# US 11,310,185 B1 · Access controls for units of content in a messaging service

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- Number: US 11,310,185 B1
- Document ID: US11310185B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 16/552,149
- Filed: 2019-08-27
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-27
- Assignees: Metal Platforms, Inc.
- Applicants: Facebook, Inc.
- Inventors: Edward Young Zhang; Weiwei Ding; Qian Wang; Ming Xiao; Guangyuan Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310185B1

## CPC

- H04L 67/306: User profiles
- H04L 51/212: using filtering or selective blocking
- H04L 51/52: for supporting social networking services
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L 67/53: using third party service providers
- H04L 67/566: Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
- H04L 51/58: Message adaptation for wireless communication
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide techniques for promoting and providing subscribed content via a messaging platform. An article may be viewed via a social networking service (such as in a social network's news feed), or on a partner website integrated with the social networking service and/or messaging service. When opening the article (e.g., in a web-based view), a banner may be displayed in association with the article indicating that the article could have been received as part of a messaging-based subscription service. The banner may include a control to subscribe to the publisher with the messaging service. Topics related to an article may be suggested in the message thread for the subscription, with the selection of a topic retrieving additional articles from that publisher related to that topic. These additional articles may be selected using social networking topic determination.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method comprising:
sending a news feed to a client device via a messaging server, the news feed comprising a summary of a content item and a user subscription control for display in a messaging client on the client device, wherein the user subscription control is selectable to generate a request to subscribe to a provider of the content item;
receiving a first request comprising an indication of a selection of the user subscription control in the messaging client;
creating a subscription for a user at the client device with a provider of the content item based on the first request;
sending the content item and a related-content control to the client device via a web-based interface;
receiving a second request comprising an identifier of the content item and an indication of selection of the related-content control;
determining a messaging thread identifier for a messaging thread in the messaging client, the messaging thread including the provider and the user; and
sending additional content items from the provider to the client device via the messaging server for display in the messaging client in the messaging thread based on the messaging thread identifier and the identifier of the content item in the second request.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the subscription is created based at least in part on a user identifier of the user specified in the first request, wherein the messaging thread identifier is one of a plurality of messaging thread identifiers, wherein each respective messaging thread identifier is associated with a respective one of a plurality of messaging threads, wherein the plurality of messaging threads include the messaging thread, the method further comprising:
sending a banner to the client device via the web-based interface in association with the content item, the banner indicating that the content item could have been received as part of a messaging-based subscription and received in the messaging client or indicating that other content items related to the content item may be received as part of a messaging-based subscription and received in the messaging client; and
creating the messaging thread and the messaging thread identifier based on a determination that the user and the provider have not previously interacted via the messaging client.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by a natural language processor based on an analysis of the content item, one or more topics of the content item; and
creating a list of topics of interest to the user, based on the determined one or more topics of the content item.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
updating the list of topics to include one or more additional topics related to topics of content items previously selected by the user;
sending a topic update message comprising the list of topics to the client device;
receiving an indication of a user selection of one or more of the topics from the list of topics; and
updating the subscription to include the selected topics,
wherein the additional content items are related to the selected topics.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein updating the list of topics further comprises:
receiving one or more nodes defining interests of the user from a social graph of a social networking service; and
determining the one or more additional topics based on the interests defined by the one or more nodes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
aggregating one or more additional content items for the user;
sending a digest comprising selectable links associated with the one or more additional content items to the client device;
receiving an indication of a user selection of one of the one or more selectable links; and
sending the additional content item associated with the selected link to the client device via the messaging server.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a new content item from the content provider;
determining one or more topics related to a topic of the new content item;
identifying one or more users having indicated interest in the one or more topics related to the topic of the new content item; and
sending the new content item to the one or more identified users.

