Location-based social software for mobile devices

• US 10,440,502 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Crowley, Dennis P., Rainert, Alexander M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US16/198,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20190098437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563, 4554142, 4554561, 455457, 4554141, 455266, 4554143, 455415, 4554562, 455463, 4554351
• 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 51/222 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method for communicating location information to a device includes receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user, associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user; and sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, a message that is generated based at least in part on the location information.

Claims

1. A method for communicating location information to a device, comprising:

receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user and a message generated by the first user;

determining, by the computer system and based on the location information, a list of venue names of venues that are determined to be near the geographic location;

providing, by the computer system and to the device, the list of venue names;

receiving, at the computer system and from the device, a selected venue name that is selected by the first user from the list of venues;

associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user;

modifying the message generated by the first user to include the selected venue name prepended to the message; and

sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, the message that is generated based at least in part on the location information by the prepending the selected venue name to the message so that, when the message is displayed on the device associated with the second user, the venue name precedes the message generated by the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises GPS coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is sent over a text messaging system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, from the computer system to the device associated with the second user, additional messages that are generated by respective other users based at least in part on respective location information and that each include a prepending the selected venue name to the message so that, when the message is displayed on the device associated with the second user, the venue name precedes the message generated by the respective other user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message and the additional messages include time information indicating a respective time for each message, and the messages are displayed on the device associate with the second user according to the respective times.

6. The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises GPS coordinates.

7. The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, wherein the message is sent over a text messaging system.

8. The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 1, the operations further comprising sending, from the computer system to the device associated with the second user, additional messages that are generated by respective other users based at least in part on respective location information and that each include a prepending the selected venue name to the message so that, when the message is displayed on the device associated with the second user, the venue name precedes the message generated by the respective other user.

9. The one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 8, wherein the message and the additional messages include time information indicating a respective time for each message, and the messages are displayed on the device associate with the second user according to the respective times.

10. One or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media having recorded thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a computer system implementing the computer processors and that implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user and a message generated by the first user;

determining, by the computer system and based on the location information, a list of venue names of venues that are determined to be near the geographic location;

providing, by the computer system and to the device, the list of venue names;

receiving, at the computer system and from the device, a selected venue name that is selected by the first user from the list of venues;

associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user;

modifying the message generated by the first user to include the selected venue name prepended to the message; and

sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, the message that is generated based at least in part on the location information by the prepending the selected venue name to the message so that, when the message is displayed on the device associated with the second user, the venue name precedes the message generated by the first user.

11. A computer system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media having recorded thereon instructions, that when executed by the one or more computers, perform operations comprising;

receiving, at the computer system, wherein the computer system implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user and a message generated by the first user;

determining, by the computer system and based on the location information, a list of venue names of venues that are determined to be near the geographic location;

providing, by the computer system and to the device, the list of venue names;

receiving, at the computer system and from the device, a selected venue name that is selected by the first user from the list of venues;

associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user;

modifying the message generated by the first user to include the selected venue name prepended to the message; and

sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, the message that is generated based at least in part on the location information by the prepending the selected venue name to the message so that, when the message is displayed on the device associated with the second user, the venue name precedes the message generated by the first user.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the location information comprises GPS coordinates.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the message is sent over a text messaging system.

14. The computer system of claim 11, the operations further comprising sending, from the computer system to the device associated with the second user, additional messages that are generated by respective other users based at least in part on respective location information and that each include a prepending the selected venue name to the message so that, when the message is displayed on the device associated with the second user, the venue name precedes the message generated by the respective other user.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the message and the additional messages include time information indicating a respective time for each message, and the messages are displayed on the device associate with the second user according to the respective times.