Techniques for exchanging contact information and establishing a connection via a social networking service

• US 9,872,138 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sayed, Sameer
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US15/357,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20170134897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709204, 709205, 709206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A method of making it easier for users to interact with each other via a social networking system is disclosed. It is detected that a first user of a social networking system performed an action with respect to a second user of the social networking system. It is interpreted that the action of the first user corresponds to a command that the first user intends to issue to a social networking system, the command pertaining to the second user. The command is processed by the social networking system on behalf of the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

incorporating one or more modules into a social networking system, the one or more modules configuring one or more processors of the social networking system to perform operations for notifying users of a social networking system of geographical movements of other users of the social networking system between virtual perimeters corresponding to a real-world location where a business event is being held, the operations comprising;

establishing a first virtual perimeter in one or more memories of the social networking system, the first virtual perimeter being a geo-fence corresponding to the real-world geographical area where the business event is being held;

determining that a first user of the social networking system is within the real-world geographical area based on a communication received from a client device of the first user, the communication indicating a location of the client device of the first user that corresponds to a location within the first virtual perimeter;

detecting an entering of a second user into the real-world geographical area based on a series of communications received from a client device of the second user, the series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has moved to be within the first virtual perimeter;

communicating a first notification to the client device of the first user, the first notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the entering of the second user;

detecting an exiting of the second user from the real-world geographical area based on an additional series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the additional series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user is present outside the first virtual perimeter; and

communicating a second notification to the client device of the first user, the second notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the exiting of the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a second virtual perimeter in the one or more memories of the social networking system, the second virtual perimeter being a geo-fence corresponding to a sub-location of the real-world geographical area;

detecting an entering of the second user into the sub-location based on a further series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the further series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has moved to be outside the second virtual perimeter; and

communicating a third notification to the client device of the first user, the third notification notifying the first user of relative locations of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the real-world-geographical area corresponds to a facility where a business conference is being held and the sub-location is a specific conference room within the facility.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the first notification and the communicating of the second notification is based on an existence of a particular relationship between the first user and the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the particular relationship is one of an established connection or a follower relationship with respect to the social networking system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular relationship is that the first user has a commonality with the second user based on profile data maintained by the social networking system with respect to the first user and the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first notification and the second notification includes a specification of a distance between the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memories;

one or more modules incorporated into the one or more memories, the one or more modules configuring the one or more processors to, at least;

establish a first virtual perimeter in the one or more memories, the first virtual perimeter being a geo-fence corresponding to a real-world geographical area where a business event is being held;

determine that a first user of the social networking system is within the real-world geographical area based on a communication received from a client device of the first user, the communication indicating a location of the client device of the first user that corresponds to a location within the first virtual perimeter;

detect an entering of a second user into the real-world geographical area based on a series of communications received from a client device of the second user, the series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has moved to be within the first virtual perimeter;

communicate a first notification to the client device of the first user, the first notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the entering of the second user;

detect an exiting of the second user from the real-world geographical area based on an additional series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the additional series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user is present outside the first virtual perimeter; and

communicate a second notification to the client device of the first user, the second notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the exiting of the second user.

9. The system of claim 8, the one or more modules configuring the one or more processors further to:

establish a second virtual perimeter in the one or more memories, the second virtual perimeter being a geo-fence corresponding to a sub-location of the real-world geographical area;

detect an entering of the second user into the sub-location based on a further series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the further series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has moved to be outside the second virtual perimeter; and

communicate a third notification to the client device of the first user, the third notification notifying the first user of relative locations of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the real-world-geographical area corresponds to a facility where a business conference is being held and the sub-location is a specific conference room within the facility.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the communicating of the first notification and the communicating of the second notification is based on an existence of a particular relationship between the first user and the second user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the particular relationship is one of an established connection or a follower relationship with respect to the social networking system.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the particular relationship is that the first user has a commonality with the second user based on profile data maintained by the social networking system with respect to the first user and the second user.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the first notification and the second notification includes a specification of a distance between the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

establishing a first virtual perimeter in one or more memories of a social networking system, the first virtual perimeter being a geo-fence corresponding to a real-world geographical area where a business event is being held;

determining that a first user of the social networking system is within the real-world geographical area based on a communication received from a client device of the first user, the communication indicating a location of the client device of the first user that corresponds to a location within the first virtual perimeter;

detecting an entering of a second user into the real-world geographical area based on a series of communications received from a client device of the second user, the series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has moved to be within the first virtual perimeter;

communicating a first notification to the client device of the first user, the first notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the entering of the second user;

detecting an exiting of the second user from the real-world geographical area based on an additional series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the additional series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user is present outside the first virtual perimeter, and

communicating a second notification to the client device of the first user, the second notification notifying the first user of the detecting of the exiting of the second user.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

establishing a second virtual perimeter in the one or more memories, the second virtual perimeter being a geo-fence corresponding to a sub-location of the real-world geographical area;

detecting an entering of the second user into the sub-location based on a further series of communications received from the client device of the second user, the further series of communications indicating that the client device of the second user has moved to be outside the second virtual perimeter; and

communicating a third notification to the client device of the first user, the third notification notifying the first user of relative locations of the client device of the first user and the client device of the second user.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the real-world-geographical area corresponds to a facility where a business conference is being held and the sub-location is a specific conference room within the facility.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the communicating of the first notification and the communicating of the second notification is based on an existence of a particular relationship between the first user and the second user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the particular relationship is one of an established connection or a follower relationship with respect to the social networking system.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the particular relationship is that the first user has a commonality with the second user based on profile data maintained by the social networking system with respect to the first user and the second user.