Managing Location Labels in a Social Network

• US 20110137996A1
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Stewart, Brett B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus and software have been discovered for use by individual users to monitor the geographic location of other people or assets with some relationship to the user. Once some manner of location information is determined, users have the ability to describe that location in various ways and control how that information is shared with other users.

Claims

1. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for managing location labels in a social network, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

store a plurality of location labels in a memory, wherein each of the location labels corresponds to a location;

storing constraint information corresponding to a first member of the social network, wherein the constraint information controls dissemination of the location labels for a plurality of second members of the social network;

selectively provide one or more of the location labels to one or more of the second members of the social network based on the constraint information.

2. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the constraint information specifies provision of different levels of the location labels to different ones of the second members.

3. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are further executable to provide different levels of the location labels to different ones of the second members based on the constraint information.

4. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

provide a first location label corresponding to a current location of the first member, wherein the first location label is provided to one second member of the social network;

provide a second location label corresponding to the current location of the first member, wherein the second location label is provided to a different second member of the social network;

wherein said providing the first location label and said providing the second location label are performed based on the constraint information.

5. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 4,

wherein the first location label is more descriptive of the current location than the second location label.

6. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions execute on a computer system implementing at least a portion of a social network service.

7. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive user input from the first member specifying the constraint information.

8. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the constraint information specifies dissemination of location labels on a per friend basis.

9. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the constraint information specifies dissemination of location labels on a per group basis.

10. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the constraint information specifies that no location labels are to be sent to at least one second member.

11. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein at least a subset of the plurality of second members of the social network are identified as friends of the first member in the social network.

12. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the location labels comprises a user defined alias.

13. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the location labels comprises an address of its corresponding location.

14. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the location labels comprises a map link of its corresponding location.

15. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein, for at least one of the second members of the social network, the constraint information specifies informing the at least one of the second members that he/she is not being informed of the location of the first member.

16. A method for managing location labels in a social network, comprising:

storing a plurality of location labels in a memory, wherein each of the location labels corresponds to a location;

storing constraint information corresponding to a first member of the social network, wherein the constraint information controls dissemination of the location labels for one or more second members of the social network;

receiving location information of the first member of the social network;

determining a first plurality of location labels associated with the location information of the first member; and

selectively providing one or more of the first plurality of location labels to one or more of the second members of the social network based on the constraint information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the first plurality of location labels corresponds to a respective level of specificity, wherein the constraint information specifies provision of different levels of the location labels to different ones of the second members.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said selectively providing comprises:

providing a first location label corresponding to the location information of the first member, wherein the first location label is provided to one second member of the social network;

providing a second location label corresponding to the location information of the first member, wherein the second location label is provided to a different second member of the social network;

wherein said providing the first location label and said providing the second location label are performed based on the constraint information.

19. The method of claim 18,

wherein the first location label is more descriptive of the current location than the second location label.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more second members are friends with the first member on the social network.

21. The method of claim 16,

wherein the constraint information specifies dissemination of location labels on a per friend basis.

22. The method of claim 16,

wherein the constraint information specifies that no location labels are to be sent to at least one second member.