Social Networking Patents (Class 705/319)
  • Patent number: 10311231
    Abstract: Preventing a malicious computer application from executing in a computing environment. In one embodiment, a method may include identifying a base graph, identifying a perturbed graph, determining an importance of each of the edges in the base graph using an Edge Current-Flow Based Betweenness Centrality (ECFBBC) metric, identifying the edges in the base graph that match the edges in the perturbed graph, determining a utility value for the perturbed graph, determining whether the utility value is above a threshold utility value, in response to determining that the utility value is above the threshold utility value, employing the perturbed graph to analyze a computer application and determine that the computer application is malicious, and performing a security action on the malicious computer application to prevent the malicious computer application from executing in a computing environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: SYMANTEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ashwin Kumar Kayyoor, Petros Efstathopoulos
  • Patent number: 10296548
    Abstract: An online system maintains a web page associated with one or more page administrators. The online system trains a machine learning model to determine a likelihood of a page administrator account accepting a request for the online system to present content about the web page to other users of the online system. The model uses features extracted from data about the page administrator accounts on the online system, the page administrator interactions with the online system, and the web page. The online system selects one or more page administrator accounts and sends them requests based on the determined likelihood scores. The online system delivers content associated with the web page to users of the online system based on a response to the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Hannah Marie Hemmaplardh, Jinyi Yao, Ahmed Magdy Hamed Mohamed
  • Patent number: 10290062
    Abstract: A method and system matches social users and commercial users of an image annotation system, where annotated images are stored on a database. Image data records associated with the annotated images comprise judgment data corresponding to judgments made by social users regarding the images and social user identifiers for enabling a communication module to communicate with computing devices of respective social users who made the judgments. Commercial user records are also stored on the database, and contain information regarding commercial users for enabling the communication module to communicate with computing devices of respective commercial users. The commercial user records are searched based on a search criterion derived from an annotated image to determine a commercial user that satisfies the search criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Inventors: Linda Arhin, Michael Stewart Shunock
  • Patent number: 10289979
    Abstract: In an approach to determining an introduction of a user in a meeting, one or more computer processors retrieve a document containing information associated with a user, wherein the document includes one or more fragments describing the user. The one or more computer processors determine an audience of a meeting associated with the user. The one or more computer processors determine a description of the meeting. The one or more computer processors prioritize one or more of the one or more fragments, based, at least in part, on the audience of the meeting and on the description of the meeting. The one or more computer processors select one or more of the one or more fragments for the introduction of the user in the meeting, based, at least in part, on the prioritization of the one or more fragments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian P. Gaucher, Dario Gil, Jonathan Lenchner, David O.S. Melville, Valentina Salapura, Alan M. Webb
  • Patent number: 10291665
    Abstract: Systems and methods for increasing a visibility of a content item with a comment by a close contact are provided. In some aspects, a first content item is received. A ranking for the first content item in a stream for a viewing user is determined based on an upload time of the first content item. A comment for the first content item is received from a first user, where a predicted affinity level of the viewing user for the first user is within an affinity level range. In response to receiving the comment, the ranking for the first content item in the stream for the viewing user is updated based on an upload time of the comment. The stream is provided for the viewing user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Junbin Teng, Boris Mazniker, Daniel Wyatt
  • Patent number: 10282357
    Abstract: Methods and systems of reducing computer resource utilization to update rankings based on dynamically generated content are described. The method includes identifying a ranking of content experience types of a list of content experience types. Each content experience type including parameters to generate content experience documents. The method also includes updating the ranking of content experience types. The updating includes iteratively selecting content experience types from the ranking of content experience types to generate an update subset of the ranking of content experience types, generating, for a client device, a feedback request document including a plurality of content experience documents, and receiving feedback information related to the plurality of content experience documents included in the feedback request document to update the ranking of the content experience types included in the update subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: William Martin Halpin, Jr., Ruixue Fan, Antonella Pavese, Harrison Mark Gordon, Kirsten Paige Yee, Yueqing Wang, Matthew Strecker Burriesci, Sean Patrick Miller, Yijia Feng, James Robert Koehler
