Geographic-area cluster

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10931764-B2
Application number	US-201514843787-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2015
Priority date	Sep 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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 i

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Davis Stephen Moore
• Wu Samantha
• Breudecheck Jeffrey Scott David
• Koo Jia-An

Classifications

• H04L67/306 Primary

  User profiles · CPC title

• H04L67/53

  using third party service providers · CPC title

• H04L67/52 Primary

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title