APPARATUS FOR INCREASING SOCIAL INTERACTION OVER AN ELECTRONIC NETWORK

• US 20080183750A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Social Concepts Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Social Concepts Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Hedlund, Michael R., Lee, Joseph William, Grendler, Peter August
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system includes a server that hosts webpages facilitating user interaction between multiple endpoints. The system monitors for a user input requesting initiation of a happy hour, and when the input is detected, modifies the webpages to alert users of the happy hour. The users are notified of which user initiated the happy hour, and are also notified that interaction incentives accumulate at an increased rate during the happy hour. The system also tracks user scorings that accumulate based on the user interaction, and enables certain website features based on these user scorings. The system also tracks ratings for user-uploaded objects and identifies top rated objects for displaying on webpages viewable by other users.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

means for tracking user-assigned ratings of objects that are user-uploaded onto one or more webpages;

means for ranking the objects according to the tracked user-assigned ratings;

means for tracking user scorings that are increased according to user interactions that include the ratings of the objects by the users such that the user scorings represent an amount that corresponding users have used the webpages to interact with each other;

means for assigning levels to the users according to the user scorings; and

means for causing the top-ranked objects and the assigned levels to be displayed on the webpages for viewing by the users.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for identifying user accounts having a corresponding user-scoring that exceeds different score thresholds; and

means for enabling only users of the identified user accounts to access features associated with the different score thresholds that are not available to other user accounts that do not exceed the different score thresholds.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising means for updating one or more homepages corresponding with the identified user accounts for broadcasting polls to other users.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising weighting object ratings according to user scorings such that ratings by higher scored users affect the object ratings more than ratings by lower scored users.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for increasing user scorings faster per interaction during a temporary time period that is initiated in response to an input sent from one of the users.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising means for altering the webpages to identify the user that sent the input initiating the temporary time period using contact information for the user and a visual representation of the user.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for assigning points to users that identify inappropriate user-uploaded objects.

8. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

determine when a user of a website communicates with another user of the website;

determine when one or more of the users rate content uploaded by another user; and

award points to the users initiating the communications and rating the content, the points controlling what website functionality is available to the users.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processors are further operable to award additional points to a first user when another user rates content that is uploaded by the first user.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processors are further operable to assign one or more tokens to the users corresponding with the number of awarded points, the tokens used for purchasing virtual gifts that are transferred between users through the website.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processors are further operable to enable a new account to view entire profiles of other users in response to a new user of the new account uploading a primary visual representation for display to the other users.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processors are further operable to increase the awarded points when the communications or the ratings occur during a happy hour period.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the website functionality includes allowing the user to rip content uploaded by other users.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the apparatus is located remotely from a server that hosts the website.

15. A method comprising:

assigning points to users communicating with other website users and rating objects uploaded by the other website users;

ranking the uploaded objects according to at least a number of ratings received for the uploaded objects and how frequently ratings are received for the uploaded objects; and

displaying top ranked objects and user point amounts on a main webpage for the website.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising sending messages that cause the top-ranked objects to be automatically displayed to the users whenever the users log into the monitored website.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising increasing a user score for a referring user whenever a new member identifies the referring user as a referral source and increasing the user score for the referring user whenever the new member is identified as causing a referral.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising increasing a user score for a referring user whenever a new member referred by that referring user is awarded points for sending a message to another user or rating an object uploaded by another user.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising enabling different functionality to different website users according to the assigned points.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising enabling users to vote on questions submitted by other users only when users have assigned points equal to or above a predetermined voting capability threshold.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising enabling full profile viewing when the user uploads ands authenticates a primary visual representation, the full profile viewing allowing the user to view full profiles uploaded by other users.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein user-uploaded web logs and user-uploaded profiles are ranked.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising identifying the top rated objects by category including a top photo category and top profile category.

24. The method of claim 15 further comprising displaying the top rated objects on homepages for the users in a scrolling bar that also displays new user photos and currently online user photos.

25. A method comprising:

enabling users to upload content onto personal web pages; and

rating a first user according to the first user'"'"'s ratings of other user'"'"'s uploaded content and according to the other user'"'"'s rating of the first user'"'"'s uploaded content.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising enabling different functionality for the first user than the other users according to the rating of the first user.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising adjusting the rating of the first user according to communications initiated from the first user to the other users.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising adjusting the rating of the first user when the other users initiate communications with the first user.