IP Library Granted Patent US 10,931,764
Granted Patent B2
US 10,931,764 · App. 14/843,787 · Granted Feb 23, 2021

Geographic-area cluster

Inventors: Stephen Moore Davis (San Francisco, CA); Samantha Wu (Hillsborough, CA); Jeffrey Scott David Breudecheck (San Francisco, CA); Jia-An Koo (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
H04L67/18H04L43/16H04L67/02H04L67/04H04L67/1044H04L67/20H04L67/22H04L67/306H04W4/021
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,931,764
App. No.
14/843,787
Granted
Feb 23, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes determining a first set of users associated with a first geographic area; and determining one or more second sets of users. For each second set of users the users in the second set are associated with one of a number of second geographic areas and the users in the second set interact with the first set of users. The method also includes, for each second set of users, computing a mutual-interaction metric between the first set of users and the second set of users based on an amount of interaction between the users in the first set and the users in the second set; and determining, based on the mutual-interaction metric, a geographic-area cluster that comprises the first geographic area and one or more of the second geographic areas. The geographic-area cluster represents a user community that spans the first and second geographic areas.

Claims (37)

1. A method comprising:

by a computing device of a social-networking system, identifying a plurality of pairs of geographic areas;

by the computing device of the social-networking system, determining for each of the pairs of geographic areas a mutual-interaction metric based at least in part on messaging-based interaction or social-networking activity through the social-networking system between users associated with a first one of the geographic areas in the pair and users associated with a second one of the geographic areas in the pair, wherein the mutual-interaction metric comprises a weighted linear function having a plurality of messaging-based or activity-based components, wherein a value of a weighting associated with one or more components is based on historical or real-time interaction data between users associated with the first one of the geographic areas in the pair and users associated with the second one of the geographic areas in the pair;

by the computing device of the social-networking system, constructing a mutual-interaction matrix of particular dimensions with values of the mutual-interaction metric determined for the plurality of pairs of the geographic areas, wherein a first element of the mutual-interaction matrix represents a first value of the mutual-interaction metric for a first pair of first and second geographic areas, and wherein a second element of the mutual-interaction matrix represents a second value different from the first value of the mutual-interaction metric for a second pair of first and third geographic areas;

by the computing device of the social-networking system, identifying, using the mutual-interaction matrix of particular dimensions, that the first value of the mutual-interaction metric for the first pair of first and second geographic areas is above a pre-determined threshold value, the first value of the mutual-interaction metric indicating a degree of interaction between a first set of users associated with the first geographic area in the first pair and a second set of users associated with the second geographic area in the first pair;

by the computing device of the social-networking system, associating the first pair of first and second geographic areas with each other in the social-networking system as a geographic-area cluster; and

by the computing device of the social-networking system, distributing one or more features or applications associated with the social-networking system to the first set and second set of users within the geographic-area cluster.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the messaging-based interaction comprises an exchange of instant messages, short messaging service (SMS) messages, multimedia-messaging service (MMS) messages, video conferencing, e-mail, or phone calls.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the social-networking activity comprises comments, posts, tags, likes, shares, or check-ins between the users associated with the first one of the geographic areas in the pair and the users associated with the second one of the geographic areas in the pair.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more components of the mutual-interaction metric comprises a total number of message threads, a number of one-on-one message threads, a number of group message threads, a type of messages, or a number of active message threads between the users in the first set and the users in the second set.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more features or applications associated with the social-networking system comprise a recommendation, notification, social game, messaging service, payment service, news article, webpage, video, online coupon, or advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mutual-interaction matrix is a 4×4 matrix that is used to identify geographic-area clusters from four different geographic areas.

7. A device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to the processors and embodying software configured when executed to:

identify a plurality of pairs of geographic areas;

determine for each of the pairs of geographic areas a mutual-interaction metric based at least in part on messaging-based interaction or social-networking activity through the social-networking system between users associated with a first one of the geographic areas in the pair and users associated with a second one of the geographic areas in the pair, wherein the mutual-interaction metric comprises a weighted linear function having a plurality of messaging-based or activity-based components, wherein a value of a weighting associated with one or more components is based on historical or real-time interaction data between users associated with the first one of the geographic areas in the pair and users associated with the second one of the geographic areas in the pair;

