Mobile social network for facilitating GPS based services

• US 8,732,246 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Original Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Inventors: Jayanthi, Madhavi
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US12/075,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20090233629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• 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: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

Using a map displaying one or more mobile devices based on their current locations, a user of a mobile social networking server selects one or more of his friends, from one of a plurality of friend lists supported, to communicate collectively and share information collectively. For example, by selecting one or more of his friends from one of the friends lists, the user can communicate a recorded message, initiate a conference call, send a task list, retrieve information from their mobile devices, send notifications, etc. If the user of a first mobile device accesses the mobile social networking server using the first mobile device, that user can select one or more friends (from a selected current list) and access their blogs and review their data.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processing circuitry;

a communication module;

a client software capable of interacting with a mobile social networking server employing the communication module;

the client software displaying a map comprising representations of individuals of at least one of a plurality of friends lists managed by the user of the device, at their associated current locations on the map;

the client software displaying an identifier for each of a plurality of task lists, wherein each task list comprises a plurality of tasks, and wherein each of the plurality of tasks comprises details of a piece of work to be completed;

the client software accepting from the user of the device, input representing selection of one of the plurality of task lists;

the client software displaying the plurality of tasks of the selected task list;

the client software facilitating the selection of a target collection of individuals employing at least one of the representations of individuals of the at least one of a plurality of friends lists, for subsequent interactions;

the client software automatically assigning at least one task from the list of tasks selected by the user, to at least one individual in the target collection, based upon the at least one task and the current location of the at least one individual, and

the client software sending at least one message communicating the at least one task to the assigned at least one individual in the target collection.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the subsequent interactions comprise communicating at least one task to a target device currently associated with at least one individual in the target collection.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the selection of the target collection comprises determining a drag area specified by the user by drawing a geometrical shape on the map and identifying those of the representations of individuals of the at least one of a plurality of friends lists as being currently located inside the drag area based on their associated current locations on the map.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the subsequent interactions comprise communicating with the individuals in the target collection employing one of an audio conference means, a video conference means, a chat means, a textual data communication means, an audio recorded message communicating means, an instant messaging means and an email means.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the subsequent interactions comprise automatically retrieving blog content for each of the individuals in the target collection and presenting the blog content to the user of the device.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the subsequent interactions comprise automatically sending, to the individuals in the target collection, a request to provide data.

7. A mobile social network server comprising:

a current navigational data module for receiving current navigational data from a plurality of user mobile devices communicatively coupled to the mobile social network server;

a web map service module for dynamically producing a map of spatially referenced data;

a plurality of friends lists, wherein each of the plurality of friends lists comprises contact information for each of a plurality of friends;

the web map service module displaying, on a map presented to a first user, a representation of each of one or more individuals at respective current locations for one or more of the plurality of friends lists;

the mobile social network server receiving a target collection comprising other users identified by the first user based on the representation of individuals of the one or more of the plurality of friends lists;

the mobile social network server sending a message comprising a corresponding list of tasks to each of the other users in the target collection, wherein the list of tasks for each of the other users is automatically assigned from a list of tasks selected by the first user, based upon the list of tasks selected by the first user and respective current locations of each of the other users; and

wherein the list of tasks selected by the first user comprises a plurality of tasks and is selected by the first user from a plurality of tasks lists, and wherein each task of the plurality of tasks comprises details of a piece of work to be completed.

8. The mobile social network server of claim 7 further comprising:

wherein the mobile social network server communicatively couples to a second server; and

wherein the current navigational data module receives the current navigational data from the second server, the current navigational data comprising at least current location information from a plurality of mobile devices associated with the one or more of the plurality of friends lists.

9. The mobile social network server of claim 7, wherein the mobile social network server presents the map comprising representation of individuals of the one or more of the plurality of friends lists to a user.

10. The mobile social network server of claim 7, wherein the target collection comprises a list of phone numbers of mobile devices associated with selected ones of the representation of individuals of the one or more of the plurality of friends lists.

11. The mobile social network server of claim 7, wherein the target collection is specified by the user employing a drawing operation of a geometrical shape on the map presented to the user.

12. The mobile social network server of claim 7, wherein the task list communicated to each of the items in the target collection is specified by the user.

13. A method of communicating between a first mobile device and a plurality of second mobile devices, the method comprising:

displaying, by the first mobile device, a representation of locations of the plurality of second mobile devices on a map presented to a user of the first mobile device;

accepting a target collection, by the first mobile device, that is provided by the user, wherein the target collection comprises one or more of the plurality of second mobile devices;

assigning one or more tasks from a user specified list of tasks, by the first mobile device, to at least one second mobile device of the target collection, based upon the user specified tasks and a current location of the at least one second mobile device of the target collection, wherein the user specified list of tasks is selected from a plurality of tasks lists and comprises a plurality of tasks, and wherein each task comprises details of a piece of work to be completed;

communicating a message, to the at least one second mobile device of the target collection from the first mobile device, the message comprising the assigned one or more tasks from a user specified list of tasks;

receiving responses, by the first mobile device, from the at least one second mobile device of the target collection; and

showing the responses by the first mobile device, to the user.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein accepting comprises:

facilitating a drawing operation by the user of a geometrical shape on the map presented to the user; and

determining the target collection based on the representation of the plurality of second mobile devices on the map enclosed within the geometrical shape.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein assigning further comprises:

identifying a list of tasks to be completed;

mapping the list of tasks to the target collection based on the current location information associated with each of the one or more of the plurality of second mobile devices in the target collection; and

prompting the user to communicate ones from the mapping of the list of tasks to corresponding ones of the one or more of the plurality of second mobile devices in the target collection.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

conferencing, employing audio conferencing or video conferencing means, with the target collection, by the first mobile device.

17. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

communicating a message, employing a textual message means or an audio message means, to the target collection, by the first mobile device.

18. A hardware device communicatively coupled as required to a server, the hardware device comprising:

a client software configured to interact with the server;

the client software configured to display an identifier for each of a plurality of task lists, wherein each task list comprises a plurality of tasks, and wherein each of the plurality of tasks comprises details of work to be completed;

the client software configured to display a map comprising representations of individuals of at least one of a plurality of people lists at their associated current locations on the map;

the client software configured to support selection of one of the plurality of task lists and review of the plurality of tasks of the selected task list;

the client software configured to support user selection of a target collection of individuals from those individuals currently displayed on the map, for subsequent interactions;

the client software configured to support assigning of at least one task from the selected task list, to at least one individual in the target collection; and

the client software sending at least one message communicating the at least one task to the at least one individual in the target collection.

19. The hardware device of claim 18 further comprising:

the client software configured to receive at least one task completion message from the at least one individual in the target collection.

20. The hardware device of claim 18

wherein the selection of the target collection comprises determining a drag area drawn using a geometrical shape on the map by the user and identifying those individuals of the at least one of a plurality of people lists who are currently located inside the drag area based on their associated current locations on the map.