METHODS AND DEVICES FOR ADDING NEW MEMBER TO GROUP THROUGH BARCODE SCANNING

• US 20140156757A1
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: ZHANG, Xiaolong, Huang, Tianqing, Guan, Zhenan, Lin, Yingxia, Li, Keren, Zeng, Ming
• Granted Patent: US 10,069,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission

Abstract

The current invention discloses methods and devices for adding a new member to a group, e.g. a chat group associated with a chat program. The new member may be added through a barcode-scanning process or an existing-member-invitation process. After the new member is added to the chat group, a server may send notification messages to mobile devices associated with the existing members of the group. The contents of the notification messages may vary based on the processes by which the new member is added, the number of existing members, and the direct-contact relationships the new member has with the existing members. The current invention provides simplified methods and devices for adding the new member, avoiding cumbersome operations and protecting member privacy at the same time.

Claims

1. A method for adding a new member to a chat group having one or more existing members using mobile devices connected to a server through a network, wherein the server has one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server, a joining request to add the new member to the chat group, wherein the joining request is sent by a first mobile device associated with the new member using a barcode-scanning process or by a second mobile device associated with a first existing member using an existing-member-invitation process, wherein;

the barcode-scanning process comprises;

scanning a barcode encoding chat group information corresponding to the chat group using the first mobile device;

decoding the barcode using a barcode decoding module to obtain the chat group information corresponding to the chat group; and

generating the joining request based on the chat group information,

and the existing-member-invitation process comprises;

sending an invitation to the new member to join the chat group using the second mobile device, wherein the new member has a direct-contact relationship with the first existing member; and

generating the joining request based on the invitation,

adding, by the server, the new member to the chat group without further authorization from the existing members of the chat group; and

sending, by the server, corresponding notification messages to the existing members of the chat group based on whether the new member is added to the chat group through the barcode-scanning process or the existing-member-invitation process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

if the new member is added by the barcode-scanning process, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by scanning the barcode; and

if the new member is added by the existing-member-invitation process, the method further comprises;

examining, by the server, whether the number of existing members exceeds a threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

if the number of existing members does not exceed the threshold, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member; and

if the number of existing members exceeds the threshold, the method further comprises;

examining, by the server, whether the new member has a direct-contact relationship with the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

if the new member does not have a direct-contact relationship with the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member and that the new member does not have a direct-contact relationship with the other existing members; and

if the new member has a direct-contact relationship with any of the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the direct-contact relationship is a direct-contact relationship associated with a chat program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the chat group information comprises a chat group number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the barcode is a two-dimensional bar code or a three-dimensional barcode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distributing the barcode encoding chat group information corresponding to the chat group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the joining request comprises the chat group information and new member information corresponding to the new member.

10. A computer system, comprising a server and one or more mobile devices, the server having:

one of more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more program modules including;

a receiving module configured to receive a joining request to add a new member to a chat group having one or more existing members, wherein the joining request is sent by a first mobile device associated with the new member using a barcode-scanning process or by a second mobile device associated with a first existing member using an existing-member-invitation process, wherein;

the barcode-scanning process comprises;

scanning a barcode encoding chat group information corresponding to the chat group using the first mobile device;

decoding the barcode using a barcode decoding module to obtain the chat group information corresponding to the chat group; and

generating the joining request based on the chat group information,

and the existing-member-invitation process comprises;

sending an invitation to the new member to join the chat group using the second mobile device, wherein the new member has a direct-contact relationship with the first existing member; and

generating the joining request based on the invitation,

an addition module configured to add the new member to the chat group without further authorization from the existing members of the chat group;

a determination module comprises a process determining subunit configured to determine whether the new member is added to the chat group through the barcode-scanning process or the existing-member-invitation process; and

a notifying module configured to send corresponding notification messages to the existing members of the chat group based on whether the new member is added to the chat group through the barcode-scanning process or the existing-member-invitation process.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein:

the notifying module comprises a first notifying subunit;

the first notifying subunit being configured to send notification messages indicating that the new member has been added by scanning the barcode if the new member is added by the barcode-scanning process; and

the determination module further comprises a member number subunit configured to examine whether the number of existing members exceeds a threshold if the new member is added by the existing-member-invitation process.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the notifying module further comprises a second notifying subunit;

the second notifying subunit being configured to send notification messages indicating that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member if the number of existing members does not exceed the threshold; and

the determination module further comprises a direct contact subunit configured to examine whether the new member has a direct-contact relationship with the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group if the number of existing members exceeds the threshold.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein:

the notifying module further comprises a third notifying subunit, the third notifying subunit being configured to send notification messages indicating that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member and that the new member does not have a direct-contact relationship with the other existing members if the new member does not have a direct-contact relationship with the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group; and

the second notifying subunit is further configured to send notification messages indicating that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member if the new member has a direct-contact relationship with any of the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein:

the chat group information comprises a chat group number.

15. The computer system of claim 10, further comprising:

a distributing module configured to distribute the barcode encoding chat group information corresponding to the chat group.

16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein:

the joining request comprises the chat group information and new member information corresponding to the new member.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein one or more instructions, which, when executed by a server, cause the server to:

receive a joining request to add the new member to the chat group, wherein the joining request is sent by a first mobile device associated with the new member using a barcode-scanning process or by a second mobile device associated with a first existing member using an existing-member-invitation process, wherein;

the barcode-scanning process comprises;

scanning a barcode encoding chat group information corresponding to the chat group using the first mobile device;

decoding the barcode using a barcode decoding module to obtain the chat group information corresponding to the chat group; and

generating the joining request based on the chat group information,

and the existing-member-invitation process comprises;

sending an invitation to the new member to join the chat group using the second mobile device, wherein the new member has a direct-contact relationship with the first existing member; and

generating the joining request based on the invitation,

adding the new member to the chat group without further authorization from the existing members of the chat group; and

send corresponding notification messages to the existing members of the chat group based on whether the new member is added to the chat group through the barcode-scanning process or the existing-member-invitation process.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

if the new member is added by the barcode-scanning process, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by scanning the barcode; and

if the new member is added by the existing-member-invitation process, the instructions further causes the server to;

examine whether the number of existing members exceeds a threshold.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein:

if the number of existing members does not exceed the threshold, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member; and

if the number of existing members exceeds the threshold, the instructions further causes the server to;

examine whether the new member has a direct-contact relationship with the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

if the new member does not have a direct-contact relationship with the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member and that the new member does not have a direct-contact relationship with the other existing members; and

if the new member has a direct-contact relationship with any of the existing members other than the first existing member before being added to the chat group, the notification messages indicate that the new member has been added by invitation from the first existing member.