IP Library Granted Patent US 8,751,578
Granted Patent B2
US 8,751,578 · App. 13/781,589 · Granted Jun 10, 2014

Providing an answer to a question from a social network site using a separate messaging site

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,751,578
App. No.
13/781,589
Granted
Jun 10, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A question is received on a first social network site from a first user. The question is sent to a second user of a second social network site who receives the question from the second social network site. The first social network site receives an answer to the question from the second user via the second social network site and provides the answer to the first user.

Claims (48)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device, information that was posted on a first social network site by a first user that is a member of the first social network site;

sending, via the computing device, a question to a second social network site, such that the question is posted on the second social network site and is directed to a second user that is a member of a second social network site, wherein the question is based on the information that was posted on the first social network site by the first user;

receiving, via the computing device, an answer to the question from the second user, wherein the answer is received from the second social network site;

receiving, via the computing device, one or more prior questions corresponding to the first user that were sent to the second social network site;

receiving, via the computing device, one or more answers to the one or more prior questions that were sent to the second social network site;

correlating, via the computing device, the answer to the question from the second user with the question, and correlating, via the computing device, the one or more prior questions with the one or more answers to the one or more prior questions; and

providing, via the computing device, an activity feed to the first user on the first social network site, the activity feed comprising the question, the answer correlated to the question, the one or more prior questions, and the one or more answers correlated to the one or more prior questions.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

forming, via the computing device, the question based on the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to an information request by the first user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second user is identified by searching, via the computing device, network data of the second social network site to identify prior activity related to a subject matter of the question.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to a location.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second user is identified by searching, via the computing device, network data of the second social network site to identify prior activity related to a subject matter of the question and to the location.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing a list of aliases and corresponding user names, a first alias of the list of aliases corresponding to the first user, wherein the answer received from the second social network site is addressed to the first alias.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the activity feed further comprises a plurality of favorites received from other users of the second social network site, wherein each of the other users has previously provided a respective one of the favorites in a message sent to the second social network site.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second social network site is a microblogging website, and further comprising storing data, on at least one a storage device, recording a plurality of friends of the first user, the data including a user name for each respective friend, and the friends including the second user.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second social network site is a microblogging website, the question sent to the second user is a microblogging message, and the first social network site is integrated with the second social network site using an application program interface for the microblogging website.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is a member of the second social network site, and the computing device has previously received an indication from the first user permitting the computing device to send questions received from the first user to the second social network site for forwarding to other members of the second social network site.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

parsing the answer received from the second social network site to determine a location contained within the answer; and providing the location, with the answer provided to the first user, for display on a user device of the first user.

13. A system comprising:

one or more network interfaces accessible from a network;

one or more repositories to retain content corresponding to a first user;

one or more processors coupled to at least one of the one or more network interfaces and to at least one of the one or more repositories, the one or more processors to execute instructions to:

receive information that was posted on a first social network site by a first user that is a member of the first social network site;

send a question to a second social network site, such that the question is posted on the second social network site and is directed to a second user that is a member of a second social network site, wherein the question is based on the information that was posted on the first social network site by the first user;

receive an answer to the question from the second user, wherein the answer is received from the second social network site;

receive one or more prior questions corresponding to the first user that were sent to the second social network site;

receive one or more answers to the one or more prior questions that were sent to the second social network site;

correlate the answer to the question from the second user with the question, and correlating, via the computing device, the one or more prior questions with the one or more answers to the one or more prior questions; and

provide an activity feed to the first user on the first social network site, the activity feed comprising the question, the answer correlated to the question, the one or more prior questions, and the one or more answers correlated to the one or more prior questions.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are to further execute instructions to:

form the question based on the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to an information request by the first user.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to a location.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive information that was posted on a first social network site by a first user that is a member of the first social network site;

send a question to a second social network site, such that the question is posted on the second social network site and is directed to a second user that is a member of a second social network site, wherein the question is based on the information that was posted on the first social network site by the first user;

receive an answer to the question from the second user, wherein the answer is received from the second social network site;

receive one or more prior questions corresponding to the first user that were sent to the second social network site;

receive one or more answers to the one or more prior questions that were sent to the second social network site;

correlate the answer to the question from the second user with the question, and correlating, via the computing device, the one or more prior questions with the one or more answers to the one or more prior questions; and

provide an activity feed to the first user on the first social network site, the activity feed comprising the question, the answer correlated to the question, the one or more prior questions, and the one or more answers correlated to the one or more prior questions.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

form the question based on the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to an information request by the first user.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to a location.

Assignments (15)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 7, 2025
From: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS AGENT
To: YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC
Reel/Frame 069830/0618 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2024
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: DEX MEDIA, INC.; YP LLC; YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC; YP ADVERTISING & PUBLISHING LLC; PRINT MEDIA LLC; CERBERUS YP DIGITAL BLOCKER LLC; CERBERUS YP BLOCKER LLC; YP HOLDINGS LLC; PRINT MEDIA HOLDINGS LLC; YP INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS CORP.; YP WESTERN HOLDINGS CORP.; YP SOUTHEAST HOLDINGS CORP.; YP MIDWEST HOLDINGS CORP.; YP CONNECTICUT HOLDINGS CORP.; PLUSMO HOLDINGS CORP.; INGENIO HOLDINGS CORP.
Reel/Frame 067381/0745 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2024
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: THRYV, INC.
Reel/Frame 067341/0434 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 3, 2024
From: THRYV, INC.
To: CITIZENS BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 067310/0627 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2024
From: THRYV, INC.
To: CITIZENS BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 067287/0759 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Recorded Mar 2, 2021
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: THRYV, INC. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS DEX MEDIA, INC.); THRYV HOLDINGS, INC. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS DEX MEDIA HOLDINGS, INC.)
Reel/Frame 055472/0592 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2021
From: THRYV, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 055452/0258 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2020
From: YELLOWPAGES.COM, LLC
To: THRYV, INC.
Reel/Frame 052071/0589 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 043183 FRAME: 0734. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST. Recorded Aug 9, 2017
From: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC
Reel/Frame 043493/0648 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 28, 2017
From: YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 043363/0518 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2017
From: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC
Reel/Frame 043183/0734 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 3, 2017
From: YP LLC; YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC; YP ADVERTISING & PUBLISHING LLC; PRINT MEDIA LLC; DEX MEDIA HOLDINGS, INC.; CERBERUS YP DIGITAL BLOCKER LLC; CERBERUS YP BLOCKER LLC; YP HOLDINGS LLC; PRINT MEDIA HOLDINGS LLC; YP INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS CORP.; YP WESTERN HOLDINGS CORP.; YP SOUTHEAST HOLDINGS CORP.; YP MIDWEST HOLDINGS CORP.; YP CONNECTICUT HOLDINGS CORP.; PLUSMO HOLDINGS CORP.; INGENIO HOLDINGS CORP.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 043074/0794 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 1, 2016
From: YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC
To: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 040540/0948 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 17, 2015
From: MARCUCCI, JUSTIN; RANDQUIST, COBY P.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 035850/0160 →
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 17, 2015
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
To: YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC
Reel/Frame 035850/0306 →