Device for sharing social network information among users over a network

• US 20060218225A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: George Hian Hee Voon, Vijoy Anand Pandey
• Original Assignee: George Hian Hee Voon, Vijoy Anand Pandey
• Inventors: Hee Voon, George Hian, Pandey, Vijoy Anand
• Application Number:
  US11/392,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218225A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Embodiments for a communications device for implementing social network interactivity are described. A device according to embodiments comprises a communications interface for communicating with one or more peer devices over a network, a data store for storing data relevant to an interest of a user of the device and identification information for respective users of the one or more peer devices, a content manager circuit configured to store data on the device based on the interest of the user and browse content stored on the one or more peer devices, and an interest manager circuit configured to group the respective users into one or more interest groups and assign access rights to the respective users of the one or more peer devices.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a communications interface for communicating with one or more peer devices over a network;

a data store for storing data relevant to an interest of a user of the device and identification information for respective users of the one or more peer devices; and

a content manager circuit configured to store data on the device based on the interest of the user and browse content stored on the one or more peer devices.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising an interest manager circuit configured to group the respective users into one or more interest groups and assign access rights to the respective users of the one or more peer devices.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the network comprises one of a wired network and a wireless network.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the network comprises one of a single-hop network and a multi-hop network.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising a protocol manager configured to implement pro-active routing enabling the device to discover one or more peer devices as they attach to the network.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more browsing processes configured to allow the user to browse the user'"'"'s own content or any other content based on the interest associated with the content or the identity of the owner of the content.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein non-content data comprises opinion and bias data of the users of the peer devices with respect to the content data, and wherein the content data comprises at least one of text, images, and sound files representing data objects for the data relevant to the interest of the user.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the peer devices comprise personal digital assistant class devices coupled to the network.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the peer devices comprise personal computer class devices executing one or more software modules for performing social network interactivity functions.

10. A device for building a social network for interactivity of members within an interest group comprising:

a contact manager component for storing identification information related to the members of interest group;

a data manager component for loading and storing content data related to an interest of the interest group;

a security component for defining access privileges for the members relative to a user of the device, and bias information for the members with respect to the interest of the interest group; and

a communication interface allowing the user to browse content data held by respective devices operated by the members of the interest group.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the content data is stored in the form of data objects representing aspects of the interest.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the data objects are associated with one or more metadata descriptors providing identification information regarding data type, accessibility, and interest group.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the data manager is configured to provide access to the content data on each respective device through information contained in the metadata descriptors.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the data objects represent multimedia data content capable of being played by playback modules on each respective device.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising a plug-in component for finding and downloading an appropriate playback module to the device from an external resource.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the data object comprises one of a song, a picture, and a video stream.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein each respective device comprises one of a music playback device, a game playing device, a network communications device, and a personal digital assistant device.

18. The device of claim 10, further comprising a network connectivity circuit for maintaining the device in one of three states of passive off, passive on, and active on, while the device is coupled to the network.