Social media session access

• US 9,137,086 B1
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Naik, Kiran
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US13/300,499
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/226, 709/206, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/228, 709/229, 707/722, 705/36.R, 700/91, 455/519, 370/260, 370/382, 370/352, 379/201.01, 345/522
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A method for social media session access includes, by a computing device, receiving a user request to join a social media session. If the social media session has less than a predetermined quantity of current users, the user is granted access to the session. If the social media session has the predetermined quantity of current users, information about the user is stored user in a list of users waiting to join the session. As slots in the session become available, users are selected from the waitlist. An owner of the session may determine the criteria used in selecting from among multiple users in the waitlist.

Claims

1. A method, executing on one or more computing devices, for social media session access, said method comprising:

receiving, at the one or more computing devices, a user request to join a social media session;

when the social media session has less than a predetermined quantity of current users, granting the user access to the social media session;

when the social media session has the predetermined quantity of current users, storing information about the user in a list of users waiting to join the social media session,

wherein users are selected from the list when the social media session has less than the predetermined quantity of current users, based at least in part upon criteria set by an owner of the social media session; and

modifying a position of the information about the user in the list based at least in part on a quantity of friends in a social network profile of the user such that a user with relatively more friends is given preference over a user with relatively fewer friends and on prior activity in past social media sessions such that a user with more postings in past sessions may be offered access to the social media session sooner than a user with fewer postings even though the user with fewer postings requested access to the social media session before the user with more postings requested access to the same session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the social media session comprises a video conference session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the social media session comprises an audio session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the social media session comprises a streaming video session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the social media session comprises a text chat session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the list comprises a priority queue.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the list comprises a first-in-first-out queue.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, at the one or more computing devices, a position of the information in the list based at least in part on a payment of one or more credits.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, at the one or more computing devices, a position of the information in the list based at least in part on a determination by an owner of the social media session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises a celebrity status of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises a quantity of followers of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises a quantity of policy violations of the user in the social media session.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises a geolocation of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises a browsing history of the user.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises a purchase history of the user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises an ad viewing history of the user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the storing, granting the user access to the social media session when;

the social media session has less than a predetermined quantity of current users; and

a position of the information about the user in the list indicates the user may join the social media session.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the storing, at the one or more computing devices, notifying the user when;

the social media session has less than a predetermined quantity of current users; and

a position of the information about the user in the list indicates the user may join the social media session.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the social media session is selected from a result of searching an online directory of social media sessions.

20. A computer system for social media session access, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory to store;

one or more programs, the one or more programs, when executed on the one or more processors, performing the method comprising;

receive, at the computer system, a user request to join a social media session;

when the social media session has less than a predetermined quantity of current users, grant, at the computer system, the user access to the social media session;

when the social media session has the predetermined quantity of current users, store, at the computer system, information about the user in a list of users waiting to join the social media session,

wherein users are selected from the list when the social media session has less than the predetermined quantity of current users, based at least in part upon criteria set by an owner of the social media session; and

modifying a position of the information about the user in the list based at least in part on a quantity of friends in a social network profile of the user such that a user with relatively more friends is given preference over a user with relatively fewer friends and on prior activity in past social media sessions such that a user with more postings in past sessions may be offered access to the social media session sooner than a user with fewer postings even though the user with fewer postings requested access to the social media session before the user with more postings requested access to the same session.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more computing devices, said programs, when executing on the one or more computing devices, performing the method of:

receiving, at the one or more computing devices, a user request to join a social media session;

when the social media session has less than a predetermined quantity of current users, granting the user access to the social media session;

when the social media session has the predetermined quantity of current users, storing information about the user in a list of users waiting to join the social media session,

wherein users are selected from the list when the social media session has less than the predetermined quantity of current users, based at least in part upon criteria set by an owner of the social media session; and

modifying a position of the information about the user in the list based at least in part on a quantity of friends in a social network profile of the user such that a user with relatively more friends is given preference over a user with relatively fewer friends and on prior activity in past social media sessions such that a user with more postings in past sessions may be offered access to the social media session sooner than a user with fewer postings even though the user with fewer postings requested access to the social media session before the user with more postings requested access to the same session.