# US 9,436,687 B2 · Acquiring structured user data using composer interface having input fields corresponding to acquired structured data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,436,687 B2 - Document ID: US9436687B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/544,860 - Filed: 2012-07-09 - Published: 2014-01-09 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-07-09 - Assignees: Facebook, Inc. - Applicants: Robert Taaffe Lindsay; Samuel Lessin; Justin Alexander Shaffer; Nicholas Felton; Ryan Case - Inventors: Robert Taaffe Lindsay; Samuel Lessin; Justin Alexander Shaffer; Nicholas Felton; Ryan Case - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9436687B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F 16/24578: {using ranking} - G06F 16/335: Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles (filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536) - G06F 16/337: {Profile generation, learning or modification} - G06F 16/437: {Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution} - G06F 16/9024: {Graphs; Linked lists (G06F16/9027 takes precedence)} - G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation - G06F 16/9536: Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering - H04L 67/306: User profiles - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - G06F 9/44505: {Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files} - G06Q 30/0241: Advertisements - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A social networking system obtains specific structured data about a user via a composer interface having textual content with incomplete portions and input fields corresponding to the incomplete potions. The input fields map to data fields in the user's profile and are selected based on the social networking system's need for the information associated with the data fields. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: maintaining a profile for a user of a social networking system, the profile including a plurality of information items, each information item of the plurality of information items associated with a data field; selecting a set of candidate data fields from the profile for the user; for each candidate data field of the set of candidate data fields, determining a value to the social networking system of having an information item of the plurality of information items for the user, the information item being associated with the candidate data field, the determined value based on a cost of a composer interface displacing social content or an advertisement that otherwise would have been presented to the user; selecting a candidate data field from the set of candidate data fields based on the determined values; selecting, by the social networking system, a phrase related to the selected candidate data field, the phrase having a missing portion to be filled in by the user with structured data about the user to complete the phrase, the phrase designed to solicit the information item associated with the selected candidate data field; generating, by the social networking system, the composer interface that comprises the phrase having the missing portion and an input field corresponding to the missing portion; providing the generated composer interface for display to the user in the place of social content or an advertisement that otherwise would have been presented to the user; receiving the structured data entered by the user using the input field of the generated composer interface; determining the information item associated with the selected candidate data field based on the received structured data; and storing the determined information item with the selected candidate data field in the profile for the user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a score for each candidate data field in the set of candidate data fields based on a function evaluating the determined value to the social networking system of having the information item associated with the candidate data field for the user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the selected candidate data field is selected based on the determined score of the selected candidate data field. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the score for each candidate data field is based in part on a probability of getting a response containing the structured data from the user. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the probability of getting the response from the user is based on a historical response rate for the user. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the probability of getting the response from the user is based on a historical response rate for connections of the user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determined value to the social networking system of having the information item for the user is based further on projected revenue generated from using the information item. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determined value to the social networking system of having the information item for the user is based further on projected increase in user engagement generated from using the information item. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the generated composer interface is sent to the user in a newsfeed story. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the generated composer interface is sent for display to the user responsive to an action by the user with a newsfeed story. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the generated composer interface is sent for display to the user responsive to a connection of the user posting content to the social networking system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the set of candidate data fields have no associated information items. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the input field is configured to accept a category of words. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the category of words is selected from the group consisting of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving input entered by the user into the input field of the generated composer interface; identifying one or more graph objects represented as nodes in a social graph based on the received input, the social graph recording interactions between users and objects as edges connecting nodes in the social graph; and presenting a list of selectable options to the user that the user can select as the input for the input field, the one or more selectable options corresponding to the one or more identified graph objects. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by a server system, the one or more programs comprising instructions for: maintaining a profile for a user of a social networking system, the profile including a plurality of information items, each information item of the plurality of information items associated with a data field; selecting a set of candidate data fields from the profile for the user; for each candidate data field of the set of candidate data fields, determining a value to the social networking system of having an information item of the plurality of information items for the user, the information item being associated with the candidate data field, the determined value based on a cost of a composer interface displacing social content or an advertisement that otherwise would have been presented to the user; selecting a candidate data field from the set of candidate data fields based on the determined values; selecting, by the social networking system, a phrase related to the selected candidate data field, the phrase having a missing portion to be filled in by the user with structured data about the user to complete the phrase, the phrase designed to solicit the information item associated with the selected candidate data field; generating, by the social networking system, the composer interface that comprises the phrase having the missing portion and an input field corresponding to the missing portion; providing the generated composer interface for display to the user in the place of social content or an advertisement that otherwise would have been presented to the user; receiving the structured data entered by the user using the input field of the generated composer interface; determining the information item associated with the selected candidate data field based on the received structured data; and storing the determined information item with the selected candidate data field in the profile for the user. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: maintaining a profile for a user of a social networking system, the profile including a plurality of data fields; selecting a set of candidate data fields from the profile for the user; for each candidate data field of the set of candidate data fields, scoring the candidate data field based on a function evaluating a value to the social networking system of having an information item about the user associated with the candidate data field, the determined value based on a cost of a composer interface displacing social content or an advertisement that otherwise would have been presented to the user; selecting a candidate data field from the set of candidate data fields based on the scoring for the selected candidate data fields; selecting, by the social networking system, a phrase related to the selected candidate data field, the phrase having a missing portion to be filled in by the user with structured data about the user to complete the phrase, the phrase designed to solicit the information item associated with the selected candidate data field; generating, by the social networking system, the composer interface that comprises the phrase having the missing portion and an input field corresponding to the missing portion; providing for display to the user the generated composer interface in the place of social content or an advertisement that otherwise would have been presented to the user; receiving the structured data entered by the user using the input field of the generated composer interface; determining the information item associated with the selected candidate data fields based on the received structured data; and storing the determined information item with the selected candidate data fields in the profile for the user. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the value to the social networking system of having the information item for the user is based further on one or more of projected revenue generated from using the information item, projected increase in user engagement generated from using the information item, and a value of other information that may be determined as a result of obtaining the information item. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the value to the social networking system of having the information item for the user is based further on one or more of projected revenue generated from using the information item, projected increase in user engagement generated from using the information item, and a value of other information that may be determined as a result of obtaining the information item, and wherein the score is further based on the probability of getting a response from the user. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the value to the social networking system of having the information item further comprises: determining a freshness score for the information item based on when the information item was received and a type corresponding to the information item; and determining the value for the information item based on the freshness score.