METHOD OF CREATING AND JOINING SOCIAL GROUP, USER DEVICE FOR EXECUTING THE METHOD, SERVER, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20120079022A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Young-suk, BAN, Jong-myeong, PARK, Jung-shin
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms

Abstract

A method, user device, server, and storage medium for creating and joining a social group performed by a user device are provided. The method for creating the social group includes receiving information corresponding to a current location of the user device; receiving at least one social group condition information item; and sending a request to create a social group based on the information corresponding to the current location and the at least one social group condition information item to an external device.

Claims

1. A method of creating a social group performed by a user device, the method comprising:

receiving information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

receiving at least one social group condition information item; and

sending, to an external device, a request to create a social group based on the information corresponding to the current location and the at least one social group condition information item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring ownership of the social group to another member of the social group by the user device when the user device leaves the current location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one social group condition information item includes condition information corresponding to potential members of the social group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the external device provides a social network service, and

wherein the user device accesses the external device through a network.

5. A method of joining a social group performed by a user device, the method comprising:

sending, to an external device, a request for a social group list based on information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

receiving the social group list from the external device in the user device;

filtering the received social group list based on social group condition information set in the user device; and

joining a social group selected from the filtered social group list.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the social group condition information includes at least one of user-input information and information collected according to movement of the user device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, when a request to transfer ownership of the joined social group is received, whether to accept the transference of ownership; and

obtaining ownership of the social group when the transference of ownership the social group is accepted.

8. A method of creating and joining a social group performed by an external device, the method comprising:

creating, upon receiving a request to create a social group from first user device based on information corresponding to a current location of the first user device and at least one social group condition information, the social group; and

transmitting, upon receiving a request for a social group list from a second user device based on the information corresponding the current location, the social group list including information corresponding to the created social group to the second user device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising cancelling operation of the social group when all members of the social group created based on the information about the current location leave the current location.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first user device and the second user device are the same user device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first user device and the second user device are different user devices.

12. A method of creating and joining a social group performed by a user device, the method comprising:

detecting information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

receiving at least one social group condition information item;

sending, to an external device, a request to create a social group based on the information about a current location of the user device and the at least one social group condition information item; and

joining the created social group based on the information about the current location.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending, to the external device, a request for a social group list based on the information about the current location;

receiving the requested social group list from the external device; and

joining a social group selected from the received social group list.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the social group list includes information corresponding to the social group requested by the user device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected social group is different from the social group requested by the user device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected social group is the same as the social group requested by the user device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the social group list includes filtering the received social group list based on social group condition information item set in the user device, and

wherein joining the selected social group is performed based on the filtered social group list.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising, when the user device is an owner of the social group and leaves the current location, transferring ownership of the social group to another member of the social group.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a request to transfer ownership of the joined social group to the user device; and

determining whether transference of ownership of the joined social group is accepted.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the social group condition information item includes condition information about potential members of the social group.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of creating a social group performed by a user device, the method comprising:

receiving information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

receiving at least one social group condition information item; and

sending, to an external device, a request to create a social group based on the information corresponding to the current location and the at least one social group condition information item.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of joining a social group performed by a user device, the method comprising:

sending, to an external device, a request for a social group list based on information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

receiving the social group list from the external device in the user device;

filtering the received social group list based on social group condition information set in the user device; and

joining a social group selected from the filtered social group list.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of creating and joining a social group performed by an external device, the method comprising:

creating, upon receiving a request to create a social group from first user device based on information corresponding to a current location of the first user device and at least one social group condition information, the social group; and

transmitting, upon receiving a request for a social group list from a second user device based on the information corresponding the current location, the social group list including information corresponding to the created social group to the second user device.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of creating and joining a social group performed by a user device, the method comprising:

detecting information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

receiving at least one social group condition information item;

sending, to an external device, a request to create a social group based on the information about a current location of the user device and the at least one social group condition information item; and

joining the created social group based on the information about the current location.

25. A user device comprising:

a location information detecting unit for detecting information corresponding to a current location of the user device;

an information receiving unit for receiving at least one social group condition information item;

a data transmitting/receiving unit for communicating with an external device; and

a processor for sending, to the external device through the data transmitting/receiving unit, a request to create a social group based on the information corresponding to current location and the at least one social group condition information item.

26. The user device of claim 25, wherein the processor transmits, through the transmitting/receiving unit, information for transferring ownership of the social group to another member of the social group, when the user device leaves the current location.

27. The user device of claim 25, wherein the at least one social group condition information item includes condition information corresponding to potential members of the social group and is based on information input to the user device.

28. The user device of claim 25, the processor determines whether to join the social group based on the current location of the user device.

29. The user device of claim 28, wherein the processor sends, through the transmitting/receiving unit to the external device, a request for a social group list based on the current location information of the user device and adds the user device to the social group based on the received social group list upon receiving the requested social group list.

30. The user device of claim 29, wherein the processor filters the received social group list based on social group condition information items and joins the user device to the social group selected from the filtered social group list.

31. A server comprising:

a data transmitting/receiving unit for communicating with at least one user device;

a storage unit for storing information corresponding to a created social group; and

a processor for creating, when the information about a current location of at least one user device and at least one social group condition information item are received from the at least one user device through the data transmitting/receiving unit, a social group based on information about the current location and the social group condition information item, for storing information about the created social group in the storage unit, and for transmitting, when a request for a social group list is received from a user device based on the information about the current location through the data transmitting/receiving unit, the social group list based on the information stored in the storage unit to the requesting user device that requested the social group list.

32. The server of claim 31, wherein the processor deletes the information about the social group stored in the storage unit and cancels operations corresponding to the created social group, upon a determination that all members of the created social group have left the current location based on information received through the data transmitting/receiving unit.