Virtual social group management system, virtual social group management method, and computer program

• US 20090248436A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Shikoku Systems Ltd. (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Kajita, Noriko, Takagi, Tomohiro
• Application Number:
  US12/314,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An SNS system is provided with: a user information storage unit that stores the type of relationship for each second user who has a relationship with a first user; and a screen display control unit that causes information on each second user to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the first user based on the type of the relationship between each second user and the first user.

Claims

1. A virtual social group management system that is provided with a portion providing a friend service and that manages a virtual social group for a first user and one or more second users to interact with one another via a communication line, the system comprising:

a relationship type storage portion that stores a type of a relationship for each related user, the related user being one of the second users that has a relationship with the first user; and

a display processing portion that causes information on the related users to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the first user based on the type of the relationship for each of the related users stored in the relationship type storage portion.

2. The virtual social group management system according to claim 1,

wherein the relationship type storage portion stores at least one of a close friend type and a standard friend type as the type of the relationship for each of the related users;

and

the display processing portion causes information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the close friend type to be displayed preferentially to information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the standard friend type.

3. The virtual social group management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second display processing portion that causes information on the first user to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the related user,

wherein the relationship type storage portion stores at least one of a standard friend type and an unrequited friend type as the type of the relationship for each of the related users;

the display processing portion causes information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the standard friend type to be displayed, but does not cause information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the unrequited friend type to be displayed; and

the second display processing portion causes information on the first user to be displayed in the terminal apparatus of the related user regardless of whether the type of the relationship with the related user is the standard friend type or the unrequited friend type.

4. The virtual social group management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second display processing portion that causes information on the first user to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the related user,

wherein the relationship type storage portion stores at least one of a standard friend type and an unrequited friend type as the type of the relationship for each of the related users;

the display processing portion causes both information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the standard friend type and information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the unrequited friend type to be displayed; and

the second display processing portion causes information on the first user to be displayed in the terminal apparatus of the related user where the type of the relationship with the related user is the standard friend type, but does not cause the information on the first user to be displayed in the terminal apparatus of the related user where the type of the relationship with the related user is the unrequited friend type.

5. The virtual social group management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second display processing portion that causes information on the first user to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the related user,

wherein the relationship type storage portion stores at least one of a standard friend type and a pseudo-withdrawn type as the type of the relationship for each of the related users; and

the second display processing portion causes information on the first user to be displayed in the terminal apparatus of the related user where the type of the relationship with the related user is the standard friend type, but does not cause the information on the first user to be displayed in the terminal apparatus of the related user where the type of the relationship with the related user is the pseudo-withdrawn type.

6. The virtual social group management system according to claim 1,

wherein the relationship type storage portion stores at least one of a close friend type, a standard friend type, and a trial type as the type of the relationship for each of the related users;

the display processing portion causes information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the close friend type to be displayed preferentially to information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the standard friend type and information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the trial type, and does not cause the information on the related user whose relationship with the first user is of the trial type to be displayed when a predetermined amount of time has passed since the relationship with the first user was established as the trial type; and

where no less than a predetermined number of events have occurred between the first user and a related user, the relationship type storage portion changes the type of the relationship between the first user and the related user from the trial type to the standard friend type, or from the standard friend type to the close friend type, and stores that type.

7. The virtual social group management system according to claim 1,

wherein the relationship type storage portion stores at least one of a close friend type, a standard friend type, and a trial type as the type of the relationship for each of the related users;

the display processing portion causes information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the close friend type to be displayed preferentially to information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the standard friend type and information on a related user whose relationship with the first user is of the trial type, and does not cause the information on the related user whose relationship with the first user is of the trial type to be displayed when a predetermined amount of time has passed since the relationship with the first user was established as the trial type; and

where less than a predetermined number of events have occurred between the first user and a related user, the relationship type storage portion changes the type of the relationship between the first user and the related user from the close friend type to the standard friend type and stores that type.

8. A virtual social group management system that is provided with a portion providing a friend service and that manages a virtual social group for a first user and one or more second users to interact with one another via a communication line, the system comprising:

a recommended user storage portion that stores a recommended user that is one of the second users that has been recommended by a third user;

a friend storage portion that stores a combination Of users that have a friend relationship; and

a friend registration processing portion that causes a combination of the recommended user stored in the recommended user storage portion and the first user to be stored in the friend storage portion when the first user has received an invitation from the third user and has joined the virtual social group.

9. A virtual social group management method that manages a virtual social group for a first user and one or more second users to interact with one another via a communication line, the method comprising:

storing a type of a relationship for each related user in a relationship type storage portion, the related user being one of the second users that has a relationship with the first user; and

causing information on the related users to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the first user based on the type of the relationship between each of the related users and the first user stored in the relationship type storage portion.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program for controlling a computer that manages a virtual social group for a first user and one or more second users to interact with one another via a communication line, the program causing the computer to execute:

a process for storing a type of a relationship for each related user in a relationship type storage portion, the related user being one of the second users that has a relationship with the first user; and

a process for causing information on the related users to be displayed in a terminal apparatus of the first user based on the type of the relationship between each of the related users and the first user stored in the relationship type storage portion.