  • Patent number: 10282384
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to determine a value of a utility factor associated with a content item corresponding to a link. An optimized utility value relating to an interaction type of an outbound click is determined based on the value of the utility factor. An expected utility score associated with the content item is generated based on the optimized utility value to determine potential presentation of the content item to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Joyce Tang, Khalid Bakry El-Arini, David Vickrey
  • Patent number: 10282241
    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: July 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Vinyl Development LLC
    Inventor: Thomas R. Kennedy, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10275838
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes accessing social media data, wherein the social media data is associated with one or more profiles and corresponds to a venue. The computer-implemented method further includes determining sentiment information corresponding to each of the one or more profiles based on the social media data. The computer-implemented method further includes, for each of the one or more profiles: identifying a path through the venue, wherein the path represents at least one movement associated with the profile and associating the sentiment information with the path through the venue. The computer-implemented method further includes, responsive to associating the sentiment information with the path through the venue for each of the one or more profiles, identifying one or more trends. The computer-implemented method further includes presenting the one or more trends for review. A corresponding computer system and computer program product are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lisa Seacat DeLuca, Jeremy A. Greenberger
  • Patent number: 10270732
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes retrieving a previous communication associated with a user on an online social network, the previous communication having been made on a date in the past; calculating a distribution-probability score for the previous communication reflecting a probability that the previous communication will be shared on the online social network by the user; and sending the previous communication to the user, wherein the distribution-probability score for the previous communication satisfies a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Omid Aziz, Bradley Wu, Ajay Ramamurthy, Preeti Arunapuram, Zhenhuan Zhou, Genevieve Yuriko Williams, Xiao Liang, Matthew Ethan Warshauer, Tony Hsien-yu Liu
  • Patent number: 10270725
    Abstract: A method and system for correlating events with social media is provided. The method includes retrieving from a social network, social network data associated with users of the social network. The social network data is associated with event data associated with a user of the users. Temporary actions associated with a social network account of the user are enabled and a notification is transmitted to a group of users. In response, confirmation data associated with enabling the temporary actions is received from the group of users and permanent actions associated with the temporary actions are enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Manvendra Gupta, Stewart Hyman
  • Patent number: 10268653
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for goal-based user matching among social networking environments. In a typical embodiment, a querying user is asked to respond to a series of questions related to goals, criteria, and criteria priorities (and, optionally, a desired “degree” of separation among other users). The querying user will submit his/her responses, which are then parsed and prioritized accordingly. Based on the responses, social networking sites are then searched to identify a set (e.g., at least one) of candidate users that are potential collaboration partners with the querying user. This set of candidate users may be arranged in a list and sorted according to a best match to the querying user's responses. The list can then be provided to the querying user. In addition, invites can be sent to the set of candidate users to invite such users to connect/collaborate with the querying user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peter A. Coldicott, Eoin Lane, Brendan J. McCormick, Mei Y. Selvage
  • Patent number: 10268713
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention disclose a system and method for federated social media analysis. According to one embodiment, aggregating social data from a plurality of social media sources is aggregated and stored in a federated social media database. The aggregated social data is then analyzed to determine content correlations. Furthermore, an application interface is provided for accessing the content correlations associated with the aggregated social media data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: ENT. SERVICES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LP
    Inventors: Kas Kasravi, Kieran Mccorry
  • Patent number: 10262029
    Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium for selecting keywords for resources are disclosed. In one aspect, a search query is received associated with a first user. A determination is made that the first user is a follower of an entity feed that is provided by a first entity and that is provided through a social network. A content item is selected having distribution parameters specifying that the content item is to be provided to users that are followers of the entity feed and that submit the search query. The selected content item is provided for the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Michael Chu, Michele Covell, Joshua J. Sacks, Shumeet Baluja, Zhengrong Ji
