Enabling participation in an online community using visual machine-readable symbols

• US 9,246,858 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: George, John-Alistair, Connelly, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US14/801,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 194 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A facility for coordinating an online discussion is described. The facility receives an indication that a user has captured a machine-readable symbol encoding an identifier that identifies a particular online discussion. In response, the facility incorporates into an online forum that hosts this online discussion an indication that this user captured a symbol encoding an identifier that identifies this online discussion.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

capturing, by a device of a user, an image of a machine-readable symbol encoding an identifier, the identifier identifying a locale associated with the machine-readable symbol;

processing the captured image to discern the identifier encoded into the machine-readable symbol;

presenting for display on the device an interface for receiving content from the user relating to the locale associated with the machine-readable symbol; and

receiving, from the user at the device, content relating to the locale.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user of the device to participate in a discussion relating to the content received at the device regarding the locale.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising providing an advertising message for display to the user of the device, the advertising message selected based upon the locale associated with the machine-readable symbol.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the machine readable symbol encoding the identifier is a matrix barcode.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the interface presented for display allows the user to upload content relating to the locale, and wherein the content received is the uploaded content that is posted for a discussion relating to the locale.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the interface presented for display allows the user to provide comments relating to the locale, and wherein the content received is the comments that are posted for a discussion relating to the locale.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the interface presented for display includes a portion that allows the user of the device to edit or annotate existing content of a discussion, and wherein the content received is the edits or annotations.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the locale is a geographic location of the user capturing the machine-readable symbol.

9. A method comprising:

capturing, by a device of a user, an image of a machine-readable symbol encoding an identifier, the identifier identifying a locale associated with the machine-readable symbol;

processing the captured image to discern the identifier encoded into the machine-readable symbol;

presenting for display on the device an interface for receiving content from the user relating to the locale associated with the machine-readable symbol; and

receiving, from the user at the device, content relating to the locale.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising allowing the user of the device to participate in a discussion relating to the content received at the device regarding the locale.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing an advertising message for display to the user of the device, the advertising message selected based upon the locale associated with the machine-readable symbol.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the machine readable symbol encoding the identifier is a matrix barcode.

13. The method of claim 9, presenting for display on the device an interface further comprises presenting an interface via which the user can upload content relating to the locale, and wherein the content received is the uploaded content that is posted as part of a discussion relating to the locale.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting for display on the device an interface further comprises presenting an interface for receiving comments relating to the locale.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting for display on the device an interface further comprises presenting an interface with a list of other users who have also captured an image of the machine-readable symbol.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting for display on the device an interface further comprises presenting an interface with a portion that allows the user of the device to add comments relating to the locale, to upload content relating to the locale, and to edit or annotate existing content relating to the locale.

17. A computing system, comprising:

a processor of a device of a user;

an optical sensor in communication with the processor and configured for capturing, by a device of a user, an image of a machine-readable symbol encoding an identifier, the identifier identifying a locale associated with the machine-readable symbol; and

a capture program executed by the processor and configured for;

processing the captured image to discern the identifier encoded into the machine-readable symbol;

presenting for display on the device an interface for receiving content from the user relating to the locale associated with the machine-readable symbol; and

receiving, from the user at the device, content relating to the locale.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the capture program is further configured for sending an indication to a server that the user of the device captured the machine-readable symbol, the indication including a user identifier linking the user to a user profile on the server.

19. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the capture program is further configured for prompting the user of the device to tag information about the locale to a user profile for the user of the device.

20. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the capture program is further configured to provide to the user of the device an interface via which the user can create a discussion and can create a new machine-readable symbol encoding information about the discussion.