System and method for collectively giving gifts in a social network environment

• US 20080189189A1
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morgenstern, Jared
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A method for collectively purchasing a gift in a social network environment is described. A request is received to establish a gift account, a recipient user of the social network environment is designated to receive the gift, and the gift is selected. Money is received from a plurality of contributing users for deposit into the gift account, and the selected gift is purchased using the money deposited in the gift account. The purchased gift is then provided to the recipient user.

Claims

1. A method for collectively giving a gift in a social network environment, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting user of the social network environment to purchase the gift for a recipient user of the social network environment;

receiving money from a plurality of contributing users of the social network environment for purchasing the gift;

purchasing the gift from a vendor using the received money; and

providing the purchased gift to the recipient user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting user is also a contributing user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes a selection of the gift to be purchased.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of potential contributing users;

calculating a share amount for each potential contributing user; and

communicating the calculated share amount to each potential contributing user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of one or more assets costing less than the amount of money received; and

receiving a selection of an asset from the list to be purchased as the gift.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of one or more assets;

receiving one or more votes for an asset to be selected as the gift from the plurality of contributing users; and

selecting the gift based on the received votes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein information regarding the votes is collected and sold to an interested party.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the list of assets is based on an affinity of the recipient user for the one or more assets.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the list of assets is based on the amount of money received.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the assets in the provided list costs less than the received money.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting the gift further comprises selecting the asset for which the most votes were received.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the money further comprises

receiving money until the amount of received money reaches a predetermined amount.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein purchasing the gift comprises

purchasing the gift when the amount of received money is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the money further comprises receiving money for a predetermined period of time.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected gift comprises a digital asset.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected gift is provided to the recipient user on a predetermined date.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected gift is provided to the recipient user at a predetermined time of day.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an icon representative of the selected gift on a webpage in the social network environment associated with the recipient user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the selected gift comprises the icon.

20. A method for collectively giving a gift in a social network environment, the method comprising:

receiving a request to establish a gift account;

receiving the identity of a user of the social network environment who is to receive the gift;

receiving a gift selection;

receiving money from a plurality of contributing users for deposit into the gift account;

purchasing the selected gift using the money deposited in the gift account; and

providing the purchased gift to the recipient user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein purchasing the selected gift comprises purchasing the selected gift when the amount of money in the gift account is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the amount of money in the gift account to one or more of the plurality of contributing users.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising calculating a suggested contribution for a contributing user and communicating the amount of the contribution to the contributing user.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the amount of money contributed to the gift account to the plurality of contributing users.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying a list of one or more of the plurality of contributing users on a gift web page associated with the recipient user.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the identity of one or more of the plurality of contributing users to the recipient user.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the amount of money received from a contributing user only when permitted by the contributing user.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the identity of a contributing user only when permitted by the contributing user.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the event is a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, or a retirement, of the recipient user.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising receiving a request from the user to notify one or more friends of the user.

29. A method for collectively giving a gift in a social network environment, the method comprising:

notifying a plurality of friends of a user in a social network environment of an event associated with the user;

receiving a request to establish a gift account from one of the notified friends;

receiving money from a plurality of contributing users for deposit into the gift account;

receiving a gift selection;

purchasing the selected gift using the money deposited in the gift account; and

providing the purchased gift to the user.