HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS REGISTERING SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR REGISTERING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS, PROGRAM FOR REGISTERING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS, AND MEDIUM STORING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS REGISTERING PROGRAM AND READABLE BY COMPUTER

• US 20120166543A1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mekiki Company Limited, Mekiki Creates Company Limited (Mekiki Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mekiki Company Limited, Mekiki Creates Company Limited (Mekiki Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ninomiya, Kenichi, DEGUCHI, Hikar
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

To provide a human relationships registering system, a method and a server for registering human relationships, a program for registering human relationships, and a medium storing human relationships registering program and readable by a computer, all of which are used to establish wide and close relationships with members having a variety of occupations or engaged in various technical fields and to obtain expert knowledge or information. The human relationships registering system comprises first data processing units 2 and 3 including sections for receiving personal data of a new member, and a second data processing unit including a section for storing the received personal data. The second data processing unit stores the personal data of the new member in correlation to an existing member when the existing member confirms the new member.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a server coupled to a communication network configured to establish and update relationships between members registered to a relationships registering system coupled to the communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a database configured to store personal attribute information of the members and relationship data indicating a direct relationship between at least some of the members;

a message communicator configured to communicate via the communication network a relationship request to each of one or more second members indicating that a first member wishes to establish a direct relationship with the one or more second members, and to communicate to the first member via the communication network a relationship acceptance from at least a subset of the one or more second members indicating that the at least a subset of the one or more second members have accepted the relationship request;

a data retriever configured to search the database, in response to receiving one or more key words of a search criteria including the personal attribute information of the first member, specifically for one or more third members that are directly related to the one or more second members but not to the first member, and for one or more fourth members that are directly related to one or more third members but not to the first member or the one or more second members; and

a data sender configured to communicate to the first member at least a portion of the personal attribute information of at least a subset of the one or more third members and at least a subset of the one or more fourth members.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the data retriever is further configured to search the database for personal attribute information of common members having a direct relationship with both the first member and a selected third member, and

the data sender is further configured to communicate the retrieved identities of the common members.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relationship request includes personal attribute information of the first member.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more key words are included in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the database is further configured to update the relationship data between the first member and the members related to the one or more second members, and the relationship data between the one or more second members and the members related to the first member.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more third members and the personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more fourth members is displayed in a vertical alignment having the personal attribute information of each member of the at least a subset of the one or more third and fourth members displayed in order based on a degree of relationship between the first member and each of the at least a subset of the one or more third and fourth members.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein biographical information is displayed for each of the at least a subset of the one or more third members and the at least a subset of the one or more fourth members.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data retriever searches, in response to receiving biographical information as one of the one or more keywords of the search criteria, specifically for third and fourth members having the related biographical information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the biographical information is occupational information.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the biographical information is educational information.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the biographical information is information of a technical field.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data sender is further configured to communicate degrees of relationship between the first member and each of the at least a subset of the one or more third members and the at least a subset of the one or more fourth members.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the personal attribute information and the degrees of relationship of the at least a subset of the one or more third members is displayed separately from the personal attribute information and degrees of relationship of the at least a subset of the one or more fourth members.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the relationship data for each of the at least a subset of one or more third members and the at least a subset of one or more fourth members is displayed horizontally adjacent to the respective personal attribute information for each of the at least a subset of one or more third members and the at least a subset of one or more fourth members.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relationship data of the at least a subset of one or more third members and the at least a subset of one or more fourth members is numerically displayed.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data retriever, in response to receiving one or more key words of a search criteria including the personal attribute information of the first member and a target member, is further configured to search the database specifically for one or more second members that are directly related to the one or more first member and the target member.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data retriever, in response to receiving one or more key words of a search criteria including personal attribute information of the first member and of a target member, is further configured to search the database specifically for one or more connecting second members that are directly related to the first member and are also directly related to one or more third members that are directly related to the target member.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data sender is further configured to communicate to the first member at least a subset of the one or more connecting second members.

19. A method, implemented by an apparatus including a server coupled to a communication network, for establishing and updating relationships between members registered to a relationships registering system coupled to the communication network, the method comprising:

storing, at a database, personal attribute information of the members;

storing, at the database, relationship data indicating a direct relationship between at least some of the members;

communicating, at a message communicator via the communication network, a relationship request to each of one or more second members indicating that a first member wishes to establish a direct relationship with the one or more second members;

communicating to the first member, at the message communicator via the communication network, a relationship acceptance from at least a subset of the one or more second members indicating that the at least a subset of the one or more second members have accepted the relationship request;

searching the database, at a data retriever and in response to receiving one or more key words of a search criteria including the personal attribute information of the first member, specifically for one or more third members that are directly related to the one or more second members but not to the first member, and for one or more fourth members that are directly related to one or more third members but not to the first member or the one or more second members; and

communicating, at a data sender, to the first member at least a portion of the personal attribute information of at least a subset of the one or more third members and at least a subset of the one or more fourth members.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions thereon for establishing and updating relationships between members registered to a relationships registering system coupled to a communication network, that when executed by an apparatus including a server coupled to the communication network cause the apparatus to perform a method comprising:

storing personal attribute information of the members;

storing relationship data indicating a direct relationship between at least some of the members;

communicating via the communication network a relationship request to each of one or more second members indicating that a first member wishes to establish a direct relationship with the one or more second members;

communicating to the first member via the communication network a relationship acceptance from at least a subset of the one or more second members indicating that the at least a subset of the one or more second members have accepted the relationship request;

searching the database, in response to receiving one or more key words of a search criteria including the personal attribute information of the first member, specifically for one or more third members that are directly related to the one or more second members but not to the first member, and for one or more fourth members that are directly related to one or more third members but not to the first member or the one or more second members; and

communicating to the first member at least a portion of the personal attribute information of at least a subset of the one or more third members and at least a subset of the one or more fourth members.