Social network device memberships and applications

• US 9,065,869 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• 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: Rajakarunanayake, Yasantha N., Bennett, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US13/342,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A social device including capabilities for participating in a social network group via a social infrastructure. Various functions and resources of the social device are accessible by members of the social network group. Likewise, the social device may be configured to access services and other resources of the social network group. The social device may participate in the social network group through an autonomous, automated or member-triggered process. In one embodiment, the social device functions as a social gateway to communicatively couple a child node and a social network group. The social gateway may comprise a set top box or mobile communication device, and the child node may be a human user that interacts with the social gateway through a user interface. In a further embodiment, the social gateway may concurrently operate as a child device that communicates with a social network group through another social device.

Claims

1. A social device used with a social infrastructure that supports a plurality of social network groups, a first of the plurality of social network groups having an associated membership including at least one human member, the social device comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with the social network infrastructure;

processing circuitry operably coupled to the communication interface;

at least one device resource supported by the processing circuitry;

the processing circuitry utilizing the communication interface to establish a device membership within the first of the plurality of social network groups, the device membership belonging to the social device separate and apart from a membership of a user of the social device; and

the processing circuitry offering the at least one device resource via the first of the plurality of social network groups.

2. The social device of claim 1 wherein the associated membership also includes a second device member, and the at least one device resource is offered for access via the first of the plurality of social network groups by the second device member.

3. The social device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry establishes membership within the first of the plurality of social network groups, at least in part, in an autonomous manner.

4. The social device of claim 1, wherein offering the at least one device resource is conditioned upon membership of the social device in the first of the plurality of social network groups.

5. The social device of claim 4, wherein establishing membership within the first of the plurality of social network groups comprises receiving an invitation from the social infrastructure.

6. The social device of claim 5, the processing circuitry configured to autonomously accept or request an invitation to participate in the first social network group.

7. The social device of claim 5, the processing circuitry configured to accept an invitation to participate in the first social network group following an indication of acceptance from a user of the social device.

8. The social device of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface coupled to the processing circuitry, the user interface operable to receive input information from a human user of the social device, the input information relating to interaction with the social network group.

9. The social device of claim 1, further comprising a member reporting module coupled to the communication interface, the member reporting module comprising profile information relating to at least one characteristic of the social device, and wherein the communication interface is configured to share the profile information via the social infrastructure.

10. The social device of claim 1, further comprising a member reporting module coupled to the communication interface, the member reporting module comprising profile information relating to at least one characteristic of a user or owner associated with the social device, and wherein the communication interface is configured to share the profile information via the social infrastructure.

11. The social device of claim 1, the communication interface further configured to receive profile information from the first social network group, wherein the profile information comprises information relating to characteristics of at least one node associated with the first social network group.

12. The social device of claim 1, wherein the communication interface and the processing circuitry comprise an integrated circuit device.

13. The social device of claim 1 configured to participate in a first social network group selected from the group consisting of an appliance social network, a vehicular social network, and a medical social network.

14. A social gateway device having functions and social capabilities for participating in a social network group having an associated membership including at least one social device member and at least one human or non-device member, the social gateway device comprising:

processing circuitry configured to support hierarchical interaction with the social network group, including determining a device membership of a social network device within the social network group, the device membership belonging to the social device separate and apart from a membership of a user of the social network device;

an upstream communication interface operably coupled to the processing circuitry and configured to communicate with the social network group; and

a downstream communication interface operably coupled to the processing circuitry, the downstream communication interface configured to communicate with a child node,

the processing circuitry further configured to communicatively couple the social network group and the child node.

15. The social gateway device of claim 14, wherein the social gateway device is a set top box, the social gateway device further comprising a front end coupled to the processing circuitry, the front end operable to receive external media content and convert the media content for consumption by at least one child node communicatively coupled to the downstream communication interface.

16. The social gateway device of claim 14, wherein the social gateway device is a mobile computing device.

17. The social gateway device of claim 14, wherein the downstream communication interface comprises a user interface, wherein the child node is a human user.

18. The social gateway device of claim 14 operable as both a parent social device and a child social device, wherein the upstream communication interface is configured to communicate with the social network group through a parent node.

19. A social device having functions and social capabilities for participating in a social network group having an associated membership including at least one social device member and at least one human or non-device member, the social device comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with the social network group;

processing circuitry operably coupled to the communication interface, the processing circuitry configured to support interaction with the social network group by establishing a device membership for the social device within the social network group, the device membership belonging to the social device separate and apart from a membership of a user of the social network device; and

a profiling and correlation module operably associated with the communication interface, the profiling and correlation module configured to compile member profile information relating to at least one member of the social network group,

the communication interface further configured to communicate at least a portion of the compiled member profile information to the social network group.

20. The social device of claim 19, the communication interface further configured to receive requests from members and non-members of the social network group,

the profiling and correlation module further configured to identify correlations between the requests and the compiled member profile information, and generate responsive data based, at least in part, on the correlations,

the communication interface further configured to communicate the responsive data.