  • Patent number: 10261970
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program for social mapping is provided. Data about a plurality of social network members is received. A first member of the plurality of social network members is allowed to identify a second member of the plurality of social network members with whom the first member wishes to establish a relationship. The data is then sent to the second member about the first member based on the identification. Input from the second member is received in response to the data. The relationship between the first member and the second member is confirmed based on the input in order to map the first member to the second member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Zuckerberg, Aaron Sittig
  • Patent number: 10263868
    Abstract: A method for applying a user-specific policy in a network. The method includes identifying a historical portion of network traffic of the network as associated with a user, analyzing, by a computer processor, the historical portion of network traffic to generate a fingerprint of the user, wherein the fingerprint represents characteristics of user activity in the network, identifying, by the computer processor, an ongoing portion of network traffic of the network as associated with the user, analyzing, by the computer processor and based on the fingerprint, the ongoing portion of network traffic to determine a match, wherein the match is determined at a time point within the ongoing portion of network traffic, and applying, in response to determining the match, the user-specific policy to the ongoing portion of network traffic subsequent to the time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Narus, Inc.
    Inventors: Mario Baldi, Yong Liao, Stanislav Miskovic, Antonio Nucci, Han Hee Song
  • Patent number: 10257309
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes sending a request for a measure of affinity associated with a first user for a particular content associated with a second user, where the measure of affinity predicts a level of interest the first user has for the particular content; sending weighting information for computing the measure of affinity, where the weighting information includes information specifying a first weight to be attributed to a first predictor function that is based on the second user and a second weight to be attributed to a second predictor function that is based on concepts associated with the particular content; receiving the measure of affinity; and sending, to the first user, the particular content, based on the received measure of affinity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Arie Matus
  • Patent number: 10257151
    Abstract: A network-connected communication system is provided, via which individuals may engage in dialog with one or more dialog members. Differing views of the dialog may be presented to different individuals, based on the viewer's association with the dialog and/or variable privacy settings associated with the dialog. Dialogs may be initiated as private conversations, with members electing to make available views of the conversation to individuals other than the dialog members. Tools, such as redaction tools, may be provided for dialog participants to control availability of dialog content outside of dialog members. A dialog display user interface may be provided to dialog members, which includes a toggle permitting members to toggle between public and private dialog views, thereby highlighting differences in how a dialog is rendered to different audiences. Association-based and variable privacy may also be implemented in connection with online forums and restricted access communities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Morrison, Martin Sielaff, Todd Fletcher, Tony Helvey, David Holland, Chris Hooven, Charles Godewyn, Albert Bori
  • Patent number: 10254923
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are described herein related to a user interface (UI) for a computing device, such as head-mountable device (HMD). The UI allows a user of the HMD to navigate through a timeline of ordered screens or cards shown on the graphic display of the HMD. The cards on the timeline may be chronologically ordered based on times associated with each card. Numerous cards may be added to the timeline such that a user may scroll through the timeline to search for a specific card. The HMD may be configured to group cards on the timeline. The cards may be grouped by multiple time periods and by various content types within each respective time period. The cards may also be grouped based on durations between the present/on-going time period and each respective time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Chris McKenzie, Antonio Bernardo Monteiro Costa, Richard Dennis The
  • Patent number: 10255351
    Abstract: A social network system (or other type of hosting system) is described herein which allows different types of applications to interact with the common resources of the system via respective application-specific channels. Through an application-specific channel, a user may obtain a filtered set of content items (e.g., posts) and notifications that pertain to a particular application with which the user is currently interacting. But the user may also obtain items and notifications that do not necessarily have an affiliation with the particular application. The social network system may maintain a single identity for each user across all application channels hosted by the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Todd D. Newman, James H. Lewallen, Colleen G. Estrada, Rajeev V. Karunakaran
