Generating dynamic communication threads based on user interaction with sponsored digital content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11062362-B2
Application number	US-201715793858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2017
Priority date	Oct 25, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for providing dynamic communication threads in response to a detected interaction with a sponsored digital content item. For example, systems and method described herein detect a user interaction with a sponsored digital content item and generate a screened communication thread between the user and the sponsor that is not available to the sponsor. The screened communication thread serves as a reminder to the user of the sponsored digital content item. Systems and methods described herein convert the screened communication thread to an open communication thread based on user interaction with the screened communication thread (e.g., after the user submits a reply in the screened communication thread). Thus, systems and methods described herein protect the user's online privacy unless and until the user indicates a desire to interact with the sponsor.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
providing a sponsored digital content item corresponding to a sponsor for display via a client device of a user;
in response to detecting a user interaction with the sponsored digital content item, generating a screened communication thread between the sponsor and the user at a server by:
adding, to the screened communication thread at the server, an electronic message comprising an indicator of the sponsored digital content item;
providing access to the screened communication thread to the user from the server; and
withholding access to the screened communication thread at the server from the sponsor;

detecting a user interaction with the screened communication thread on the client device of the user; and
in response to the detected user interaction with the screened communication thread on the client device of the user, converting the screened communication thread at the server to an open communication thread between the sponsor and the user by providing access to the open communication thread at the server to the sponsor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
providing the sponsored digital content item comprises providing the sponsored digital content item via a networking system newsfeed; and
detecting the user interaction with the sponsored digital content item comprises detecting at least one of the following via the networking system newsfeed: detecting a selection of the sponsored digital content item, detecting a scroll stop corresponding to the sponsored digital content item, or detecting a mouse hover corresponding to the sponsored digital content item.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein detecting the user interaction with the screened communication thread comprises at least one of: detecting the user opening the screened communication thread, detecting the user composing a message associated with the screened communication thread, detecting the user sending a message associated with the screened communication thread, or detecting the user interacting with a digital content item within the screened communication thread.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an activity level associated with the user relative to a messaging application; and
providing access to the screened communication thread to the user by adding the screened communication thread to a listing of communication threads associated with the user in the messaging application based on the determined activity level associated with the user relative to the messaging application.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 ,
wherein determining the activity level comprises:
determining a first activity level corresponding to the messaging application and a second activity level corresponding to a second messaging application;
comparing the first activity level with the second activity level; and
wherein providing access by adding the screened communication thread is further based on comparing the first activity level with the second activity level.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a threshold amount of time has elapsed since adding the screened communication thread to the listing of communication threads associated with the user without the user interacting with the screened communication thread; and
based on determining that the threshold amount of time has elapsed, providing a reminder associated with the screened communication thread, wherein the reminder comprises one or more of: a repositioning of the screened communication thread within the listing of communication threads or generating a new message within the screened communication thread.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
providing the information associated with the user to the sponsor providing access to the screened communication thread to the user further comprises adding a communication thread control associated with the screened communication thread to a sub-listing of sponsored communication threads within a listing of communication threads associated with the user in a messaging application on the client device of the user; and
withholding access to the screened communication from the sponsor further comprises keeping the communication thread control associated with the screened communication thread out of a listing of communication threads associated with sponsor user in a messaging application on a client device of the sponsor.

8. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least on non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
provide a sponsored digital content item corresponding to a sponsor for display via a client device of a user;
in response to detecting a user interaction with the sponsored digital content item, generate a screened communication thread between the sponsor and the user at a server by:
adding, to the screened communication thread at the server, an electronic message comprising an indicator of the sponsored digital content item;
providing access to the screened communication thread to the user from the server; and
withholding access to the screened communication thread at the server from the sponsor;

detect a user interaction with the screened communication thread on the client device and the user; and
in response to the detected user interaction with the screened communication thread on the client device of the user, convert the screened communication thread at the server to an open communication thread between the sponsor and the user by providing access to the open communication thread at the server to the sponsor.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein:
providing the sponsored digital content item comprises providing the sponsored digital content item via a networking system newsfeed; and
detecting the user interaction with the sponsored digital content item comprises detecting at least one of the following via the networking system newsfeed: detecting a selection of the sponsored digital content item, detecting a scroll stop corresponding to the sponsored digital content item, or detecting a mouse hover corresponding to the sponsored digital content item.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein detecting the user interaction with the screened communication thread comprises at least one of: detecting the user opening the screened communication thread, detecting the user composing a message associated with the screened communication thread, detecting the user sending a message associated with the screened communication thread, or detecting the user interacting with a digital content item within the screened communication thread.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
determine an activity level associated with the user relative to a messaging application; and
wherein providing access to the screened communication thread to the user comprises adding the screened communication thread to a listing of communication threads associated with the user in the messaging application based on the determined activity level associated with the user relative to the messaging application.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 ,
wherein determining the activity level comprises:
determining a first activity level corresponding to the messaging application and a second activity level corresponding to a second messaging application;
comparing the first activity level with the second activity level; and
wherein adding the screened co

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Baweja Himanshu
• Bhandarkar Aditya Gopal
• Zhang Edward Young
• Lin Hao
• Singh Dheeraj Kumar
• Wang Chuan
• Zhou You

Classifications

• G06Q30/0623 Primary

  by investigating goods or services · CPC title

• H04L51/216

  Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads · CPC title

• H04L51/52

  for supporting social networking services · CPC title

• G06Q30/0271 Primary

  Personalized advertisement · CPC title

• G06Q30/0267

  Wireless devices · CPC title