Web-Based Interactive Meeting Facility with Recommendations to Users

• US 20110289433A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Meeker, Matthew, Heiferman, Scott, Kamali, Peter, Whalin, Gregory P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,904,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A computer implemented method for providing recommendations for an in-person meeting group, the method comprising: collecting user information, wherein the user information provides information related to topical interests and location information for at least one of a plurality of users; comparing the user information with a topical listing of in-person meeting groups in the same geographical region as the at least one user, wherein the in-person meeting group is formed and maintained through a web-based meeting facility; and providing an in-person meeting group recommendation to the at least one user based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing recommendations for an in-person meeting group, the method comprising:

collecting user information, wherein the user information provides information related to topical interests and location information for at least one of a plurality of users;

comparing the user information with a topical listing of in-person meeting groups in the same geographical region as the at least one user, wherein the in-person meeting group is formed and maintained through a web-based meeting facility; and

providing an in-person meeting group recommendation to the at least one user based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information is gathered from a user database maintained through the web-based meeting facility.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user information is associated with at least one other user in the user database with whom the user shares group membership.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user information is associated with at least one other user in the user database with whom the user has shared a previous in-person meeting.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sharing is indicated through the user and the other user RSVP'"'"'ing to the same meeting.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the sharing is indicated through the user and the other user checking-in to the same meeting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information is from user-provided information to the web-based meeting facility.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information is from a friends list.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the friends list is maintained through the web-based meeting facility.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the friends list is provided by the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information is gathered from a third-party social networking facility.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user information from the social networking facility is provided by the user to the social networking facility.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user has provided permission to gather the user information from the social networking facility.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the user information from the social networking facility is contained in a social network diagram.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information is at least one of the city and ZIP Code.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is for an in-person meeting group.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is for a meeting of an in-person meeting group.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is emailed to the user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is provided to the user though the user interface of the web-based meeting facility.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is provided to a third-party social networking site.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is based on a collaborative filtering algorithm that is based on analyzing similarities between interests of a user and interests of a member'"'"'s of a group.