  • Patent number: 10245516
    Abstract: An example information-processing system includes: at least one processor; and an input device configured to receive an input operation performed by a user directed to posting information displayed by a display. The at least one processor is configured to: display first information that is displayed by executing an application on the display, and the posting information that is posted using a posting information sharing service, and that is associated with the application; and reflect the input operation received by the input device in the posting information sharing service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mizuki, Hideto Yuzawa, Shunsaku Kato, Ryota Oiwa
  • Patent number: 10245732
    Abstract: A reception system includes: an imaging unit that captures an image; a reception information storage unit that stores an image of a visitor who visited in the past and information of a receiving person whom the visitor visited in the past in an associated manner; and an action performing unit that generates a question to the visitor based on a scenario regarding a response to the visitor and acquires information via a response to the question from the visitor, wherein the action performing unit changes a response presented to the visitor based on the scenario depending on whether or not the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kondo, Naoaki Sumida, Asuka Shiina, Shunichi Yamamoto, Kazuhiro Nakadai, Keisuke Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10250650
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a non-transitory medium containing computer program code that performs an operation that includes retrieving, for each of two or more identified users, a respective musical preferences model representing a plurality of acoustical characteristics of musical content determined based on preferences of the respective user. Additionally, the operation includes generating a common musical preferences model representing a set of common acoustical characteristics of musical content for the two or more identified users, based on the musical preferences models for each of the two or more identified users. The operation also includes identifying a library of available musical content. Furthermore, the operation includes creating a playlist of two or more musical selections from the library of available musical content, based on the common musical preferences model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Richard Allen Kreifeldt, Michelle L. Avary
  • Patent number: 10242070
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed that provide for adaptively anticipating user interactions with a computer application. In one embodiment, an ordered history of user interactions, with controls of a computerized form provided by a legacy computer application, is captured. A likelihood data structure is generated which represents conditional probabilities indicating the likelihood that each control of the computerized form will be a next control used. A list of next likely controls to be used is generated based on the likelihood data structure. The next likely controls are ranked within the list according to conditional probability. A limited graphical user interface, representing the list of next likely controls, is generated. A next control of the computerized form to be used is regulated by displaying the limited graphical user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael P. Rodgers
  • Patent number: 10241996
    Abstract: An electronic message comprising text generated by a first user can be identified and at least a second user can be identified as a recipient. At least one n-gram contained in the text of the electronic message can be identified by performing natural language processing on the text. A first user profile of the first user and a second user profile of the second user can be accessed. Based on the first user profile and the second user profile, at least one shared user context of the first user and the second user relating to the at least one n-gram can be determined. The at least one shared user context of the first user and the second user relating to the at least one n-gram can be presented to at least the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul R. Bastide, Matthew E. Broomhall, Robert E. Loredo
  • Patent number: 10230775
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods are directed to monitoring events generated by a social networking service and determining whether the generated events relate to members of the social networking service. The events may be generated by members of the social networking service or by external websites being monitored by the social networking service. When the social networking service determines that an event relates to a given member, the social networking service may update the given member accordingly. The social networking service further conducts various types of processing on content associated with the event to determine whether the given member should be notified of the event. The types of processing performed on the content associated with the event depend on whether the event was generated by a member of the social networking service or by an external website. This processing helps to raise the given member's awareness of meaningful events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Aviad Pinkovezky, Brian Learn-Hao Chang, Huining Feng, James Margatan
  • Patent number: 10229181
