TECHNIQUES FOR EXCHANGING CONTACT INFORMATION AND ESTABLISHING A CONNECTION VIA A SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICE

• US 20170134897A1
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Linkedln Corporation
• Inventors: SAYED, SAMEER
• Granted Patent: US 9,872,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A method of making it easier for users to interact with each other via a social networking system is disclosed. It is detected that a first user of a social networking system performed an action with respect to a second user of the social networking system. It is interpreted that the action of the first user corresponds to a command that the first user intends to issue to a social networking system, the command pertaining to the second user. The command is processed by the social networking system on behalf of the first user.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method comprising:

incorporating one or more modules into a social networking system, the one or more modules configuring one or more processors of the social networking system to perform operations, the operations comprising;

establishing a first virtual perimeter, the first virtual perimeter surrounding a real-world geographical area corresponding to a location where a business event is being held;

determining that a first user of the social networking system is within the real-world geographical area based on a communication received from a client device of the first user, the communication indicating a location of the client device of the first user;

detecting an entering of a second user into the real-world geographical area based on a series of communications received from a client device of the second user, the series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the first virtual perimeter;

communicating a first notification to the client device of the first user, the first notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the entering of the second user;

detecting an exiting of the second user from the real-world geographical area based on an additional series of communications received from the client device of the second user, additional series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the first virtual perimeter; and

communicating a second notification to the client device of the first user, the second notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the exiting of the second user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing a second virtual perimeter, the second virtual perimeter surrounding a sub-location of the real-world geographical area;

detecting an entering of the second user into the sub-location based on a further series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the further series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the second virtual perimeter; and

communicating a third notification to the client device of the first user, the third notification notifying the first user of relative locations of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the real-world-geographical area corresponds to a facility where a business conference is being held and the sub-location is a specific conference room within the facility.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating of the first notification and the communicating of the second notification is based on an existence of a particular relationship between the first user and the second user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the particular relationship is one of an established connection or a follower relationship with respect to the social networking system.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular relationship is that the first user has a commonality with the second user based on profile data maintained by the social networking system with respect to the first user and the second user.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the first notification and the second notification includes a specification of a distance between the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more modules incorporated into a social networking system, the one or more modules configuring the one or more processors to, at least;

incorporate one or more modules into a social networking system, the one or more modules configuring one or more processors of the social networking system to perform operations, the operations comprising;

establish a first virtual perimeter, the first virtual perimeter surrounding a real-world geographical area corresponding to a location where a business event is being held;

determine that a first user of the social networking system is within the real-world geographical area based on a communication received from a client device of the first user, the communication indicating a location of the client device of the first user;

detect an entering of a second user into the real-world geographical area based on a series of communications received from a client device of the second user, the series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the first virtual perimeter;

communicate a first notification to the client device of the first user, the first notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the entering of the second user;

detect an exiting of the second user from the real-world geographical area based on an additional series of communications received from the client device of the second user, additional series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the first virtual perimeter; and

communicate a second notification to the client device of the first user, the second notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the exiting of the second user.

10. The method of claim 9, the one or more modules configuring the one or more processors further to:

establish a second virtual perimeter, the second virtual perimeter surrounding a sub-location of the real-world geographical area;

detect an entering of the second user into the sub-location based on a further series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the further series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the second virtual perimeter; and

communicate a third notification to the client device of the first user, the third notification notifying the first user of relative locations of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the real-world-geographical area corresponds to a facility where a business conference is being held and the sub-location is a specific conference room within the facility.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the communicating of the first notification and the communicating of the second notification is based on an existence of a particular relationship between the first user and the second user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the particular relationship is one of an established connection or a follower relationship with respect to the social networking system.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular relationship is that the first user has a commonality with the second user based on profile data maintained by the social networking system with respect to the first user and the second user.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the first notification and the second notification includes a specification of a distance between the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the particular relationship is that the first user has a commonality with the second user based on profile data maintained by the social networking system with respect to the first user and the second user.

16. A machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

incorporating one or more modules into a social networking system, the one or more modules configuring one or more processors of the social networking system to perform operations, the operations comprising;

establishing a first virtual perimeter, the first virtual perimeter surrounding a real-world geographical area corresponding to a location where a business event is being held;

determining that a first user of the social networking system is within the real-world geographical area based on a communication received from a client device of the first user, the communication indicating a location of the client device of the first user;

detecting an entering of a second user into the real-world geographical area based on a series of communications received from a client device of the second user, the series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the first virtual perimeter;

communicating a first notification to the client device of the first user, the first notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the entering of the second user;

detecting an exiting of the second user from the real-world geographical area based on an additional series of communications received from the client device of the second user, additional series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the first virtual perimeter; and

communicating a second notification to the client device of the first user, the second notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the exiting of the second user.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

establishing a second virtual perimeter, the second virtual perimeter surrounding a sub-location of the real-world geographical area;

detecting an entering of the second user into the sub-location based on a further series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the further series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has crossed over the second virtual perimeter; and

communicating a third notification to the client device of the first user, the third notification notifying the first user of relative locations of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the real-world-geographical area corresponds to a facility where a business conference is being held and the sub-location is a specific conference room within the facility.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 216, wherein the communicating of the first notification and the communicating of the second notification is based on an existence of a particular relationship between the first user and the second user.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the particular relationship is one of an established connection or a follower relationship with respect to the social networking system.