System and method for confirming attendance for in-person meetings or events

• US 9,264,462 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Heiferman, Scott, Glusman, Emilio Andres, Burns, Gary, Trush, Mathew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASILLAS, ROLAND J
• Application Number:
  US13/838,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20130263020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/753
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 50/01 Social networking
• 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: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking 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 system and method for confirming attendance for in-person meetings or events is provided. The method includes the steps of transmitting, to a plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface configured to facilitate users to organize and join a plurality of meeting groups associated with a plurality of in-person meetings or events; receiving, from at least one user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a conditional confirmation of attendance for at least one in-person meeting or event, the conditional confirmation based on an indicated condition; monitoring the indicated condition for the at least one in-person meeting or event; and when the condition is met, modifying the conditional confirmation of attendance to a non-conditional confirmation of attendance.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for confirming attendance for in-person meetings or events, comprising:

transmitting, to a plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface configured to facilitate users to organize and join a plurality of meeting groups associated with a plurality of in-person meetings or events;

receiving, from at least one user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a first conditional confirmation of attendance for at least one in-person meeting or event, the first conditional confirmation comprising a first threshold number of attendees;

receiving, from at least one other user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a second conditional confirmation of attendance for the at least one in-person meeting or event, the second conditional confirmation comprising a second threshold number of attendees;

receiving, from at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, confirmations of attendance for the at least one in-person meeting or event, wherein the confirmations of attendance comprise conditional confirmations and non-conditional confirmations;

monitoring a number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance received for the at least one in-person meeting or event;

modifying the first conditional confirmation of attendance to a non-conditional confirmation of attendance when a number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance received equal or exceed the first threshold number of attendees;

incrementing the number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance after modifying the first conditional confirmation of attendance;

modifying the second conditional confirmation of attendance to a non-conditional confirmation of attendance when the number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance received equal or exceed the second threshold number of attendees; and

incrementing the number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance again after modifying the second conditional confirmation of attendance.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display a number of conditional confirmations and a number of non-conditional confirmations.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface comprising only non-conditional confirmations of attendance, such that conditional confirmations of attendance are invisible to other users.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from an additional user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a third conditional confirmation of attendance for the at least one in-person meeting or event, the third conditional confirmation comprising a third threshold number of attendees; and

modifying the third conditional confirmation of attendance to a non-conditional indication of no attendance if the number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance received do not equal or exceed the third threshold of attendees.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a third user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a third specified number of attendees and a conditional RSVP of a third user for at least one in-person meeting or event;

modifying the third conditional confirmation of attendance to a non-conditional indication that the third user will not attend the at least one in-person meeting or event if the number of non-conditional confirmations of attendance received do not equal or exceed the third threshold of attendees.

6. A computer-implemented method for confirming attendance for in-person meetings or events, comprising:

transmitting, to a plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface configured to facilitate users to organize and join a plurality of meeting groups associated with a plurality of in-person meetings or events, wherein the at least one graphical user interface comprises selectable options configured to allow users to submit a conditional RSVP and a non-conditional RSVP option for in-person meetings or events;

receiving, from a first user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a first specified number of attendees and a conditional RSVP of a first user for at least one in-person meeting or event;

receiving, from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a second specified number of attendees and a conditional RSVP of a second user for the at least one in-person meeting or event;

monitoring a number of RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event;

when the number of RSVPs equals or exceeds the first specified number of attendees, modifying the conditional RSVP of the first user to a non-conditional RSVP and incrementing the number of non-conditional RSVPs; and

when the number of RSVPs equals or exceeds the second specified number of attendees, modifying the conditional RSVP of the second user to a non-conditional RSVP and incrementing the number of non-conditional RSVPs.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the number of RSVPs monitored includes conditional RSVPs and non-conditional RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the number of RSVPs monitored includes only non-conditional RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display a number of conditional RSVPs and a number of non-conditional RSVPs.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface comprising only non-conditional confirmations of attendance, such that conditional confirmations of attendance are invisible to other users.

11. A system for confirming attendance for in-person meetings or events, comprising at least one server computer including at least one processor, wherein the at least one server computer is configured to:

transmit, to a plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface configured to facilitate users to organize and join a plurality of meeting groups associated with a plurality of in-person meetings or events;

transmit, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display RSVP options for at least one meeting or event, the RSVP options including a conditional RSVP option and a non-conditional RSVP option;

receive, from a first user at a user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a specified number of attendees and a conditional RSVP of the first user for at least one in-person meeting or event;

receive, from a second user, a specified number of attendees and a conditional RSVP for the at least one in-person meeting or event;

monitor a number of RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event;

when the number of RSVPs equals or exceeds the specified number of attendees received from the first user, modify the conditional RSVP of the first user to a non-conditional RSVP and increment the number of non-conditional RSVPs; and

when the number of RSVPs equals or exceeds the specified number of attendees received from the second user, modify the conditional RSVP of the second user to a non-conditional RSVP and increment the number of non-conditional RSVPs.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the number of RSVPs monitored includes conditional RSVPs and non-conditional RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the number of RSVPs monitored includes only non-conditional RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server computer is further configured to transmit, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display a number of conditional RSVPs and a number of non-conditional RSVPs.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server computer is further configured to:

receive, from each a plurality of other users, a plurality of specified numbers of attendees and conditional RSVPs for the at least one in-person meeting or event; and

when the number of RSVPs equals or exceeds one of the specified numbers of attendees, modify the corresponding conditional RSVP to a non-conditional RSVP and increment the number of RSVPs.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server computer is further configured to transmit, to at least a portion of the plurality of user terminals, data configured to display at least one graphical user interface comprising only non-conditional RSVPs, such that conditional RSVPs are invisible to other users.