Systems for communicating current and future activity information among mobile internet users and methods therefor

• US 7,284,033 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2000
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Imahima, Inc.
• Inventors: Jhanji, Neeraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): El-chanti; Hussein A
• Application Number:
  US10/149,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,498 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/224, 709/225, 709/204, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer-implemented method implemented via the Internet for coordinating a current or future event between a user of a mobile Internet device and other users communicating through the Internet. The method includes receiving the current or future activity information pertaining to the future event from the user via the mobile Internet device. The current activity pertains to an activity occurring at a current time relative to a time the future activity information is received. The future activity pertains to an activity occurring at a future time relative to a time the future activity information is received. The method further includes transmitting the current or future activity information to a backend database coupled to the Internet, the backend database being remote from the mobile Internet device. The method further includes rendering the current or future activity information accessible to at least one recipient via the Internet. The recipient represents a subset of the users coupled to the Internet and having access privilege to information pertaining to the current or future event involving the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for coordinating an event by using relationship information stored in a database accessible by a server computer, the method comprising:

receiving at the server computer a message sent from a sender'"'"'s non-GPS enabled mobile telephone, the message containing self-declared location information indicating a physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message;

the server computer parsing from said message the physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message, determining from the message the sender'"'"'s identity, the physical location and an indication whether said event is private or public; and

wherein if said event is indicated public, the sever computer publishes the physical location of the sender; and

wherein if said event is indicated private, determining based on the relationship information stored in the database, a plurality of users associated with the sender who have authorized the sending of send-a-notification event messages, each of the plurality of users having a mobile telephone; and

sending the notification messages to the mobile telephones of the determined users, the notification messages containing the sender'"'"'s self-declared location.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification messages containing the sender'"'"'s self-declared location information invite the determined users to meet the sender at the physical location indicated by the self-declaration location.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the physical location has a name and the sender manually enters the self-declared location information into the sender'"'"'s mobile telephone by typing the name of the physical location.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the physical location has a name and the sender manually enters the self-declared location information into the sender'"'"'s mobile telephone by selecting the name of the physical location.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising posting the message on the server for access by said plurality of users.

6. A computer-implemented system for coordinating an event between a sender having a non-GPS enabled mobile telephone and a plurality of users each having a mobile telephone, comprising:

a database unit having stored therein physical location information specifying a physical location of the sender, contact information for the plurality of users for communicating with the plurality of users, and relationship information associating the sender with each of the plurality of users based on a relationship between the sender and each of the plurality of users;

a server device coupled to the database unit and to a communications network, wherein the server device in response to receiving a message sent from the sender'"'"'s non-GPS enabled mobile telephone,

the server device parsing from said message the physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message, determining from the message the sender'"'"'s identity, the physical location and an indication whether said event is private or public; and

wherein if said event is indicated public, the sever device publishes the physical location of the sender; and

wherein if said event is indicated private, storing the self-declared location information in the database unit, determining from the message the sender'"'"'s identity; and

based on the relationship information, a plurality of users associated with the sender to whom to send a notification message for the event and who have agreed to be sent the notification message, and sending the notification message to the mobile telephones of each of the determined users, the notification message containing the sender'"'"'s self-declared location information.

7. The computer-implemented system according to claim 6, wherein the physical location has a name and the sender manually enters the self-declared location information into the sender'"'"'s mobile telephone by typing the name of the physical location.

8. The computer-implemented system according to claim 6, wherein the physical location has a name and the sender manually enters the self-declared location information into the sender'"'"'s mobile telephone by selecting the name of the physical location.

9. A computer-implemented method for coordinating an event by using relationship information stored in a database accessible by a server computer, the method comprising:

receiving at the server computer a message sent from a sender'"'"'s non-GPS enabled mobile telephone, the message containing self-declared location information indicating a physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message, and event information specifying a duration of the event;

the server computer parsing from said message the physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message, determining from the message the sender'"'"'s identity, the physical location, the duration of the event and an indication whether said event is private or public; and

wherein if said event is indicated public, the sever computer publishes the physical location of the sender and the duration of the event on a webpage; and

wherein if said event is indicated private, based on the sender'"'"'s identity and the relationship information stored in the database, determining a plurality of users associated with the sender and who have agreed to receive notification messages from the sender, each of the plurality of users having a mobile telephone; and

sending notification messages to the mobile telephones of the determined users, the notification messages containing the sender'"'"'s self-declared location information and the event information.

10. A computer-implemented method for coordinating an event by using relationship information stored in a database accessible by a server computer, the method comprising:

receiving at the server computer a message sent from a sender'"'"'s mobile telephone, the message containing self-declared location information indicating a physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message determined without the aid of automatic location determination technology, and;

the server computer parsing from said message the physical location of the sender at the time the sender sent the message, determining from the message the sender'"'"'s identity, the physical location and an indication whether said event is private or public; and

wherein if said event is indicated public, the sever computer publishes the physical location of the sender; and

wherein if said event is indicated private, based on the sender'"'"'s identify and the relationship information stored in the database, determining a plurality of users associated with the sender and who have agreed to receive notification messages from the sender, each of the plurality of users having a mobile telephone; and

sending a notification message to the mobile telephone of each of the determined users, the notification message containing the sender'"'"'s self-declared location information.