Social networking system, method and device

• US 8,620,828 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Search and Social Media Partners LLC
• Original Assignee: Search and Social Media Partners LLC
• Inventors: Harrison, Jr., Shelton E.
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/720,823
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A social networking system, method and device provides a social network environment in which one user subscribes to a newsfeed or ticker related to another user. Per a disclosed embodiment, users share URLs and post user-generated content, and other users view, comment on, or indicate that they like or dislike such posts; user approval or disapproval of such posts is made visible through, inter alia, a disclosed quantity indicator of popularity. Disclosed embodiments further provide a disclosed mechanism for recommending one user to another, for resolving disputes between users, and for displaying a wish list or an inventory on behalf of a user. Disclosed embodiments further provide for verifying a user and for checking a URL. Disclosed embodiments further provide revenue generation through collecting data pertaining to users, serving advertisements to users, and facilitating transactions between users.

Claims

1. A system for use in a social network environment comprising:

a first computer system accessible via a first computer network, said first computer system comprising a data processor and a memory;

a first user account record stored in said memory, said first user account record being associated with a first social group, wherein said first social group is one of a multitude of different social groups within said social network environment and wherein each social group has an associated respective real-time news ticker;

a real-time news ticker of said first social group, said real-time news ticker of said first social group comprising a plurality of real-time news items pertaining to said first social group; and

a second user account record, said second user account record comprising a first subscription to said real-time news ticker of said first social group, said first user account record being different from said second user account record, wherein;

an association between said first user account record and said first social group is verified as a condition for said first user account record being permitted to distribute news items through said real-time news ticker of said first social group.

2. The system in claim 1 wherein said first social group is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a group pertaining to a first academic institution;

(ii) a group pertaining to a first religious institution;

(iii) a group pertaining to a first club; and

(iv) a group pertaining to a first interest.

3. The system in claim 2 additionally comprising a verification mechanism to verify said association of said first user account record with said first social group.

4. The system in claim 1 wherein:

said association between said first user account record and said first social group is verified through a first access requirement; and

said system additionally comprises a revenue component, said revenue component being selected from the group consisting of;

(i) an advertising component for causing display of a first advertisement in a context of user activity;

(ii) a payment-processing component for processing a first user-to-user payment;

(iii) a purchase component for facilitating a first user-to-user sale; and

(iv) a data-gathering component for collecting data about user activity.

5. The system in claim 4 wherein said first access requirement pertains to a first unique character string and wherein said system additionally comprises a reception component to receive a first submission, said first submission being selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a submission comprising at least an indication of user approval of another submission;

(ii) a submission comprising at least an indication of user disapproval of another submission;

(iii) a submission comprising a first user comment on another submission; and

(iv) a submission by way of a first telephone, barcode scanner, or RFID reader.

6. The system in claim 1 additionally comprising an entry for a reference resource, said entry being selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a dictionary entry comprising community-edited content;

(ii) a thesaurus entry comprising community-edited content; and

(iii) an encyclopedia entry comprising community-edited content.

7. The system in claim 1 additionally comprising first indicia of a first quantity, said first quantity being based at least in part on user activity and being selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a dollar amount; and

(ii) a measure of user approval.

8. The system in claim 1 additionally comprising:

an indicia information component, said indicia information component configured for providing first indicia information, said first indicia information configured for causing first indicia to appear in a first resource when said first indicia information is embedded in said first resource, said first resource being hosted on a second computer system, wherein;

said second computer system, is different from said first computer system; and

said first indicia indicate a first quantity, said first quantity being based at least in part on user activity and being selected from the group consisting of (i) a dollar amount and (ii) a measure of user approval.

9. The system in claim 1 additionally comprising a first wish list or a first inventory list for display in connection with said first user account.

10. The system in claim 1 additionally comprising a validity checking component for performing a security comparison check whether a first uniform resource locator (URL) associated with a first news item satisfies a resource validation criterion for inclusion in the newsfeed.

11. A system for use in a social network environment comprising:

a first computer system communicatively coupled to a first computer network, said first computer system comprising a data processor and a memory and being configured for at least partly providing a first social network environment, the first social network environment having a multitude of different social groups;

an account component configured for storing a first user account in said memory and storing a second user account, said second user account being different from said first user account;

a subscription component for establishing a first subscription in which said second user account is subscribed to said first user account; and

a real-time news ticker component configured for providing, per said first subscription, a plurality of real-time news items pertaining to said first user account when said second user account is in use; and

wherein;

said first social network environment comprises a first social group that is one of said multitude of different social groups, said first social group being selected from the group consisting of;

(i) a group pertaining to a first academic institution;

(ii) a group pertaining to a first religious institution;

(iii) a group pertaining to a first club; and

(iv) a group pertaining to a first interest;

and wherein;

said plurality of real-time news items comprises a first real-time news item, said first real-time news item comprising a first URL or a first link to said first URL; and

wherein;

a security comparison check is performed of said first URL such that said first URL is verified to satisfy a first criterion for inclusion in said plurality of real-time news items.