    Abstract: The invention provides for a cloud-based solution that saves all the data in the cloud storage. The peer devices synchronize data among each other independent of the operating system since the data is synced via web services. Synchronization of data among peer devices is possible even when cloud service is unavailable via a router, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC or any other mechanism. The peer devices form a hierarchical structure, which designates a master, and the master communicates with the cloud-based service to synchronize data. The master then synchronizes data with the other peer devices in the hierarchy. New devices can be added to the peer devices and can join the hierarchy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Inventor: Pankaj Sharma
  • Patent number: 10223470
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a document are described. In one described method, a document comprising a portion selected by a first member of a social network is hosted for the first member. The portion is dynamically updated with content. An audience criterion for the portion and a type of relationship between the first member and a second member of the social network are identified. If the type of relationship between the first member and the second member satisfies the audience criterion, the second member is provided access to at least the portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Adam Douglas Smith, Amin Zoufonoun
  • Patent number: 10223719
    Abstract: Methods, software, products and systems of an identity authentication and verification system which provide one or more users to verify by electronic and non-electronic means the identity of a person with whom a user is interacting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Inventor: Steven B. Schoeffler
  • Patent number: 10218667
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable storage media for providing access to communities of users in an online social network. In some implementations, a server is configured to identify a user identity (ID), received from a computing device, as one of a plurality of first user identities (IDs) of first users belonging to a first community maintained on behalf of a first organization by a social networking system. The computing device can then be provided access to the first community. When a request to access a second community maintained on behalf of a second organization is received from the computing device, the user ID can be identified as one of a plurality of second user IDs of second users belonging to the second community. The computing device can then be provided access to the second community.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: salesforce.com, inc.
    Inventors: Sanjaya Lai, Aditya Kuruganti, Kedar Doshi
  • Patent number: 10210519
    Abstract: In one embodiment, accessing information associated with a financial activity conducted by a user who belongs to a social network; determining one or more social connections of the user within the social network; and determining legitimacy of the user using the information in connection with the financial activity based on the one or more social connections of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Pierpaolo Abbatiello, Koi Kit Loh
  • Patent number: 10210586
    Abstract: In one embodiment, in response to a user's request to upload a photo to a social networking system, a client process accesses information in the user's current location and friends who may be with the user, present the information to the user in a composited posting user interface. After the user confirms a particular current location and a first and second friends who are currently with the user, the client process tags the particular current location and the first and second friends to the photo, and submit to the social networking system a primary posting request in photo upload, and a secondary posting request to check in the user, the first friend and the second friend to the particular current location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Odio, Robert Sean Goodlatte, Justin Shaffer
  • Patent number: 10198482
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to look up an address book maintained by the social networking system. The social networking system improves the look up search results by ranking one or more contacts in the address book based on social graph, social relationship and communication history information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Erick Tseng
  • Patent number: 10200316
    Abstract: Interactions based on Instant Messaging (IM) are provided, where an IM client of a user terminal device is configured with a microblog entrance related to IM tips, the IM client obtains IM tips data from an IM server, invokes the microblog entrance in response to an operation instruction of a user, obtains from a microblog server microblog data associated to the IM tips data, generates a microblog box and presents the microblog data on the microblog box. The methods can improve efficiencies of interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventor: Jun Lan
  • Patent number: 10198505
    Abstract: This disclosure describes systems, methods, and computer program products that may be used to provide crowd-based scores for experiences, which are computed based on measurements of affective response of multiple users who had the experiences. The measurements of affective response may be collected using a wide array of sensors that measure physiological signals and/or behavioral cues. Additionally, the scores may be personalized for a certain user based on similarities between a profile of the certain user and profiles of the multiple users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Affectomatics Ltd.
