Granularity Control In Publishing Information

• US 20100127921A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Cai, Yali, Chen, Can Feng, Akerman, Panu, Wang, Wendong, You, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 7,999,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

A system and method for sharing user information between online services may determine a degree of relationship between the services to determine how much, and what precision level, of user information should be shared. In one example, the user information may be global positioning system (GPS) location information for the user, and requesting users (or systems) receive different levels of the location information based on their respective relationships to the user and/or the user'"'"'s online information service. The relationship between services may be user-defined using onscreen graphical tools. The determination may also include determining the levels of activity of users at the services, whereby information regarding less active users is less detailed than information regarding active users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a degree of a relationship between a first and second user; and

transmitting information indicating a location, at a selected precision, of the first user, the selected precision being selected based at least in part upon the determined degree of relationship.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information is Global Positioning System information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes a graphical representation of a location, and is tagged with metadata relating to the location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship is based upon a degree of separation between the first and second users in a social networking service.

5. A computer-readable medium, storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the following:

determining a degree of a relationship between first user and second users; and

transmitting information indicating a location, at a selected precision, of the first user for use by the second user, the selected precision being selected based upon the determined degree of relationship.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the location information is Global Positioning System information.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the location information includes a graphical representation of a location, and is tagged with metadata relating to the location.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the relationship is based upon a degree of separation between the first and second users in a social networking service.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a degree of a relationship between first user and second users; and

transmit information indicating a location, at a selected precision, of the first user for use by the second user, the selected precision being selected based upon the determined degree of relationship.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the location information is Global Positioning System information.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the location information includes a graphical representation of a location, and is tagged with metadata relating to the location.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the relationship is based upon a degree of separation between the first and second users in a social networking service.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a degree of relationship between a first social communication service and a second social communication service; and

select the transmitted information based at least in part on the determined degree of relationship between the first and second social communication services.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to offer a user a graphical interface to define the degree of relationship between the first and second social communication services.