Shared communication space invitations

• US 9,166,806 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dean, Jeffrey, Harik, Georges, Bakin, Obeka Tallis Brown
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US13/071,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20110179118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 707/789
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of providing invitations to a shared communication space, performed by a server system, includes providing the shared communication space, which includes content associated with a set of characteristics, and identifying a user, in accordance with a set of characteristics associated with the user and the set of characteristics associated with the content in the shared communication space. The method further includes sending to the identified user a invitation to participate in the shared communication space, and upon acceptance of the invitation by the user, enabling access by the user to the shared communication space by the user and enabling the user to exchange information with other participants in the shared communication space via the shared communication space.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a server system having one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors for providing communications, the method comprising:

providing a shared communication space that includes content associated with a first set of characteristics;

receiving a second set of characteristics associated with users that includes user interests inferred from user activities including searches that are performed during a bounded time period, and user interests inferred from a geographic location associated with users;

determining that a first user and a second user share the user interests included in the second set of characteristics and inferred from the user activities;

identifying the first and second users for participating in the shared communication space based on determining that the user interests associated with the first and second users are related to the first set of characteristics associated with the content in the shared communication space;

sending to the first and second users an invitation to participate in the shared communication space, the invitation including settings describing the first user and the second user communicating to and from the shared communication space with varying degrees of granularity; and

upon acceptance of the invitation by the first and second users,

enabling access by the first and second users to the shared communication space;

determining a type of filtering based at least in part on an criterion including word phrases specified by at least one of the first user and the second user;

communicating the first user, the second user and other participants in the shared communication space based at least in part on applying the type of filtering to information received by at least one of the first user and the second user; and

group-editing an information item in the shared communication space by at least one of the first user, the second user and the other participants.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the invitation sent to the first and second users comprises a link to the shared communication space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared communication space includes both static content and streaming content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the streaming content comprises video content.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the streaming content comprises chatroom content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of characteristics associated with the first user comprises a membership of the first user in a group of users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of characteristics associated with the first user comprises characteristics of online activity by the first user and a membership of the first user in a group of users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of characteristics associated with the first user comprises characteristics identified in accordance with a user profile of the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second users are members of a group, and the second set of characteristics associated with the first and second users comprises characteristics associated with other members of the group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first user comprises identifying the first user in accordance with characteristics of online activity by the first user and the characteristics of the content in the shared communication space.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first user comprises identifying the first user in accordance with characteristics of content accessed by the first user during online activity by the first user and the characteristics of the content in the shared communication space.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer programs to be executed by one or more processors of a computer system, the one or more computer programs comprising:

instructions for providing a shared communication space that includes content associated with a set of characteristics;

instructions for receiving a second set of characteristics associated with users that includes user interests inferred from user activities including searches that are performed during a bounded time period, and user interests inferred from a geographic location associated with users;

instructions for determining that a first user and a second user share the user interests included in the second set of characteristics and inferred from the user activities;

instructions for identifying the first and second users for participating in the shared communication space based on determining that the user interests associated with the first and second users are related to the first set of characteristics associated with the content in the shared communication space;

instructions for sending to the first and second users an invitation to participate in the shared communication space, the invitation including settings describing the first user and the second user communicating to and from the shared communication space with varying degrees of granularity; and

upon acceptance of the invitation by the first and second user, instructions for;

enabling access by the first and second users to the shared communication space;

determining a type of filtering based at least in part on an criterion including word phrases specified by at least one of the first user and the second user;

communicating the first user, the second user and other participants in the shared communication space based at least in part on applying the type of filtering to information received by at least one of the first user and the second user; and

group-editing an information item in the shared communication space by at least one of the first user, the second user and the other participants.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the invitation sent to the first and second users comprises a link to the shared communication space.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the shared communication space includes both static content and streaming content.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the second set of characteristics associated with the first user comprises a membership of the user in a group of users.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the second set of characteristics associated with the first user comprises characteristics of online activity by the first user and a membership of the first user in a group of users.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first and second users are members of a group, and the second set of characteristics associated with the first and second users comprises characteristics associated with other members of the group.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for identifying the first user comprise instructions for identifying the first user in accordance with characteristics of online activity by the first user and the characteristics of the content in the shared communication space.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for identifying the first user comprise instructions for identifying the first user in accordance with characteristics of content accessed by the first user during online activity by the first user and the characteristics of the content in the shared communication space.

20. A server system for hosting shared communication spaces, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing at least one program for execution by the one or more processors, the at least one program including instructions for;

providing a shared communication space that includes content associated with a first set of characteristics;

receiving a second set of characteristics associated with users that includes user interests inferred from user activities including searches that are performed during a bounded time period, and user interests inferred from a geographic location associated with users;

determining that a first user and a second user share the user interests included in the second set of characteristics and inferred from the user activities;

identifying the first and second users for participating in the shared communication space based on determining that the user interests associated with the first and second users are related to the first set of characteristics associated with the content in the shared communication space;

sending to the first and second users an invitation to participate in the shared communication space, the invitation including settings describing the first user and the second user communicating to and from the shared communication space with varying degrees of granularity; and

upon acceptance of the invitation by the first and second users,

enabling access by the first and second users to the shared communication space;

determining a type of filtering based at least in part on an criterion including word phrases specified by at least one of the first user and the second user;

communicating the first user, the second user and other participants in the shared communication space based at least in part on applying the type of filtering to information received by at least one of the first user and the second user; and

group-editing an information item in the shared communication space by at least one of the first user, the second user and the other participants.

21. The server system of claim 20, wherein the invitation sent to the first and second users comprises a link to the shared communication space.

22. The server system of claim 20, wherein the second set of characteristics associated with the first user comprises a membership of the user in a group of users.