Constructing social networks

• US 8,700,710 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Cohen, David M., Shah, Chirag, Gallagher, James Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US13/434,699
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 409/204, 709203-205, 709217-219, 709227-229, 709249-250
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide techniques that enable a first user to add a second user to a social subnetwork of the first user'"'"'s social network. In one example, a method may include discovering a second computing device associated with a second user. A first user associated with a first computing device and the second user may each be associated with a social networking service. The method may include receiving, from the second computing device, identification data associated with the second user. The method may include determining an identifier based at least in part on the identification data received from the second computing device. The identifier may identify the second user in the social networking service. The method may also include sending a request to a remote computing device to associate the second user with the social subnetwork of the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a first computing device of a first user, a second computing device of a second user, wherein the second computing device is within a predefined proximity of the first computing device, wherein the predefined proximity comprises a predefined proximity for Near Field Communication, wherein the first user and the second user are each associated with a social networking service, and wherein a social network associated with the first user comprises a plurality of social subnetworks;

receiving, by the first computing device and from the second computing device, identification data of the second user, wherein the identification data of the second user is received by the first computing device directly from the second computing device within the predefined proximity for Near Field Communication;

determining, by the first computing device, an identifier of the second user based at least in part on the identification data received from the second computing device, wherein the identifier uniquely identifies the second user in the social networking service;

receiving, by the first computing device, user input to select one or more social subnetworks in which to include the second user, the one or more social subnetworks selected by the first user being from amongst the plurality of social subnetworks of the first user, wherein the one or more social subnetworks each respectively comprise a collection of users in the social networking service, the one or more social subnetworks providing the first user with control of distribution of social networking content provided by the first user in the social networking service; and

sending, to a remote computing device that provides the social networking service, a request to associate the second user with the one or more social subnetworks selected by the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the second computing device of the second user, by the first computing device or a remote computing device of the social networking service, identification information of the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first computing device sends the identification information of the first user directly to the second computing device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first computing device sends the identification information of the first user to the second computing device by sending a request to a remote computing device of the social networking service to send the identification information of the first user to the second computing device or the second user.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first computing device is configured to control at least one of a type or content of identification information that is sent by the first computing device as a function of the geoposition of the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first computing device is configured to control at least one of a type or content of identification information that is sent by the first computing device as a function of the local time of the first computing device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first computing device is configured to control at least one of a type or content of identification information that is sent by the first computing device to the second computing device or the second user as a function of social networking information about the second user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the identifier based on the identification data received from the second computing device comprises:

sending, by the first computing device, a request comprising at least a portion of the identification data of the second user to query a datastore on a remote computing device that comprises unique identifiers associated with users in a social networking service; and

in response to sending the request, receiving, by the first computing device, a unique identifier that identifies the second user in the social networking service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification data received from the second computing device comprises a unique identifier that identifies the second user in the social networking service, and the first computing devices receives social network data about the second user by sending the unique identifier a remote computing device of the social networking service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the second user comprises a unique identifier that identifies the second user in the social networking service.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the first computing device, an interface that indicates a plurality of social subnetworks of the first user and that accepts the user inputs of one or more selected social subnetworks in which to include the second user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying is triggered by receiving identification data of the second user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying is triggered by a user request.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating for display, by the first computing device, at least one of a visual representation of the second user and a rendering of profile information associated with the second user, wherein the profile information comprises one or more attributes associated with the second user.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the first computing device input from the first user comprising a communication and a selection of at least one social subnetwork as recipient of the communication, and

sending, to the remote computing device of the social networking service, the communication and the selection of at least one social subnetwork as recipient of the communication, such that the social networking service permits access to the communication only to members of the at least one social subnetwork selected as recipient.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, whether the second user is in a subnetwork of at least one other user who is a member of a social network of the first user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, whether an indication associated with the second user is included in an access control list; and

when the indication associated with the second user is included in an access control list, sending, by the first computing device, identification data associated with the first user to the second user.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identification data of the second user comprises receiving a vCard, meCard, XML, or hCard.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification data of the second user comprises data providing one or more of a first name, last name, phone number, address, and an email address of the second user.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein receiving, by the first computing device, user input of one or more selected social subnetworks in which to include the second user, comprises;

receiving a user input to generate an additional social subnetwork, and

sending, by the first computing device, a request to the remote computing device to generate the additional social subnetwork.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the first computing device, contextual information usable to generate a social subnetwork identifier that identifies the social subnetwork; and

