Location based social software for mobile devices

• US 8,670,786 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Crowley, Dennis P., Rainert, Alexander M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US13/621,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 542 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/414.2, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/415, 455/412.2, 455/435.1, 455/517, 455/452.2, 455/452.1, 705/10, 705/205, 705/204, 705/203
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method of establishing connection between users of mobile devices includes receiving at a computer a location of a first user from a first mobile device, receiving from a second mobile device a location of a second user having an acquaintance relationship to the first user, and sending a message to the first mobile device based on the proximity of the first user to the second user.

Claims

1. A method of establishing connection between users of mobile devices, comprising:

receiving at a computer system that implements a social networking service and from a first mobile device, information that identifies a first user of the first mobile device;

receiving, at the computer system and from a second mobile device, information that identifies a location of the second mobile device;

determining, at the computer system, that the first user has an acquaintance relationship with a second user who corresponds to the second mobile device; and

sending, from the computer system and based on at least the location of the first mobile device or the second mobile device, and on the determined acquaintance relationship, a message to the first mobile device that indicates a location of the second mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the second mobile device is determined by converting a location proxy to a set of corresponding location coordinates.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location coordinates comprise GPS coordinates.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the location proxy comprises a venue name.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising parsing the venue name from an electronic message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising parsing the electronic mail message into components from a MIME header.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the the information that identifies the first user of the first mobile device is sent over a text messaging system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquaintance relationship is a friend relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquaintance relationship is a friend-of-a-friend relationship.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sent message notifies the first user of the location of the second user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising retiring the location of the second mobile device a predetermined time after receiving the information that identifies the location of the second mobile device, so that other users may no longer learn the location of the second mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising blocking a message to the second mobile device based on a selection by the first user to hide from the second user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a venue review from a third user and making the review available to the first user and the second user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a message to the second mobile device based on the proximity of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to each other.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first sent message provides the identity of the second user, and a second sent message provides an indication that another user is in the proximity of the second user, without providing the identity of the first user.

16. A system for providing information about acquaintances, comprising:

an interface to receive messages from users of the system providing information associated with locations of the users;

a location engine configured to correlate the received location information to a location identifier from a first user that may be compared to other location identifiers for users other than the first user;

an acquaintance identifier configured to identify acquaintances of users providing location information to the system; and

a message generator to prepare messages to users regarding the locations of their acquaintances if those locations based on a determination that two users have an acquaintance relationship with each other and a determination that a user, of the two users, whose location is provided in a message, is at a particular location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface comprises an e-mail in box or a text message receiver.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the location engine comprises a table that correlates venue names to geographic coordinates.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the message generator is configured to prepare a first message for a first user about the location of a second user who is a identified as a friend of the first user, and to prepare a message for the second user about the location of the first user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the message generator is responsive to instructions from the location engine and the acquaintance identifier so that the message generator only prepares messages for users of a predetermined relationship and in a particular geographic area.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the message generator is configured to prepare a plurality of messages for a plurality of users identified as friends of a first user, when the first user requests that messages be addressed to the friends of the first user.

22. A system for providing information about acquaintances, comprising:

an interface to receive a message from a first user of the system;

means for identifying a set of users of a particular acquaintance relationship to the first user within a social networking service; and

a message generator to prepare messages for the set of users in response to the message from the first user, based on a determination that two users have the particular acquaintance relationship with each other and a determination that one user, of the two users, whose location is provided in a message, is at a particular location based on information received from a device of the one user.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform actions comprising:

receiving at a computer system that implements a social networking service and from a computing device, information that identifies a first user of a first mobile device;

receiving, at the computer system and from a second mobile device, information that identifies a location of the second mobile device; and

sending, from the computer system and based on at least the location of the first mobile device or the second mobile device, and the determined acquaintance relationship, a message to the first mobile device that indicates a location of the second mobile device.