Location aware shared spaces

• US 9,098,720 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bosworth, Andrew Garrod, Garcia, David Harry, Lau, Kenneth M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dailey, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US13/301,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

In one embodiment, a geo-social networking system maintains a data store of shared space, wherein each shared space comprises one or more content objects, a location, and one or more privacy settings. The geo-social networking system allows a user read-access to a shared space based on privacy settings associated with the shared space. The geo-social networking system allows a user write-access to a shared space if the user is at the location associated with the shared space.

Claims

1. A method, by one or more computing devices, comprising:

upon creation of a shared space in a data store of shared spaces and prior to determining a current geographical location of a first user, transmitting a notification to the first user, one or more content objects being associated with a geographical location;

receiving, from the first user, a request for the one or more content objects associated with the shared space identified in the notification;

receiving the current geographical location of the first user;

based on one or more read access controls with the shared spaces;

allowing, the first user, read-access to the one or more content objects if the current geographical location of the first user is not within the threshold distance of the geographical location identified in the request; and

allowing the first user write-access to the one or more content objects if the current geographical location of the first user is within the threshold distance of the geographical location identified in the request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining the current geographical location of the first user, accessing the data store of shared spaces;

identifying one or more nearby shared spaces wherein each of the nearby shared spaces has a location within a threshold distance from the first user'"'"'s current location;

selecting at least one shared space from the one or more nearby shared spaces based on respective read-access controls associated with the one or more nearby shared spaces; and

transmitting one or more content objects of the selected shared space to the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein read-access controls associated with a nearby shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the nearby shared space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the allowing the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space, further comprises:

receiving, from the first user, a message comprising one or more new content objects;

accessing data indicating a current location of the first user;

determining the first user'"'"'s write-accessibility to the shared space based at least in part on one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space and a determination whether the first user'"'"'s current location is within the threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space; and

updating the shared space stored in the data store of shared spaces with the one or more new content objects, if the first user has write-access to the shared space.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the shared space.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the notification to the first user comprises presenting, prior to determining the current geographical location of the first user, a selectable link to the shared space in a newsfeed generated by a social networking system for the first user; and

receiving the request for the one or more content objects comprises receiving an indication that the first user selected the selectable link.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting the notification to the first user comprises posting, prior to determining the current geographical location of the first user, a selectable link to the shared space on a wall of a social networking system, the wall being associated with the first user; and

receiving the request for the one or more content objects comprises receiving an indication that the first user selected the selectable link.

6. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory storage medium storing computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

maintain upon creation of a shared space in a data store of shared spaces and prior to determining a current geographical location of a first user, transmitting a notification to the first user, one or more content objects being associated with a geographical location;

receive, from the first user, a request for the one or more content objects associated with the shared space identified in the notification;

receive the current geographical location of the first user;

based on one or more read access controls with the shared spaces;

allow, the first user, read-access to the one or more content objects if the current geographical location of the first user is not within the threshold distance of the geographical location identified in the request; and

allow the first user write-access to the one or more content objects if the current geographical location of the first user is within the threshold distance of the geographical location identified in the request.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

in response to determining the current geographical location of the first user, access the data store of shared spaces;

identify one or more nearby shared spaces wherein each of the nearby shared spaces has a location within a threshold distance from the first user'"'"'s current location;

select at least one shared space from the one or more nearby shared spaces based on respective read-access controls associated with the one or more nearby shared spaces; and

transmit one or more content objects of the selected shared space to the first user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein read-access controls associated with a nearby shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the nearby shared space.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein to allow the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space, further comprises instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from the first user, a message comprising one or more new content objects;

access data indicating a current location of the first user;

determine the first user'"'"'s write-accessibility to the shared space based at least in part on one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space and a determination whether the first user'"'"'s current location is within the threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space; and

update the shared space stored in the data store of shared spaces with the one or more new content objects, if the first user has write-access to the shared space.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the shared space.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage media embodying software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

upon creation of a shared space in a data store of shared spaces and prior to determining a current geographical location of a first user, transmitting a notification to the first user, one or more content objects being associated with a geographical location;

receive, from the first user, a request for the one or more content objects associated with the shared space identified in the notification;

receive the current geographical location of the first user;

based on one or more read access controls with the shared space;

allow, the first user, read-access to the one or more content objects if the current geographical location of the first user is not within the threshold distance of the geographical location identified in the request; and

allow the first user write-access to the one or more content objects if the current geographical location of the first user is within the threshold distance of the geographical location identified in the request.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage media of claim 11, further comprising software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

in response to determining the current geographical location of the first user, access the data store of shared spaces;

identify one or more nearby shared spaces wherein each of the nearby shared spaces has a location within a threshold distance from the first user'"'"'s current location;

select at least one shared space from the one or more nearby shared spaces based on respective read-access controls associated with the one or more nearby shared spaces; and

transmit one or more content objects of the selected shared space to the first user.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage media of claim 12, wherein read-access controls associated with a nearby shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the nearby shared space.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage media of claim 11, wherein to allow the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space, further comprises software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

receive, from the first user, a message comprising one or more new content objects;

access data indicating a current location of the first user;

determine the first user'"'"'s write-accessibility to the shared space based at least in part on one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space and a determination whether the first user'"'"'s current location is within the threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space; and

update the shared space stored in the data store of shared spaces with the one or more new content objects, if the first user has write-access to the shared space.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage media of claim 14, wherein the one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the shared space.