Systems and methods for creating and sustaining cause-based social communities using wireless mobile devices and the global computer network

• US 20120173630A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Original Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Inventors: Singhal, Tara Chand
• Granted Patent: US 11,818,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and sustaining cause-based social communities and for creating social communities around a specific cause using mobile wireless devices and the global network of computers are described. The system has a cause-server on the global net, a cause-message originating mobile device and a ring of mobile devices. The ring has a first ring, directly reachable by original mobile, a second ring, reachable by mobile devices of first ring, and a third ring, reachable by mobile devices of the second ring of mobile devices and so on. These rings enable a cause-message to spread out in rings globally or regionally. The cause-server hosts functions that (i) enable creation of a cause-image message, (ii) distribute the cause-image to mobile devices, (iii) create a real time map of the distribution, (iv) enable display of the map updated periodically, and (v) archive the cause-message data for subsequent search/retrieval.

Claims

1. A system of creating and sustaining a social community on a global net, comprising:

a. a cause-message, the cause-message has an associated cause-image part and a cause-text part, where the cause-image is sized to fit the screen of handheld mobile wireless devices and the cause-text is sized to fit on a portion of the cause-image;

b. the cause-message is stored in a cause-server database of a cause-server and accessible to others by search and retrieval based on fields that include, categories of causes, a cause identification, a cause originator identification, or a date range, where the cause-message supports creation of a cause-based social community.

2. The system as in claim 1, comprising:

the cause-text part identifies (i) a cause, (ii) an originator of the cause by a name/handle, and (iii) a celebrity status of the originator.

3. The system as in claim 1, comprising:

the cause-text part of the cause-message begins with a verb-part identifying the cause, where the verb may include one from a group of, save, free, support, in memory of, in remembrance, be a, love, fight, donate, show support, find me a, pray, or light a candle.

4. The system as in claim 1, comprising:

the cause-image part may be a single image, a flash animation, a video and any other image format that visually illustrates a cause.

5. The system as in claim 1, comprising:

the cause message is originated by a mobile device owner and is spread by the mobile device owner, sending a cause-message link in the cause-server to a list of contacts and they in turn forwards the link to others in their own contact lists.

6. The system as in claim 1, comprising:

a social-community application operable in the cause-server on the global computer network, the application enables creation and spread of cause-messages.

7. The system as in claim 6, comprising:

the social-community application enables creation of (i) the cause-message, (ii) cause-message supporting content that is associated with the cause-message, where the supporting content may include from a group of, cause-originator information, cause-support data and images, dialogue/communication with others, and link(s) to similar other supporting causes in the cause-server, the application enables creation and maintenance of a cause-message based social community via the different parts of the cause-message and cause-supporting content.

8. A method of creating and sustaining social communities on a global net comprising the steps of:

a. enabling creating a cause-message by a cause-originator by a social-community application operable in a cause-server;

b. enabling posting the cause-message to the cause-server; and

c. enabling spreading the cause-message from the cause-server.

9. The method as in claim 8, comprising the steps of:

enabling creating the cause-message in multiple parts of, with an associated cause-image and a cause-text; and

fitting the cause-text on a portion of the cause-image.

10. The method as in claim 9, comprising the steps of:

enabling creating the multiple parts of the cause-message, where cause-text that is fitted over the cause-image, identifying a cause, a cause-originator and a celebrity status of the cause-originator.

11. The method as in claim 8, comprising the steps of:

a. maintaining databases in the cause-server enabling search and retrieval of the cause-messages by others;

b. downloading the cause-message to mobiles and sending links to the cause-message to others by e-mail and text messages enabling the message to spread out.

12. The method as in claim 8, comprising:

enabling creating a cause-message supporting content that is associated with the cause-message, the supporting content may include from a group of, cause-originator information, cause-support data and images, dialogue/communication with other, and link(s) to similar other supporting causes in the cause-server.

13. The method as in claim 12, comprising:

enabling creating and maintaining a cause-message based social community via the different parts of the cause-message and cause-supporting content.

14. A system for creating a social community on a global communication network, comprising:

a. a social-community application operable in a server on the global computer network, the server identified as a cause-server, where the social-community application has a server part and a wireless mobile device part, an originating mobile device using the application enables creation of a cause-message, the cause-message is upload by the originating mobile device to the server along with the mobile device position;

b. the cause-server stores the cause-message in the server and sends the server link to the originating mobile device, the mobile device part creates a text message and an e-mail, embeds the server link with the message, and broadcasts the message to a list of mobile device'"'"'s contacts in the originating mobile device, enabling other mobile receivers identified on the list to receive the cause-message;

c. the other mobile receivers, also identified as a first-ring of mobile devices open the message, choose to join/associate with the cause and click the link to load the cause-message to their own mobile devices from the cause-server along with a version of mobile application part to enable them to broadcast the cause to their list of contacts; and

d. the application stores the first-ring mobile device locations in the cause-server, and sends the cause-message to the respective mobile devices (the second-ring mobile devices), when they load the cause-message with the version of the mobile application part that repeats the broadcasts to each one'"'"'s mobile contacts, thus a third set of rings, and so on are created enabling the cause-message to spread out via successive rings of mobile devices.

15. The system as in claim 14, comprising:

a. the application stores in a database, data related to the mobile locations, the cause-message, and the computations of rate and location of spread of the cause-message.

b. the application creates a geographic map showing the spread of the message showing the locations of the original mobile device and the locations of the first-ring and the subsequent-rings of the mobile devices that have clicked the server link to receive the cause-message.

16. The system as in claim 15, comprising:

the cause-server down loads the map to anyone with a display on a display screen of (i) the map in the middle, (ii) the cause-message displayed on a part of the screen, (iii) the running count of cause-message spread in the bottom space, (iv) and uses the other spaces of the display screen as advertising space;

the map and the display are updated periodically with an updated map and advertising space content.

17. The system as in claim 16, comprising:

the spread-out of the cause-message is displayed on the map as clusters of light points and may also be displayed as a spider chart.

18. The system as in claim 16, comprising:

a time out for the cause-message spread is declared when the rate of spread falls below a threshold; and

the total count by region is displayed and the map is frozen and archived for subsequent retrieval searchable by cause id, original mobile name and date range.

19. The system as in claim 14, comprising:

the cause-message has a cause-text part and a cause-image part, where the cause-text part is overlaid over the cause-image part, creating a composite cause-message.

20. The system as in claim 19, comprising:

the cause-text part of the cause-message begins with a verb part identifying the cause, where the verb may include from a group of, save, free, support, in memory of, in remembrance, be a, love, fight, donate funds, donate, show, find me a, light a candle.