Identifying and using identities deemed to be known to a user
View Patent ↗The people a user is presumed to know or be associated with may be determined using a number of techniques. This information about people that the user knows is used in relation to the user's communications. For example access to a user's online presence may be restricted based on the known people such that access to presence is provided only to those people that the user knows.
1. A method comprising:
determining, by at least one processor, co-users of a communications system determined to be known by a user of the communications system based on actions performed by the user and the co-users determined to be known by the user performed using the communications system that suggest that the user and the co-users of the communication system know each other;
identifying co-users not determined to be known by the user based on identifying one or more co-users not within a specified number of degrees of separation from the user;
identifying, by the at least one processor, a first plurality of electronic messages from the co-users determined to be known by the user of the communications system;
identifying, by the at least one processor, a second plurality of electronic messages from the co-users not determined to be known by the user of the communications system;
causing one or more electronic messages, from the first plurality of electronic messages, from the co-users determined to be known by the user to be displayed to the user; and
preventing the second plurality of electronic messages from co-users not determined to be known by the user from being displayed to the user.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining that a co-user of the communications system is known by the user when the co-user is within the specified number of degrees of separation from the user.
3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the specified number of degrees of separation is one.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining that a co-user of the communications system is determined to be known by the user if an aggregated score between the user and the co-user of the communications system is above a threshold score, wherein the aggregated score is determined at least in part upon the aggregating scores associated with actions of the user with respect to the co-user.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the specified number of degrees of separation from the user is two.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more electronic messages comprises an email.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more electronic messages comprises an instant message.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising providing a status of the user to the co-users determined to be known by the user.
9. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the status is an ability of the user to receive instant messages.
10. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the status is whether the user is logged into the communication system or not.
11. A system comprising:
at least one server device;
a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions, that when executed by the at least one server device, cause the system to:
determine co-users of a communications system determined to be known by a user of the communications system based on actions performed by the user and the co-users determined to be known by the user performed using the communications system that suggest that the user and the co-users of the communication system know each other;
identify co-users not determined to be known by the user based on identifying one or more co-users not within a specified number of degrees of separation from the user;
identify a first plurality of electronic messages from the co-users determined to be known by the user of the communications system;
identify a second plurality of electronic messages from the co-users not determined to be known by the user of the communications system;
cause one or more electronic messages, from the first plurality of electronic messages, from the co-users determined to be known by the user to be displayed to the user; and
prevent the second plurality of electronic messages from co-users not determined to be known by the user from being displayed to the user.
12. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one server device, further cause the system to:
determine a number of degrees of separation between the user and a co-user of the system; and
determine the co-user to be known by the user when the co-user is within the specified number of degrees of separation from the user.
13. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one server device, further cause the system to add the co-users determined to be known by the user to a list associated with the user.
14. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the specified number of degrees of separation is one.
15. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one server device, further cause the system to:
determine an aggregated score for a co-user of the system by aggregating scores associated with actions of the user with respect to the co-user; and
determine the co-user to be known by the user if the co-user has an aggregated score above a threshold score.
16. The system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one server device, further cause the system to restrict an electronic message from the user from being displayed to the co-users not determined to be known by the user.
17. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the one or more electronic messages comprises an email.
18. The system as recited in claim 17 , wherein the one or more electronic messages comprises an instant message.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, that when executed by at least one processor, cause a computing device to perform steps comprising:
determining co-users of a communications system determined to be known by a user of the communications system based on actions performed by the user and the co-users determined to be known by the user performed using the communications system that suggest that the user and the co-users of the communication system know each other;
identifying co-users not determined to be known by the user based on identifying one or more co-users not within a specified number of degrees of separation from the user;
identifying a first plurality of electronic messages from the co-users determined to be known by the user of the communications system;
identifying a second plurality of electronic messages from the co-users not determined to be known by the user of the communications system;
causing one or more electronic messages, from the first plurality of electronic messages, from the co-users determined to be known by the user to be displayed to the user; and
preventing the second plurality of electronic messages from co-users not determined to be known by the user from being displayed to the user.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more electronic messages comprise emails.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20 , wherein the one or more electronic messages comprise instant messages.
22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium in claim 21 , wherein the steps further comprise providing a status of the co-users determined to be known by the user of the communications system to the user.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 22 , wherein the status is an ability to receive instant messages.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein the steps further comprise:
determining a number of degrees of separation between the user and a co-user of the system; and
determining the co-user to be known by the user when the co-user is within a specified number of degrees of separation from the user.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19 , wherein the steps further comprise:
determining an aggregated score for a co-user of the system by aggregating scores associated with actions of the user with respect to the co-user; and
determining the co-user to be known by the user if the co-user has an aggregated score above a threshold score.