Patent ID: 9413699
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: G06Q,H04B,H04L,H04M

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method for populating participant lists for users of an electronic communications system, the method comprising: accessing, from a memory device, information from one or more contact lists associated with a first user of an electronic communications system; identifying a second user of the electronic communications system known to the first user based on the accessed information from the one or more contact lists associated with the first user, wherein the second user is one of a plurality of contacts identified within the one or more contact lists associated with the first user; comparing the identified second user to data maintained on behalf of the electronic communications system, the data including information about one or more previously registered users of the electronic communications system; determining whether the identified second user is one of the previously registered users of the electronic communications system based on the comparison of the identified second user to the data, wherein the second user is identified with an identifier; calculating a communications strength between the first user and the identified second user, wherein the communications strength is a numerical measure representing the strength of the relationship between the first user and the identified second user with respect to at least one of: exchanging electronic messages between the first user and the identified second user, the amount of contact information between the first user and identified second user, the degree of separation between the first user and identified second user, characteristics shared between the first user and the identified second user, or a relationship between the first user and a third user, the third user having a separate relationship with the identified second user; and adding the identifier for the identified second user to a participant list associated with the first user in the electronic communications system, based on the determined communications strength and a maximum capacity of the participant list wherein: the electronic communications system is one or more of an instant message system, an e-mail system, and a chat system; and the one or more contact lists include one or more of a buddy list of an instant messaging system, an e-mail address book of an e-mail system, an e-mail distribution list, a list of people in the first user's social network, a list of people in a phone book of a mobile telephone used by the first user, a list of members of an organization that includes the first user, and a white list of people from whom communications are allowed.