User-calibrated activity newsfeed on a social network

• US 20090144369A1
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invent.ly LLC
• Original Assignee: Invent.ly LLC
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

Calibration and publication of user activity on a computer implemented social network is provided. Activity signals of user activity is measured by an activity monitor and calibrated by the user. The calibration includes assigning an activity signal with a personalized identifier for the activity for comparison with future measured activity signals. Near real-time publication of the activity on the social network allow users of the network to timely view user behavior. The publication on a social networking website includes the identifier if the activity has been calibrated. By calibrating and publishing user activity, users can connect to others based on the activity. The publication can be on newsfeed on a user profile for friends of the user to view. A user and the user'"'"'s friends can communicate with each other, which allows the user to receive motivation from the friends and be accountable to the friends.

Claims

1. A method for publishing user activity, comprising:

having a computer implemented social network of a plurality of users and a plurality of friends of each of said plurality of users;

providing a calibrating function allowing one of said plurality of users of said social network to calibrate an activity from an activity signal measured by an activity monitor operated by the same of said plurality of users, wherein said calibration comprises assigning an activity identifier to said activity signal and storing said assignment; and

publishing said activity of one of said plurality of users to said plurality of friends of the same of said plurality of users, wherein said publication includes said activity identifier if said activity is calibrated.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising providing a messaging function that allows each of said plurality of users and said plurality of friends of the same of said plurality of users to communicate with each other, wherein said communications can be for encouraging the same of said plurality of users.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said activity monitor is a portable wireless device, wherein said communications sent from said plurality of friends of said user operating said device is received by said portable wireless device.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plurality of friends of each of said plurality of users comprise:

(a) one or more of said plurality of users of said social network;

(b) one or more persons not registered to said social network;

or

(c) said (a) and said (b).

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising maintaining a user profile for each of said plurality of users, wherein said activity is published on a newsfeed on said user profile.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said publishing indicates said activity is unidentified if said activity is not calibrated.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising storing said activity signal and a timestamp of said activity for said calibration.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said activity monitor is an accelerometer for measuring the motion of the user operating said accelerometer.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said activity monitor is a pedometer, a GPS navigational device, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a handheld device, a wearable device, a medical device, a heart monitor, a glucose monitor, a diabetes monitor, or any combination thereof.

10. A system for publishing user activity, comprising:

(a) an application server for operating a computer implemented social network of a plurality of users of said social network, wherein at least one of said plurality of users is monitored and wherein said application server;

(i) maintains a list of friends for each of said plurality of users of said social network; and

(ii) allows said friends of each of said plurality of users to communicate with the same of said plurality of users;

(b) an activity monitor for monitoring the activity of said at least one monitored user of said social network, wherein said activity monitor measures an activity signal corresponding to the activity of said at least one monitored user;

(c) a calibration module for allowing said at least one monitored user to calibrate said monitored activity of said at least one monitored user, wherein said calibrating comprises assigning an activity identifier to said activity signal and storing said assignment; and

(d) a publication module for publishing said activity of said at least one monitored user, wherein said publication includes said activity identifier if said activity is calibrated,

wherein said friends of said at least one monitored user can send a motivating message to said at least one monitored user based on said published activity.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said application server hosts a user profile for each of said plurality of users of said social network and wherein said publication is on a newsfeed on said user profile of said at least one monitored user.

12. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said friends of each of said plurality of users comprise:

(a) one or more of said plurality of users of said social network;

(b) one or more persons not registered to said social network;

or

(c) said (a) and said (b).

13. The system as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a wireless gateway, wherein said activity monitor is a portable wireless device, wherein said portable wireless device sends said activity signal to said application server via said wireless gateway.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said calibration module is operable on said portable wireless device.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said friends of said at least one monitored user can send messages to said portable wireless device via said wireless gateway.

16. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said publication indicates said activity is unidentified if said activity is not calibrated.

17. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said activity monitor or said application server marks a timestamp corresponding to said activity signal, wherein said timestamp can be used by said calibration module.

18. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said activity monitor is an accelerometer, for measuring the motion of said at least one monitored user.

19. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said activity monitor is a pedometer, a GPS navigational device, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a handheld device, a wearable device, a medical device, a heart monitor, a glucose monitor, a diabetes monitor, or any combination thereof.

20. The system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said activity monitor is a medical device, and wherein said calibration module, said publication module, or said calibration module and said publication module are operable on said medical device.