Automated notification of social media member events

• US 9,439,038 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aura Home, Inc. (Pushd, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pushd, Inc.
• Inventors: Chowdhury, Abdur, Frieder, Ophir, Jensen, Eric, Cherry, Ben, Lorek, Andrew, Sanford, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ballard, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/751,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method, system, and/or apparatus for automatically tracking a mobile user using the user'"'"'s mobile device. This invention is particularly useful in the field of social media, such as for detecting and tracking the location and activity of a user and her community. The method or implementing software application uses or relies upon location information available on the mobile device from any source, such as cell phone usage and/or other device applications. The social media system can automatically determine a location type and/or user activity from context information. The context information can include current and past location and user and/or community information, time-dependent information, and third party information. The automated location and context information allows for users to set triggering conditions for other users, such as to provide an alert to one user or more users upon a particular action of the monitored other user being automatically determined by the system.

Claims

1. A method of determining locations and/or activities of users participating in a social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

automatically determining a first user visit of a first user at a destination via a first user electronic device, wherein the user activity is manually entered by the first user at the first user visit at the destination;

automatically determining a location of the destination via the first user electronic device;

receiving a user activity at he location through the first user electronic device;

automatically determining a first context for the first user visit and user activity;

automatically tagging the location with the user activity and context information from the first context, and storing the tagged location in a location database;

automatically determining a second user visit at the destination via the first user electronic device;

automatically delivering via the first user electronic device a request for manual confirmation of the user activity being performed for the second user arrival;

receiving the manual confirmation of the user activity for the second user visit to the destination;

automatically determining a second context for the second user visit at the destination;

automatically updating the context information of the tagged location from the second context;

for each of a plurality of automatically determined further user visits at the destination, automatically determining a potential for the user activity based upon a comparison of a corresponding further context automatically determined for the each of the further user visits to the context information;

automatically presenting the user activity to the first user through the first user electronic device for manual confirmation of the user activity through the user device at each of a plurality of further user visits at the location;

automatically updating the context information of the tagged location from the further context of each of the further user visits;

automatically learning the user activity by automatically associating the user activity with the location and the context information after receiving the user activity for the plurality of further user visits at the location;

automatically identifying that the first user is participating in the learned user activity upon future user arrivals at the location as a function of comparing the context information to a future context of each of the future user arrivals, without receiving any manually entered confirmation or manually entered additional user information;

a server computer of the computer system automatically sharing via a communication network to a second user electronic device of a second user participating in the social networking service that the first user is participating in the learned user activity upon the automatically identifying that the first user is participating in the learned user activity at each of the future user arrivals at the location;

wherein each of the first context, the second context, the further context, and the context information comprises at least one of;

a time of day, a day of a week, a calendar date, a preceding user activity to the user visits, a weather condition, people accompanying the user, or community member activity bias information for the destination;

receiving a triggering condition from a first user through the first user electronic device;

automatically monitoring for the triggering condition within the social networking service;

automatically determining an occurrence of the triggering condition by a second user through a second user electronic device that is within the social networking service; and

automatically communicating the occurrence of the triggering condition to the first user through the first user electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition comprises the second user electronic device'"'"'s proximity to, arrival at, or departure from, a location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location is a specific location identified by the first user in the triggering condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition is an activity or condition of the second user automatically determined using the second user electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

automatically determining a location of the second user;

automatically determining context information about the positional location without input by the second user;

automatically deducing as user information a location type and user activity of the location from the context information; and

automatically analyzing the user information for the occurrence of the triggering condition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating the occurrence comprises automatically providing a time or distance between the first user and the second user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the triggering occurrence comprises the second user moving between locations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering condition is selected from automatically generated predetermined condition selections displayed in a user interface on the first user electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking and updating a location of the second user electronic device upon the occurrence of the triggering condition.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically and continually tracking a location of an electronic device of each member of a social media community of the first user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic device of each member of the social media community includes a location module in communication with the social networking service, the location module configured to identify location transmissions received by the electronic device, and further comprising automatically and repeatedly entering a sleep mode and then awakening from the sleep mode upon identification of a location transmission.

12. A method of determining locations and/or activities of users participating in a social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

automatically determining a first user visit of a first user at a destination via a first user electronic device, wherein the user activity is manually entered by the first user at the first user visit at the destination;

automatically determining a location of the destination via the first user electronic device;

receiving a user activity at the location through the first user electronic device;

automatically determining a first context for the first user visit and user activity;

automatically tagging the location with the user activity and context information from the first context, and storing the tagged location in a location database;

automatically determining a second user visit at the destination via the first user electronic device;

automatically delivering via the first user electronic device a request for manual confirmation of the user activity being performed for the second user arrival;

receiving the manual confirmation of the user activity for the second user visit to the destination;

automatically determining a second context for the second user visit at the destination;

automatically updating the context information of the tagged location from the second context;

for each of a plurality of automatically determined further user visits at the destination, automatically determining a potential for the user activity based upon a comparison of a corresponding further context automatically determined for the each of the further user visits to the context information;

automatically presenting the user activity to the first user through the first user electronic device for manual confirmation of the user activity through the user device at each of a plurality of further user visits at the location;

automatically updating the context information of the tagged location from the further context of each of the further user visits;

automatically learning the user activity by automatically associating the user activity with the location and the context information after receiving the user activity for the plurality of further user visits at the location;

automatically identifying that the first user is participating in the learned user activity upon future user arrivals at the location as a function of comparing the context information to a future context of each of the future user arrivals, without receiving any manually entered confirmation or manually entered additional user information;

a server computer of the computer system automatically sharing via a communication network to a second user electronic device of a second user participating in the social networking service that the first user is participating in the learned user activity upon the automatically identifying that the first user is participating in the learned user activity at each of the future user arrivals at the location;

wherein each of the first context, the second context, the further context, and the context information comprises at least one of;

a time of day, a day of a week, a calendar date, a preceding user activity to the user visits, a weather condition, people accompanying the user, or community member activity bias information for the destination;

automatically and continually tracking locations of member electronic devices of a plurality of members of a social media community of the first user;

automatically displaying location information for each of the plurality of members on the first user electronic device;

receiving a triggering condition for one of the plurality of members from the first user through the first user electronic device;

automatically determining an occurrence of the triggering condition by automatically monitoring a member electronic device of the one of the plurality of members; and

automatically communicating the occurrence of the triggering condition to the first user through the first user electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the triggering condition comprises the second user electronic device'"'"'s proximity to, arrival at, or departure from, a location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the location is a specific location identified by the first user in the triggering condition.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the triggering condition is an activity or condition of the one of the plurality of members automatically determined using the member electronic device of the one of the plurality of members.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

automatically determining context information about the location information for the one of the plurality of members without manual input therefrom;

automatically deducing as user information a location type and user activity of the location from the context information; and

automatically analyzing the user information for the occurrence of the triggering condition.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the communicating the occurrence comprises automatically providing a time or distance between the first user and the one of the plurality of members.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the triggering occurrence comprises the one of the plurality of members moving between locations.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the triggering condition is selected from automatically generated predetermined condition selections displayed in a user interface on the first user electronic device.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic device of each of the plurality of members of the social media community includes a location module in communication with the social networking service, the location module configured to identify location transmissions received by the electronic device, and further comprising automatically and repeatedly entering a sleep mode and then awakening from the sleep mode upon identification of a location transmission.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically communicating the occurrence of the triggering condition to member electronic devices of several of the plurality of members other than the one of the plurality of members.