at least one input/output (I/O) feature configured to receive inputs and/or generate outputs. Further, the existing building block can correspond to a data structure including external I/O features. The new building block can be linked to an existing building block by mapping an external I/O feature of the existing building block to an open I/O feature of the new building block. The mapping can be stored in metadata associated with the new building block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventor: Keith Collins
  • Patent number: 10635263
    Abstract: Methods and systems and mobile device interfaces for creating, joining, organizing and managing via mobile devices affinity groups in a cloud computing environment for social and business purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Inventor: Gerald Douglas Hosier, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10635710
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for presenting recommended content based on social cues are provided. In accordance with some embodiments, a method for presenting recommended content is provided comprising: receiving a query associated with a user; generating a list of relevant media content items based on the query; selecting items for presentation to the user based on social relevance scores based on social connections of the user that have consumed a relevant item and contextual relevance scores for each item; causing the selected items to be presented to the user; and indicating that a particular item was consumed by a particular social connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Jason Robert Richard Sanio, Martin Brandt Freund
  • Patent number: 10638048
    Abstract: Method and device are described for customizing the content selection to present on a display device based on identifying the viewer of the device. In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to selecting from among a group of digital images, those images that are most likely to be of interest to the viewer. In general, many of the images available to the display device will be comprised of images containing subject faces. Using the relationship information to predict subject affinity, the display device computes an image affinity for each image by accumulating the individual subject affinity predictions between the viewer and each subject identified in each image. The image affinities are used to select images for presentation on the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Inventor: Hugh Blake Svendsen
  • Patent number: 10628001
    Abstract: Methods and systems for adapting user interfaces based on gold standards are proposed. According to certain embodiments, a gold standard is determined based on usage of a software application and other detected factors. Based on the gold standard, at least in part, a user interface is adapted to provide an improved experience for the user of the adaptive user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignees: General Electric Company, CENTRALESUPELEC
    Inventors: Chloe Adam, Paul-Henry Cournède, Antoine Aliotti, Thomas Almecija
  • Patent number: 10623513
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving content from a first user at a first time, determining whether one or more second users should be notified of the received content based on an associated first priority level, and sending a first notification to these second users. The first notification includes a subset of user-facing information of the received content. The method additionally includes receiving an update to the content from the first user at a second time which is later in time than the first time, determining whether one or more second users should be notified of the received update based on an associated second priority level, and sending a second notification to these second users. The second notification includes a second subset of the user-facing information associated with the received update.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Kenneth Zadorozny, Mohit Talwar, Lev Popov, Rose Yao
  • Patent number: 10621368
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for dynamic access control to a node in a knowledge graph includes: structuring nodes of a knowledge graph into a plurality of hierarchically organized graph layers; assigning, to a user, an access right to a node of the knowledge graph, the access right to the node selected from a plurality of access rights; and changing the access right to the node dynamically, the changing based on at least one of a structure of the knowledge graph, an access history of the user to the node, and a parameter of the user indicative of a condition outside the knowledge graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stefan Ravizza, Tim U. Scheideler, Florian Graf, Andrea Giovannini, Frederik Flöther, Erik Rueger
  • Patent number: 10614267
    Abstract: What is provided is an efficient method and system of two-way communication using data-field based templates. The method and system allows individuals to more easily communicate information and data such that the most relevant information and data is readily received and accessed by the appropriate parties. This is particularly beneficial in allowing individuals to quickly accomplish routine events and allows anyone to have similar functionality without the knowledge of authoring a mobile application, themselves. In addition, the method and system disclosed herein allows for the tracking of transactions in one user interface from multiple originators (i.e. consolidating multiple tasks with different relationships in one place).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: RUSHHIVE, LLC
    Inventor: Eric John Stadter
  • Patent number: 10614059
    Abstract: An online system reviews content for violation of one or more policies of the system. The system may evaluate various content policies to determine how usage of the policy affects user experience and what content is shown to each user. The system can, for example, run an A/B validation for certain policies, such as before launching a new policy. To enable the validation, when content is determined to be violating a policy, it is labeled with the specific policy violated as a shadow tag that is not visible to the user viewing the content. Then, the system may track user interactions with newsfeeds of content that include no policy violating content and newsfeeds that include some policy-violating content, and detect at a policy-by-policy level how each policy affects the newsfeed and user experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Emanuel Alexandre Strauss, Aswin Gigi Mampilly, Joseph Rhyu, Dilan Chaturanga Edirisinghe
