Social networking website system with automatic registration based on location information

• US 20100036912A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bindu Rama Rao
• Original Assignee: Bindu Rama Rao
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu Rama
• Granted Patent: US 9,246,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2230/00 Voting or election arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A social networking website system with automatic registration based on a current location information. Individuals are automatically enrolled into social network services based on a current location determined from their mobile devices. In particular, farmers in rural places can be enrolled into social networks in their local districts, and they can interact with others using audio and video messages employing their local languages. Such interaction can be adhoc in nature, employing audio messages, or audio and video messages. In general, automatic memberships to social networks, social groups and to discussion lists are provided to users, based on user'"'"'s current location.

Claims

1. A social networking website system that supports user interactions in a plurality of social networks, the social networking website system comprising:

a server that supports the plurality of social networks;

a plurality of mobile devices used by a plurality of users, each of the plurality of mobile devices communicatively coupled to the server over a communications network, each of the plurality of mobile devices capable of identifying a current location information;

the social networking website system automatically providing each of the plurality of users a membership into at least one of the plurality of social networks based on the current location information obtained from the corresponding ones of the plurality of mobile devices;

the social networking website system providing access to messages posted on the at least one of the plurality of social networks to each of the plurality of users; and

the social networking website system facilitating posting of new messages by each of the plurality of users employing the corresponding ones of the plurality of mobile devices.

2. The social networking website system of claim 1 wherein the server selectively changes the membership of each of the plurality of users into the at least one of the plurality of social networks when the associated one of the plurality of mobile devices indicates a change in its current location.

3. The social networking website system of claim 1 wherein the current location information comprises one of a GPS coordinates and a cell identification information.

4. The social networking website system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices display the at least one of the plurality of social networks in a selectable list for user selection.

5. The social networking website system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices enable user interaction with the at least one of the plurality of social networks wherein the user interaction comprises posting new messages, receiving responses to messages and responding to messages.

6. The social networking website system of claim 1 wherein the new messages and responses to messages each comprise one or more of an audio message, a digital photo, a graphical image and a video message.

7. A mobile device for accessing a social networking website managed by a social networking website system, the mobile device comprising:

a memory;

a location determination circuitry that facilitates determination of a current location;

a processing circuitry coupled to the memory and the location determination circuitry;

a client that is executed by the processing circuitry, wherein the client, when operable, interacts with the social networking website;

the client determining the current location employing the location determination circuitry and automatically registering the user and the mobile device with at least one of a plurality of social networks supported by the social networking website;

the client adaptively controlling membership of the user into the at least one of a plurality of social networks;

the client receiving and displaying messages from the at least one of a plurality of social networks based on the membership; and

the client facilitating the posting of messages to the at least one of the a plurality of social network groups from the mobile device by the user.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the client presents a user with a list of the at least one of a plurality of social networks that the user is currently a member of, and wherein the client displays posted messages for a social network selected by the user from the list presented.

9. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the client facilitates creating a new posting by the user for the at least one of a plurality of social networks, sending the new posting to the appropriate one of the at least one of a plurality of social networks, and responding to posts presented from the at least one of a plurality of social networks.

10. The mobile device of claim 9 wherein the new posting comprises one or more of an audio message recorded on the mobile device, a video message recorded on the mobile device, a photo taken on the mobile device, a graphic stored on the mobile device and a textual message created on the mobile device.

11. The mobile device of claim 9 wherein the client automatically communicates the new posting to the appropriate one of the at least one of a plurality of social networks when posted by the user.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein the client stores a new posting locally if the communication network is unavailable until the communication network is subsequently available, before posting it automatically to the appropriate one of the at least one of a plurality of social networks.

13. A method of posting a message from a mobile device to one of a plurality of social networks supported by a social network system, the method comprising:

registering automatically, by the mobile device, with at least one of the plurality of social networks;

receiving, by the mobile device, posted messages that are associated with the at least one of the plurality of social networks;

creating, by the mobile device, a new posting, per user instructions, wherein the new posting comprises at least one of an audio message, a video message, a graphic, a textual content created by the user using the mobile device; and

broadcasting, by the mobile device via the social network system, the new posting to the appropriate one of the plurality of social networks.

14. The method of posting a message of claim 13 wherein the registering comprises:

determining a current location from the mobile device;

communicating the current location to the social network system;

identifying the at least one of the plurality of social networks as target social networks for the user by the social network system;

noting a local language and a local alphabet for the user, by the social network system, based on the current location; and

storing the target social networks by the social network system.

15. The method of posting a message of claim 13 wherein receiving comprises:

retrieving by the mobile device, posted messages, from the social network system;

presenting a list of retrieved posted messages, by the mobile device, for user selection;

providing instructions and prompts based on the local language, by the mobile device, wherein such instructions and prompts are selectively retrieved from the social network system; and

displaying a selected one of the retrieved posted messages by the mobile device.

16. The method of posting a message of claim 15 wherein displaying comprises:

showing a video information, if any, associated with the selected one;

rendering a graphic information, is any, associated with the selected one;

playing an audio information, if any, associated with the selected one; and

exhibiting a sender information associated with the selected one.

17. The method of posting a message of claim 14 wherein creating comprises:

prompting a user to create a message by the mobile device;

recording, by the mobile device, an audio message provided by the user;

recording, by the mobile device, a video message provided by the user;

collecting, by the mobile device, a textual input provided by the user; and

assembling, by the mobile device, the audio message, the video message and the textual input for delivery to the social network system.

18. The method of posting a message of claim 17 wherein prompting comprises:

playing, by the mobile device, an audio prompt in the local language, wherein the local language is identified based on a current local information determined by the mobile device; and

showing a textual prompt, by the mobile device, in the local language;

19. The method of posting a message of claim 13 wherein the broadcasting comprises:

uploading, by the mobile device, a new post created in the mobile device by the user;

entering, by the social network system, the new post into an inbox associated with the appropriate one of the social networks; and

delivering, by the social network system, the new post to a plurality of registered users associated with the appropriate one of the social networks.

20. The method of posting a message of claim 13 further comprising:

facilitating, by the mobile device, the management of the membership to the at least one of the plurality of social networks by a user.