Communicating via a virtual community using outside contact information

• US 9,270,631 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Tharshanan, Mahendra, Khanna, Radhika
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US14/153,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/410, 455/411, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A device is provided that creates an account for a first member of a virtual community. The account includes a contact identifier used for communicating with the first member outside of the virtual community. The device receives a message via the virtual community from a second member of the virtual community. A recipient of the message being selected by the second member using outside contact information for a contact, and the outside contact information corresponding to contact information used to communicate with the contact outside of the virtual community. Additionally, the device identifies the first member of the virtual community as the recipient of the message based on the contact identifier included in the account and the outside contact information indicated by the message. Furthermore, the device transmits the message to the first member via the virtual community.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

create an account for a first member of a virtual community,

the account including a contact identifier used for communicating with the first member outside of the virtual community;

receive a set of contact information for a plurality of contacts of a second member of the virtual community;

determine which of the plurality of contacts are members of the virtual community based on the set of contact information;

provide a notification to the second member indicating which of the plurality of contacts of the second member are members of the virtual community;

receive a message via the virtual community from the second member of the virtual community,

a recipient of the message being selected by the second member using outside contact information for a contact included in the plurality of contacts,

the contact being identified using information in the notification,

the message including the outside contact information,

the outside contact information corresponding to contact information used to communicate with the contact outside of the virtual community, and

the message being received via a virtual community application, for the virtual community, associated with a user device of the second member;

identify the first member of the virtual community as the recipient of the message based on the contact identifier included in the account and the outside contact information included in the message; and

transmit the message to the first member via the virtual community,

the message being transmitted to the virtual community application associated with a user device of the first member.

2. The device of claim 1, where the contact identifier includes at least one of a phone number, an email address, an instant message address, a username, or a facsimile number used to communicate outside of the virtual community.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when receiving the set of contact information for the plurality of contacts, are to:

receive the set of contact information for the plurality of contacts from the user device of the second member used to access the virtual community.

4. The device of claim 1, where the set of contact information for the plurality of contacts includes a respective contact name associated with a respective contact identifier for each of the plurality of contacts,

the respective contact name indicating a name selected by the second member, and

the respective contact identifier corresponding to a contact identifier used for communicating outside of the virtual community.

5. The device of claim 4, where the outside contact information identifies the contact as the recipient of the message using at least one of the respective contact name or the respective contact identifier.

6. The device of claim 4, where the outside contact information identifies the contact as the recipient of the message using the respective contact name without using the respective contact identifier.

7. The device of claim 4, where the one or more processors, when identifying the first member of the virtual community as the recipient of the message, are to:

identify the respective contact identifier associated with the respective contact name identified by the outside contact information; and

determine that the respective contact identifier matches the contact identifier included in the account for the first member.

8. The device of claim 1, where the set of contact information identifies contacts that are members of the virtual community and non-members of the virtual community.

9. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

notify the second member when a non-member included in the set of contact information becomes a member of the virtual community.

10. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to;

register a first member in a virtual community,

the first member being associated with a contact identifier used for communicating with the first member outside of the virtual community,

where the plurality of instructions, when registering the first member, cause the processor to;

authenticate the contact identifier associated with the first member by contacting the first member outside of the virtual community using the contact identifier;

receive a message via the virtual community from a second member of the virtual community,

the message identifying a contact of the second member as a recipient of the message using outside contact information,

the message including the outside contact information,

the outside contact information including information for contacting the contact outside of the virtual community, and

the message being received via a virtual community application, for the virtual community, associated with a user device of the second member;

determine the first member of the virtual community is the recipient of the message based on the contact identifier associated with the first member and the outside contact information included in the message; and

provide the message to the first member via the virtual community,

the message being provided to the virtual community application associated with a user device of the first member.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the contact identifier includes a phone number, and

where the plurality of instructions, when authenticating the contact identifier, cause the processor to:

send, to the phone number, a text message including authentication information;

receive the authentication information from the first member; and

authenticate the phone number based on receiving the authentication information.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the contact identifier includes a phone number, and

where the plurality of instructions, when authenticating the contact identifier, cause the processor to:

call the phone number and provide an audio message including authentication information;

receive the authentication information from the first member; and

authenticate the phone number based on receiving the authentication information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the contact identifier includes an email address, and

where the plurality of instructions, when authenticating the contact identifier, cause the processor to:

send, to the email address, an email including authentication information;

receive the authentication information from the first member; and

authenticate the email address based on receiving the authentication information.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the plurality of instructions further cause the processor to:

provide the virtual community application to the user device of the second member,

the virtual community application being used by the second member to access the virtual community.

15. A method, comprising:

managing, by a device, a virtual community including a first member and a second member;

storing, by the device, an account for the first member including a contact identifier used for communicating with the first member outside of the virtual community;

receiving, by the device, a set of contact information for a plurality of contacts of the second member;

determining, by the device, which of the plurality of contacts are members of the virtual community based on the set of contact information;

providing, by the device, a notification to the second member indicating which of the plurality of contacts of the second member are members of the virtual community;

receiving, by the device, a message via the virtual community from the second member of the virtual community,

a recipient of the message being selected by the second member using outside contact information for a contact included in the plurality of contacts,

the contact being identified using information in the notification,

the message including the outside contact information,

the outside contact information including information used to communicate with the contact outside of the virtual community, and

the message being received via a virtual community application, for the virtual community, associated with a user device of the second member;

identifying, by the device, the first member of the virtual community as the recipient of the message based on the contact identifier included in the account and the outside contact information included in the message; and

transmit the message to the first member via the virtual community,

the message being transmitted to the virtual community application associated with a user device of the first member.

16. The method of claim 15, where the virtual community is managed by a network operator that provides a network contact identifier to a subscriber for communication outside of the virtual community,

where the first member is a non-subscriber that is not provided with a network contact identifier by the network operator, and

where the second member is the subscriber.

17. The method of claim 16, where the account is a first account, the method further comprising:

storing a second account for the second member including the network contact identifier provided to the second member by the network operator.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing the set of contact information for the plurality of contacts of the second member,

where the set of contact information identifies contacts that are members of the virtual community and non-members of the virtual community.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

notify the second member when a non-member included in the set of contact information becomes a member of the virtual community.

20. The method of claim 15, where the set of contact information is encrypted contact information,

the device being unable to decrypt the encrypted contact information;

and

the method, when identifying the first member of the virtual community as the recipient, includes;

identifying the first member of the virtual community as the recipient of the message based on the encrypted contact information.