Human relationships registering system and device for registering human relationships, program for registering human relationships, and medium storing human relationships registering program and readable by computer

• US 8,135,749 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mekiki Company Limited, Mekiki Creates Company Limited (Mekiki Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mekiki Company Limited, Mekiki Creates Company Limited (Mekiki Company Limited)
• Inventors: Deguchi, Hikaru, Ninomiya, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US12/916,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

To provide a human relationships registering system, a method and a server for registering human relationships, a program for registering human relationships, and a medium storing human relationships registering program and readable by a computer, all of which are used to establish wide and close relationships with members having a variety of occupations or engaged in various technical fields and to obtain expert knowledge or information. The human relationships registering system comprises first data processing units 2 and 3 including sections for receiving personal data of a new member, and a second data processing unit including a section for storing the received personal data. The second data processing unit stores the personal data of the new member in correlation to an existing member when the existing member confirms the new member.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a server coupled to a communication network configured to establish and update relationships between members registered to a relationships registering system coupled to the communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a database configured to store personal attribute information, including identification information of the members, and relationship data indicating a direct human relationship between at least some of the members;

a data receiver configured to receive via the communication network, from a first member, one or more key words of a first search request including the identification information of a second member;

a data retriever configured, in response to the first search request, to search the database specifically for personal attribute information of one or more third members having relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member and with the second member; and

a data sender configured to communicate to the first member via the communication network the retrieved personal attribute information of at least a subset of the one or more third members.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the personal attribute information further includes specialized fields of the members, and the data retriever is further configured to retrieve a specialized field of the one or more third members from the database.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first search request further includes target relationship data, indicating a direct human relationship between the second member and at least the one or more third members.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data receiver is further configured to receive, from the first member, the identification information of the first member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to a second search request searching only for members that are directly related to both the first member and a fourth member, the data retriever is further configured to search the database specifically for personal attribute information of one or more fifth members that have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with both the first member and the fourth member, and the data sender is further configured to communicate to the first member via the communication network the retrieved personal attribute information of at least one of the one or more fifth members.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the retrieved personal attribute information of the at least a subset of the one or more fifth members is displayed separately from personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more fifth members is displayed in a first region such that the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more fifth members is directly adjacent to the retrieved personal attribute information of at least another of said one or more fifth members, and

personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member is displayed in a vertical alignment in a second region separate from the first region.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification information of the members includes at least any one of a member name, a member identification code, and a member email address.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first search request is included in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the retrieved personal attribute information of the at least a subset of the one or more third members is displayed separately from personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more third members is displayed in a first region such that the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more third members is directly adjacent to the retrieved personal attribute information of at least another of said one or more third members, and

personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member is displayed in a vertical alignment in a second region separate from the first region.

12. An apparatus including a server coupled to a communication network configured to establish and update relationships between members registered to a relationships registering system coupled to the communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a database configured to store identification information and relationships of the members;

a data receiver configured to receive, from a first member, identification information of the first member and of a second member stored in the database;

a data retriever configured, in response to the received identification information of the first member and the second member, to search the database specifically for one or more third members that are directly related to both the first member and the second member; and

a data sender configured to communicate to the first member via the communication network the identification information of at least a subset of the one or more third members.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the database is further configured to store relationship data indicating a direct human relationship between the members.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data receiver is further configured to receive from the first member target relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member and the second member, and the data retriever is further configured to search, in response to both the target relationship data and the received identification information of the first member and the second member, specifically for the identification information of the members that are directly related to both the first member and the second member.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the received identification information of the second member is included in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the identification information stored in the database includes at least any one of a member name, a member identification code, and a member email address.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the received identification information of the second member is included in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

18. A method, implemented by an apparatus including a server coupled to a communication network, for establishing and updating relationships between members registered to a relationships registering system coupled to the communication network, the method comprising:

storing, at a database, personal attribute information, including identification information of the members, and relationship data indicating direct human relationships between at least some of the members;

receiving from a first member, at a data receiver and via the communication network, one or more key words of a first search request including the identification information of a second member;

searching the database, at a data retriever and in response to the first search request, specifically for personal attribute information of one or more third members having relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member and with the second member; and

communicating, at a data sender, to the first member via the communication network the retrieved personal attribute information of at least a subset of the one or more third members.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first search request further includes the identification information of the first member.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

searching the database, at the data retriever and in response to a second search request searching only for members that are directly related to both the first member and a fourth member, specifically for personal attribute information of one or more fifth members that have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with both the first member and the fourth member, and

communicating, at the data sender, to the first member via the communication network, the retrieved personal attribute information of at least a subset of the one or more fifth members.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

displaying the retrieved personal attribute information of the at least a subset of the one or more fifth members separately from personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

displaying the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more fifth members in a first region such that the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more fifth members is directly adjacent to the retrieved personal attribute information of at least another of said one or more fifth members, and

displaying personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member in a vertical alignment in a second region separate from the first region.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the identification information of the members includes at least any one of a member name, a member identification code, and a member email address.

24. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

displaying the retrieved personal attribute information of the at least a subset of the one or more third members separately from personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member.

25. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

displaying the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more third members in a first region such that the retrieved personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more third members is directly adjacent to the retrieved personal attribute information of at least another of said one or more third members, and

displaying personal attribute information of members that do not have relationship data indicating a direct human relationship with the first member in a vertical alignment in a second region separate from the first region.