Activity information sharing method and apparatus

• US 10,382,611 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Wong, Tat Hei, Fang, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D
• Application Number:
  US15/974,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20180255169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The various implementations described herein disclose methods and systems for real-time activity information sharing. In one aspect, a method is performed by a user terminal. The terminal launches an instant messaging application. It then establishes a communication channel between the application and a real-time activity information collection apparatus located adjacent to it. The apparatus is physically attached to a home appliance and is configured to collect parameters according to a predefined operation of the appliance. The terminal transmits a control instruction from the application to the apparatus via the communication channel. The apparatus is configured to collect the parameters according to the predefined operation of the appliance in accordance with the control instruction, and to transmit the plurality of parameters from the apparatus to the user terminal. The terminal receives the parameters, and transmits information of the parameters to a social networking website using a share instruction on the application.

Claims

1. A real-time activity information sharing method performed by a user terminal having one or more processors and memory for storing programs to be executed by the one or more processors, the method comprising:

launching, by the user terminal, an instant messaging application running on the user terminal;

establishing, by the user terminal, a communication channel between the instant messaging application and a real-time activity information collection apparatus located adjacent the user terminal, wherein the real-time activity information collection apparatus is physically attached to a home appliance and configured to collect a plurality of parameters according to a predefined operation of the home appliance;

transmitting, by the user terminal, a control instruction from the instant messaging application to the real-time activity information collection apparatus via the communication channel, wherein the real-time activity information collection apparatus is configured to collect the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation of the home appliance in accordance with the control instruction and transmit the plurality of parameters from the real-time activity information collection apparatus to the user terminal using the communication channel;

receiving, by the user terminal, the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation on the instant messaging application; and

transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters to a social networking website using a share instruction on the instant messaging application running on the user terminal.

2. The real-time activity information sharing method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters comprises:

sending, by the user terminal, the information of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation to a social networking application server by using the share instruction; and

sending, by the user terminal, a search request to the social networking application server for a second user terminal running the instant messaging application; and

receiving, by the user terminal, user information of a target user from the social networking application server, wherein the target user is associated with a second user terminal running the instant messaging application that indicates another instance of the predefined operation performed by the home appliance within a time window.

3. The real-time activity information sharing method according to claim 2, further comprising:

sending, by the user terminal, a friend request to the target user;

receiving, by the user terminal, a response message sent by the target user in response to the friend request; and

establishing a friend relationship between the instant messaging applications running at the two user terminals.

4. The real-time activity information sharing method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters comprises:

sending, by the user terminal, the information of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation by using the share instruction; and

receiving, by the user terminal, user feature information sent by the social networking application server, wherein the user feature information comprises user feature information calculated by the social networking application server based on at least one of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation.

5. The real-time activity information sharing method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined operation is one selected from the group consisting of an exercise activity, a food-and-beverage activity, and an entertainment activity.

6. A user terminal comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

a plurality of programs stored in the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the user terminal to perform a plurality of operations including;

launching, by the user terminal, an instant messaging application running on the user terminal;

establishing, by the user terminal, a communication channel between the instant messaging application and a real-time activity information collection apparatus located adjacent the user terminal, wherein the real-time activity information collection apparatus is physically attached to a home appliance and configured to collect a plurality of parameters according to a predefined operation of the home appliance;

transmitting, by the user terminal, a control instruction from the instant messaging application to the real-time activity information collection apparatus via the communication channel, wherein the real-time activity information collection apparatus is configured to collect the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation of the home appliance in accordance with the control instruction and transmit the plurality of parameters from the real-time activity information collection apparatus to the user terminal using the communication channel;

receiving, by the user terminal, the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation on the instant messaging application; and

transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters to a social networking website using a share instruction on the instant messaging application running on the user terminal.

7. The user terminal according to claim 6, wherein the operation of transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters comprises:

sending, by the user terminal, the information of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation to a social networking application server by using the share instruction; and

sending, by the user terminal, a search request to the social networking application server for a second user terminal running the instant messaging application; and

receiving, by the user terminal, user information of a target user from the social networking application server, wherein the target user is associated with a second user terminal running the instant messaging application that indicates another instance of the predefined operation performed by the home appliance within a time window.

8. The user terminal according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of operations further comprise:

sending, by the user terminal, a friend request to the target user;

receiving, by the user terminal, a response message sent by the target user in response to the friend request; and

establishing a friend relationship between the instant messaging applications running at the two user terminals.

9. The user terminal according to claim 6, wherein the operation of transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters comprises:

sending, by the user terminal, the information of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation by using the share instruction; and

receiving, by the user terminal, user feature information sent by the social networking application server, wherein the user feature information comprises user feature information calculated by the social networking application server based on at least one of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation.

10. The user terminal according to claim 6, wherein the predefined operation is one selected from the group consisting of an exercise activity, a food-and-beverage activity, and an entertainment activity.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium in conjunction with a user terminal comprising one or more processors, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores a plurality of programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the user terminal to perform a plurality of operations including:

launching, by the user terminal, an instant messaging application running on the user terminal;

establishing, by the user terminal, a communication channel between the instant messaging application and a real-time activity information collection apparatus located adjacent the user terminal, wherein the real-time activity information collection apparatus is physically attached to a home appliance and configured to collect a plurality of parameters according to a predefined operation of the home appliance;

transmitting, by the user terminal, a control instruction from the instant messaging application to the real-time activity information collection apparatus via the communication channel, wherein the real-time activity information collection apparatus is configured to collect the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation of the home appliance in accordance with the control instruction and transmit the plurality of parameters from the real-time activity information collection apparatus to the user terminal using the communication channel;

receiving, by the user terminal, the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation on the instant messaging application; and

transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters to a social networking website using a share instruction on the instant messaging application running on the user terminal.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the operation of transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters comprises:

sending, by the user terminal, the information of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation to a social networking application server by using the share instruction; and

sending, by the user terminal, a search request to the social networking application server for a second user terminal running the instant messaging application; and

receiving, by the user terminal, user information of a target user from the social networking application server, wherein the target user is associated with a second user terminal running the instant messaging application that indicates another instance of the predefined operation performed by the home appliance within a time window.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of operations further comprise:

sending, by the user terminal, a friend request to the target user;

receiving, by the user terminal, a response message sent by the target user in response to the friend request; and

establishing a friend relationship between the instant messaging applications running at the two user terminals.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the operation of transmitting, by the user terminal, information of the plurality of parameters comprises:

sending, by the user terminal, the information of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation by using the share instruction; and

receiving, by the user terminal, user feature information sent by the social networking application server, wherein the user feature information comprises user feature information calculated by the social networking application server based on at least one of the plurality of parameters according to the predefined operation.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the predefined operation is one selected from the group consisting of an exercise activity, a food-and-beverage activity, and an entertainment activity.