Systems and Methods to Connect Members of a Social Network for Real Time Communication

• US 20090080635A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: UTBK, Inc.
• Inventors: HIRSON, Ron, FABER, Scott, ALTBERG, Ebbe, VAN DER LINDEN, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/216.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/35 virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/123 where the packet-switched network is an Internet Protocol Multimedia System-type network

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to provide telephonic connections to members of a social network. One embodiment includes: identifying a first member connected to a second member in a social network; determining whether profile data of the first member of the social network includes a telephonic reference of the first member; presenting a user interface element to the second member over a data communication network in response to a determination that the profile data of the first member includes the telephonic reference of the first member; and responsive to a selection of the user interface element, initiating a first telephonic connection to the first member using the telephonic reference of the first member and a second telephonic connection to the second member to provide a telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying a first member connected to a second member in a social network;

determining whether profile data of the first member of the social network includes a telephonic reference of the first member;

presenting a user interface element to the second member over a data communication network in response to a determination that the profile data of the first member includes the telephonic reference of the first member; and

responsive to a selection of the user interface element, initiating a first telephonic connection to the first member using the telephonic reference of the first member and a second telephonic connection to the second member to provide a telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephonic reference of the first member comprises a telephone number without an extension, a telephone number with an extension, a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI), a user identifier of an instant messaging network, or a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) user identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether profile data of the second member of the social network includes a telephonic reference of the second member;

wherein the user interface element is presented to the second member in response to a determination that the profile data of the first member includes the telephonic reference of the first member and the profile data of the second member includes the telephonic reference of the second member; and

wherein the second telephonic connection is initiated using the telephonic reference of the second member.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface element includes an encrypted version of the telephonic reference of the first member and the telephonic reference of the second member.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface element includes a reference to the first member and a reference to the second member;

when the user interface element is selected, the reference to the first member is used to look up the telephonic reference of the first member from the profile data of the first member in the social network and the reference to the second member is used to look up the telephonic reference of the second member from the profile data of the second member in the social network to provide the telephonic connection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a selection of the user interface element, presenting a list of members directly connected to the second member in the social network, the list of members including the first member;

wherein the initiating the first telephonic connection to the first member is in response to a selection of the first member from the list of members.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

responsive to a selection of a third member from the list of members, initiating a third telephonic connection to the third member using a telephonic reference of the third member obtained from profile data of the third member; and

joining the third telephonic connection with the first and second telephonic connections to connect the first, second and third members.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a list of members directly connected to the second member in the social network, the list of members including the first member; and

presenting the list of members to the second member, including the user interface element selectable to request the telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first member and the second member are not charged a fee for the initiating of the first and second telephonic connections to provide the telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a list of members indirectly connected to the second member in the social network, the list of members including the first member; and

presenting the list of members to the second member, including the user interface element selectable to request the telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second member is charged a communication fee for the telephonic connection provided between the first member and the second member.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface element is presented in a profile page of the first member.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting to the second member a list of top friends of the second member, the listing including the first member;

wherein the user interface element is provided to present the first member in the list.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first member is currently available to have a telephonic conversation with the second member based on a callable schedule of the first member;

wherein the user interface element is presented to the second member in response to a determination that the first member is currently available.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating an appearance of the user interface element to indicate availability of the first member to have a telephonic conversation based on a callable schedule of the first member.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

response to the second member selecting the user interface element, prompting the second member to specify a telephonic reference for a connection to the first member.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a user interface to the second member over a data communication connection to show progress of the telephonic connection.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

response to a third member requesting a telephonic connection to the first member or the second member while the first member and the second member are connected by the telephonic connection, presenting to the second member an option to join the third member into a conference between the first member and the second member;

wherein the option is presented via the user interface.

19. A machine readable media embodying instructions, the instructions causing a machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a first member connected to a second member in a social network;

determining whether profile data of the first member of the social network includes a telephonic reference of the first member;

presenting a user interface element to the second member over a data communication network in response to a determination that the profile data of the first member includes the telephonic reference of the first member; and

responsive to a selection of the user interface element, initiating a first telephonic connection to the first member using the telephonic reference of the first member and a second telephonic connection to the second member to provide a telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.

20. A system, comprising:

means for identifying a first member connected to a second member in a social network;

means for determining whether profile data of the first member of the social network includes a telephonic reference of the first member;

means for presenting a user interface element to the second member over a data communication network in response to a determination that the profile data of the first member includes the telephonic reference of the first member; and

means for, responsive to a selection of the user interface element, initiating a first telephonic connection to the first member using the telephonic reference of the first member and a second telephonic connection to the second member to provide a telephonic connection between the first member and the second member.