Social networking grouping hierarchy

• US 9,060,036 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Diab, Wael W., Bennett, James D., Rajakarunanayake, Yasantha N., Kellerman, Marcus C.
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/436,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/224, 709/245, 715/738
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A social networking environment enables interaction between social networking (SNET) groups. Some interactions between SNET groups can include docking various SNET groups based upon interactions between a member and some part of a social network. Various hierarchies of social networking infrastructure can enable hierarchical interactions between social devices, SNET groups, and other elements associated with various social networking infrastructures. Capabilities provided by various elements in various SNET infrastructures can be docked to create combined SNET groups, and capabilities provided by an SNET group can be accessed via interaction with a representative view of the capabilities. Various interactions can be managed based upon inputs, trigger events, authorizations, and the like provided by various processing systems, devices, members, or the like. Various interactions can enable members associated with an SNET infrastructure to access capabilities provided by an SNET group via a docked SNET group.

Claims

1. A social networking system that supports interactions with at least a first human member and a second human member, the social networking system comprising:

a processing system operable to support creation of a first social networking group and a second social networking group, the first social networking group having first group capabilities, and the second social networking group having membership which includes the first human member and the second human member;

the processing system being operable to also support a first docking process, the first docking process involving associating the first social networking group with the second social networking group so as to provide the first group capabilities to the membership of the second social networking group; and

the processing system being operable to deliver data to the membership of the second social networking group to support presentation of the first group capabilities.

2. The social networking system of claim 1, the processing system alters an association of the first social networking group with the second social networking group in response to an input.

3. The social networking system of claim 1, the processing system being operable to deliver data to the membership of the second social networking group to support presentation of a representative view of the first group capabilities, the representative view enables the membership to access the first group capabilities.

4. The social networking system of claim 3, wherein:

the first social networking group comprises a first plurality of social networking groups;

the first group capabilities comprise capabilities of at least one of the first plurality of social networking groups; and

the representative view includes a view of the first group capabilities independent of a view of the first plurality of social networking groups.

5. The social networking system of claim 3, the processing system being operable to deliver data to the membership of the second social networking group to support presentation of a first representative view of the first group capabilities to at least the first member of the second social networking group and a second representative view of the first group capabilities to at least the second member of the second social networking group, the first representative view is distinct from the second representative view.

6. The social networking system of claim 1, wherein the second social networking group is a guest social networking group, and the first docking process is an ad hoc docking process that includes associating a guest member with the guest social networking group and associating the guest social networking group with the first social networking group.

7. The social networking system of claim 1, comprising:

the processing system operable to establish at least one docking specification, the at least one docking specification includes conditions under which the first social networking group may be associated with the second social networking group;

the processing system being operable to manage access by the membership of the second social networking group to the first group capabilities based one the at least one docking specification; and

the processing system being operable to alter an association of the member social networking group with the associated social networking group as dictated by the at least one docking specification.

8. The social networking system of claim 7, wherein:

the processing system is operable to associate the second social networking group with a third-party social networking group,

the processing system is operable to manage access by a member of the third-party social networking group to at least one of information included in the second social networking group and the first group capabilities based upon at least one docking specification.

9. A device supporting a user that interacts with a social network, the device comprising:

an interface configured to communicatively couple with a first social networking group providing first group capabilities; and

processing circuitry interoperable with the interface to;

interact with the social network to dock the first social networking group to a second social networking group providing second group capabilities, wherein docking the first social networking group to the second social networking group includes associating the first social networking group with the second social networking group so as to make the second group capabilities available to members of the second social networking group.

10. The device of claim 9, the processing circuitry interoperable with the interface to:

send a group to group docking request, wherein the group to group docking requests includes a request to dock the device to a first social networking group, and

access a capability of the second social networking group.

11. The device of claim 9, the second social networking group includes a plurality of social networking groups, the second group capabilities including a capability of at least one of the plurality of social networking groups.

12. The device of claim 11, the processing circuitry interoperable with the interface to:

display, on a user interface, a representative view of the second social networking group with which the first social networking group is associated, the representative view includes a representation of a capability of the second social networking group independent of capabilities associated with others of the plurality of social networking groups; and

access the capability of the second social networking group based upon a user input, the user input is determined based upon a user interaction with the representative view via the user interface.

13. The device of Claim 9, the processing circuitry interoperable with the interface to:

associate a third-party social networking group with the first social networking group, via a docking process, such that a member of the third-party social networking group has access to at least some information associated with the first social networking group; and

manage access to the first social networking group by the member of the third-party social networking group in response to an input.

14. The device of claim 9, the processing circuitry interoperable with the interface to, in response to receiving an input, interact with the social network to disassociate the first social networking group with the second social networking group.

15. The device of claim 9, the processing circuitry interoperable with the interface to:

interact with the social network, via a docking process, to associate the first social networking group with a second social networking group based upon a geographic proximity of the device to a geographic location associated with the second social networking group; and

in response to determining that the geographic proximity of the device to a geographic location associated with the second social networking group exceeds a threshold, interact with the social network to disassociate the first social networking group with the second social networking group.

16. A method performed by a social networking system, the method comprising:

maintaining a first social networking group having a first group capabilities;

maintaining a second social networking group to support a first human member and a second human member via a first device and a second device respectively; and

responding to a group to group docking request received by associating the first social networking group with the second social networking group so as to make the first group capabilities available to the second social networking group, the group to group docking request originating from an interaction with the first device.

17. The method of claim 16, the group to group docking request is a request to associate the first social networking group with the second social network so as to provide at least one of the first device and the second device with at least some of the first group capabilities.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

responding to the group to group docking request by providing both the first device and the second device access to the first group capabilities via a representative view, the first group capabilities are provided by at least one of a plurality of social networking groups, and the representative view includes a representation of the first group capabilities independent of the at least one of the plurality of social networking groups.

19. The method of claim 16, comprising:

providing the second device a limited access to the first group capabilities based on a docking specification originating from an interaction with the first device.

20. The method of claim 18, the first group capabilities include at least one of a gaming capabilities and access to a gambling device.