Providing a Map Indicating Locations of Users in a Social Network

• US 20110137813A1
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Behemoth Development Company LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Stewart, Brett B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus and software have been discovered for use by individual users to monitor the geographic location of other people or assets with some relationship to the user. Once some manner of location information is determined, users have the ability to describe that location in various ways and control how that information is shared with other users.

Claims

1. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for providing location information to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

provide at least a subset of the location information to the first user over the wide area network based on the received location information, wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user is configured for display on a client device of the first user.

2. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user is useable in creating a map on the client device that visually indicates locations of at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

3. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2,

wherein said providing comprises providing information useable in creating indicators on the map indicating locations of at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

4. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2,

wherein said providing comprises providing information useable in creating icons on the map indicating locations of at least a subset of the plurality of second users, wherein different icons are used to indicate different ones of the at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

5. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2,

wherein said providing comprises providing information useable in creating different colors on the map, wherein the different colors are used to indicate different ones of the at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

6. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2,

wherein said providing comprises providing information useable in creating different shapes on the map, wherein the different shapes are used to indicate different ones of the at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

7. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user is useable for display in a list on the client device to indicate locations of at least a subset of the plurality of second users in the list.

8. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 7,

wherein the list corresponds to friends in a social networking service.

9. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 7,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user comprises one or more location labels for display on the list, wherein each of the one or more location labels identifies a location where a respective one of the plurality of second users is located.

10. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user comprises one or more location labels for display on the client device display, wherein each of the one or more location labels identifies a location where a respective one of the plurality of second users is located.

11. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

store label information corresponding to one or more locations; and

determine at least one label corresponding to a location of at least one of the plurality of second users;

wherein the program instructions are executable to provide the label to the first user over the wide area network.

12. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

examine constraint information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of second users;

wherein the program instructions are executable to selectively provide the at least a subset of the location information based on the constraint information.

13. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 12,

wherein, for the at least one of the plurality of second users, the constraint information specifies one or more of when, how and to whom location information is sent.

14. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 12,

wherein, for the at least one of the plurality of second users, the constraint information specifies to whom location information is sent.

15. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 12,

wherein, for the at least one of the plurality of second users, the constraint information specifies when the location information is sent.

16. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are comprised in a social networking service, wherein the first user is a member of the social networking service, wherein the plurality of second users are also members of the social networking service, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user in the social networking service.

17. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 16, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of second users are identified as friends of the first user in the social networking service.

18. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions comprise:

a location detection module executable to determine locations of respective communication devices.

19. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 18, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

a location labeling module executable to associate location information with one or more location labels.

20. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 18, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

a friends list management module executable to manage provision of location information for at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

21. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the location information received from the plurality of second users comprises location information of communication devices of respective ones of the plurality of second users.

22. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive input from the first user selecting a second user of the plurality of second users;

provide location information of the second user over the wide area network to the first user based on the received input, wherein the location information of the second user is configured for display on the client device of the first user.

23. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 22, wherein the location information of the second user is useable for displaying a map indicating the location of the second user on the client device of the first user.

24. A method for providing location information to a first user, the method comprising:

receiving location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

providing at least a subset of the location information to the first user over the wide area network based on the received location information, wherein the location information provided to the first user is configured for display on a client device of the first user.

25. A system for providing location information to a first user, the system comprising:

a network port for coupling to a wide area network;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the non-transitory memory medium comprises program instructions for providing location information to the first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to;

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

provide at least a subset of the location information to the first user over the wide area network based on the received location information, wherein the location information provided to the first user is configured for display on a client device of the first user.

26. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for displaying location information to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

display a map on a display, wherein the map comprises the location information of each of the plurality of second users to visually indicate locations of each of the plurality of second users.

27. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to display indicators on the map indicating locations of at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

28. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to display icons on the map indicating locations of at least a subset of the plurality of second users

29. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 28,

wherein different icons are used to indicate different ones of the at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

30. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to display different colors on the map, wherein the different colors are used to indicate different ones of the at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

31. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to display different shapes on the map, wherein the different shapes are used to indicate different ones of the at least a subset of the plurality of second users.

32. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to display one or more location labels on the map, wherein each of the one or more location labels identifies a location where a respective one of the plurality of second users is located.

33. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive constraint information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of second users;

wherein the program instructions are executable to selectively provide location information of the first user based on the constraint information.

34. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 33,

wherein, for the at least one of the plurality of second users, the constraint information specifies one or more of when, how and to whom location information of the first user is sent.

35. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 26, wherein the program instructions execute in conjunction with a social networking service, wherein the first user is a member of the social networking service, wherein the plurality of second users are also members of the social networking service, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user in the social networking service.

36. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 35, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of second users are identified as friends of the first user in the social networking service.

37. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for displaying location information to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

display a list on a display, wherein the list comprises the location information of each of the plurality of second users to indicate locations of each of the plurality of second users.

38. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 37,

wherein the list is a friends list of a social networking service.

39. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for displaying location information to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

display the location information on the display to visually indicate locations of each of the plurality of second users.

40. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 39, wherein the program instructions execute in conjunction with a social networking service, wherein the first user is a member of the social networking service, wherein the plurality of second users are also members of the social networking service, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user in the social networking service.