Creating a social network based on an activity

• US 9,215,286 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Goolge Incorporated
• Inventors: Schilit, William N., Want, Roy, Chang, Bay-Wei, Li, Yang, Zhai, Shumin, Chi, Ed Huai-Hsin, Pedersen, Elin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat N
• Application Number:
  US13/307,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-205, 709227-228
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

A system for creating an activity-based social includes receiving information from a computing device of a participant in an activity, and determining that the information qualifies the participant for membership in a social network associated with the activity. The system also includes associating the participant with the social network, and enabling access, by the participant, to an electronic portal that provides access to the social network.

Claims

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

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, event participants participating in a real-time event currently happening based on information that is indicative of participation by the event participants in the real-time event;

in response to identifying event participants participating in the real-time event based on the information, creating, using the one or more computing devices, an activity-based social network associated with the real-time event, the activity-based social network being accessible through an electronic portal, the electronic portal enabling interaction among the event participants in association with the real-time event; and

outputting, using the one or more computing devices, data for the electronic portal to computing devices associated with the event participants.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity-based social network is a sub-network of another social network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, content from one or more of the event participants; and

providing, using the one or more computing devices, the content to the event participants via the electronic portal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating, using the one or more computing devices, the activity-based social network with an icon, the activity-based social network being accessible through the icon;

incorporating, using the one or more computing devices, the icon into a stream of icons that are accessible to at least one of the event participants, the stream of icons corresponding to events associated with the at least one of the event participants; and

outputting, using the one or more computing devices, data to make the stream of icons accessible to the at least one of the event participants.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data comprises a Web page;

and

wherein the Web page comprises features for initiating selective filtering of one or more social networks in the stream in response to a received input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a near field communication token that is accessed by computing devices of the event participants, the token being received by the one or more computing devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises an image of a quick response code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises an entry input by an event participant to a computing device of the event participant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a token generated from sound information propagated to computing devices of the event participants.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information corresponds to a sequence of operations initiated manually on computing devices of the event participants.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises data corresponding to physical contact between computing devices by at least two of the event participants.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of images and video received from the event participants, the at least one of images and video having at least one feature in common.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing devices of the event participants support wireless connection to other devices;

and

wherein the information is obtained through signals output to effect the wireless connection.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is based on BLUETOOTH signals, wherein the information is based on global positioning system signals, or wherein the information is based on received signal strength indication signals.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for at least one of the event participants, outputting data to the electronic portal that identifies other events associated with the at least one of the event participants.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a near field communication token that is accessed by computing devices of the event participants, the token being received by the one or more computing devices.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises an image of a quick response code.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises an entry input by an event participant to a computing device of the participant.

16. A method performed by one or more processing devices, comprising:

receiving, using the one or more processing devices, information from a computing device of an event participant participating in a real-time event currently happening;

determining, using the one or more processing devices, that the information qualifies the event participant for membership in an activity-based social network associated with the real-time event;

associating, using the one or more processing devices, the event participant with the activity-based social network; and

enabling, using the one or more processing devices, access, by the event participant, to an electronic portal that provides access to the activity-based social network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

creating, using the one or more processing devices, an icon corresponding to the real-time event, the icon allowing access to the activity-based social network;

incorporating, using the one or more processing devices, the icon into a stream of icons corresponding to events associated with the event participant; and

providing, using the one or more processing devices, the event participant with access to the stream of icons, the stream having one or more filters associated therewith for selectively filtering, for output, data from activity-based social networks associated with the stream.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the information comprises a near field communication token;

and

wherein determining comprising comparing the near field communication token to one or more other near field communication tokens received from event participants in the real-time event.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the information comprises an image of a quick response code;

and

wherein determining comprising comparing the image of the quick response code to a stored image of a quick response code.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the information comprises an entry input by an event participant to a computing device of the event participant;

and

wherein determining comprising comparing the entry to one or more other entries received from event participants in the real-time event.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the information comprises a token generated from sound information propagated to computing devices of the event participants;

and

wherein determining comprising comparing the token to one or more other tokens received from event participants in the real-time event.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the information corresponds to a sequence of operations initiated manually on computing devices of the event participants;

and

wherein determining comprising comparing the sequence of operations to one or more other sequences of operations received from event participants in the real-time event.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the information comprises data corresponding to physical contact between computing devices by at least two of the event participants.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the information comprises an image or video;

and

wherein determining comprising comparing the image or video to one or more other images or video received from event participants in the real-time event.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the information is based on BLUETOOTH signals, wherein the information is based on global positioning system signals, or wherein the information is based on received signal strength indication signals.

26. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

an identification engine executable by the one or more processors to identify event participants participating in a real-time event currently happening based on information that is indicative of participation by the event participants in the real-time event;

a generator executable by the one or more processors in response to identifying event participants participating in the real-time event based on the information, to create an activity-based social network associated with the real-time event, the activity-based social network being accessible through an electronic portal, the electronic portal enabling interaction among the event participants in association with the real-time event; and

a server executable by the one or more processors to output data for the electronic portal to computing devices associated with the event participants.

27. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

an identification engine executable by the one or more processors to receive information from a computing device of an event participant in a real-time event currently happening event, and to determine that the information qualifies the event participant for membership in an activity-based social network associated with the real-time event;

a generator executable by the one or more processors to associate the event participant with the activity-based social network; and

a server executable by the one or more processors to enable access, by the event participant, to an electronic portal that provides access to the activity-based social network.

28. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed by one or more computing devices causes the one or more computing devices to perform steps comprising:

identifying event participants participating in a real-time event currently happening based on information that is indicative of participation by the event participants in the real-time event;

in response to identifying event participants participating in an event based on the information, creating an activity-based social network associated with the real-time event, the activity-based social network being accessible through an electronic portal, the electronic portal enabling interaction among the event participants in association with the real-time event; and

outputting data for the electronic portal to computing devices associated with the event participants.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the activity-based social network is a sub-network of another social network.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving content from one or more of the event participants; and

providing the content to the event participants via the electronic portal.

31. The computer program product of claim 28, further comprising:

associating the activity-based social network with an icon, the activity-based social network being accessible through the icon;

incorporating the icon into a stream of icons that are accessible to at least one of the event participants, the stream of icons corresponding to events associated with the at least one of the event participants; and

outputting data to make the stream of icons accessible to the at least one of the event participants.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the data comprises a Web page;

and

wherein the Web page comprises features for initiating selective filtering of one or more social networks in the stream in response to a received input.