System and Method of Matching Presence for Subscribers in a Social Network

• US 20090248807A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ami-Go Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ami-Go Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Robert R., Fron, Tia S., Fron, Christopher A.
• Application Number:
  US12/055,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248807A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A social network allows subscribers to build and maintain a network of friends. The network includes a server that maintains travel information for the subscribers and for their friends. The server analyzes this travel information to determine whether a given subscriber will be geographically near a friend for a predetermined amount of time. If so, the server notifies the subscriber, and possibly the friend as well, so that the two can arrange to meet during that time.

Claims

1. A method of matching subscriber presence in a social network, the method comprising:

maintaining travel information for a subscriber and for one or more friends in a social network of the subscriber;

determining whether the subscriber will be geographically near a friend for at least a predetermined length of time by comparing the travel information associated with the subscriber with the travel information associated with the friend; and

generating a notification message for the subscriber based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the subscriber will be geographically near a friend for at least a predetermined amount of time comprises:

calculating a length of time that the subscriber will be located at a first location while the friend will be located at a second location; and

if the length of time equals or exceeds a subscriber-specified time value, calculating a distance between the first and second locations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein calculating the length of time comprises selecting a formula to perform the calculation based on whether the subscriber is traveling away from the subscriber'"'"'s home area.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein calculating the length of time comprises selecting a formula to perform the calculation based on whether the friend is traveling away from the friend'"'"'s home area.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein generating a notification message for the subscriber based on the determination comprises generating the notification message if the length of time equals or exceeds the subscriber-specified time value, and if the calculated distance does not exceed a subscriber-specified distance value.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising generating another notification message for the friend if the calculated length of time equals or exceeds a friend-specified time value, and if the calculated distance does not exceed a friend-specified distance value.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the subscriber will be geographically near the friend for at least a predetermined length of time based on subsequently provided travel information associated with at least one of the subscriber and the friend; and

notifying at least one of the subscriber and the friend if the subsequently provided subscriber travel information indicates that the subscriber will no longer be within a predetermined distance of the friend for at least a predetermined length of time.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an electronic travel itinerary comprising the travel information for the subscriber; and

parsing the electronic travel itinerary to extract the travel information for the subscriber without manual entry of the travel information by the subscriber.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the electronic travel itinerary comprises a table having rows and columns, and wherein parsing the electronic travel itinerary further comprises extracting the travel information from the rows and columns.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the travel itinerary comprises formatted text including predetermined tags that indicate the travel information, and wherein parsing the electronic travel itinerary to extract the travel information comprises recognizing the predetermined tags and extracting the travel information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the formatted text comprises a markup language.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the travel itinerary in an email;

determining whether the email is associated with a registered subscriber; and

parsing the email contents to extract the travel information if the email is associated with a registered subscriber.

13. A computing device comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate data with one or more subscribers; and

a controller configured to;

maintain travel information for a subscriber and for one or more friends in the subscriber'"'"'s social network;

determine whether the subscriber will be geographically near a friend for at least a predetermined length of time by comparing the travel information associated with the subscriber with the travel information associated with the friend; and

send a notification message to the subscriber based on the determination via the first interface.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to:

calculate a length of time that the subscriber will be at a first location while the friend will be at a second location; and

if the length of time equals or exceeds a subscriber-specified time value, calculating a distance between the first and second locations.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the controller is further configured to select one of a plurality of formulae to calculate the length of time that the subscriber will be at the first location while the friend will be at the second location.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein the controller is further configured to generate the notification message for the subscriber if the length of time equals or exceeds the subscriber-specified time value, and if the calculated distance does not exceed a subscriber-specified distance value.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the controller is further configured to send another notification message to the friend if the length of time equals or exceeds a friend-specified time value, and if the calculated distance does not exceed a friend-specified distance value.

18. The device of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive subsequently provided travel information associated with at least one of the subscriber and the friend;

determine whether the subscriber will be geographically near the friend for at least a predetermined length of time based on subsequently provided travel information; and

notify at least one of the subscriber and the friend if the subscriber will no longer be within a predetermined distance of the friend for at least a predetermined length of time.

19. The device of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive an electronic travel itinerary travel itinerary associated with the subscriber, the electronic travel itinerary including the travel information for the subscriber; and

parse the electronic travel itinerary to extract the travel information for the subscriber without manual entry of the travel information by the subscriber.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the travel itinerary comprises a table having rows and columns, and wherein the controller is further configured to extract the travel information from the rows and columns.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein the electronic travel itinerary comprises formatted text that includes tags indicating the travel information, and wherein the controller is further configured to recognize the tags and extract the associated travel information.

22. The device of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to detect a predetermined event, and determine whether the subscriber will be geographically near a friend for at least a predetermined length of time responsive to detecting the predetermined event.

23. A computer readable medium having application logic stored thereon, the application logic comprising instructions configured to control a device to:

maintain travel information for a subscriber and for one or more friends in the subscriber'"'"'s social network;

determine whether the subscriber will be geographically near a friend for at least a predetermined length of time by comparing the travel information associated with the subscriber with the travel information associated with the friend; and

generate a notification message for the subscriber if the subscriber will be geographically near the friend for time period that is greater than or equal to the predetermined length of time.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the application logic comprises instructions further configured to control a device to:

calculate a length of time that the subscriber will be located at a first location while the friend will be located at a second location; and

calculate a distance between the first and second locations if the calculated length of time is greater than or equal to the predetermined length of time.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein the application logic comprises instructions further configured to control a device to generate another notification message for the friend if the calculated length of time exceeds is greater than or equal to the predetermined length of time, and if the calculated distance is less than a predetermined distance value.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the application logic comprises instructions further configured to control a device to:

determine whether the subscriber will be geographically near the friend for at least a predetermined length of time based on subsequently provided travel information associated with at least one of the subscriber and the friend; and

notify at least one of the subscriber and the friend if the subsequently provided subscriber travel information indicates that the subscriber will no longer be within a predetermined distance of the friend for at least a predetermined length of time.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the application logic comprises instructions further configured to control a device to:

receive an electronic travel itinerary associated with the subscriber, the electronic travel itinerary including the travel information for the subscriber; and

parse the electronic travel itinerary to extract the travel information for the subscriber without manual entry of the travel information by the subscriber.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27 wherein the electronic travel itinerary comprises a table having rows and columns, and wherein the application logic comprises instructions further configured to control a device to extract the travel information from the rows and columns.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27 wherein the electronic travel itinerary comprises formatted text having predefined tags that indicate the travel information, and wherein the application logic comprises instructions further configured to recognize the predefined tags and extract the associated travel information.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the application logic defines a first interface to communicate notification data with a subscriber.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the application logic defines a second interface to communicate travel data with one or more third party servers via a communication network.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the application logic defines a third interface to receive input from the subscriber.