### Claim 8

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions configured to cause a processor to:
send a news feed to a client device via a messaging server, the news feed comprising a summary of a content item and a user subscription control for display in a messaging client on the client device, wherein the user subscription control is selectable to generate a request to subscribe to a provider of the content item;
receive a first request comprising an indication of a selection of the user subscription control in the messaging client;
create a subscription for a user at the client device with a provider of the content item based on the first request;
send the content item and a related-content control to the client device via a web-based interface;
receive a second request comprising an identifier of the content item and an indication of selection of the related-content control;
determine a messaging thread identifier for a messaging thread in the messaging client, the messaging thread including the provider and the user; and
send additional content items from the provider to the client device via the messaging server for display in the messaging client in the messaging thread based on the messaging thread identifier and the identifier of the content item in the second request.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the subscription is created based at least in part on a user identifier of the user specified in the first request, wherein the messaging thread identifier is one of a plurality of messaging thread identifiers, wherein each respective messaging thread identifier is associated with a respective one of a plurality of messaging threads, wherein the plurality of messaging threads include the messaging thread, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
send a banner to the client device via the web-based interface in association with the content item, the banner indicating that the content item could have been received as part of a messaging-based subscription and received in the messaging client or indicating that other content items related to the content item may be received as part of a messaging-based subscription and received in the messaging client; and
create the messaging thread and the messaging thread identifier based on a determination that the user and the provider have not previously interacted via the messaging client.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
determine, by a natural language processor based on an analysis of the content item, one or more topics of the content item; and
create a list of topics of interest to the user, based on the determined one or more topics of the content item.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 10, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
update the list of topics to include one or more additional topics related to content items previously selected by the user;
send a topic update message comprising the list of topics to the client device;
receive an indication of a user selection of one or more of the topics from the list of topics; and
update the subscription to include the selected additional topics,
wherein the additional content items are related to the selected topics.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein updating the list of topics comprises further instructions configured to cause the processor to:
receive one or more nodes defining interests of the user from a social graph of a social networking service; and
determine the one or more additional topics based on the interests defined by the one or more nodes.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
aggregate one or more additional content items for the user;
send a digest comprising selectable links associated with the one or more additional content items to the client device;
receive an indication of a user selection of one of the one or more selectable links; and
send the additional content item associated with the selected link to the client device via the messaging server.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
receive a new content item from the content provider;
determine one or more topics related to the new content item;
identify one or more users having indicated interest in the one or more topics related to the new content item; and
send the new content item to the one or more identified users.

### Claim 15

An apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory, computer readable medium configured to store instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions configured to cause the processor to:
send a news feed to a client device via a messaging server, the news feed comprising a summary of a content item and a user subscription control for display in a messaging client on the client device, wherein the user subscription control is selectable to generate a request to subscribe to a provider of the content item;
receive a first request comprising an indication of a selection of the user subscription control in the messaging client;
create a subscription for a user at the client device with a provider of the content item based on the first request;
send the content item and a related-content control to the client device via a web-based interface;
receive a second request comprising an identifier of the content item and an indication of selection of the related-content control;
determine a messaging thread identifier for a messaging thread in the messaging client, the messaging thread including the provider and the user; and
send additional content items from the provider to the client device via the messaging server for display in the messaging client in the messaging thread based on the messaging thread identifier and the identifier of the content item in the second request.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the subscription is created based at least in part on a user identifier of the user specified in the first request, wherein the messaging thread identifier is one of a plurality of messaging thread identifiers, wherein each respective messaging thread identifier is associated with a respective one of a plurality of messaging threads, wherein the plurality of messaging threads include the messaging thread, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
create the messaging thread and the messaging thread identifier based on a determination that the user and the provider have not previously interacted via the messaging client;
determine, by a natural language processor based on an analysis of the content item, one or more topics of the content item; and
create a list of topics of interest to the user, based on the determined one or more topics of the content item.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
update the list of topics to include one or more additional topics related to content items previously selected by the user;
send a topic update message comprising the list of topics to the client device;
receive an indication of a user selection of one or more of the topics from the list of topics; and
update the subscription to include the selected topics,
wherein the additional content items are related to the selected topics.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein updating the list of topics comprises further instructions configured to cause the processor to:
receive one or more nodes defining interests of the user from a social graph of a social networking service; and
determine the one or more additional topics based on the interests defined by the one or more nodes.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
aggregate one or more additional content items for the user;
send a digest comprising selectable links associated with the one or more additional content items to the client device;
receive an indication of a user selection of one of the one or more selectable links; and
send the additional content item associated with the selected link to the client device via the messaging server.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, the instructions further configured to cause the processor to:
receive a new content item from the content provider;
determine one or more topics related to the new content item;
identify one or more users having indicated interest in the one or more topics related to the new content item; and
send the new content item to the one or more identified users.