US 8,019,743 B2Granted

Method of presenting search results to a user of a social network site

AssigneeCustomerforce.com

InventorGordon A. Ebanks

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Method of presenting search results to a user of a social network site on the Internet, in which each user of the social network site has a user profile with information regarding the user, includes obtaining content items satisfying a search of information on the Internet by a first user. The content items are ranked as a function of the information in the user profile of the first user such that the content items which are related to the information in the user profile of the first user are ranked higher than the content items which are unrelated to the information in the user profile of the first user. The content items according to ranking are then transferred to a display of the first user via the Internet such that higher ranked content items are displayed on the display prior to lower ranked content items being displayed on the display.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of presenting search results to a user of a social network site on the Internet, wherein each user of the social network site has a user profile with information regarding the user, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a server hosting the social network site on the Internet, the user profile of each user of the social network site;
obtaining, by the server, from web sites on the Internet other than the social network site, content items satisfying a search of information on the Internet by a first user of the social network site;
ranking, by the server, the content items as a function of the information in the user profile of the first user and of the information in the user profiles of users who have user profiles similar to the user profile of the first user such that the content items which are related to the information in the user profile of the first user and which are related to the information in the user profiles of the users who have user profiles similar to the user profile of the first user are ranked higher than the content items which are unrelated to at least one of the information in the user profile of the first user and the information in the user profiles of the users who have user profiles similar to the user profile of the first user;
and
transferring from the server to a display of the first user via the Internet the content items according to the ranking such that higher ranked content items are displayed on the display prior to lower ranked content items being displayed on the display.

2 more elements

obtaining, by a server hosting the social network site on the Internet, the user profile of each user of the social network site;
obtaining, by the server, from web sites on the Internet other than the social network site, content items satisfying a search of information on the Internet by a first user of the social network site;
ranking, by the server, the content items as a function of the information in the user profiles of the users who are associated with the first user and as a function of the information in the user profile of the first user such that the content items which are related to the information regarding the users associated with the first user and which are related to the information in the user profile of the first user are ranked higher than the content items which are unrelated to at least one of the information regarding the users associated with the first user and the information in the user profile of the first user;
and
transferring from the server to a display of the first user via the Internet the content items according to the ranking such that higher ranked content items are displayed on the display prior to lower ranked content items being displayed on the display.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/640,092Filed 17 Dec 2009 · continuation
Priority: 9 Mar 2006
Published: US 2010/0094869 A115 Apr 2010
Granted: 13 Sep 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06F 16/248
Querying: presentation of query results
G06F 16/24578
With adaptation to user needs: using ranking
G06F 16/9535
Querying, e.g. by the use of web search engines: search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
G06F 16/9536
Querying, e.g. by the use of web search engines: search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering

Family

Application60/780,912Us provisional application · filed 9 Mar 2006
Application11/699,957Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Jan 2007
US 2010/0094869 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Apr 2010
US 7,657,523 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2007/0214121 A1Published application
US 8,019,743 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.