Systems and methods for providing location-based cascading displays

• US 10,257,292 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grindr LLC (San Vicente Parent LLC)
• Original Assignee: Grindr LLC (San Vicente Parent LLC)
• Inventors: Simkhai, Joel Joseph, Lewallen, Scott Ryan, Ditlevsen, Morten Bek
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Jr., Joseph E
• Application Number:
  US15/688,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating user interaction such as within a social network are described. In one implementation, location-based display of images and/or other information associated with other users or entities may be provided. The information may be provided in association with mapping or other positional data or information such as personal interests.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating location-based social interaction comprising:

a server being configured to;

receive, from a location-based social interaction application installed on a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service located within a range of a location of the requesting user;

generate a list of the other users located within the range of the location;

filter, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users, wherein the location-based social interaction application is configured to utilize the profile information to generate a user interface that includes a location-based profile display including an arrangement of interactive representations corresponding to the filtered list of the other users located within the range of the requesting user'"'"'s location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the server periodically receives updated location information identifying locations of the other users and the location of the requesting user; and

the location-based profile display is dynamically updated based on the updated location information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein both the location of the requesting user and the locations of the other users are determined using a location detection technique that comprises one or more of the following:

GPS functionality;

triangulation;

or location detection functions included on smart phones.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display are arranged based, at least in part, on the requesting user'"'"'s proximity to the other users.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display are arranged in increasing order of distance from the requesting user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein generating a list of the other users located within the range of the location includes, at least in part, identifying candidate users beginning from regions nearest the requesting user'"'"'s location and iteratively searching through larger geographical regions until a certain number of candidate users are identified to populate the location-based profile display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application includes an accuracy control feature that enables the requesting user to adjust how accurately the other users can view the location of the requesting user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a unique identifier is assigned to the portable electronic device or the requesting user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the unique identifier enables identification of the requesting user by the server, and retrieval of the requesting user'"'"'s profile information.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based profile display is configured to be scrollable.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more status indicators are superimposed on the interactive representations included on the location-based profile display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more status indicators is used to identify which of the other users are currently online or logged in.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display include photographs or images that are configured to be selectable.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein:

in response to a selection of an interactive representation included in the location-based profile display, profile information corresponding to a user associated with the selected interactive representation is displayed.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein:

in response to selecting an interactive representation included in the location-based profile display, one or more communication options are presented to enable the requesting user to communicate with a corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication options include an option for initiating a private chat with the corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication options include an option for sending a notification that indicates the requesting user is interested in the corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more communication options include an option for sharing a current location of the requesting user with the corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application enables the requesting user to exchange photographs with the other users.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the requesting user can swipe horizontally on the user interface that includes the location-based profile display to change between different views.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application includes an option for adding one or more of the other users to a favorites list.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

in response to receiving a selection of an option for a favorites view, the user interface is transitioned to a screen that only includes interactive representations corresponding to the other users who have been added to the favorites list by the requesting user.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application is configured to provide business information pertaining to one or more local venues or one or more local businesses located in areas proximate to the location of the requesting user.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the business information relates to events, promotions or deals that are being offered by the one or more local venues or one or more local businesses.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the location-based social interaction application is configured to receive one or more notifications pertaining to the events, promotions or deals being offered by the one or more local venues or one or more local businesses.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the requesting user can access business profiles or event profiles through the location-based social interaction application.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application is configured to match the requesting user to one or more of the other users.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the requesting user is presented with one or more potential matches based, at least in part, on matching interests of the requesting user and one or more of the other users.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein filtering, based upon the filtering criteria, includes removing any blocked users identified by the requesting user.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering criteria includes age-related criteria specified by the requesting user.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering criteria includes interest-related criteria specified by the requesting user.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application includes a blocking feature that enables the requesting user to add one or more of the other users to a block list.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the one or more other users added to the block list do not appear in the location-based profile display and cannot communicate with the requesting user.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application enables the requesting user to set preferences for receiving push notifications when certain requirements are satisfied.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein an administrative user can interact with the server to transmit messages to the requesting user and the other users.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the administrative user can target the messages to particular subsets of users.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a smartphone.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based profile display including the arrangement of interactive representations comprises a scrollable grid-based arrangement of photographs.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein:

in response to the requesting user moving to a second location, the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display are updated to include a second set of the other users who are located within the range of the second location.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-based social interaction application provides options for navigating through a plurality of different grid-based displays that include thumbnail representations of the other users.

