Sharing of location-based content item in social networking service

• US 10,117,044 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharon, Eyal M., Stremel, Jed, Adeagbo, Olumakinde A., Chang, Wayne, Hewitt, Joseph, Cahill, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US14/800,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A method and/or system allows a user of a social networking service to publish a content item tagged with location information for sharing with other users of the social networking service. The user publishing the content item performs operations on the originating device to generate the content item. The originating communication device attaches the location information to the content item, and transmits the content item to a social networking system. The social networking system may provide various location-based services based on the content item tagged with the location information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information of a first user of a social networking service, the information comprising location information and activity information of one or more groups with which the first user is associated;

determining a list of distinct locations where a first user is likely to be located based on the received location and activity information;

sending the list of distinct locations to a communication device of the first user;

receiving, from the communication device, a location selected by the first user among the list of distinct locations to indicate the location of the first user;

retrieving information about public transport traveling from or through the selected location of the first user;

determining an updated location of the first user based on the selected location and the information about the public transport;

receiving, from the communication device, a content item, wherein the content item represents data posted by the first user and is transmitted from the communication device to the social networking service;

labeling the content item with the updated location; and

making the content item and the updated location available to a first viewing user at a first level of resolution and a second viewing user at a second level of resolution, the level of resolution based on the relationship of the viewing user to the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of distinct locations is determined further based on a user profile of the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated location is received simultaneously with the content item from the communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a signal from the communication device indicating that the first user is taking the public transport, the updated location determined responsive to receiving the signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the list of distinct locations based on an IP (Internet Protocol) address of the communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated location is sent to the second viewing user via at least one of an instant message, an email, a web document and a text message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the public transport comprises at least one of vehicles, vessels or airplanes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing a substance of the content item using content recognition tools;

determining whether the content indicates a location associated with the content item; and

responsive to the content item indicating a location, labeling the content item with the indicated location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sharing the updated location only during a certain time period or when the first user is within a predefined geographic area.

10. A method comprising:

receiving information for a communication device associated with a respective user, the information comprising location information and activity information of one or more groups with which the user is associated;

for each respective user, determining a list of distinct locations where the respective user is likely to be located based on the received location and activity information;

for each respective user, sending the list of distinct locations to the communication device;

from each respective user, receiving a location selected by the respective user on the communication device among the list of distinct locations to indicate the location of the respective user;

retrieving information about public transport traveling from or through the selected location;

determining an updated location of the respective user based on the selected location and the information about the public transport;

determining whether to make the updated location available to a first requesting user and a second requesting user;

receiving, from the communication device, a content item, wherein the content item represents data posted by the respective user and is transmitted from the communication device to the social networking service;

labeling the content item with the updated location; and

making the content item and the updated location available to the first requesting user at a first resolution and to the second requesting user at a second resolution, the level of resolution based on the relationship of the requesting user to the respective user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the list of distinct locations is determined further based on a user profile of the respective user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the updated location is received simultaneously with the content item from the communication device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising further comprising receiving a signal from the communication device indicating that the respective user is taking the public transport, the updated location determined responsive to receiving the signal.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the list of distinct locations based on an IP (Internet Protocol) address of the communication device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the updated location is sent to the second requesting user via at least one of an instant message, an email, a web document and a text message.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the public transport comprises at least one of vehicles, vessels or airplanes.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause the processor to:

receiving information of a first user of a social networking service, the information comprising location information and activity information of one or more groups with which the first user is associated;

determining a list of distinct locations where a first user is likely to be located based on the received location and activity information;

sending the list of distinct locations to a communication device of the first user;

receiving, from the communication device, a location selected by the first user among the list of distinct locations to indicate the location of the first user;

retrieving information about public transport traveling from or through the selected location of the first user;

determining an updated location of the first user based on the selected location and the information about the public transport;

receiving, from the communication device, a content item;

labeling the content item with the updated location; and

making the content item and the updated location available to a first requesting user at a first resolution and to a second requesting user at a second resolution, the level of resolution based on the relationship of the requesting user to the first user.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the list of distinct locations is determined further based on a user profile of the first user.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive a signal from the communication device indicating that the first user is taking the public transport, the updated location determined responsive to receiving the signal.