Method of conducting social network application operations

• US 9,129,303 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Crawford C S Lee
• Original Assignee: Crawford C S Lee
• Inventors: Crawford, C. S. Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Taelor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitiku, Berhanu
• Application Number:
  US13/943,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 707/726, 707/735, 705/14.73, 705/14.12, 705/14.11, 705/14.4, 705/25, 705/26.81, 705/27.1, 705/319
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of sharing locations of users participating in a social networking service at a geographic location and communicating app related information of users participating in the social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprises: receiving location information and text descriptive information from a mobile device of a first user of the social networking service, the location information representing a geographic location of the first user, the text descriptive information manually provided by the first user on an input module of the mobile device; associating the location information with the text descriptive information of the first user in a database; sending the text descriptive information and the location information of the first user to a second user for display.

Claims

1. A method of sharing locations of users participating in a social networking service at a geographic location and communicating app related information of users participating in the social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

receiving location information and text descriptive information from a mobile device of a first user of the social networking service, the location information representing a geographic location of the first user, the text descriptive information manually provided by the first user on an input module of the mobile device;

associating the location information with the text descriptive information of the first user in a database;

sending the text descriptive information and the location information of the first user to a second user for display;

operating at least one social network application server for interacting with users of the social network application service, wherein at least some of the users of the social network application service are users of wireless computing devices;

providing a first mobile application for interacting with the social network application service via communication with the at least one social network application server, the first mobile application providing social network application operations independent of operations of a separate browser application, wherein (i) the first mobile application is further operable to employ geolocation functions of a respective wireless device to communicate geolocation information to one or more servers of hardware and software of the social network application, (ii) the first mobile application is programmed to upload photos to a respective user account with text descriptive information manually entered by the respective user for posting on a webpage of the social network application for the respective user, and (iii) at least some entries of text descriptive information communicated from the first mobile application and received by the one or more servers of the social network application are indicative of current activities of respective users;

logging activities of users of the social network application using at least information received from the first mobile application;

receiving app usage information, by one or more servers of hardware and software, from a plurality of second mobile applications of different types executing on respective wireless computing devices that is generated independently of user initiated web browsing operations, wherein (i) each of the plurality of second mobile applications includes code for installation on respective wireless computing devices for application operations on respective wireless computing devices, (ii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least mobile gaming applications that include code for conducting gaming operations without employing a separate browser application on the respective wireless computing device for gaming operations, (iii) the plurality of second mobile applications include mobile digital content applications for accessing digital content from a respective library of digital content without employing a separate browser application on the respective wireless computing device for digital content presentation operations, (iv) the plurality of second mobile application include shopping-related mobile applications for completing shopping operations without employing a separate browser application on the respective wireless computing device for shopping operations, and (v) the second plurality of mobile applications are functionally integrated with the social network application service to share social network user activities and user activities of the second plurality of applications;

combining app usage information from the second plurality of mobile applications with social network application information, wherein the combining comprises correlating non-social network application activities to respective identities in the social network application service and wherein the app usage information from the plurality of second mobile applications includes app-specific postings that differ depending on a respective mobile application or mobile application type;

presenting combined activity listings to viewing users in one or more respective webpages by one or more web servers; and

providing centralized app specific advertising, by one or more servers of hardware and software, for the plurality of second mobile applications, wherein the centralized app specific advertising includes providing rankings of apps including an analysis of app popularity in relation to app usage across an aggregate population of users of the plurality of second mobile applications and wherein the ranking of apps includes determining app usage information within the aggregate population relative to different demographic parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein app usage information is communicated from the one or more respective mobile app servers to one or more servers of a centralized system for aggregating app usage information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein ads from the communicating are selected on a user-location dependent manner.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

logging social interactions between respective users in the social network application.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the logging activities includes detecting a presence of a first user and a second user in a physical proximity with each other using geolocation information and associating the detection of such presence with a specific logged activity.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting one or more active applications of the plurality of second mobile applications for respective users.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting an amount of time that one or more applications of the plurality of second mobile applications have been active for respective users.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating analytic data that is reflective of tendencies of respective users to engage in identified real-world activities based on app usage information.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting text descriptive information associated with uploaded photos that describe physical products.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

selecting ads for communication based on the detecting of text descriptive information associated with uploaded photos that describe physical products.

