Systems and methods to facilitate real time communications between members of a social network

• US 9,100,359 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: YellowPages.com LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Altberg, Ebbe, Faber, Scott, Hirson, Ron, Van der Linden, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Kito R
• Application Number:
  US13/900,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/14.4, 705/14.66, 705/35
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and systems to facilitate real time communications and/or commerce via a social network. In one embodiment, communication references are provided to facilitate the requests for real time communications with a member of the social network via a connection provider, which performs scheduling, filtering, payment processing, etc. for the member of the social network. In one embodiment, a method includes, responsive to a request from a first member of a social network, determining a preference of a second member of the social network based at least in part on a characteristic of a social connection between the first and second members who are not socially directly connected in the social network; and facilitating real time communications between the first and second members in accordance with the preference. In one embodiment, the presentation of the advertisement or the advertiser is at least partially based on the social network.

Claims

1. A method to make and track connections for communications with a communication connection system, comprising:

processing, by a server system, a first message indicating a request from a first member of a social network for a communication connection;

retrieving, by the server system, member information from a database of the server system, the member information pertaining to a second member of the social network identified based at least in part on the first message, the member information previously stored in association with identification information for the second member, and the member information comprising a communication reference for the second member;

determining, by the server system, a preference of a second member of the social network based at least in part on a characteristic of a social connection between the first and second members in the social network, the first and second members having no direct social connection in the social network, the characteristic of the social connection between the first and second members relating to at least a social distance determined by degrees of separation between nodes corresponding to the first and second members, wherein the determining the preference comprises;

retrieving preference information from the database, the preference information previously stored in association with the identification information for the second member;

identifying a conditional price specified by the second member for real time communications with the second member based at least in part on the preference information, wherein the conditional price is dependent on the social distance between the first and second member in the social network;

determining the social distance between the first and second members in the social network; and

determining a first price based at least in part on the conditional price and the social distance; and

connecting, at least in part by a connection server and a communications interface of the server system, a first communication device of the first member and a second communication device of the second member to provide a communication connection to facilitate real time communications between the first and second members in accordance with the preference and based at least in part on the communication reference for the second member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) client application of the first member;

and the VoIP client application initiates the communication connection to the second communication device of the second member according to the preference.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication connection supports real time communications between the first and second members in at least one of text, voice, or video.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing information to present the second member to the first member, the information including a reference selectable by the first member to initiate the request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information provided to present the second member to the first member further includes an indication of real time availability of the second member to communicate with the first member in real time at a time the information is presented, the information provided by the server system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the real time availability of the second member to communicate in real time with the first member is based upon a characteristic of the social connection between the first and second member in the social network.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

maintaining data representing the social network of a plurality of members, including the first member and the second member, over a peer to peer communication network.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

maintaining data indicating online presence of the plurality of members over the peer to peer communication network.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the information provided by the VoIP client application includes at least a portion of profile data of the second member.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the profile data is selected based on a characteristic of the social connection between the first and second members.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

charging the second member a portion of an amount the first member is charged according to the price specified by the second member.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference comprises a permission for initiating real time communications from members of the social network;

and wherein the permission is dependent on the characteristic of the social connection between the first and second members in the social network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference comprises a scheduled callable period of the second member.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the callable period is dependent on the characteristic of the social connection between the first and second members in the social network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the characteristic of the social connection includes the social distance between the first and second members in the social network or presence of a third member pre-identified by the second member on the social connection between the first and second members.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer-executable program configured to instruct a server system to at least:

process, by the server system, a first message indicating a request from a first member of a social network for a communication connection;

retrieve, by the server system, member information from a database of the server system, the member information pertaining to a second member of the social network identified based at least in part on the first message, the member information previously stored in association with identification information for the second member, and the member information comprising a communication reference for the second member;

determine, by the server system, a preference of a second member of the social network based at least in part on a characteristic of a social connection between the first and second members in the social network, the first and second members having no direct social connection in the social network, the characteristic of the social connection between the first and second members relating to at least a social distance determined by degrees of separation between nodes corresponding to the first and second members, wherein the determining the preference comprises;

retrieving preference information from the database, the preference information previously stored in association with the identification information for the second member;

identifying a conditional price specified by the second member for real time communications with the second member based at least in part on the preference information, wherein the conditional price is dependent on the social distance between the first and second member in the social network;

determining the social distance between the first and second members in the social network; and

determining a first price based at least in part on the conditional price and the social distance; and

connect, at least in part by a connection server and a communications interface of the server system, a first communication device of the first member and a second communication device of the second member to provide a communication connection to facilitate real time communications between the first and second members in accordance with the preference and based at least in part on the communication reference for the second member.

17. A communication connection system to make and track connections for communications, comprising:

a server system coupled to one or more network interfaces to facilitate access to a communication network, and memory coupled to one or more servers of the server system and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more servers, cause the communication connection system to;

process a first message indicating a request from a first member of a social network for a communication connection;

retrieve member information from a database of the server system, the member information pertaining to a second member of the social network identified based at least in part on the first message, the member information previously stored in association with identification information for the second member, and the member information comprising a communication reference for the second member;

determine a preference of a second member of the social network based at least in part on a characteristic of a social connection between the first and second members in the social network, the first and second members having no direct social connection in the social network, the characteristic of the social connection between the first and second members relating to at least a social distance determined by degrees of separation between nodes corresponding to the first and second members, wherein the determining the preference comprises;

retrieving preference information from the database, the preference information previously stored in association with the identification information for the second member;

identifying a conditional price specified by the second member for real time communications with the second member based at least in part on the preference information, wherein the conditional price is dependent on the social distance between the first and second member in the social network;

determining the social distance between the first and second members in the social network; and

determining a first price based at least in part on the conditional price and the social distance; and

connect, at least in part by a connection server of the server system, a first communication device of the first member and a second communication device of the second membner to provide a communication connection to facilitate real time communications between the first and second members in accordance with the preference and based at least in part on the communication reference for the second member.