Facebook Patent Applications

Managing Instant Messages

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073653
Managing instant messages may include receiving instant messages created by or on behalf of one or more message sources for delivery to an intended recipient. From among the received instant messages, qualifying instant messages may be identified that satisfy a capture rule, and two or more of the qualifying instant messages may be captured. The intended recipient may be informed of the captured instant messages unobtrusively, and also may be enabled to manage the captured instant…

PUBLIC NETWORK ACCESS SERVER HAVING A USER-CONFIGURABLE FIREWALL

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130074154
A user-configurable firewall and method in which a user-changeable security setting for a client computer is maintained by an access server through which a user accesses the public network. The user-changeable security setting can be used to specify which outside computers or network devices may access the client computer and what type of access to the client computer is allowed. If an attempt to access the client computer is made, the user-configurable security setting is checked to…

PUBLIC NETWORK ACCESS SERVER HAVING A USER-CONFIGURABLE FIREWALL

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130074153
A user-configurable firewall and method in which a user-changeable security setting for a client computer is maintained by an access server through which a user accesses the public network. The user-changeable security setting can be used to specify which outside computers or network devices may access the client computer and what type of access to the client computer is allowed. If an attempt to access the client computer is made, the user-configurable security setting is checked to…

FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN COMPUTER USERS ACROSS A NETWORK

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073973
A stand-alone icon (i.e., an icon that is not part of an application interface) is provided to facilitate communications across a network between users of at least one communications program. The icon represents a contact or a set of contacts. Status information regarding the contact or set of contacts is received and displayed using the icon or in response to an operation performed on the icon. The icon additionally may provide an interface for performing actions related to the contact…

DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073968
Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one…

DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073967
Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one…

DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073966
Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one…

SECURE DATA EXCHANGE BETWEEN DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073862
A data transfer method performed at a proxy server includes intercepting a data request from a client computer that is directed to a target server, encrypting profile information, augmenting the data request by adding the encrypted profile information to the data request, and sending the augmented data request to the target server. A data transfer method that is performed at an information server includes receiving a data request from a proxy server, extracting profile information added…

SECURE DATA EXCHANGE BETWEEN DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073861
A data transfer method performed at a proxy server includes intercepting a data request from a client computer that is directed to a target server, encrypting profile information, augmenting the data request by adding the encrypted profile information to the data request, and sending the augmented data request to the target server. A data transfer method that is performed at an information server includes receiving a data request from a proxy server, extracting profile information added…

Switching Between Connectivity Types To Maintain Connectivity

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073722
Techniques are provided for leveraging narrowband connectivity (such as dial-up communications or other types of low bandwidth communications) to provision or configure broadband connectivity between a broadband access provider and a broadband device, such as a DSL modem or a cable modem. Specifically, because narrowband connectivity does not require advance configuration or provisioning by the host system of connectivity parameters for an access-seeking device, a modem at an…

Switching Between Connectivity Types To Maintain Connectivity

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073721
Techniques are provided for leveraging narrowband connectivity (such as dial-up communications or other types of low bandwidth communications) to provision or configure broadband connectivity between a broadband access provider and a broadband device, such as a DSL modem or a cable modem. Specifically, because narrowband connectivity does not require advance configuration or provisioning by the host system of connectivity parameters for an access-seeking device, a modem at an…

SECURE DATA EXCHANGE BETWEEN DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073693
A data transfer method performed at a proxy server includes intercepting a data request from a client computer that is directed to a target server, encrypting profile information, augmenting the data request by adding the encrypted profile information to the data request, and sending the augmented data request to the target server. A data transfer method that is performed at an information server includes receiving a data request from a proxy server, extracting profile information added…

TRANSFERRING FILES

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073678
Systems and techniques for transferring one or more files by connecting to a communications system host; sending, to a client connected to the communications system host, a request to transfer one or more files; when a client permits access to the one or more files, establishing a direct socket connection from the client and bypassing the communications system host; and initiating the transfer of the one or more files from the client over the direct socket connection.

TRANSFERRING FILES

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073677
Systems and techniques for transferring one or more files by connecting to a communications system host; sending, to a client connected to the communications system host, a request to transfer one or more files; when a client permits access to the one or more files, establishing a direct socket connection from the client and bypassing the communications system host; and initiating the transfer of the one or more files from the client over the direct socket connection.

ELECTRONIC MESSAGE FORWARDING

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073657
The invention provides a method of transmitting electronic messages in a computer environment. The preferred embodiment receives an electronic message addressed to a telephone number and determines an instant message identifier associated with the telephone number. In response to the determination that an instant message identifier associates with the telephone number, it is further determined whether an instant message receiver is available to receive messages addressed to the instant…

ELECTRONIC MESSAGE FORWARDING

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073656
The invention provides a method of transmitting electronic messages in a computer environment. The preferred embodiment receives an electronic message addressed to a telephone number and determines an instant message identifier associated with the telephone number. In response to the determination that an instant message identifier associates with the telephone number, it is further determined whether an instant message receiver is available to receive messages addressed to the instant…

PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL CONTACT INFORMATION CORRESPONDING TO A REFERENCED INDIVIDUAL

Granted: March 21, 2013
Application Number: 20130073652
Providing supplemental contact information for an individual referenced in an electronic message typically includes receiving an electronic message, examining the electronic message, detecting an identifier for a referenced individual contained in the electronic message, and making supplemental contact information for the referenced individual available to a recipient of the electronic message. The supplemental contact information may include information that is in addition to…

PRESENTING A TRAVEL ROUTE USING MORE THAN ONE PRESENTATION STYLE

Granted: March 14, 2013
Application Number: 20130066553
Techniques are provided for presenting a route in a manner that emphasizes the route and provides context information. For example, a vivid color or vivid colors may be used to display the route, and pastel colors or other desaturated colors may be used for non-route context information. This may result in a map in which the vivid colors of the route stand out over the faded style of the non-route context information to emphasize the route. In this manner, the map may both emphasize the…

PRESENTING A TRAVEL ROUTE USING MORE THAN ONE PRESENTATION STYLE

Granted: March 14, 2013
Application Number: 20130066554
Techniques are provided for presenting a route in a manner that emphasizes the route and provides context information. For example, a vivid color or vivid colors may be used to display the route, and pastel colors or other desaturated colors may be used for non-route context information. This may result in a map in which the vivid colors of the route stand out over the faded style of the non-route context information to emphasize the route. In this manner, the map may both emphasize the…

Tracking Effects of an Ad Impression on Other Activity in a Social Networking System

Granted: March 14, 2013
Application Number: 20130066706
Effects of content communications propagated to users of a social networking system may be tracked and measured by the social networking system. Identifiers of content presented to a user within a time period prior to an action performed by the user are recorded in a first label object associated with the action. The action performed by the user generates new content to be presented to other users. The identifiers of the new content and the first label object are recorded in new label…