Portable Social Network Graph Inference and Aggregation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing computer-based social networks lack user ownership and portability, with privacy dependent on corporate policies rather than secure storage mechanisms, limiting users' ability to transfer their social networks and connections between platforms.

Innovation Solution

A method to infer and aggregate user-owned social network structures and content from traditional networks, using cryptographic techniques for secure storage and decentralized architecture, allowing users to create a portable, self-sufficient social network that can migrate between platforms while ensuring privacy and ownership.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional social networks are used, then users can access social networking services, but users lack ownership and portability of their social network data

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveportabilityVSAvoiddata ownership

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the social network data into user-owned components that can be independently controlled and transferred. Users can export their social graph, posts, and connections as separable data elements that maintain their ownership rights, enabling portability while preserving ownership reliability through structured data division.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer that facilitates data transfer between social networks while maintaining user ownership. This intermediary mechanism allows users to migrate their social network data between platforms without losing ownership rights, resolving the contradiction between portability and ownership reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If social network data is stored on centralized servers, then data access is simplified, but privacy is dependent on corporate policies rather than secure storage mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata accessVSAvoidprivacy risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts sensitive social network data from centralized corporate servers and places it under user control through portable data formats. Users can selectively export and store their own data locally or in secure personal storage, removing the dependency on corporate privacy policies while maintaining ease of access through user-managed storage solutions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the storage parameter from centralized corporate control to distributed user control. By enabling users to download, store, and manage their own social network data, the system transforms the privacy model from policy-dependent to mechanism-dependent, reducing privacy risks while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If users want to transfer their social network between platforms, then portability is improved, but technical complexity increases due to data aggregation and inference requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveportabilityVSAvoiddata aggregation system

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing and structuring social network data into portable formats before transfer is needed. Users can export their data in advance in standardized formats that preserve relationships and content, reducing the complexity of actual transfer operations while maintaining high portability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying mechanisms to create portable representations of social network data that can be transferred between platforms. By copying and exporting user data in standardized formats, the system simplifies the transfer process while maintaining data integrity, reducing technical complexity through proven copying and migration techniques.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11399003B2Social network graph inference and aggregation with portability, protected shared content, and application programs spanning multiple social networks

Publication Date: 2022.07.26 FRIENDSHIP IP PROTECTION LLC

AI summary

An application program spans a plurality of digital social networks. The application program includes an inferred digital social network. Consent is obtained from a plurality of users of the digital social networks to participation in the inferred digital social network. Information is automatically obtained from the digital social networks for the users, through a plurality of respective communication channels, which can be application program interfaces or covert or subliminal channels. The information includes link information between each of the users and other individuals in the digital social networks. The information is aggregated for the users to form the inferred digital social network, corresponding to a graph having nodes representing the users and the other individuals and having links between the nodes representing social relationships. Each of the users is enabled to send and receive message information with other users, to view profile information of other users, and to view social contact information of other users, through the inferred digital social network. In response to inputs from the users, the application program provides state information to the digital social networks spanned by the application program that the digital social networks cause to be communicated to users of the digital social networks.