Assigning target entities to members of a group based on social proximity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016353256-A1
Application number	US-201514722150-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 27, 2015
Priority date	May 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques are provided for assigning members of a group to multiple target entities. A social proximity score is generated that reflects a measure of social relatedness between a group member and a target entity. Generated social proximity scores and one or more constraints are specified or referenced by a program. The program seeks to maximize social proximity scores in light of the one or more constraints. A solver executes the program to generate a result that assigns each target entity to at least one (or no more than one) group member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
identifying a plurality of sets of social proximity scores, wherein each set in the plurality of sets is associated with a different member of a group of members; wherein, for each member in the group, each social proximity score in a set of social proximity scores corresponding to said each member is associated with a different target entity of a plurality of target entities; generating a program that indicates the plurality of sets of social proximity scores and includes one or more constraints that are to be satisfied; sending the program to a solver that analyzes the program and generates a result; wherein the result indicates, for each target entity of the plurality of target entities, an association between said each target entity and a member in the group; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the program seeks to maximize, in the result, social proximity scores of members in the group relative to the plurality of target entities; in the result, each target entity is associated with no more than one member in the group.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in the result, each member in the group is associated with multiple target entities of the plurality of target entities; the multiple target entities associated with each member in the group is associated with a monetary value; the one or more constraints indicate that, in the result, a monetary value associated with one member in the group approximately equals the monetary value associated with each other member in the group.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more constraints indicate that, in the result, a number of target entities that are associated with one member in the group approximately equals the number of target entities associated with each other member in the group.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
each member in the group and each target entity of the plurality of target entities is associated with a geographical location; in the result, each member in the group is associated with multiple target entities of the plurality of target entities; the one or more constraints indicate that, in the result, the geographical location associated with each member in the group is geographically near at least a subset of the target entities that are associated with said each member.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
each target entity in the plurality of target entities has a type; a first target entity in the plurality of target entities is of a first type; a second target entity in the plurality of target entities is of a second type that is different than the first type; the one or more constraints indicate that, in the result, each member in the group is associated with an approximately equal number of target entities of the second type.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein target entities of the second type are classified as technology companies and target entities of the first type are not classified as technology companies.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the group of members is a first group of members of a first party and the plurality of target entities are a first plurality of target entities, the method further comprising:
identifying a second plurality of sets of social proximity scores, wherein each set in the second plurality of sets is associated with a different member of a second group of members of a second party that is different than the first party; wherein, for each member in the second group, a second set of social proximity scores corresponding to said each member includes a social proximity score that is associated with a different target entity of a second plurality of target entities that are different than the first plurality of target entities; generating a second program that indicates the second plurality of sets of social proximity scores and includes one or more second constraints that are to be satisfied; sending the second program to the solver that analyzes the second program and generates a second result; wherein the second result indicates, for each target entity of the second plurality of target entities, an association between said each target entity and a member in the second group.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of target entities is a strict subset of a second plurality of target entities; for each member in the group, each social proximity score in the set of social proximity scores corresponding to said each member is associated with a different target entity of the second plurality of target entities; the program indicates that one or more target entities in the second plurality of target entities are not to be associated with any member in the group; the result does not associate any of the one or more target entities with any member in the group.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a first set of members in the group are employed by a particular company and a second set of one or more members in the group are not employed by the particular company.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the program is composed in a mathematical programming language.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to identifying the plurality of sets of social proximity scores, sending, to a social proximity score generator, a first list of identities of members of the group and a second list of identities of the plurality of target entities; after sending the first list and the second list to the social proximity score generator, receiving, from the social proximity score generator, the plurality of sets of social proximity scores.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the social proximity score generator is part of a social network service that is provided by a party that performs the method of claim 1 .

14 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause:
identifying a plurality of sets of social proximity scores, wherein each set in the plurality of sets is associated with a different member of a group of members;
wherein, for each member in the group, each social proximity score in a set of social proximity scores corresponding to said each member is associated with a different target entity of a plurality of target entities;
generating a program that indicates the plurality of sets of social proximity scores and includes one or more constraints that are to be satisfied;
sending the program to a solver that analyzes the program and generates a result;
wherein the result indicates, for each target entity of the plurality of target entities, an association between said each target entity and a member in the group.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:
the program seeks to maximize, in the result, social proximity scores of members in the group relative to the plurality of target entities; in the result, each target entity is associated with no more than one member in the group.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:
in the result, each member in the group is associated with multiple target entities of the plurality of target entities; the multiple target entities associated with each member in the group is associated with a monetary value; the one or more constraints indicate that, in the result, a monetary value associated with one member in the group approximately equals the monetary value associated with each other member in the group.

Assignees

• Linkedin Corp

Inventors

• Chao John
• Hue Liangjie
• Hoang Huan
• Zhang Wenjing
• Miller Michael
• Vangeest Josh
• Zhu Qiang

Classifications

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W4/08 Primary

  User group management · CPC title

• G06F17/3053

  Physics · mapped topic