COMPUTER SERVICES FOR ASSISTING USERS IN IDENTIFYING CONTACTS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE CONTACTS

• US 20060277213A1
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robertson, Brian D., Adams, Warren W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,606,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 2001/085 Partner search devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 : Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A networked computer system provides various services for assisting users in locating, and sharing information with, other users. The system provides a user interface through which users can establish contact relationships with other users. The system also provides functionality for users to identify contacts of their respective contacts. For example, in one embodiment, each respective user can conduct a search of contacts of contacts of the respective user. The search may be limited in scope to users that satisfy one or more particular search criteria, such as users that reside in a particular region or are affiliated with a particular group.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enabling users to identify contacts of their respective contacts, the method comprising:

creating, in a database of a computer system, a first relationship between a first user and a second user, said first relationship reflecting a permission granted by the first user for the second user to view information about the first user, and further reflecting a permission granted by the second user for the first user to view information about the second user;

creating, in said database, a second relationship between the second user and a third user, said second relationship reflecting a permission granted by the second user for the third user to view information about the second user, and further reflecting a permission granted by the third user for the second user to view information about the third user; and

providing a notification to the first user that the first user is associated with the third user via the second user, said notification generated using the first and second relationships.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is provided to the first user in response to a search performed by the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification identifies a group with which the first and third members are both affiliated.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to provide the notification to the first user based on at least one criterion other than whether the first user is associated with the third user via the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the third user resides in a designated geographic location.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the third user is affiliated with a particular group.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether a relationship already exists between the first and third users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the first relationship comprises receiving a request from the first user to link to the second user, and communicating said request to the second user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first relationship specifies a permission level granted by the first user for viewing personal information of the second user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first relationship specifies a permission level granted by the second user for viewing personal information of the first user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the first, second and third users comprises personal information supplied, via a user interface, by the first, second and third users, respectively.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a networked computer system that enables users to locate other users.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a networked computer system that enables users to perform actions that cause relationships with other users to be created in said database.

14. A networked computer system programmed and configured to perform the method of claim 1.

15. A computer system, comprising:

a user interface that enables users to establish contact relationships with other users such that each user is capable of having one or more contacts;

a database that stores relationship data specifying the relationships established between the users via the user interface, wherein the relationship data specifies, for a respective user, which other users are contacts of the respective user; and

a component that uses the relationship data associated with a first user, and the relationship data associated with a second user who is a contact of the first user, to detect that a third user is a contact of a contact of the first user via the second user, and to provide a notification to the first user that the third user is a contact of the second user.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the component comprises a search interface that enables users to conduct searches of contacts of their respective contacts.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the component enables a given user to conduct a search that is limited in scope to contacts of contacts of the given user.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the component is capable of limiting the scope of the search to users that reside in a particular geographic region.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the component is capable of limiting the scope of the search to users that satisfy an additional search criterion.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the component provides said notification in accordance with permissions specified by at least one of the second user and the third user.

21. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the database additionally stores, for each user, personal information supplied by the respective user, and the user interface further enables each user to selectively grant permissions to others to view the respective user'"'"'s personal information stored in the database.

22. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the database additionally stores information about schools attended by specific users, and the user interface provides functionality for users to locate other users based on said information about schools attended.

23. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising a component that enables each user to upload personal contact information to the database from a personal computing device.