LOCATION BASED SERVICE (LBS) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING A SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20140213303A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: STEENSTRA, Jack, CHEN, Liren, GANTMAN, Alexander, TAYLOR, Kirk Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,402,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A system and method for providing a location based service to create a social network, comprising activating a feature from a wireless terminal, registering from the wireless terminal with a location based service associated with the feature, creating a profile of a user of the feature, and displaying candidates based on the profile and based on the geographic location of the candidates. A Global Positioning System (GPS) may be used to geographically locate active users of a feature. An activity map may be associated with a feature, the activity map displaying active users of the feature.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of operating a terminal, comprising:

registering an operator of the terminal to a matching service;

receiving location information that identifies a set of locations for a set of candidates registered to the matching service and associated with a corresponding set of candidate profiles that each match a desired profile of the operator of the terminal; and

displaying a map that identifies at least one location of at least one candidate from the set of candidates based on the terminal and the at least one candidate being commonly registered to the matching service irrespective of whether the operator and the at least one candidate have a prior relationship.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one current location of the at least one candidate.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one historical location of the at least one candidate.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the map further identifies one or more points of interest and/or service outlets in a vicinity of the terminal.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the matching service is an online dating service, a conference companion service or an interest group service.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a given candidate from the at least one candidate in response to the displaying; and

attempting to arrange a meeting between the operator of the terminal and the given candidate in response to the selection.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein a private address of the given candidate is kept private from the operator of the terminal,

wherein the meeting is arranged at a target location, and

wherein the operator of the terminal purchases transportation for the given candidate between the private address and the target location without the operator of the terminal being notified of the private address.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the private address is a home location of the given candidate.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying the map in response to a user-initiated change to a geographic area being displayed in the map and/or one or more candidate display parameters.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein information separate from the at least one location of the at least one candidate is kept private from the operator of the terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information includes a home address of the at least one candidate.

13. The method of claim 2,

wherein the matching service requires its registered users to be either in an active state or an inactive state,

wherein location sharing between the registered users only occurs between the registered users in the active state, and

wherein the displaying is based upon the operator of the terminal and the at least one candidate being in the active state.

14. A terminal, comprising:

means for registering an operator of the terminal to a matching service;

means for receiving location information that identifies a set of locations for a set of candidates registered to the matching service and associated with a corresponding set of candidate profiles that each match a desired profile of the operator of the terminal; and

means for displaying a map that identifies at least one location of at least one candidate from the set of candidates based on the terminal and the at least one candidate being commonly registered to the matching service irrespective of whether the operator and the at least one candidate have a prior relationship.

15. The terminal of claim 14,

wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one current location of the at least one candidate, or

wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one historical location of the at least one candidate.

16. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the map further identifies one or more points of interest and/or service outlets in a vicinity of the terminal.

17. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the matching service is an online dating service, a conference companion service or an interest group service.

18. The terminal of claim 14, further comprising:

means for receiving a selection of a given candidate from the at least one candidate in response to the displaying; and

means for attempting to arrange a meeting between the operator of the terminal and the given candidate in response to the selection.

19. The terminal of claim 14, further comprising:

modifying the map in response to a user-initiated change to a geographic area being displayed in the map and/or one or more candidate display parameters.

20. The terminal of claim 14, wherein information separate from the at least one location of the at least one candidate is kept private from the operator of the terminal.

21. A terminal, comprising:

a processor coupled to a transceiver and a display and configured to;

register an operator of the terminal to a matching service;

receive location information that identifies a set of locations for a set of candidates registered to the matching service and associated with a corresponding set of candidate profiles that each match a desired profile of the operator of the terminal; and

display a map that identifies at least one location of at least one candidate from the set of candidates based on the terminal and the at least one candidate being commonly registered to the matching service irrespective of whether the operator and the at least one candidate have a prior relationship.

22. The terminal of claim 21,

wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one current location of the at least one candidate, or

wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one historical location of the at least one candidate.

23. The terminal of claim 21, wherein the map further identifies one or more points of interest and/or service outlets in a vicinity of the terminal.

24. The terminal of claim 21, wherein the matching service is an online dating service, a conference companion service or an interest group service.

25. The terminal of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to modify the map in response to a user-initiated change to a geographic area being displayed in the map and/or one or more candidate display parameters.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a terminal, cause the terminal to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to cause the terminal to register an operator of the terminal to a matching service;

at least one instruction to cause the terminal to receive location information that identifies a set of locations for a set of candidates registered to the matching service and associated with a corresponding set of candidate profiles that each match a desired profile of the operator of the terminal; and

at least one instruction to cause the terminal to display a map that identifies at least one location of at least one candidate from the set of candidates based on the terminal and the at least one candidate being commonly registered to the matching service irrespective of whether the operator and the at least one candidate have a prior relationship.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26,

wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one current location of the at least one candidate, or

wherein the at least one location corresponds to at least one historical location of the at least one candidate.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the map further identifies one or more points of interest and/or service outlets in a vicinity of the terminal.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the matching service is an online dating service, a conference companion service or an interest group service.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to modify the map in response to a user-initiated change to a geographic area being displayed in the map and/or one or more candidate display parameters.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein information separate from the at least one location of the at least one candidate is kept private from the operator of the terminal.