IP Library Granted Patent US 8,984,081
Granted Patent B2
US 8,984,081 · App. 13/952,372 · Granted Mar 17, 2015

Organizing messages in a messaging system using social network information

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,984,081
App. No.
13/952,372
Granted
Mar 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A messaging system receives a message that is intended for a recipient, who is a user of a social networking system. An object associated with the message is identified based on the message content and/or metadata associated with the message. The messaging system accesses a social networking system database to obtain social information about a relationship between the recipient and the identified object. The message is then indexed using the social information, wherein an entry for the message is stored in a message index based on the social information. This process may be repeated for each received message, and multiple different message indexes may be generated for received messages to track different types of social information. A user interface for viewing messages uses the message index to organize the messages, such as to filter, categorize, and/or sort the messages in the display.

Claims (22)

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of recipients of a message, the recipients of the message being users of a social networking system;

accessing a social networking database that includes social information about a relationship between the recipients of the message; and

organizing, by at least a computer, the message in accordance with the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein organizing the message comprises filtering the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein organizing the message comprises categorizing the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein organizing the message comprises sorting the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the social information includes information about a degree of connection between the recipients of the message.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the social information includes information about an affinity between the recipients of the message.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the social information includes information about whether the recipients have established a connection in the social networking system.

8. A system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for:

identifying a plurality of recipients of a message, the recipients of the message being users of a social networking system;

accessing a social networking database that includes social information about a relationship between the recipients of the message; and

organizing the message in accordance with the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein organizing the message comprises filtering the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein organizing the message comprises categorizing the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein organizing the message comprises sorting the message based on the social information about the relationship between the recipients of the message.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the social information includes information about a degree of connection between the recipients of the message.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the social information includes information about an affinity between the recipients of the message.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the social information includes information about whether the recipients have established a connection in the social networking system.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 20, 2024
From: MALIK, PRASHANT; LIU, JIAKAI; BOSWORTH, ANDREW G; SELIGSTEIN, JOEL BENJAMIN
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 068650/0321 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 18, 2021
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 058897/0824 →