Systems and methods for utilizing wireless communications to suggest connections for a user

• US 9,294,991 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US14/328,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/416, 455/457, 455/458, 455/459
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can broadcast a first wireless communication including information associated with a first user. A second wireless communication including information associated with a second user can be detected. Log data including at least a portion of the information associated with the second user can be generated. The log data can also include signal strength data associated with the second wireless communication and time data indicating when the second wireless communication was detected. The log data can be provided for analysis. One or more connections suggested for the first user based, at least in part, on the log data can be received.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

broadcasting, by a computing system, a first wireless communication including information associated with a first user;

detecting, by the computing system, a second wireless communication including information associated with a second user;

generating, by the computing system, log data including at least a portion of the information associated with the second user, signal strength data associated with the second wireless communication, and time data indicating when the second wireless communication was detected;

providing, by the computing system, the log data for analysis; and

receiving, by the computing system, one or more connections suggested for the first user based, at least in part, on the log data, wherein the log data is analyzed to determine whether the second user is to be included as a connection in the one or more connections suggested for the first user, wherein the second user is ranked, based on a plurality of factors, to determine whether the second user is to be included in the one or more connections suggested for the first user, the plurality of factors including at least one of an inferred locational proximity between the first user and the second user, a frequency of inferred meetings between the first user and the second user, a duration of each of the inferred meetings between the first user and the second user, or a pattern of occurrences of inferred meetings between the first user and the second user.

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

presenting the one or more connections suggested for the first user; and

receiving an instruction from the first user to connect with at least some of the one or more connections.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the first wireless communication and the second wireless communication corresponds to at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, a ZigBee communication, a Z-Wave communication, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) communication, a near-field communication (NFC), or a personal area network (PAN) communication.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the first user includes a first identifier of the first user within a social networking service, and wherein the information associated with the second user includes a second identifier of the second user within the social networking service.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the first user includes a first web address, and wherein the information associated with the second user includes a second web address.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the inferred locational proximity is determined based on the signal strength data associated with the second wireless communication.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the frequency is determined based on a number of instances in which the inferred locational proximity indicated that the first user and the second user were within a specified allowable distance from each other subsequent to an elapsed period of time during which the inferred locational proximity indicated that the first user and the second user were outside the specified allowable distance from each other.

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

determining that a signal strength of the second wireless communication had become substantially reduced; and

acquiring time data indicating when the signal strength of the second wireless communication had become substantially reduced, wherein the duration is determined based on the time data indicating when the second wireless communication was detected and on the time data indicating when the signal strength of the second wireless communication had become substantially reduced.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of factors is associated with a respective weight factor.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the first wireless communication is performed over time.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the first wireless communication is initiated based on a broadcast trigger.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the broadcast trigger occurs when data from at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a motion processor of the computing system indicates that the computing system is directed toward a source of the second wireless communication.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the broadcast trigger occurs when locational data of the computing system based on at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS), WiFi, radio signal modulation, or geo-tagging indicates that the computing system is within a specified allowable distance from a source of the second wireless communication.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the broadcast trigger occurs when data from at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a motion processor of the computing system indicates that the computing system is moving in a movement pattern similar to that of a source of the second wireless communication.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the movement pattern includes at least one of a stationary pattern, a walking pattern, a running pattern, or a vehicle-riding pattern.

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

presenting, on a display element of the computing system, a graphical element representing the second user; and

moving the graphical element on the display element based on a locational proximity between the computing system and a source of the second wireless communication, the locational proximity being determined using the signal strength data associated with the second wireless communication.

17. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform;

broadcasting a first wireless communication including information associated with a first user;

detecting a second wireless communication including information associated with a second user;

generating log data including at least a portion of the information associated with the second user, signal strength data associated with the second wireless communication, and time data indicating when the second wireless communication was detected;

providing the log data for analysis; and

receiving one or more connections suggested for the first user based, at least in part, on the log data, wherein the log data is analyzed to determine whether the second user is to be included as a connection in the one or more connections suggested for the first user, wherein the second user is ranked, based on a plurality of factors, to determine whether the second user is to be included in the one or more connections suggested for the first user, the plurality of factors including at least one of an inferred locational proximity between the first user and the second user, a frequency of inferred meetings between the first user and the second user, a duration of each of the inferred meetings between the first user and the second user, or a pattern of occurrences of inferred meetings between the first user and the second user.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform:

broadcasting a first wireless communication including information associated with a first user;

detecting a second wireless communication including information associated with a second user;

generating log data including at least a portion of the information associated with the second user, signal strength data associated with the second wireless communication, and time data indicating when the second wireless communication was detected;

providing the log data for analysis; and

receiving one or more connections suggested for the first user based, at least in part, on the log data, wherein the log data is analyzed to determine whether the second user is to be included as a connection in the one or more connections suggested for the first user, wherein the second user is ranked, based on a plurality of factors, to determine whether the second user is to be included in the one or more connections suggested for the first user, the plurality of factors including at least one of an inferred locational proximity between the first user and the second user, a frequency of inferred meetings between the first user and the second user, a duration of each of the inferred meetings between the first user and the second user, or a pattern of occurrences of inferred meetings between the first user and the second user.