Social Network Map Interface for Chronological User Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Social networking systems face challenges in presenting historical user information effectively due to limited display space and the need to aggregate large volumes of data from various sources, making it difficult for users to view information related to specific time periods or locations in a cohesive manner.
Innovation Solution
A display interface that presents user information in a chronological timeline or map view, allowing for the aggregation and ranking of data and activities by relevance, enabling users to visualize information related to specific time periods or locations in a compact and informative structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If user profile information is displayed in traditional segmented sections, then information is organized by type, but it becomes difficult to locate historical information from specific time periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user information by time periods rather than by information type. The profile is divided into chronological sections (e.g., recent activity, past activity, historical activity) that allow users to easily locate information from specific time periods without navigating through multiple information categories.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the display structure, organizing information along a time axis rather than categorizing by content type. This dimensional shift allows users to access historical information efficiently while maintaining a clear visual hierarchy through the chronological layout.
2Quantity of substance
If the social networking system accumulates more information about the user over time, then more comprehensive user data is available, but it becomes difficult to locate older information due to limited display space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large volume of user information into manageable chronological segments. Each time period section contains a curated subset of information relevant to that period, making it easy for users to locate specific historical information without being overwhelmed by the total data volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and highlights key information from each time period while omitting less relevant details. This selective extraction allows the system to present comprehensive user data across long time periods while maintaining limited display space and ensuring easy locatability of important historical information.
3Adaptability or versatility
If information is displayed segmented by information type, then different types of information are organized separately, but viewers cannot view different types of information related to a particular time period concurrently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reorganizes information along a temporal dimension rather than categorical dimensions. This allows a single chronological section to display multiple information types (photos, status updates, check-ins, etc.) from a specific time period simultaneously, providing versatility in viewing historical information without increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Each chronological section in the patent serves multiple functions: it displays various information types, provides temporal context, and allows navigation to related content. This multi-functionality enables viewers to access different types of information from the same time period through a unified interface structure.
4Quantity of substance
If there is a large variety of information being captured in large volumes, then comprehensive user data is collected, but there is a need for ways to aggregate information in compact yet informative structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments large volumes of captured information into chronological units that can be displayed in compact formats. Each time period section aggregates multiple pieces of information into a condensed overview, maintaining comprehensive data collection while fitting within limited display space through efficient spatial organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the temporal dimension to compress large volumes of information into manageable display units. By organizing data along the time axis rather than spreading it across categorical sections, the system achieves compact presentation of comprehensive information within available display space.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a display interface in a social networking system that enables the presentation of information related to a user in a timeline or map view. The system accesses information about a user of a social networking system, including both data about the user and social network activities related to the user. The system then selects one or more of these pieces of data and/or activities from a certain time period and gathers them into timeline units based on their relatedness and their relevance to users. These timeline units are ranked by relevance to the user, and are used to generate a timeline or map view for the user containing visual representations of the timeline units organized by location or time. The timeline or map view is then provided to other users of the social networking system that wish to view information about the user.