Implicit contacts in an online social network

US9794359B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• FACEBOOK, INC. · US

Inventors

• Samuel Lessin · San Francisco, US
• Robert Michael Baldwin · San Francisco, US
• Jeffrey Huang · Lausanne, CH
• Timothy A. Stanke · Los Gatos, US
• Caitlin Rothrock Winner · San Francisco, US
• Matthew Vincent Sain · San Francisco, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 31, 2014
• Grant date: Oct 17, 2017
• Expiry date: Apr 20, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L51/52
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a social graph including a number of nodes and a number of edges connecting the nodes. Each of the edges between two of the nodes represent a single degree of separation between them. The nodes include a first node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network and a number of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network. The method also includes generating a user-list containing references to a number of second users. A contact-score for each second user may be calculated based on interactions between the first user and second user on the online social network, or interactions not on the online social network but accessed by the online social network. A user-list is generated containing references to second users with contact-scores above a threshold contact-score.