Local Social Network Hosting via Email Data Inversion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional social networks require users to manually build connections and share data on remote servers, compromising privacy and requiring manual friend requests, which is time-consuming and lacks control over data exposure.

Innovation Solution

A method to host a social network locally on a user's computing device, using social data stored on the local hard drive, allowing users to maintain and control their social relationships and data privacy through a local social network model built from email communications, with access provided via OpenSocial APIs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If social networks are hosted on remote servers, then users can access social networks over the Internet, but users lose control and privacy of their social data

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveInternet access to social networkVSAvoidprivacy control of social data

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of hosting the social network on remote servers and accessing it over the Internet, the patent inverts the approach by hosting the social network locally on the user's own computer using locally stored social data. This inversion allows users to maintain full control and privacy of their social data while still providing social networking functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the social network hosting function from remote servers and places it locally on the user's computer. By taking out the dependency on remote servers and implementing the social network locally using OpenSocial containers and APIs, users gain control over their social data while maintaining social networking capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If users manually build social networks by adding friends, then social relationships can be established, but the process is time-consuming and requires numerous requests

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesocial relationship establishmentVSAvoidtime for manual friend requests

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by automatically building the social network using the user's existing email communications. The system analyzes email patterns, contacts, and interactions to automatically establish social relationships and populate the social network, eliminating the need for manual friend requests and significantly reducing the time required to build a social network.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-populating the social network data structure using the user's historical email communications before the user needs to use the social network. By analyzing email contacts, frequency of communication, and interaction patterns in advance, the system prepares the social network relationships ahead of time, saving the user from manual setup efforts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If social data is stored on remote servers, then social networks can function over the Internet, but users cannot ensure privacy of their social data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesocial network functionalityVSAvoidprivacy compromise of social data

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer - the OpenSocial container and API framework - that enables social network functionality while keeping data local. This intermediary allows the social network to function as if hosted remotely (with full API access and web-based operation) while actually running locally on the user's computer, thus maintaining privacy without sacrificing functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a local copy of the social network functionality using OpenSocial containers that replicate the capabilities of remote-hosted social networks. By copying the essential functions and interfaces to run locally, the system provides the same adaptability and versatility as cloud-based networks while maintaining local data control and privacy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11755995B2Locally hosting a social network using social data stored on a user's computer

Publication Date: 2023.09.12 YAHOO ASSETS LLC

AI summary

Systems and methods to host a social network locally on a user's computing device using social data at the user device. In one embodiment, a method includes maintaining, on a local computing device of a user, social data regarding social relationships of the user in order to support a social network of the user; and hosting, via the local computing device, the social network.