APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING A SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20110106718A1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Linda, Barrett Schultz, Natasha, Sung, Ja-Young, King, Robert Arthur, Chang, E-Lee
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having a controller to collect one or more user-generated comments from each of a plurality of computing devices, detect a correlation in the one or more user-generated comments collected from the plurality of computing devices, and establish a social network between the plurality of computing devices according to the detected correlation. The one or more user-generated comments can be temporally associated with media content presented at the plurality of computing devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting an overlay combined with a presentation of media content at each of a plurality of computing devices to illustrate a collection of one or more user-generated comments temporally associated with portions of the presented media content;

collecting one or more user-generated comments from each of the plurality of computing devices;

detecting a correlation in the one or more user-generated comments collected from the plurality of computing devices; and

establishing a social network between at least a subset of the plurality of computing devices according to the detected correlation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation corresponds to detecting a behavioral pattern in the one or more user-generated comments collected from the plurality of computing devices, wherein the social network corresponds a virtual network of the subset of the plurality of computing devices, and wherein the computing devices comprise at least one of a computer, a portable communication device, and a gaming console.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising detecting a decorrelation of future user-generated comments collected from the plurality of computing devices in the social network.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising terminating a portion of the social network according to the detected decorrelation.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising establishing the social network by way of an on-line social networking application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method operates from an on-line social networking application.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving from the other computing device a request to identify at least one of the plurality of computing devices generating one or more user-generated comments that correlate to the one or more user generated comments generated by the other computing device;

identifying at least one of the plurality of computing devices generating one or more user-generated comments that correlate to the one or more user generated comments generated of another of the plurality of computing devices; and

transmitting to the other computing device at least one identification associated with the identified at least one computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising receiving from the other computing device a request to establish the social network with the identified at least one computing device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one identification corresponds to an identification of one of the identified at least one computing device and a user associated therewith.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying the subset of computing devices having the correlated user-generated comments submitting a notice to the subset of computing devices;

receiving a message from at least a portion of the subset of computing devices indicating an interest or disinterest in joining the social network; and

establishing the social network according to the messages received from the computing devices.

11. A system, comprising a controller to:

collect one or more remarks from each of a plurality of computing devices, wherein the one or more remarks are temporally associated with media content presented at the plurality of computing devices;

detect a correlation in the one or more remarks collected from the plurality of computing devices; and

establish a social network between at least a subset of the plurality of computing devices according to the detected correlation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more remarks correspond to user-generated remarks, wherein an overlay is combined with the presentation of the media content, and wherein the one or more user-generated remarks are temporally associated with the media content according to the overlay.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the correlation corresponds to detecting a behavioral pattern in the one or more remarks collected from the plurality of computing devices.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is one of a computer and a portable communication device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is operable to:

detect a decorrelation of future remarks collected from the subset of the plurality of computing devices in the social network; and

terminate a portion of the social network according to the detected decorrelation.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the system comprises an online social networking application.

17. A computer-readable storage medium in a computing device, comprising computer instructions to:

collect one or more comments temporally associated with a presentation of media content; and

transmit to a system the comments, wherein the system is operable to;

collect the one or more comments from the computing device along with other comments from other computing devices;

detect a correlation in the one or more comments collected from the plurality of computing devices; and

establish a social network between at least a subset of the plurality of computing devices according to the detected correlation.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the correlation corresponds to detecting a behavioral pattern in the one or more comments collected from the plurality of computing devices.

19. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the system is operable to:

detect a decorrelation of future comments collected from the subset of the plurality of computing devices in the social network; and

terminate a portion of the social network according to the detected decorrelation.

20. The storage medium of claim 17, comprising computer instructions to:

transmit to the system a request to identify at least one of the plurality of computing devices generating one or more comments that correlate to the one or more comments generated by the computing device,

wherein the system is operable to;

identify at least one of the plurality of computing devices generating one or more comments that correlate to the one or more comments generated by the computing device; and

transmit to the computing device an identification associated with the identified at least one computing device.