SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN MEMBERS OF A SOCIAL NETWORKING GROUP

• US 20140082101A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Wable, Akhil, Agarwal, Aditya, Sanghvi, Ruchi, Jenkins, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 10,778,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A social networking system that enables a member of social networking site to search for other members whose group profiles satisfy one or more search criteria. The system further enables the member to select one or more of the members whose profile satisfies the search criteria, and enables a communication between the member and the selected members. Thus, the member may send a communication to all members whose profiles satisfy the search criteria, or to a subset of those members whose profiles satisfy the search criteria. The communication may be an e-mail, an invitation, a chat message, a private positing on a public message board, a text message or any other suitable type of communication.

Claims

1. A computer system for facilitating communications between a particular user in a group on a social networking system and one or more other users from a plurality of other users in the group comprising at least one processor configured to:

a. receive a first user criterion specified by the particular user;

b. receive a second user criterion specified by the particular user;

c. identify, from the plurality of users, a first subset of users that each satisfy the first and second user criteria;

d. initiate a display of the first subset of users that each satisfy the first and the second user criteria;

e. receive, from the particular user, a selection of a second subset of users, each of which is selected from the first subset of users; and

f. after receiving a selection of the second subset of users, intitiate the transmission of a message from the particular user to the second subset of users.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the message is an e-mail message.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the message is a private posting on a public wall that is only viewable by the second subset of users.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users are members of a group within the context of a social networking site.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to search a profile for each of the plurality of users to determine whether each of the plurality of users satisfies the first and the second user criteria, wherein the profile is unique to the group that the plurality of users belong on the social networking site.

6. The computer system method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to search a plurality of profiles for each of the plurality of users to determine whether at least one of the plurality of profiles for each of the plurality of users satisfies the first and the second user criteria.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to initiate the transmission of the message from the particular user to only the second subset of users.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to associate each one of the first subset of users with a respective selection box.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to allow the particular user to activate the selection box associated with each one of the first subset of users to be include in the second subset of users.

10. A computer system configured to enable communication between a particular user of a social networking system and a plurality of other users of the social networking system where each one of the plurality of other users is associated with a plurality of profiles, comprising at least one processor configured to:

a. receive a request, from the particular user, to search the plurality of profiles for each one of the plurality of other users for a first criterion;

b. in response to receiving the request, search the plurality of profiles for each one of the plurality of other users for the first criterion;

c. initiate a display of a listing of a plurality of users from the plurality of other users, wherein each one of the plurality of users has at least one profile from the plurality of profiles that satisfies the first criterion; and

d. enable a communication between the particular user and the plurality of users who has at least one profile from the plurality of profiles that satisfies the first criterion.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the communication is an e-mail.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the communication is a discussion posting that is only viewable by the group of members.

13. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

a. after the step of displaying a plurality of users from the plurality of other users, receive a second request from the particular user to search the plurality of users who has at least one profile from the plurality of profiles that satisfies the first criterion for a second criterion;

b. in response to receiving the second request, search the plurality of users for the second criterion; and

c. initiate a display of a listing of a plurality of users from the plurality of users who has at least one profile from the plurality of profiles that satisfies the first and the second criteria,

wherein facilitating a communication further comprises facilitating the communication between the particular user and the plurality of users who has at least one profile from the plurality of profiles that satisfies the first and the second criterion.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein facilitating a communication between the particular user and the second subset of users further comprises sending an e-mail to the second subset of users.

15. A computer-implemented method of facilitating communications between a particular member of a social networking group on a social networking system and at least one other member of the social networking group where the at least one other member of the social networking group has a profile that is created when the at least one member joined the social networking group, the method comprising:

a. receiving a first criterion specified by the particular member;

b. in response to receiving the first criterion, identifying, by at least one processor, a first subset of members of the social networking group whose member profile for the social networking group satisfies the first criterion;

c. facilitating the presentation of the first subset of members to the particular member;

d. receiving, from the particular member, a selection of a plurality of members from the first subset of members; and

e. in response to receiving the selection of the plurality of members from the first subset of members, facilitating, by at least one processor, a communication between the particular member and the selected plurality of members.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein facilitating the presentation of the first subset of members further comprises facilitating a display of a portion of the member profile for each member of the first subset of members.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the selection of the plurality of members from the first subset of members further comprises allowing the particular member to individually select specific members from the first subset of members for inclusion in the plurality of members.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the facilitating a communication further comprises sending an e-mail from the particular member to the plurality of members.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first search criterion is matched to a field within the profile for each member of the plurality of members.

20. A computer system for facilitating communications between a particular member of a social networking site and at least one other member of the social networking site comprising:

a. a means for receiving a first criterion specified by the particular member;

b. a means for identifying a first subset of members of the social networking group whose member profile for the social networking group satisfies the first criterion;

c. a means for presenting the first subset of members to the particular member;

d. a means for receiving a selection of a plurality of members from the first subset of members; and

e. a means for facilitating a communication between the particular member and the selected plurality of members.