Location based friend finding

• US 9,691,106 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shaouy, William Philip, Terry, Matthew Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Palavecino, Kathleen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whitaker, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/886,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,472 Days
• Field of Search: 705319, 705318, 705 733, 4554563, 455566, 709224, 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method, data processing system, and computer program product for locating people. A mobile data processing system identifies a number of degrees of separation from a requestor for use in searching for the people. The mobile data processing system searches a network data processing system for data structures that contain information about associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor to generate an initial group of people. The mobile network data processing system identifies a group of people from the initial group of people that are within a geographic location based on a location of the mobile data processing system and a portion of the group of people who are online. The mobile data processing system displays the portion of the group of people on a display device for the mobile data processing system.

Claims

1. A method for locating people, the method comprising:

identifying, by a mobile data processing system, a number of degrees of separation from a requestor in searching for the people;

searching, by the mobile data processing system, a network data processing system for data structures that contain information about associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor to generate an initial group of people;

defining a geographic boundary for the searching by receiving a drawing of a boundary with an irregular shape on a map;

identifying, by the mobile data processing system, a group of people from the initial group of people that are within a geographic location based on a location of the mobile data processing system and a portion of the group of people who are online; and

displaying, by the mobile data processing system, the portion of the group of people on a display device for the mobile data processing system;

displaying a first control and a second control, the first control to change the display to a relationship view and the second control to change the display to a map view;

displaying, in the relationship view;

an identification of each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device;

a degree of separation from the requestor to the identification of the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device;

a distance between the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device and the mobile data processing system; and

a first communication control and a second communication control for each person in the portion of the group of people,

the first communication control to initiate a call with a respective person in the portion of the group of people, and

the second communication control to send a text message to the respective person;

displaying, in the map view;

a map with a location of each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device for the mobile data processing system;

a balloon related to a person in the portion of the group of people when the person is selected;

a third communication control in the balloon to initiate a call with the person;

a fourth communication control in the balloon to send a text message to the respective person;

a distance in the balloon between the person and the mobile data processing system; and

a boundary control to control display of the geographic boundary used for the searching.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to selecting a person in the group of people displayed on the display device, initiating communications with the person.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communications are selected from one of a text message, a call, and an email message.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying controls to initiate communication from the mobile data processing system to each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of displaying the controls to initiate the communication from the mobile data processing system to the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device comprises:

displaying a control for each type of communication for contacting the each person in the portion of the group of people, wherein the control is configured to initiate the communication from the mobile data processing system to the each person in the group of people in response to being manipulated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step comprises:

displaying a map with a location of each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device for the mobile data processing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step comprises:

displaying an identification of each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device; and

displaying a degree of separation from the requestor to the identification of the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

displaying a distance between the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device and the mobile data processing system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structures are located in at least one of a web-based social network, a website, and a web page,

wherein the searching step comprises:

searching a set of social networks on the network data processing system for the data structures that contain the information for the people based on the number of degrees of separation identified for use in searching for the people.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of searching, by the mobile data processing system, the network data processing system for the data structures that contain the information about the associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor to generate the initial group of people comprises:

searching, by the mobile data processing system, the network data processing system for the data structures that contain the information about the associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor based on previously identified associations for the requestor to generate the initial group of people.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location is selected from at least one of a distance, a geographic boundary, a city, a state, and a country.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structures use a resource description framework schema.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of a number of degrees of separation comprises:

building a tree structure based on identifying the people associated with the requestor that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor identified for use in searching for the people.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

defining a geographic boundary for the searching by drawing a boundary with an irregular shape on a map;

displaying a first control and a second control, the first control to change the display to a relationship view and the second control to change the display to a map view;

displaying, in the relationship view;

an identification of each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device;

a degree of separation from the requestor to the identification of the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device;

a distance between the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device and the mobile data processing system; and

a first communication control and a second communication control for each person in the portion of the group of people,

the first communication control to initiate a call with a respective person in the portion of the group of people, and

the second communication control to send a text message to the respective person;

displaying, in the map view;

a map with a location of each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device for the mobile data processing system;

a balloon related to a person in the portion of the group of people when the person is selected;

a third communication control in the balloon to initiate a call with the person;

a fourth communication control in the balloon to send a text message to the respective person;

a distance in the balloon between the person and the mobile data processing system; and

a boundary control to control display of the geographic boundary used for the searching.

15. A data processing system for locating people, the data processing system comprising:

a storage device containing program code; and

a processor unit connected to a bus, wherein the processor unit runs the program code to identify a number of degrees of separation from a requestor for use in searching for the people;

search a network data processing system for data structures that contain information about associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor to generate an initial group of people;

identify a group of people from the initial group of people that are within a geographic location based on a location of a mobile data processing system and a portion of the group of people who are online; and

display the portion of the group of people on a display device for the mobile data processing system.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor unit further runs the program code to initiate communications with a person in response to selecting the person in the group of people displayed on the display device.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the communications are selected from one of a text message, a call, and an email message.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processor unit further runs the program code to display controls to initiate communication from the mobile data processing system to each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein in running the program code to display the controls to initiate the communication from the mobile data processing system to the each person in the portion of the group of people displayed on the display device, the processor unit runs the program code to display a control for each type of communication for contacting the each person in the portion of the group of people, wherein the control is configured to initiate the communication from the mobile data processing system to the each person in the group of people in response to being manipulated.

20. A computer program product for locating people, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for identifying, by a mobile data processing system, a number of degrees of separation from a requestor for use in searching for the people;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for searching, by the mobile data processing system, a network data processing system for data structures that contain information about associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor to generate an initial group of people;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for identifying a group of people from the initial group of people that are within a geographic location based on a location of the mobile data processing system and a portion of the group of people who are online; and

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for displaying the portion of the group of people on a display device for the mobile data processing system.