    Inventors: Ari M Frank, Gil Thieberger
  • Patent number: 10198498
    Abstract: Methods and systems for a media guidance application that can automatically, or with little human interaction, identify characteristics of media content (e.g., sub-genres, minor actors, etc.) and generate appropriate tags for that media content. The media guidance application can thus facilitate user searches based on specific and narrowly tailored search terms (e.g., sub-genres, minor actors, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Sashikumar Venkataraman, Vineet Agarwal, Ahmed Nizam Mohaideen P
  • Patent number: 10198739
    Abstract: Systems and methods configured to award achievement designations to users connected by a network are described, wherein users are automatically granted these achievement designations based on their user profiles and activity. An achievement creation module formulates a plurality of achievement designations based on predefined criteria and a user profile creation/retrieval module obtains one or more user profiles for users of the network. A user activity determination module is configured to determine user activities relating to the one or more user profiles and an achievement designation module awards an appropriate one of the plurality of achievement designations to a particular user based on the particular user's activities. A notification module is configured to notify the one or more user profiles of the achievement designations and a user interface module of the system is configured to provide the achievement designations to a user interface associated with the users for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Orkut Buyukkokten
  • Patent number: 10187388
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a process that includes receiving first input defining a relationship between first and second entities, generating a first rule based on the first input, wherein the first rule determines accessibility of a networked service, and associating the first rule with the relationship. The first rule modifies settings of a service management infrastructure to effectuate the first rule in accordance with the relationship, wherein the service management infrastructure provides access to the networked service based on the accessibility. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert M. Higgins, Julio Cartaya, Steven A. Siegel
  • Patent number: 10181139
    Abstract: Automated workspace usage management methods and apparatus associate one or more users with membership plans for usage of at least one workspace resource. Workspace usage data is collected from the one or more automated monitoring devices for monitoring workspace resource usage by one or more users. The collected workspace usage data is first measured and then compared against the membership plans associated with the users. A billing- and/or reporting-related action is performed, according to the measurement of collected workspace usage data compared against the membership plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Inventors: John M Glass, Barbara Sprenger, Alexander Sinishin
  • Patent number: 10182029
    Abstract: A method for estimation of information diffusion route on computer mediated communication network. The method includes: generating, by a computing device, a user collection that includes an original user posting original information and one or more users forwarding the original information through the communication network; obtaining a network of users registered by a first user of the one or more users forwarding the original information; selecting one or more candidates potentially referred by the first user from the network of the users registered by the first user based on the user collection; and rating the one or more candidates based on historical information of the one or more candidates and the first user. The present invention also provides a computer system and computer program product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Miki Ishikawa, Akiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10178117
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for identifying malicious traffic associated with a website.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Oath Inc.
    Inventors: Lachlan A. Maxwell, Donald J. McQueen
  • Patent number: 10176265
    Abstract: Techniques for designing an awareness engine that organizes and serves popularly discussed and viral online content in response to user search queries. In an aspect, quality online content is identified by analyzing posts by users of a social network over specific time periods. For each item of quality online content identified, a virality score is calculated, and a social signature is constructed. The social signature can be constructed from the content itself, as well as from posts referencing the content. Based on this processing, relevant quality online content having the highest virality scores may be retrieved and served in response to user queries. Further techniques are provided for designing a user interface for the awareness engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Omar Alonso, Jake Hofman, Vasileios Kandylas, Siddhartha Sen, Serge-Eric Tremblay
  • Patent number: 10168866
    Abstract: Online social-interaction systems that provide any of a variety of features that promote positive behaviors, such as social interaction, compassion, support, awareness, and learning. In some embodiments, an online social-interaction system provides multiple private journals that members of the system can selectively share with other members of the social-interaction system. The private journals may be directed to aspects, such as practices, beliefs, tenets, etc., of the corresponding community. In some embodiments, private journals are provided with action-request features and functionalities that allow other members to accept action requests and create followup lists for following up on such requests. In some embodiments, private journals are provided with features that allow members to share helpful resources. In some embodiments, features and functionalities are provided to allow members to participate in meditation sessions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Inventors: Ann Marie Wakeen, Catherine E. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 10152969