construct a mutual-interaction matrix of particular dimensions with values of the mutual-interaction metric determined for the plurality of pairs of the geographic areas, wherein a first element of the mutual-interaction matrix represents a first value of the mutual-interaction metric for a first pair of first and second geographic areas, and wherein a second element of the mutual-interaction matrix represents a second value different from the first value of the mutual-interaction metric for a second pair of first and third geographic areas;

identify, using the mutual-interaction matrix of particular dimensions, that the first value of the mutual-interaction metric for the first pair of first and second geographic areas is above a pre-determined threshold value, the first value of the mutual-interaction metric-indicating a degree of interaction between a first set of users associated with the first geographic area in the first pair and a second set of users associated with the second geographic area in the first pair;

associate the first pair of first and second geographic areas with each other in the social-networking system as a geographic-area cluster; and

distribute one or more features or applications associated with the social-networking system to the first set and second set of users within the geographic-area cluster.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the messaging-based interaction comprises an exchange of instant messages, short messaging service (SMS) messages, multimedia-messaging service (MMS) messages, video conferencing, e-mail, or phone calls.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the social-networking activity comprises comments, posts, tags, likes, shares, or check-ins between the users associated with the first one of the geographic areas in the pair and the users associated with the second one of the geographic areas in the pair.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein one or more components of the mutual-interaction metric comprises a total number of message threads, a number of one-on-one message threads, a number of group message threads, a type of messages, or a number of active message threads between the users in the first set and the users in the second set.

11. The device of claim 7 , wherein the mutual-interaction matrix is a 4×4 matrix that is used to identify geographic-area clusters from four different geographic areas.

12. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software configured when executed to:

identify a plurality of pairs of geographic areas;

determine for each of the pairs of geographic areas a mutual-interaction metric based at least in part on messaging-based interaction or social-networking activity through the social-networking system between users associated with a first one of the geographic areas in the pair and users associated with a second one of the geographic areas in the pair, wherein the mutual-interaction metric comprises a weighted linear function having a plurality of messaging-based or activity-based components, wherein a value of a weighting associated with one or more components is based on historical or real-time interaction data between users associated with the first one of the geographic areas in the pair and users associated with the second one of the geographic areas in the pair;

construct a mutual-interaction matrix of particular dimensions with values of the mutual-interaction metric determined for the plurality of pairs of the geographic areas, wherein a first element of the mutual-interaction matrix represents a first value of the mutual-interaction metric for a first pair of first and second geographic areas, and wherein a second element of the mutual-interaction matrix represents a second value different from the first value of the mutual-interaction metric for a second pair of first and third geographic areas;

identify, using the mutual-interaction matrix of particular dimensions, that the first value of the mutual-interaction metric for the first pair of first and second geographic areas is above a pre-determined threshold value, the first value of the mutual-interaction metric indicating a degree of interaction between a first set of users associated with the first geographic area in the first pair and a second set of users associated with the second geographic area in the first pair;

associate the first pair of first and second geographic areas with each other in the social-networking system as a geographic-area cluster; and

distribute one or more features or applications associated with the social-networking system to the first set and second set of users within the geographic-area cluster.

13. The media of claim 12 , wherein the messaging-based interaction comprises an exchange of instant messages, short messaging service (SMS) messages, multimedia-messaging service (MMS) messages, video conferencing, e-mail, or phone calls.

14. The media of claim 12 , wherein the social-networking activity comprises comments, posts, tags, likes, shares, or check-ins between the users associated with the first one of the geographic areas in the pair and the users associated with the second one of the geographic areas in the pair.

15. The media of claim 12 , wherein one or more components of the mutual-interaction metric comprises a total number of message threads, a number of one-on-one message threads, a number of group message threads, a type of messages, or a number of active message threads between the users in the first set and the users in the second set.

16. The media of claim 12 , wherein the one or more features or applications associated with the social-networking system comprise a recommendation, notification, social game, messaging service, payment service, news article, webpage, video, online coupon, or advertisement.

17. The media of claim 12 , wherein the mutual-interaction matrix is a 4×4 matrix that is used to identify geographic-area clusters from four different geographic areas.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 20, 2021
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 058553/0802 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 1, 2016
From: BREUDECHECK, JEFFREY SCOTT DAVID
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 037636/0827 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 27, 2016
From: DAVIS, STEPHEN MOORE; WU, SAMANTHA; KOO, JIA-AN
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 037600/0261 →