System and method for communicating among members of meeting groups

• US 9,654,425 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• 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., Fives, Michael T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gutierrez, Andres E
• Application Number:
  US13/838,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 715753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A system and method for communicating at least one message between users is provided. The method includes the steps of transmitting, to a plurality of users, 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; transmitting, to at least one user of the plurality of users, information identifying at least one predetermined communication; and in response to only a single action performed by the at least one user, transmitting the at least one predetermined communication to at least one other user of the plurality of users.

Claims

1. A method of communicating at least one message between users, comprising:

transmitting, to a plurality of users, 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 attendance information for an in-person meeting or event from a subset of users that are members of a meeting group;

determining, based at least partially on the attendance information, a plurality of meeting attendees that attended the in-person meeting or event;

after the in-person meeting or event occurs, generating at least one graphical user interface comprising a name for each of the plurality of meeting attendees, a photograph or image for each of the plurality of meeting attendees, and a selectable option associated with each of the plurality of meeting attendees, wherein each selectable option is associated with at least one of the name and photograph or image of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, the selectable option identifying a predetermined message;

in response to a first meeting attendee selecting a selectable option associated with a second meeting attendee, transmitting the predetermined message from the first meeting attendee to the second meeting attendee without requiring the first meeting attendee to take any additional action, wherein the predetermined message comprises a second selectable option identifying a second predetermined message; and

in response to the second meeting attendee selecting the second selectable option, transmitting the second predetermined message from the second meeting attendee to the first meeting attendee without requiring the second meeting attendee to take any additional action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user and the at least one other user attended a common in-person meeting or event.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining if the at least one user and the at least one other user attended a common in-person meeting or event based on RSVPs received for the in-person meeting or event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one graphical user interface is further configured to facilitate users to join at least one meeting group of the plurality of meeting groups based on topic-related interest and geographic locale.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each selectable option of the plurality of selectable options comprises a button, and wherein each button is substantially adjacent to at least one of the name and photograph or image of each of the plurality of meeting attendees.

6. A method of communicating at least one message between users that attended an in-person meeting or event, comprising:

transmitting, to a plurality of users, 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 attendance information from at least two users of the plurality of users for an in-person meeting or event;

determining, based at least partially on the attendance information, a plurality of meeting attendees that attended the in-person meeting or event;

after the in-person meeting or event occurs, generating at least one graphical user interface comprising a name of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, a photograph or image for each of the plurality of meeting attendees, and a selectable option associated with each of the plurality of meeting attendees, wherein each selectable option is substantially adjacent to at least one of the name and photograph or image of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, the selectable option identifying a predetermined message;

in response to a first meeting attendee selecting a selectable option associated with a second meeting attendee, transmitting the predetermined message from the first meeting attendee to the second meeting attendee without requiring the first meeting attendee to take any additional action, wherein the predetermined message comprises a second selectable option identifying a second predetermined message; and

in response to the second meeting attendee selecting the second selectable option, transmitting the second predetermined message from the second meeting attendee to the first meeting attendee without requiring the second meeting attendee to take any additional action.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the attendance information comprises at least two RSVPs for the in-person meeting or event.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the attendance information is input by at least one organizer after or during the in-person meeting or event.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one graphical user interface is further configured to facilitate users to join at least one meeting group of the plurality of meeting groups based on topic-related interest and geographic locale.

10. A computer program product for communicating at least one message between users that attended an in-person meeting or event, comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

transmit, to a plurality of users, 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;

receive, from a plurality of prospective meeting attendees, RSVPs for an in-person meeting or event;

determine, based at least partially on the RSVPs or organizer input, a plurality of meeting attendees that attended the in-person meeting or event, wherein the plurality of meeting attendees comprise a plurality of actual meeting attendees or the plurality of prospective meeting attendees;

after the in-person meeting or event occurs, generate at least one graphical user interface comprising a name of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, a photograph or image for each of the plurality of meeting attendees, and a selectable option associated with each of the plurality of meeting attendees, wherein each selectable option is associated with at least one of the name and photograph or image of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, the selectable option identifying a predetermined message;

in response to a first meeting attendee selecting a selectable option associated with a second meeting attendee, transmit the predetermined message from the first meeting attendee to the second meeting attendee without requiring the first meeting attendee to take any additional action, wherein the predetermined message comprises a second selectable option identifying a second predetermined message; and

in response to the second meeting attendee selecting the second selectable option, transmit the second predetermined message from the second meeting attendee to the first meeting attendee without requiring the second meeting attendee to take any additional action.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the at least one graphical user interface is further configured to facilitate users to join at least one meeting group of the plurality of meeting groups based on topic-related interest and geographic locale.

12. A system for communicating at least one message between users, comprising at least one server computer including at least one processor, the at least one server computer configured to:

transmit, to a plurality of users, 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;

receive attendance information for an in-person meeting or event from a subset of users of the plurality of users, wherein the subset of users are members of a meeting group of the plurality of meeting groups;

determine, based at least partially on the attendance information, a plurality of meeting attendees that attended the in-person meeting or event;

in response to the meeting or event occurring, generate at least one further graphical user interface for at least one user of the subset of users, the at least one further graphical user interface comprising a name of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, a photograph or image for each of the plurality of meeting attendees, and a selectable option associated with each of the plurality of meeting attendees, wherein each selectable option is associated with at least one of the name and photograph or image of each of the plurality of meeting attendees, the selectable option identifying a predetermined message;

in response to a first meeting attendee selecting a selectable option associated with a second meeting attendee, transmit the predetermined message from the first meeting attendee to the second meeting attendee without requiring the first meeting attendee to take any additional action, wherein the predetermined message comprises a second selectable option identifying a second predetermined message; and

in response to the second meeting attendee selecting the second selectable option, transmit the second predetermined message from the second meeting attendee to the first meeting attendee without requiring the second meeting attendee to take any additional action.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one user and the at least one other user attended a common in-person meeting or event.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one server computer is further configured to determine if the at least one user and the at least one other user attended a common in-person meeting or event based on RSVPs received for the in-person meeting or event.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one graphical user interface is further configured to facilitate users to join at least one meeting group of the plurality of meeting groups based on topic-related interest and geographic locale.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein each selectable option of the plurality of selectable options comprises a button.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each button is substantially adjacent to at least one of the name and photograph or image of each of the plurality of meeting attendees.