41. A system for facilitating location-based social interaction, the system comprising:

a server configured to;

receive, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service located within a range of a location of the requesting user;

generate a list of the other users located within the range of the location;

filtering, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users; and

a location-based social interaction application configured to transmit the information relating to the location of the requesting user and to utilize the profile information to generate a user interface that includes a location-based display comprising a grid-based arrangement of interactive representations corresponding to the filtered list of the other users located within the range of the requesting user'"'"'s location;

wherein the interactive representations included in the location-based display are arranged based, at least in part, on the requesting user'"'"'s proximity to the other users included in the filtered list.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein:

in response to a selection of an interactive representation included in the location-based display;

a profile of a corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation is displayed on the portable electronic device; and

one or more communication options are presented to enable the requesting user to communicate with the corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein:

the location-based social interaction application includes an option for adding one or more of the other users to a favorites list; and

in response to receiving a selection of an option for a favorites view, the user interface is transitioned to a screen that only includes interactive representations corresponding to the other users who have been added to the favorites list by the requesting user.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein:

the location-based social interaction application includes a blocking feature that enables the requesting user to add one or more of the other users to a block list;

the one or more other users added to the block list do not appear in the location-based display and cannot communicate with the requesting user.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein:

the location-based social interaction application is configured to display business information pertaining to one or more local venues or one or more local businesses located in areas proximate to the location of the requesting user; and

the business information relates to events, promotions or deals that are being offered by the one or more local venues or one or more local businesses.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the location-based display comprises a scrollable grid-based arrangement of photographs.

47. The system of claim 41, wherein:

in response to the requesting user moving to a second location, the interactive representations included in the location-based display are updated to include a second set of the other users who are located within the range of the second location.

48. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

receiving, at a server from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service located within a range of a location of the requesting user;

generating a list of the other users located within the range of the location;

filtering, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmitting, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users, wherein a location-based social interaction application installed on the portable electronic device is configured to utilize the profile information to generate a user interface that includes a location-based profile display including an arrangement of interactive representations corresponding to the filtered list of the other users located within the range of the requesting user'"'"'s location.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein:

the server periodically receives updated location information identifying locations of the other users and the location of the requesting user; and

the location-based profile display is dynamically updated based on the updated location information.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein both the location of the requesting user and the locations of the other users are determined using a location detection technique that comprises one or more of the following:

GPS functionality;

triangulation;

or location detection functions included on smart phones.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display are arranged based, at least in part, on the requesting user'"'"'s proximity to the other users.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display are arranged in increasing order of distance from the requesting user.

53. A computer program product for facilitating location-based social interaction, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including codes for causing a computer to:

receive, from a location-based social interaction application installed on a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service located within a range of a location of the requesting user;

generate a list of the other users located within the range of the location;

filter, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users, wherein the location-based social interaction application is configured to utilize the profile information to generate a user interface that includes a location-based profile display including an arrangement of interactive representations corresponding to the filtered list of the other users located within the range of the requesting user'"'"'s location.

54. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the codes further cause the computer to:

periodically receive updated location information identifying locations of the other users and the location of the requesting user; and

transmit data to update the location-based profile display based on the updated location information.

55. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein filtering, based upon the filtering criteria, includes removing any blocked users identified by the requesting user.

56. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the filtering criteria includes one of:

age-related criteria specified by the requesting user;

or interest-related criteria specified by the requesting user.

57. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein:

in response to a selection of an interactive representation included in the location-based profile display;

a profile of a corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation is displayed on the portable electronic device; and

a form is presented to enable the requesting user to communicate with the corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

58. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the codes further cause the computer to:

transmit, to the portable electronic device, business information pertaining to one or more local venues or one or more local businesses located in areas proximate to the location of the requesting user; and

the business information relates to events, promotions or deals that are being offered by the one or more local venues or one or more local businesses.

59. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein the portable electronic device is a smartphone.

60. The computer program product of claim 53, wherein:

in response to the requesting user moving to a second location, the interactive representations included in the location-based profile display are updated to include a second set of the other users who are located within the range of the second location.

61. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, the method comprising:

receiving, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

identifying a first list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filtering the first list based upon a filtering criteria other than interests associated with the requesting user;

generating a second list of the other users located within the range of the location by filtering the first list in accordance with the interests associated with the requesting user; and

transmitting, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the second list of the other users, wherein a social interaction application installed on the portable electronic device is configured to utilize the profile information to generate a user interface that includes a location-based display including an arrangement of interactive representations corresponding to the second list of the other users located within the range of the requesting user'"'"'s location.

62. A system for facilitating location-based social interaction, the system comprising:

a server configured to;

receive, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

identify a first list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filter the first list based upon a filtering criteria other than interests associated with the requesting user;

generate a second list of the other users located within the range of the location by filtering the first list in accordance with the interests associated with the requesting user; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the second list of the other users, wherein a social interaction application installed on the portable electronic device is configured to utilize the profile information to generate a user interface that includes a location-based display including an arrangement of interactive representations corresponding to the second list of the other users located within the range of the requesting user'"'"'s location.

63. The system of claim 62, wherein:

in response to a selection of an interactive representation included in the location-based display;

a profile of a corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation is displayed on the portable electronic device; and

a form is presented to enable the requesting user to communicate with the corresponding user associated with the selected interactive representation.

64. The system of claim 62, wherein:

the interactive representations included in the location-based display are arranged based, at least in part, on the requesting user'"'"'s proximity to the other users.

65. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a first location of the requesting user;

receiving, at the portable electronic device, profile information relating to selected other users located within a first predefined range of the first location wherein each of the selected other users possess one or more characteristics consistent with a filtering criteria; and

displaying representations of the selected other users in a location-based profile display presented upon a user interface of the portable electronic device.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein:

an option is presented for adding one or more of the selected other users to a favorites list; and

in response to receiving a selection of an option for a favorites view, the user interface is transitioned to a screen that only includes representations corresponding to the selected other users who have been added to the favorites list.

67. The method of claim 65, wherein:

an option is presented for a blocking feature for adding one or more of the other selected users to a block list;

the one or more selected other users added to the block list do not appear in the location-based profile display.

68. The method of claim 65, wherein the location-based profile display comprises a scrollable grid-based arrangement of photographs.

69. A computer program product for facilitating location-based social interaction, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including codes for causing a processor to:

transmit, from an electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a first location of the requesting user;

receive, at the electronic device, profile information relating to selected other users located within a first predefined range of the first location wherein each of the selected other users possess one or more characteristics consistent with a filtering criteria; and

display representations of the selected other users in a location-based profile display presented upon a user interface of the electronic device.

70. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein:

an option is presented for adding one or more of the selected other users to a favorites list; and

in response to receiving a selection of an option for a favorites view, the user interface is transitioned to a screen that only includes representations corresponding to the selected other users who have been added to the favorites list.

71. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein the codes further cause the processor to periodically transmit updated location information identifying locations of the other users and the location of the requesting user.

72. The computer program product of claim 71, wherein the location-based profile display on the user interface is dynamically updated based on the updated location information.

73. The computer program product of claim 69, wherein the computer program product is implemented as an application running on a portable electronic device comprising one of a smartphone or tablet.