SOCIAL NETWORK SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION

• US 20110113113A1
• Filed: 01/19/2011
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Realcontacts Limited
• Inventors: Robinson, Derick Ian, Franklin, Gary Lee, Cone, Julian Malcolm, Ryan, Grant James, Stalker, William Ferguson
• Granted Patent: US 9,305,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• 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 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/554 Data synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/557 Portable profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons

Abstract

A method of forming unique, private, personal, virtual social networks on a social network system that includes a database storing data relating to corresponding user entities. The method includes: a first user entity sending an invitation to a second user entity, recording in the database the second user entity as a direct contact of the first user entity and determining that third user entities, directly connected to the second user entity, are indirect contacts. A unique, personal, social network formed from direct and indirect contacts is thereby created for each user entity. Each user entity is able to control privacy of its data with respect to other user entities depending on the connection factor to that other entity and/or that other entity'"'"'s attributes.

Claims

1. A method performed by a social network system accessible over a data network with a plurality of data input devices connectable to said data network, said social network system including a plurality of entity data records each relating to a corresponding user entity and containing one or more entity attributes including at least one identifying characteristic of said corresponding user entity, said method including providing, via said data network, a given user entity with a virtual, unique, personal, social network (hereinafter ‘

social network’

) formed from connections between contacts, said contacts being other user entities connected directly or indirectly to said first user entity;

said method including;

communicating an invitation from a first user entity to one or more other user entities selected by said first user entity for inclusion in the first user entity'"'"'s social network as a contact;

designating each user entity accepting said invitation as being a direct contact directly connected to the first user entity by a first degree of separation;

wherein for;

any second user entity directly connected to the first user entity, and

any third user entity directly connected to the second user entity but not directly connected to the first user entity,

the first and third user entities are indirect contacts, indirectly connected to each other with a second degree of separation;

repeating the above steps for a given user entity having a corresponding entity data record, wherein said given user entity is equivalent to said first user entity in said repeated steps to create, for each said given user entity, a corresponding individual, unique, personal, virtual social network, thereby collectively forming a plurality of social networks on said social network system, inter-connected by mutually connected contacts; and

providing a seeking user entity with access to at least part of at least one of said entity data records;

providing a given user entity with at least partial control of privacy of their social network with respect to any said seeking user entity seeking access to the given user entity'"'"'s data record by permitting the given user entity to specify;

which said seeking user entities are allowed or denied access to the given user'"'"'s data record; and

/or

which entity attributes in the given user'"'"'s data records are accessible or inaccessible to said seeking user entity.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seeking user entities allowed or denied access to the given user entity'"'"'s data record are determined by;

a connection factor between the given user entity and said seeking user entity; and

/or

one or more entity attributes of said seeking user entity.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, including providing said seeking user entity with searchable access to at least one of said entity data records.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said entity attributes include at least one identifying characteristic, information regarding personal details, contacts;

contact details, factors or interests;

friends;

relations;

school alumni;

employment factors;

business colleagues;

professional acquaintances;

sexual preferences, persuasions, or proclivities;

sporting interests;

entertainment, artistic, creative or leisure interests;

travel interests, commercial, religious, political, theological or ideological belief or opinions;

academic, scientific, or engineering disciplines;

humanitarian, social, security/military or economic fields and any combination of same.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including visually displaying on an electronic display a representation showing interconnections between nodes, wherein a given user entity and associated contacts in each social network are represented as nodes, each node being at the origin of an individual user entity'"'"'s social network consisting of the user entity and a variable number of additional contacts.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including restricting communication between user entities according to the degree of separation between the user entities.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including filtering electronic communication to a user entity by prioritising communications from contacts in the user entity'"'"'s social network within a defined degree of separation, over other communications.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including auto-synchronising at least part of an entity data record of a given user entity with a corresponding data record in an electronic data storage media connected to the social network system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including restricting communication to filter spam from e-mail, text messaging, voice mail, or any other communications with an identifiable originator.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an eligibility criteria required for said access available to seeking user entities includes at least one of:

an entity attribute, identifying characteristic, supplementary attribute and/or subscription payment.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seeking user entities allowed or denied access to the given user entity'"'"'s data record are determined by;

one or more supplementary attributes of said seeking user entity.

12. The method as claimed in claim 3, further including providing said seeking user entity with searchable access to user entity data records with entity attributes defined by the seeking user entity.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the eligibility criteria includes one or more external factors.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said external factors are included in said eligibility criteria according to one or more rules defined by the given user entity and/or another entity.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including using Mobile-Notification Services and allowing a given user entity to optionally select whether they receive alerts from said social network system, said alerts provided in the form of a Short-Message (SMS), Enhanced SMS (EMS), Multi-Media Message (MMS), plain email, a paging message, or other message format sent to a mobile communication device.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including using Data-Application Services enabling user entities to optionally and selectively initiate or receive data communications related to their social network via SMS, EMS, MMS, email, WAP, paging, or other wireless application communication data format.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including using Location-Based Services to provide a given user entity with location data from position location systems including one or more of:

mobile-phone cell-site location, GPS location, manual or menu-driven location selection, and/or any combination of same.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including periodically providing a given user entity with information relating to user entities with at least one predetermined entity attribute.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, further including periodically providing a given user entity with information relating to user entities with at least one predetermined entity attribute in common said given user entity.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the social network system further provides a given user entity with interrelationship context information including:

details of any common entity attributes; and

/or

a connection factor;

between two contacts and/or between a contact and the given user entity.

21. A social network system including at least one host computer and a database of entity data records each relating to a corresponding user entity, said entity data records containing one or more entity attributes including at least one identifying characteristic of said corresponding user entity, said social network system accessible over a data network with a plurality of data input devices connectable to said data network,

said social network system providing a given said user entity with a virtual, unique, private, personal, social network (hereinafter ‘

social network’

) formed from connections between contacts, said contacts being other user entities connected directly or indirectly to said first user entity, said social network system configured to;

send an invitation from a first user entity to one or more other user entities selected by said first user entity for inclusion in the first user entity'"'"'s social network as a contact;

record, in said database, each user entity accepting said invitation as being a direct contact directly connected to the first user entity by a first degree of separation;

determine that for;

any second user entity directly connected to the first user entity and

any third user entity directly connected to the second user entity but not directly connected to the first user entity,

the first and third user entities are determined as being indirect contacts, indirectly connected to each other with a second degree of separation;

repeat the above steps for a given user entity having a corresponding entity data record in said database, wherein said given user entity is equivalent to said first user entity in said repeated steps to create, for each said given user entity, a corresponding individual, unique, personal, virtual social network, thereby collectively forming a plurality of social networks on said system, inter-connected by mutually connected contacts;

provide a seeking user entity with access to at least part of at least one entity data record stored in said database;

provide a given user entity with at least partial control of privacy of their unique, personal, virtual social network with respect to any said seeking user entity seeking access to the given user entity'"'"'s data record by permitting the given user entity to specify;

a connection factor between the given user entity and said seeking user entity, and/or

one or more entity attributes of said seeking user entity,

required to allow the seeking user entity access to said given user entity'"'"'s data record.