associating, by the first computing device, the social subnetwork identifier with the social subnetwork based at least in part on the contextual information.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first computing device, identification information from a plurality of computing devices in addition to the second computing device; and

identifying, by the first computing device, the plurality of computing devices associated with a plurality of users, wherein the first user and the plurality of users are each associated with the social networking service.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a first computing device to perform operations comprising:

identifying, by a first computing device of a first user, a second computing device of a second user, wherein the second computing device is within a predefined proximity of the first computing device, wherein the predefined proximity comprises a predefined proximity for Near Field Communication, wherein the first user and the second user are each associated with a social networking service, and wherein a social network associated with the first user comprises a plurality of social subnetworks;

receiving, by the first computing device and from the second computing device, identification data of the second user, wherein the identification data of the second user is received by the first computing device directly from the second computing device within the predefined proximity for Near Field Communication;

determining, by the first computing device, an identifier of the second user based at least in part on the identification data received from the second computing device, wherein the identifier uniquely identifies the second user in the social networking service;

receiving, by the first computing device, user input to select one or more social subnetworks in which to include the second user, the one or more social subnetworks being from amongst the plurality of social subnetworks of the first user, wherein the one or more social subnetworks each respectively comprise a collection of users in the social networking service, the one or more social subnetworks providing the first user with control of distribution of social networking content provided by the first user in the social networking service; and

sending, to a remote computing device that provides the social networking service, a request to associate the second user with the one or more social subnetworks selected by the first user.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a first computing device to perform operations comprising:

sending, by the first computing device, at least one of a type or content of identification information that is sent by the first computing device as a function of the geoposition of the first computing device.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a first computing device to perform operations comprising:

sending, by the first computing device, at least one of a type or content of identification information that is sent by the first computing device as a function of a local time of the first computing device.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a first computing device to perform operations comprising:

sending, by the first computing device, at least one of a type or content of identification information that is sent by the first computing device to the second computing device as a function of social networking information about the second user.

27. A mobile computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a short-range communication device configured to;

identify a plurality of computing devices, wherein a first user is associated with the mobile computing device and a plurality of other users are associated with the plurality of computing devices, wherein the first user and the plurality of other users are each associated with a social networking service and wherein a social network associated with the first user comprises a plurality of social subnetworks, and

receive, from the plurality of computing devices, identification data of the plurality of other users, wherein the identification data of the plurality of other users is received by the first computing device directly from the plurality of other devices within a predefined proximity for Near Field Communication; and

a social networking module executable by the one or more processors to;

determine identifiers of each of the plurality of other users based at least in part on the identification data received from the plurality of computing devices, wherein the identifiers uniquely identify the plurality of users in the social networking service,

receive user input to select one or more social subnetworks in which to include the plurality of users, the one or more social subnetworks selected by the first user being from amongst the plurality of social subnetworks of the first user, wherein the one or more social subnetworks each respectively comprise a collection of users in the social networking service, the one or more social subnetworks providing the first user with control of distribution of social networking content provided by the first user in the social networking service;

send, to a remote computing device that provides the social networking service, a request to associate the plurality of users with the one or more social subnetworks selected by the first user.

28. A method comprising:

detecting, by a first computing device of a first user using at least a wireless signal, a second computing device of a second user, wherein the first user and the second user are each associated with a social networking service, wherein a social network associated with the first user comprises a plurality of social subnetworks, wherein the second computing device is within a predefined proximity of the first computing device, wherein the predefined proximity comprises a predefined proximity for Near Field Communication;

exchanging identifying information between the first computing device and the second computing device by, sending, from the first computing device, identifying information of at least the first user or the first computing device and by receiving at the first computing device identifying information for at least the second user or the second computing device, wherein the identification information is received by the first computing device directly from the second computing device within the predefined proximity for Near Field Communication;

displaying, at the first computing device, an interface to prompt the first user to at least select or generate one or more social subnetworks with which the second user is to be associated;

receiving, by the first computing device, user input from the first user to associate the second user with a selected or generated social subnetwork of the first user, wherein the one or more social subnetworks each respectively comprise a collection of users in the social networking service, the one or more social subnetworks providing the first user with control of distribution of social networking content provided by the first user in the social networking service; and

sending, by the first computing device and to a remote computing device that provides the social networking service, a communication that indicates the selected or generated social subnetwork with which to associate the second user.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the identifying information for at least one of the first user or the second user is exchanged using one or more remote computing devices in communication with the first computing device and the second computing device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the first and second users are each logged into accounts of the social networking service that associate each of the first and second users with their respective devices.