Location-based social software for mobile devices

• US 20060270419A1
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Crowley, Dennis P., Rainert, Alexander M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.200
• 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 of establishing connection between users of mobile devices includes receiving at a computer a location of a first user from a first mobile device, receiving from a second mobile device a location of a second user having an acquaintance relationship to the first user, and sending a message to the first mobile device based on the proximity of the first user to the second user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a computer a location of a first user from a first mobile device;

receiving from a second mobile device a location of a second user having an acquaintance relationship to the first user; and

sending a message to the first mobile device based on the proximity of the first user to the second user and on the acquaintance relationship,

wherein the message identifies the location of the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user locations are determined by converting a location name to a set of corresponding location coordinates.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location coordinates comprise GPS coordinates.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the location name comprises a venue name.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising parsing the venue name from an electronic message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising parsing the electronic mail message into components from a MIME header.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquaintance relationship is a friend relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquaintance relationship is a friend-of-a-friend relationship.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a third mobile device a location of a third user having an acquaintance relationship to the first user, determining that the first user has a relationship with the second user and a relationship with the third user; and

sending messages to the second and third mobile devices identifying the location of the first user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising retiring the location of the first user a predetermined time after receiving the location of the first user, so that other users may no longer learn the location of the first user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising blocking a message to the second mobile device based on a selection by the first user to hide from the second user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a venue review from a third user and making the review available to the first user and the second user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a message to the second mobile device based on the proximity of the users to each other, wherein the message identifies the location of the first user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the message sent to the first mobile device provides the identity of the second user, and the message sent to the second mobile device provides an indication that another user is in the proximity of the second user, without providing the identity of the first user.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the first user is identified from a selection by the first user on the first device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the selection comprises a textual message entered by the first user on the device.

16. A system for providing information about acquaintances, comprising:

an interface to receive messages from users of the system providing information associated with their location;

a location engine configured to correlate the received location information to a location identifier that may be compared to other location identifiers;

an acquaintance identifier configured to identify acquaintances of users who provide location information to the system; and

a message generator to prepare messages to users regarding the locations of their acquaintances if those locations are proximate to the users.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface comprises at least one of an e-mail in box or a text message receiver.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the location engine comprises a table that correlates venue names to geographic coordinates.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the message generator is configured to prepare a first message for a first user about the location of a second user who is identified as a friend of the first user, and to prepare a message for the second user about the location of the first user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the message generator is responsive to instructions from the location engine and the acquaintance identifier so that the message generator only prepares messages for users of a predetermined relationship and in a particular geographic area.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the message generator is configured to prepare a plurality of messages for a plurality of users identified as friends of a first user, when the first user requests that messages be addressed to the friends of the first user.

22. A system for providing information about acquaintances, comprising:

an interface to receive a message from a first user of the system;

means for identifying a set of users of a particular relationship to the first user within a particular proximity of the first user; and

a message generator to prepare messages for the set of users, including information about the location of the first user, in response to the message from the first user.

23. A computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform actions comprising:

receiving at a computer a location of a first user from a first mobile device;

receiving from a second mobile device a location of a second user having an acquaintance relationship to the first user; and

sending to the first mobile device a message containing the location of the second mobile device, based on the proximity of the first user to the second user.