Method and system for enabling the creation and maintenance of proximity-related user groups

• US 10,798,524 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2018
• Issued: 10/06/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Holden, Jeffrey Alan, Ayars, Jeffrey M., Conklin, Gregory J., Shariff, Shafiq, Scholl, Nathaniel Blake, Kim, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Jianxun
• Application Number:
  US16/169,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20190158980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing location-based information and functionality to people and computing devices in various ways. In at least some situations, the techniques include enabling multiple people in a common geographic area to interact in various ways, such as via devices capable of communications (e.g., cellular telephones, computing devices with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities, etc.), while in other situations at least some users who are remote from a particular geographic area may be allowed to intercommunicate with one or more other users or other entities in or related to that geographic area. In addition, the techniques include enabling the creation and maintenance of location-based virtual groups of users (also referred to as “clouds”), such as for users of mobile and/or fixed-location devices. Such clouds may enable various types of interactions between group members, and may be temporary and/or mobile.

Claims

1. A virtual group management apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

one or more non-transitory memories comprising computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the virtual group management apparatus to;

enable a first entity to establish a virtual group,

enable the first entity to define configuration information for the virtual group,

the computer-executable program code instructions configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the location-based virtual group management apparatus to enable the first entity to define the configuration information comprising computer-executable program code instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the virtual group management apparatus to;

establish membership criteria for admittance of one or more members to the virtual group;

establish rules of interaction among the one or more members of that the virtual group;

wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises;

enabling a first member of the one or more members to create a unidirectional relationship with a second member, without explicit approval of the second member;

enabling the first member of the one or more members to receive a broadcasted message from the second member, the message comprising content; and

enabling each of one or more other members of the virtual group to receive the broadcasted message from the second member;

facilitate, according to the rules of interaction, transmission of the broadcasted message from the second member to the first member of the virtual group and to at least one of the one or more other members of the virtual group.

2. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises establishing termination criteria, the termination criteria configured to determine when the virtual group will terminate, and

wherein the one or more non-transitory memories and the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the virtual group management apparatus to:

terminate the virtual group upon determination that the termination criteria is met.

3. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the one or more non-transitory memories and the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the virtual group management apparatus to:

facilitate transmission of a second message from the first member of the virtual group to the second member.

4. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises enabling the first member and the second member to create a bidirectional mutually agreed-upon relationship that transcends a duration of the virtual group, allowing access to information and capabilities that are not granted to other members of the virtual group.

5. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the facilitating of the transmission of the message from the first member of the virtual group comprises:

facilitating the transmission of the message from the first member to the second member.

6. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the one or more non-transitory memories and the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the virtual group management apparatus to:

allow a non-member user to join the virtual group, the non-member user meeting the admission criteria.

7. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the one or more non-transitory memories and the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the virtual group management apparatus to:

invite a non-member user physically present within a geographical boundary to join the virtual group.

8. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the termination criteria is indicative of a type of member activity.

9. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content is one or more of a text, an image, or a video.

10. The virtual group management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facilitating of the transmission of the message from the first member of the virtual group comprises:

facilitating the transmission of the message, the message comprising video content, from the first member to the second member, and

wherein the termination criteria specifies termination after a specified amount of time after a type of member activity, and

wherein the one or more non-transitory memories and the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the virtual group management apparatus to;

terminate the virtual group upon determination that the specified amount of time since the member activity.

11. A virtual group management computer program product, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:

enabling a first entity to establish a virtual group,

enabling the first entity to define configuration information for the virtual group,

wherein the program code instructions for the enabling of the first entity to define the configuration information comprising program code instructions for;

establishing membership criteria for admittance of one or more members to the virtual group;

establishing rules of interaction among the one or more members of that the virtual group;

wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises;

enabling a first member of the one or more members to create a unidirectional relationship with a second member, without explicit approval of the second member;

enabling the first member of the one or more members of the virtual group to receive a broadcasted message from the second member, the broadcasted message comprising content; and

enabling each of one or more other members of the virtual group to receive the broadcasted message from the second member;

facilitating, according to the rules of interaction, transmission of the broadcasted message from the second member to the first member of the virtual group and to at least one of the one or more other members of the virtual group.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11,

wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises

establishing termination criteria, the termination criteria configured to determine when the virtual group will terminate;

wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for;

terminating the virtual group upon determination that the termination criteria is met.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

facilitating transmission of a second message from the first member of the virtual group to the second member.

14. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the establishment of the rules of interaction comprises enabling the first member and the second member to create a bidirectional mutually agreed-upon relationship that transcends a duration of the virtual group, allowing access to information and capabilities that are not granted to other members of the virtual group.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the facilitating of the transmission of the message from the first member of the virtual group comprises:

facilitating the transmission of the message from the first member to the second member.

16. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

allowing a non-member user to join the virtual group, the non-member user meeting the admission criteria.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

inviting a non-member user physically present within a geographical boundary to join the virtual group.

18. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the termination criteria is indicative of a type of member activity.

19. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the content is one or more of a text, an image, or a video.

20. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the facilitating of the transmission of the message from the first member of the virtual group comprises:

facilitating the transmission of the message, the message comprising video content, from the first member to the second member, and

wherein the termination criteria specifies termination after a specified amount of time after a type of member activity, and

the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for;

terminating the virtual group upon determination that the specified amount of time since the member activity.