12. The system in claim 11 wherein said first user account is affiliated with a first entity, said first entity being selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a first nonprofit organization;

(ii) a first academic institution;

(iii) a first religious institution;

(iv) a first entity meeting a first environmental standard;

(v) a first website-hosting entity;

(vi) a first website provider;

(vii) a first bonded seller; and

(vii) a first club.

13. The system in claim 11 wherein said first real-time news item is associated with news distributed to subscribers within said first social group and said first user account is a verified user account, said verified user account being verified to be associated with said first social group.

14. The system in claim 11 wherein said first real-time news item further comprises first content, said first content being received by way of said first user account.

15. The system in claim 11 further including a product information component that comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of:

(i) an advertisement for causing display of a first advertisement in a context of user activity, said user activity pertaining to a first keyword;

(ii) a wish list for causing display of a first wish list in a context of user activity; and

(iii) an inventory for causing display of an inventory list in a context of user activity.

16. The system in claim 11 additionally comprising:

(i) a payment-processing component for processing a first user-to-user payment; and

(ii) a purchase component for facilitating a first user-to-user sale.

17. The system in claim 11 additionally comprising:

(i) a terms-of-use component, said terms-of-use component configured for storing a plurality of provisions for resolving disputes between users of the social network environment; and

(ii) a dispute resolution component for resolving disputes between users of the social network environment.

18. A social network method comprising:

receiving first account information at a first computer system via a first computer network, said first computer system comprising a data processor and a memory;

storing said first account information in a first user account in said memory;

storing a second user account, said first user account being different from said second user account;

verifying, via a first computer network, a relationship between said first user account and a first entity, wherein said first entity is one of a multitude of different entities in said social network;

receiving, via said first computer network a first subscription in which said second user account is subscribed to said first user account; and

distributing, via said first computer network, when said second user account is in use, a real-time news ticker per said first subscription, said real-time news ticker comprising real-time news related to said first user account or said first entity.

19. The method in claim 18 wherein said first entity is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a first academic institution;

(ii) a first religious institution; and

(iii) a first club.

20. The method in claim 18 additionally comprising:

generating revenue, said generating revenue being selected from the group consisting of;

(i) providing an advertisement in a context of a user activity, said user activity pertaining to a first keyword;

(ii) collecting information about users and user activities and selling said information about users and activities;

(iii) processing a first user-to-user payment; and

(iv) processing a first user-to-user sale.

21. The method in claim 18 additionally comprising:

monitoring a plurality of user activities, said plurality of activities comprising a first user activity, said first user activity pertaining to a first resource; and

performing a security comparison check to validate said first resource according to a first validation criterion.

22. The method in claim 18 additionally comprising:

facilitating community interaction, said facilitating community interaction being selected from the group consisting of;

(i) recommending a first user to a second user when said first user matches at least a first criterion of interest to said second user;

(ii) providing a report mechanism, said report mechanism configured to allow a first user to flag a first post by a second user as being inappropriate; and

(iii) providing a community mechanism, said community mechanism configured to allow a plurality of users to join an intentional community via said first computer network.

23. The method in claim 18 additionally comprising:

at least partly causing display of first quantity indicia, said first quantity indicia pertaining to user activity and being selected from the group consisting of (i) a dollar amount and (ii) a score based on user feedback.

24. The method in claim 18 wherein said verifying said relationship comprises verifying a first user, said verifying said first user comprising verifying said first user'"'"'s access or control.

25. The method in claim 18 further comprising displaying a wish list associated with a user of the social network environment.

26. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

generating a user interface, said user interface displaying a plurality of provisions of an agreement for resolving disputes between users of the social network environment; and

facilitating resolution of disputes between users of the social network in accordance with the provisions of the agreement.

27. A social network method comprising:

submitting first account information from a first computer system to a second computer system via a first computer network, said first computer system comprising a data processor and a memory;

logging into, via said first computer network, a first account in a social network environment, said first account being affiliated with a first entity, wherein said first entity is one of a multitude of different entities in said social network;

demonstrating, via said first computer network, access in accordance with a first account verification requirement; and

providing, via said first computer network, real time news pertaining to said first entity, said providing news comprising submitting, via said first computer network, first content for inclusion in a first real-time news ticker, wherein;

said first real-time news ticker is configured to at least partly cause display of said first content when a second account is in use; and

said second account is different from said first account.

28. The method in claim 27 wherein said social network environment includes a capability to offer products for sale within the social network environment, the method additionally comprising:

acknowledging agreement, via a user interface, to a provision regarding a dispute resolution service provided by said second computer system for user-to user purchases in the social network environment.

29. The method in claim 27 wherein said social network environment comprises a first social group, said first social group being selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a group pertaining to said first entity; and

(ii) an intentional community of users who share a common interest.

30. The method in claim 27 additionally comprising:

paying for a first advertisement, said advertisement being displayed when a keyword associated with said advertisement is relevant to a user activity;

offering a first good for sale; and

selling said first good.