11. A method of conducting social network operations in a social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

operating at least one social network application server for interacting with users of the social network application service, wherein at least some of the users of the social network application service are users of wireless computing devices;

providing a first mobile application for interacting with the social network application service via communication with the at least one social network application server, wherein (i) the first mobile application is further operable to employ geolocation functions of a respective wireless device to communicate geolocation information to one or more servers of hardware and software of the social network application, (ii) the first mobile application is programmed to upload photos to a respective user account with text descriptive information manually entered by the respective user for posting on a webpage of the social network application for the respective user, and (iii) at least some entries of text descriptive information communicated from the first mobile application and received by the one or more servers of the social network application are indicative of current activities of respective users;

receiving app usage information, by one or more servers of hardware and software, from a plurality of second mobile applications of different types executing on respective wireless computing devices, wherein (i) each of the plurality of second mobile applications includes code for installation on respective wireless computing devices for application operations on respective wireless computing devices, (ii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least mobile gaming applications that include code for conducting gaming operations, (iii) the plurality of second mobile applications include mobile digital content applications, (iv) the plurality of second mobile application include shopping-related mobile applications for completing shopping operations, and (v) the second plurality of mobile applications are functionally integrated with the social network application service to share social network user activities and user activities of the second plurality of applications;

combining app usage information from the second plurality of mobile applications with social network application information, wherein the combining comprises correlating non-social network application activities to respective identities in the social network application service and wherein the app usage information from the plurality of second mobile applications includes app-specific actions or events that differ depending on a respective mobile application or mobile application-type; and

providing centralized app advertising, by one or more servers of hardware and software, for the plurality of second mobile applications in a manner that is at least partially dependent upon social network information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein ads from the communicating are selected on a user-location dependent manner.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

logging social interactions between respective users in the social network application.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the logging activities includes detecting a presence of a first user and a second user in a physical proximity with each other using geolocation information and associating the detection of such presence with a specific logged activity.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

detecting one or more active applications of the plurality of second mobile applications for respective users.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

detecting an amount of time that one or more applications of the plurality of second mobile applications have been active for respective users.

17. A method of conducting social network operations in a social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

operating at least one social network application server for interacting with users of the social network application service, wherein at least some of the users of the social network application service are users of wireless computing devices;

providing a first mobile application for interacting with the social network application service via communication with the at least one social network application server, wherein the first mobile application is further operable to employ geolocation functions of a respective wireless device to communicate geolocation information to one or more servers of hardware and software of the social network application;

receiving app usage information, by one or more servers of hardware and software, from a plurality of second mobile applications of different types executing on respective wireless computing devices, wherein (i) each of the plurality of second mobile applications includes code for installation on respective wireless computing devices for application operations on respective wireless computing devices, (ii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least one user-to-user messaging application, (iii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least one digital content application for receiving digital content including links to third-party digital content, (iv) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least one digital image sharing application, and (v) the second plurality of mobile applications are functionally integrated with the social network application service to associate application operations of the second plurality of mobile applications with user identities in the social network application service;

combining app information from the second plurality of mobile applications with social network application information, wherein the combining comprises associating application activities of the second plurality of mobile applications with respective identities in the social network application service; and

providing centralized mobile application advertising operations, by one or more servers of hardware and software, for multiple mobile applications in a manner that is at least partially dependent upon social network information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the providing further comprises:

providing an advertiser query function to permit advertiser browsing through analytic app usage data according to advertiser supplied app-specific parameters.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein ads for mobile applications are selected on a user-location dependent manner.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the providing further comprises:

providing an advertiser query function to permit advertiser browsing through analytic app usage data according to advertiser supplied app-specific parameters.