Social Gravity Proximity Content Targeting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Social networking systems face challenges in providing relevant content to users based on their geographic proximity to other users or entities, as existing methods lack the ability to effectively leverage real-world interactions and relationships in their content-targeting models.

Innovation Solution

The system detects proximity events between users and entities, calculates an influence score based on social gravity and duration of proximity, and uses this information to determine if content objects should be sent to users, enhancing location-based services by integrating real-world interactions with online social network relationships.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the system uses traditional content-targeting models without geographic proximity data, then the system complexity remains low, but the content relevance to users deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent relevanceVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges traditional content-targeting models with geographic proximity detection by integrating location data from mobile devices with social-networking system data. This combination allows the system to consider both online social relationships and offline physical proximity, thereby improving content relevance without requiring a complete system overhaul

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary component that processes geographic proximity events and translates them into influence scores that can be integrated into existing content-targeting models. This intermediary layer allows the system to incorporate location-based information without directly complicating the core content delivery mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If the system collects and processes geographic proximity data from mobile devices, then the content relevance improves, but the data processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser location accuracyVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential geographic proximity information needed for content targeting from mobile device data, rather than processing all available location data. By selectively extracting proximity events and filtering out unnecessary data, the system maintains location accuracy while reducing processing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial processing of location data by focusing only on significant proximity events that meet certain thresholds, rather than continuously analyzing all location changes. This approach processes sufficient data to maintain relevance without the excessive complexity of comprehensive real-time location tracking

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If the system integrates real-world proximity interactions with online social network relationships, then the content engagement improves, but the computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent engagementVSAvoidcomputational energy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary calculations of influence scores based on proximity events and social graph data in advance, before content delivery is needed. By pre-processing this information and storing it in an optimized format, the system reduces the computational energy required during actual content generation and delivery operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10685078B2Content provision based on geographic proximity
Publication Date: 2020.06.16 META PLATFORMS INC
  • US10685078B2 patent drawing
  • US10685078B2 patent drawing
  • US10685078B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method includes detecting a proximity event associated with a first user and a second user, wherein the proximity event includes the second user being in geographic proximity to the first user and calculating an influence score associated with the proximity event, wherein the influence score is based at least in part on a social gravity of the second user and a duration of the proximity event. The method further includes, upon determining that the influence score is greater than a threshold score, identifying, based at least in part on a geographic location of the first user, a content object associated with the second user for provision to the first user and sending the content object to a client system associated with the first user for display.