  • Patent number: 10601945
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media can determine a time at which to prefetch one or more content items to be included in a feed associated with a user. The feed can be provided by a social networking system. A number of content items to prefetch at the determined time can be determined. One or more content items to be included in the feed associated with the user can be prefetched based at least in part on the determined time and the determined number of content items. The determined time can be prior to a time at which the user is expected to access an application associated with the social networking system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Ismail Onur Filiz, Karthik Subbian, Paige Alexandra Oliver Maas, Nicolas Emilio Stier Moses, Killian Murphy
  • Patent number: 10591307
    Abstract: A circuitry estimates a degree of interest in each of destination candidates for each of subject users included in a user group determined based on degree of affinity among multiple users. The circuitry sets a location in which the degree of interest of a first one of the subject users is greater than or equal to a predetermined degree-of-interest threshold value as a first destination. The circuitry provides a second one of the subject users with a first trip proposal when the degree of interest of the second user in the first destination is greater than or equal to the predetermined degree-of-interest threshold value. The circuitry provides the second user with a second trip proposal when the degree of interest of the second user in the first destination is less than the predetermined degree-of-interest threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keiko Suzuki, Ko Koga, Takuji Yamada
  • Patent number: 10592567
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for performing a search from another individual's social perspective. A name or a portion of a name of an individual known by the user is received. A directory search is then performed pertaining to the individual known by the user. After the user identifies the known individual from the directory search results, a selection to perform a directory, content or document search from the known individual's social perspective is received. Such a search may be performed based on the social network of the known individual. In this manner, by performing such searches from the social perspective of the known individual, such as the individual who disclosed the name of the individual who the user would like to contact, the user will be more likely to identify the correct individual, content or document in a more efficient manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mustansir Banatwala, David A. Brooks, Miguel A. Estrada, Joseph A. Russo
  • Patent number: 10592520
    Abstract: Embodiments describe a system and method for presenting a data visualization using, at least in part, social network metrics. The social network metrics can include components such as a social connection score, a social content score and a social conversation score. Further details and values of the metrics can include a number of social network connections that an individual has in their social network, a number of content followers of the individual, a number of social network spaces to which the individual belongs, an indication of how a human resource interacts with others within a social network, a number of bookmarks shared, a number of tags added to particular areas of interest, a number of tags added to certain areas of expertise, and others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth F. Klaus, Mary E. G. Bear, Chau Ha Leung, Michael Lin, Kristine Lois Van der Ploeg, Kathi Lynn Chenoweth
  • Patent number: 10582042
    Abstract: Methods and systems directed to a social caller ID application that performs a reverse look up on an incoming communication to determine a specific member of a social networking system associated with the incoming communication, and, based on the social relationship between the detected member and the recipient of the communication, display particular information to the recipient. In this manner, a user is provided a caller ID system that leverages information stored remotely on a social network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Rose Yao, Brandon Marshall Walkin
  • Patent number: 10581787
    Abstract: Receiving unit 111 of exemplary friend candidate management server 10 receives from a first information-processing device, identification information of another user registered by executing a first program. Storage unit 12 stores the received identification information of the other user. Sending unit 113, for presenting to a user by executing a second program different from the first program, sends to the first information-processing device or a second information-processing device different from the first information-processing device, the identification information of the other user stored in the storage unit or another item of identification information corresponding to the identification information of the other user. The identification information of the other user is registered in the first information-processing device as friend information of the user based on a mutual agreement between the user and the other user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mizuki, Kenichi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 10579703
    Abstract: A similarity measurement method includes: obtaining a directional relationship between nodes in a network, and determining a transition matrix; calculating a constraint matrix according to the transition matrix and an obtained attenuation factor; constructing a system of linear equations, where a coefficient matrix of the system of linear equations is the constraint matrix, and a variable of the system of linear equations is a correction vector; solving the system of linear equations by means of iteration by using a Jacobi method, and determining the correction vector; and calculating similarities between the nodes according to the transition matrix, the attenuation factor, and a diagonal correction matrix that is generated according to the correction vector. In the method, the correction vector is determined by using the Jacobi method, and further the similarities between the nodes may be calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhenguo Li, Jiefeng Cheng, Wei Fan
