EVENT-BASED SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
7. A computer-implemented method for creating an event for selected members of a social networking system having an associated server, and for recording media images created only at and during the event with user devices, the user devices having a camera, wireless transceiving functionality, a location services module, and an application program that includes a media upload module to control the ability of the user device to capture and transmit media to the server, comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:
- receiving, at the server, from a user-host of the social network, data identifying an event including at least its time, date and location;
retrieving, from a database containing profiles of users of the social networking system, data identifying those users of the system who are members of the user-host'"'"'s social network community;
transmitting to the user-host an invitation list of the members of the user-host'"'"'s community;
enabling controls by which the user-host may select from the listed members those whom he wishes to directly invite to the event;
receiving from the user-host identification of selected members to be direct invitees;
transmitting to the selected direct invitees a notification of the event and enabling an invitation response control on each direct invitee'"'"'s user device by which the direct invitees may respond to accept the invitation;
receiving responses from the direct invitees and storing in the database, a guest list that includes all accepting invitees;
at the time of the event, periodically querying the user devices of invitees on the guest list to invoke their location services module and report to the server their geographic locations;
upon receipt from a queried user device as to its location, comparing the reported location with the location of the event; and
enabling operation of the media upload module of the device only when the user device is at or within a predetermined distance from the event location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An event-based social networking system enables users of the system to create and schedule events, extend and respond to invitations, facilitate creation of albums of media memorializing the events and enabling members of the social network community to control sharing, viewing and commenting on media contained in the albums.
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Citations
34 Claims
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7. A computer-implemented method for creating an event for selected members of a social networking system having an associated server, and for recording media images created only at and during the event with user devices, the user devices having a camera, wireless transceiving functionality, a location services module, and an application program that includes a media upload module to control the ability of the user device to capture and transmit media to the server, comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:
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receiving, at the server, from a user-host of the social network, data identifying an event including at least its time, date and location; retrieving, from a database containing profiles of users of the social networking system, data identifying those users of the system who are members of the user-host'"'"'s social network community; transmitting to the user-host an invitation list of the members of the user-host'"'"'s community; enabling controls by which the user-host may select from the listed members those whom he wishes to directly invite to the event; receiving from the user-host identification of selected members to be direct invitees; transmitting to the selected direct invitees a notification of the event and enabling an invitation response control on each direct invitee'"'"'s user device by which the direct invitees may respond to accept the invitation; receiving responses from the direct invitees and storing in the database, a guest list that includes all accepting invitees; at the time of the event, periodically querying the user devices of invitees on the guest list to invoke their location services module and report to the server their geographic locations; upon receipt from a queried user device as to its location, comparing the reported location with the location of the event; and enabling operation of the media upload module of the device only when the user device is at or within a predetermined distance from the event location. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for use with an event-based social network system having a server and a database, the database containing profile data for the users of the social network system, linking data associating users with members of their community on the social network, event data corresponding to present and future scheduled events and guest list data identifying guests expected to attend the events, the method comprising:
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in response to a signal transmitted to the server from a device of a user of the social network, retrieving data relating to those present and future events for which at least one member of the user'"'"'s social network community is on the guest list; for each event, comparing at least one criterion of the user selected from the user'"'"'s profile data with the same at least one criterion of the guests on the guest list, considered as a group; determining the degree of similarity of the at least one criterion of the user to that of the group of guests; and displaying to the user information identifying the event and, in association with each event, displaying an indicator corresponding to the determined degree of similarity. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for creating and memorializing an event involving members of a social network community that includes media capture by members'"'"' user devices at the event and uploading the captured media to a server and database that contains profile data of the users of the social network, including data linking each user with the members of that user'"'"'s community, the system comprising:
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memory for storing executable instructions for implementing an event; a processor for executing the executable instructions stored in the memory, the executable instructions further comprising; an event-creation module adapted to receive event-identifying data from a hosting member of the community, the data including the time and location of the event, the event creation module including an invitation module adapted to enable the hosting member to invite selected members of his social network community to the event, the invitation module being configured to enable invitees to respond to the invitation and being further configured to receive accepting responses from invitees; a media sharing module adapted to control the user devices of the accepting invitees to enable capture and uploading of media to the server by those devices only while the user device is present at the event location and during the time of the event, the media sharing module being further configured to present media created and uploaded by each attendee in an album associated with that attendee, the album of each attending member being shared by each attending member of the attending member'"'"'s community. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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22-1. The system as defined in claim 20 wherein the media-sharing module is further configured to display the album media in association with input means by which a viewer can create and post commentary relating to selected of the media;
- to receive the commentary and store the commentary in the database in association with the selected media; and
upon receiving subsequent requests to view the selected media, transmit to the requester, for display on the requester'"'"'s user device, the selected media together with the commentary associated with that selected media.
- to receive the commentary and store the commentary in the database in association with the selected media; and
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27. A system for creating events involving members of a community within a social network system and for notifying members of those events, the system comprising:
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a server adapted to communicate with devices associated with users of the social networking system; a database to the server, the database containing profile data for the users of the social network system, linking data associating users with members of their community on the social network, event data corresponding to present and future scheduled events and guest list data identifying guests expected to attend the events; the server including memory for storing executable instructions and a processor for executing the executable instructions stored in the memory, the executable instructions comprising; a statistics module configured to (a) retrieve from the database, in response to receipt by the server of a signal from a device of a user of the social network, data relating to those present and future events for which at least one member of the user'"'"'s social network community is on the guest list; and
, for each such event, (b) retrieve and compare at least one criterion of the user selected from the user'"'"'s profile data with the same at least one criterion of the guests on the guest list, considered as a group;
(c) to determine the degree of similarity of the at least one criterion of the user to that of the group of guests; and
(d) to transmit to the user'"'"'s device information identifying the event and, in association with each event, to display an indicator corresponding to the determined degree of similarity. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification