System and method for managing relationships with independent multi-dimensional grouping, individualized privileges, and interactive feedback in a social network

• US 8,990,393 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Henri Rizk
• Original Assignee: Henri Rizk
• Inventors: Rizk, Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUNDUR, PADMAVATHI V
• Application Number:
  US13/079,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for managing relationships in a social network with independent multi-dimensional groupings, individualized privileges & interactive feedback. The contributing member can assign a privilege level from a sliding scale of at least three levels for each item of information, represented as C₁, C₂, C₃, . . . C_N. The contributing member then grants direct privilege levels as they make new friends or grants indirect privilege levels when they join groups or networks. When a requesting user (T) wishes to see contributed information, their privilege level (L) with respect to the contributing member is accessed. The system retrieves all items of information (C), and selectively displays those items of information which have been assigned a privilege level C₁, C₂, C₃, . . . C_N matching or less than the privilege level granted to the requesting member T_L. A contributing member can also chose to allow ‘friends of friends’ to inherit the privilege level assigned to them by their friends so that ‘friends of friends’ can be granted access to their private information despite the lack of direct connection.

Claims

1. A computer system for facilitating sharing, over a communications network, of social network account data, comprising:

a database storage device for storing a first user'"'"'s social network account data comprising profile data, relationship data and privilege data, wherein profile data comprises at least the first user'"'"'s name and location, relationship data comprises connections with other users representing social relationships, and privilege data comprises a privilege level required for viewing each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account and a list of privileges granted to other users, wherein each privilege level defines whether said other user may view an individual piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account;

a server communicatively connected to the database storage device, the server including a memory device, a network interface device communicatively coupled with the communications network, and a processor configured for;

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user for defining a set of different privilege levels required to view each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account, wherein there are at least three different privilege levels;

receiving, over the communications network, a request from a second user to enter into a social relationship with the first user;

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user for granting a set of privilege levels, based on one of direct privilege method, indirect privilege method, and group privilege method, to the second user for allowing access to each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account when a user privilege level is greater than or equal to a required privilege level for a piece of data, wherein a direct privilege method comprises granting a privilege level directly to a requesting user from another user, wherein an indirect privilege method comprises granting inherited privilege level to a requesting user by another user or granting a default privilege level if non-inherited, and wherein a group privilege method comprises assigning a privilege level to a group of users by another user;

wherein the first user granting the inherited privilege level to a third user that is equal to a minimum of the set of privilege levels granted to the second user by the first user and a set of privilege levels granted by the second user to the third user, wherein the set of privilege levels granted to the second user by the first user is distinct from the set of privilege levels granted by the second user to the third user, and wherein the third user has a social relationship with the second user, but no relationship with the first user;

generating an access authorization for the second user, wherein the access authorization comprises a comparison of the set of privilege levels received by the second user, compared with the set of privilege levels defined by the first user as being required for viewing each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account;

generating an access authorization for the third user, wherein the access authorization comprises a comparison of the set of privilege levels received by the third user, compared with the set of privilege levels defined by the first user as being required for viewing each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account;

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the second user, wherein, according to the access authorization of the second user, the graphical user interface displays only those pieces of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account that have a privilege level that is equal to or less than the privilege level was granted to the second user for said pieces of data; and

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the third user, wherein, according to the access authorization of the third user, the graphical user interface displays only those pieces of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account that have a privilege level that is equal to or less than the privilege level that was inherited by the third user from the second user for said pieces of data.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user for defining a privilege level granted to a fourth user that has a social relationship with the second user, but no relationship with the first user, wherein the privilege level granted to the fourth user is distinct from the privilege level granted to the second user.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the fourth user, wherein the graphical user interface displays only those pieces of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account that have a privilege level that is equal to or less than the privilege level granted to the fourth user.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to a plurality of users, the graphical user interface for reading and storing ratings from the plurality of users about a specific user.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the plurality of users, the graphical user interface for displaying a compilation of three or more ratings from the plurality of users about the specific user.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the profile data further comprises an identification of a group or groups of which the first user is a member and wherein the processor is further configured to allow the first user to grant all members of such groups a specific group privilege level.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user to allow the first user to arrange and segregate his/her contacts in overlapping or segregated groups, such that the first user'"'"'s connections with other users are shared only among members of the same groups, and to make available a singleton group allowing the first user not to share any of her/his connections with other users within the singleton group.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user so as to display interactive social networking feedback including ratings, recommendations and blames by other users, as well as detailed consultation statistics about the first user and her/his submitted content.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user to conduct private group communications with his/her connections with other users, such that only the users belonging to a group selected by the first user can participate in the group communication.

10. A method on a server for facilitating sharing, over a communications network, of social network account data, comprising:

storing a first user'"'"'s social network account data comprising profile data, relationship data and privilege data, wherein profile data comprises at least the first user'"'"'s name and location, relationship data comprises connections with other users representing social relationships, and privilege data comprises a privilege level required for viewing each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account and a list of privileges granted to other users, wherein each privilege level defines whether said other user may view an individual piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account;

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user for defining a set of different privilege levels required to view each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account, wherein there are at least three different privilege levels;

receiving, over the communications network, a request from a second user to enter into a social relationship with the first user;

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user for granting a set of privilege levels, based on one of direct privilege method, indirect privilege method, and group privilege method, to the second user for allowing access to each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account when a user privilege level is greater than or equal to a required privilege level for a piece of data, wherein a direct privilege method comprises granting a privilege level directly to a requesting user from another user, wherein an indirect privilege method comprises granting inherited privilege level to a requesting user by another user or granting a default privilege level if non-inherited, and wherein a group privilege method comprises assigning a privilege level to a group of users by another user;

wherein the first user granting the inherited privilege level to a third user that is equal to a minimum of the set of privilege levels granted to the second user by the first user and a privilege level granted by the second user to the third user, wherein the set of privilege levels granted to the second user by the first user is distinct from the set of privilege levels granted by the second user to the third user, and wherein the third user has a social relationship with the second user, but no relationship with the first user;

generating an access authorization for the second user, wherein the access authorization comprises a comparison of the set of privilege levels received by the second user, compared with the set of privilege levels defined by the first user as being required for viewing each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account;

generating an access authorization for the third user, wherein the access authorization comprises a comparison of the set of privilege levels received by the third user, compared with the set of privilege levels defined by the first user as being required for viewing each piece of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account;

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the second user, wherein, according to the access authorization of the second user, the graphical user interface displays only those pieces of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account that have a privilege level that is equal to or less than the privilege level was granted to the second user for said pieces of data; and

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the third user, wherein, according to the access authorization of the third user, the graphical user interface displays only those pieces of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account that have a privilege level that is equal to or less than the privilege level that was inherited by the third user from the second user for said pieces of data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the first user for defining a privilege level granted to a fourth user that has a social relationship with the second user, but no relationship with the first user, wherein the privilege level granted to the fourth user is distinct from the privilege level granted to the second user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the fourth user, wherein the graphical user interface displays only those pieces of data in the first user'"'"'s social network account that have a privilege level that is equal to or less than the privilege level was granted to the fourth user.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to a plurality of users, the graphical user interface for reading and storing ratings from the plurality of users about a specific user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

providing, over the communications network, a graphical user interface to the plurality of users, the graphical user interface for displaying a compilation of three or more ratings from the plurality of users about the specific user.