  • Patent number: 10572845
    Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for recommending a shared connection are presented. A set of shared connections between a first application user and a second application user may be identified. A determination may be made that a communication value between the first and second application users is below a recommendation surfacing threshold. A communication value between each application user of the set of shared connections and the first user may be calculated. A communication value between each application user of the set of shared connections and the second user may be calculated. One or both of the calculated communication values may be utilized to rank the shared connections based on importance to the first user, importance to the second user, and/or importance to the first user and the second user. One or more top ranked candidate user profiles may be promoted on a graphical user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Amund Kronen Johansen, Åge Kvalnes, Dag Eidesen, Tor Kreutzer, Steffen Viken Valvåg, Jan-Ove Karlberg
  • Patent number: 10575169
    Abstract: The present application provides an information processing method and device, and relates to the field of information encryption and decryption. The method comprises: sharing first information on a social network; generating a key according to the first information; encrypting second information by using the key, to obtain encrypted information; and wirelessly broadcasting the encrypted information. According to the method, persons in a coverage area of the wireless broadcast all can receive the encrypted information, but only a person having a permission to access the first information on the social network can decrypt the encrypted information. Therefore, it is convenient and secure for a user to broadcast information to friends around and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: BEIJING ZHIGU RUI TUO TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhengxiang Wang, Jian Wang, Haifeng Zhu
  • Patent number: 10561952
    Abstract: A method, executed on a computing device, includes calculating a selection time period as a function of a time bank allotment for a user profile, a defined time for a selection, and a number of available selections; sending a notification to a client device indicating that the selection time period is initiated at a first time; receiving a selection from the client device at a second time; updating the time bank allotment according to a used time, the used time comprising an amount of time between the first time and the second time; decrementing the number of available selections; and updating the user profile with the received selection. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc.
    Inventors: Brijesh Sutaria, Ryan Collado, Louis Miller, Grant Gurtin, Ray Solebello
  • Patent number: 10560413
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a collective address book system. One of the methods includes: receiving, at the system, a request from a user regarding a topic; selecting automatically, at the system, a potential referrer, the potential referrer selection being based on the likelihood that the potential referrer will respond to the user's request; and communicating automatically with the potential referrer regarding the user's request without the system indicating to the user that the potential referrer has been contacted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: The Fin Exploration Company
    Inventors: Nicole DeVillers, John Graham, Andrew Kortina, Samuel Lessin
  • Patent number: 10546059
    Abstract: A media guidance application may determine how long to modify user profiles based on real-life events. For example, in order to keep user profiles up-to-date (e.g., to reflect temporary changes to the tastes of a user), the media guidance application may temporarily change the criteria for recommending content based on real-life events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian C. Peterson
  • Patent number: 10546353
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for matching a first user in a first geographic location with a second user in a second geographic location, and enabling the first user to find the second user in the second geographic location. The first geographic location can be the same as the second geographic location. The first user and second user can be matched based on user-specific matching criteria, including a first user profile of the first user and a second user profile of the second user. The first user can communicate with the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Inventors: David Montoya, Hagai Yardeny
  • Patent number: 10541952
    Abstract: Aspects generate recommendations in response to messaging content, wherein processors are configured to identify keywords within text content extracted from a received message that are assigned to a topic leaf node within an event taxonomy and a root event node from which the topic leaf node depends; identify a plurality of recommendation items that each match a type of event of the root event node and are linked to the topic node of the identified keyword; determine, for each of the recommendation items, a sender sentiment value as a function of a preference of the sender, and a recipient sentiment value as a function of a preference of the recipient; and present to the sender and the recipient as an event recommendation a subset of the recommendation items that each satisfy a sentiment threshold for the sender sentiment value and the recipient sentiment value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Po-Cheng Chiu, Jui Hsiang Huang, Tao-Hung Jung, Cheng-Fang Lin, I-Chien Lin, Cheng-Lun Yang
  • Patent number: 10535205
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, computer program product, and system for vehicle maintenance are provided. The computer-implemented method may include predicting a future vehicle location based on a vehicle location history; predicting future vehicle usage from user information, wherein the user information includes information collected from a user's social media account; identifying maintenance needs of a vehicle; and determining available times for vehicle maintenance based on the future vehicle location and the user information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Emmanuel Barajas Gonzalez, Shaun E. Harrington, Benjamin K. Rawlins