Populating online forums

• US 8,914,443 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Webb, Brandyn, Gould, Kirk B., Kaplan, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US14/190,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, a forum for user interaction is provided. A clone of the forum is created, thereby allowing any number of users to be in the same forum while limiting the number of users in each instance of the forum. It is determined whether a relationship exists between a user entering the forum and one or more other users entering the forum or with one or more other users already in the forum. If a relationship exists, the user entering the forum is placed in a clone of the forum based on the relationship.

Claims

1. A method for managing an online service in which users interact with each other, the method comprising:

creating a first forum having multiple instances thereof, wherein a first user is a member of a particular instance of the first forum;

creating a second forum having multiple instances thereof, wherein a second user is a member of a particular instance of the second forum;

receiving a request from the second user to join the first forum;

identifying an interaction that occurred between the first and second users at a time when the first user was a member of the particular instance of the second forum;

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an online address of the first user, wherein the online address is selected from a group consisting of an email address, an internet protocol address, and a domain name of a server;

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information; and

in response to identification of the interaction and the request from the second user, placing the second user in the particular instance of the first forum.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an address of the first user; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising a physical address of the first user; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising a physical address that includes a country that the first user is in; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an online address of the first user; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising a language in which the first user prefers to communicate; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

7. A server system comprising one or more server computers implementing an online service, wherein each server computer is programmed to perform operations comprising:

creating a first forum having multiple instances thereof, wherein a first user is a member of a particular instance of the first forum;

creating a second forum having multiple instances thereof, wherein a second user is a member of a particular instance of the second forum;

receiving a request from the second user to join the first forum;

identifying an interaction that occurred between the first and second users at a time when the first user was a member of the particular instance of the second forum;

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an online address of the first user, wherein the online address is selected from a group consisting of an email address, an internet protocol address, and a domain name of a server;

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information; and

in response to identification of the interaction and the request from the second user, placing the second user in the particular instance of the first forum.

8. The server system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an address of the first user; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

9. The server system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising a physical address of the first user; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

10. The server system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising a physical address that includes a country that the first user is in; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

11. The server system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an online address of the first user; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

12. The server system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising a language in which the first user prefers to communicate; and

identifying the particular instance of the first forum based on the string of information.

13. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a network; and

a client system in communication with the online service over the network.

14. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructions operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

create a first forum having multiple instances thereof, wherein a first user is a current member of a particular instance of the first forum;

create a second forum having multiple instances thereof, wherein a second user is a current member of a particular instance of the second forum;

receive a request from the second user to join the first forum;

use the request to identify an interaction that occurred between the first and second users at a time when the first user belonged to the particular instance of the second forum;

receive a string of information from the first user, the string of information comprising an online address of the first user, wherein the online address is selected from a group consisting of an email address, an internet protocol address, and a domain name of a server; and

determine which of the multiple instances of the first forum the second user should be placed in based on identification of the interaction and on the string of information.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive a first string of information that indicates that the first user was previously a member of the particular instance of the second forum; and

receive a second string of information that indicates that the second user is a current member of the particular instance of the second forum.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive a first string of information from a client computer of the first user, wherein the first string of information indicates that the first user was previously a member of the particular instance of the second forum; and

receive a second string of information from a client computer of the second user, wherein the second string of information indicates that the second user is a current member of the particular instance of the second forum.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive a first string of information from a client computer of the first user, wherein the first string of information indicates that the first user was previously a member of the particular instance of the second forum; and

receive a second string of information from a client computer of the second user, wherein the second string of information indicates that the second user is a current member the particular instance of the second forum,

wherein the first and second strings of information are automatically sent from the client computers of the first and second users, respectively.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to receive an indication from at least one of the first and second users that a relationship exists between the first and second users.