Secondary Account Creation via Shared Unique Identifier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional social networking systems require users to create multiple accounts using unique identifiers like phone numbers or email addresses, leading to cumbersome account management and potential misdirection of messages when fake identifiers are used.
Innovation Solution
Allowing users to create secondary accounts associated with the same unique identifier as a primary account, simplifying the account creation process and eliminating the need for multiple identifiers, while providing distinct usernames for each account to avoid message misdirection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users create multiple accounts using unique identifiers like phone numbers or email addresses, then each account can be uniquely identified and managed, but the account management process becomes cumbersome and users must create multiple identifiers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by allowing a single unique identifier (such as one email address or phone number) to serve multiple functions - it can be associated with multiple user accounts, enabling users to create and manage multiple accounts without needing multiple identifiers. The system universally accepts one identifier type to identify multiple distinct accounts through different usernames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the identification function by separating the unique identifier (email/phone) from the account-specific identifier (username). This segmentation allows the unique identifier to remain constant while multiple distinct usernames are created, each mapping to the same underlying identifier, thus simplifying account creation while maintaining reliable identification.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users create fake unique identifiers to bypass the single identifier limitation, then they can create multiple accounts, but messages may be misdirected to wrong users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the username - that sits between the unique identifier and the message routing system. Instead of using the unique identifier directly for message routing, the system uses the username as an intermediary that uniquely identifies each account while allowing multiple accounts to share the same underlying unique identifier, thus preventing message misdirection.
3Reliability
If users must create new email accounts for each social networking account, then each account has a valid unique identifier, but the process becomes time-consuming and frustrating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having users create and verify their unique identifier (email or phone number) only once during the first account creation. The system then stores this validated identifier and reuses it for subsequent account creations, eliminating the need to repeatedly create and verify new identifiers, thus saving time while maintaining validity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described that enable a user to create a secondary user account on a social networking system that shares a unique identifier with a primary user account. In some cases, a social networking system receives a first request to create a first user account, where the first request comprises a unique identifier such as a phone number or email address associated with a user. The social networking system creates the first user account associated with the unique identifier. The social networking system then receives a second request to create a second user account, where the second request also comprises the unique identifier associated with the user. The social networking system creates the second user account associated with the unique identifier.