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are example techniques for voice detection by multiple NMDs. An example implementation may involve receiving a set of voice recordings from a set of NMDs, and identifying a subset of voice recordings from which to determine a given voice command. The example implementation may further involve causing the identified subset of voice recordings to be analyzed to determine the given voice command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathon Reilly, Gregory Burlingame, Christopher Butts, Romi Kadri, Jonathan P. Lang
  • Patent number: 10152515
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, apparatus, methods, and computer readable media for performing actions in response to information updates provided in an information feed. In one implementation, an information update is selected for comparison with a data record creation rule. The data record creation rule may specify a data record creation operation for creating a data record based the selected information update. The selected information update may be capable of being displayed in an information feed. A determination may be made as to whether the selected information update includes information satisfying a trigger condition associated with the data record creation rule. When the information in the selected information update satisfies the trigger condition, the data record creation operation may be performed to create the data record. The data record creation operation may identify information to include in the data record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: salesforce.com, inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Kemp, Carter Thaxton, Christopher De Gour, Kevin Schraith, Andrew Sopko, Nathan Wisman
  • Patent number: 10154043
    Abstract: A social networking system wherein an individual may set up a personal profile to share with a select group of friends and/or family. The system and method of the present invention implements embedded limitations that maintains a core group of contacts specific to the user's profile, thereby promoting more meaningful exchanges without privacy concerns of personal information being viewed by third parties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Inventor: Jeffrey M. Rosenfield
  • Patent number: 10149137
    Abstract: As disclosed herein a method, executed by a computer, includes monitoring proximate automobiles using a camera, receiving a request to transmit a communication connection request to a selected automobile, and determining observed attributes corresponding to the selected automobile based on images from the camera. The method further includes broadcasting, over a network, the observed attributes to the proximate automobiles, and requesting disclosed attributes and a connection identifier from the proximate automobiles that match the observed attributes, receiving at least one response from the proximate automobiles that match the observed attributes, and determining which response is a best match to the selected automobile. The method further includes transmitting the communication connection request to the selected automobile over the network using the connection identifier corresponding to the best match. A computer program product corresponding to the above method is also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shuang Li, Hai Lei Song, Yun Ting Wang, Guang Ming Zhang, Zhao Hui Zhong, Pu Zhu
  • Patent number: 10134002
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing personalized delivery services by a carrier providing a package delivery service. For example, a consignee may indicate a delivery preference to be applied to delivery of a package, such as indicating a specific location where the package is to be left upon delivery, if the consignee is not present to accept the package. In one embodiment, the consignee may be notified by the carrier of the scheduled delivery of the package, and may be linked to the carrier's web site to indicate a delivery preference. Alternatively, the delivery preference may be indicated by the consignee proactively accessing the web site. After conveying a delivery preference, the carrier's systems communicate the delivery preference at the appropriate time to a portable computing device which informs the delivery personnel of the consignee's delivery preference. Other embodiments allow the consignor to indicate delivery preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Klingenberg, Joe Rizzo, Sumeet Pradeep Shroff
  • Patent number: 10135834
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to improving social network applications using the power of the blockchain (or other repository of facts as a service). The embodiments include methods and systems that register users with a social network application coupled to the blockchain, including providing respective user identifiers recorded in the blockchain. The methods and systems, for each user, configure a set of verification parameters enabled to filter the participation of the respective user identifier in operations. The methods and systems initiate, by a querying user, an operation that causes the social network application to: (a) query the blockchain to locate attested-to facts specific to user identifiers of the registered users and (b) filter participation of at least one user identifier in the operation based on the attested-to facts meeting the verification parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Social Patent LLC
    Inventors: Timothy S. Galebach, Jared Bowie, Michael Chin, Stephen H. Galebach
  • Patent number: 10127598
    Abstract: This document describes a method and system for recommending items, such as beverages, that members of a group are likely to find appealing. When group members are identified, the system may identify one or more preference models for each member. Each preference model represents a pattern of dependency between characteristics of items that the member has rated and the member's ratings for those items. The system may develop a group preference profile by merging the patterns of dependency for each of the members into a group preference model. Then, when it receives a request for a recommendation for an item, the system uses the group preference profile to select, from a database, a candidate item having characteristics which are likely to appeal to many or all members of the group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: RingIT, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Dillon, Pamela Dillon, Andrew Sussman