Location Aware Shared Spaces

• US 20130132477A1
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bosworth, Andrew Garrod, Garcia, David Harry, Lau, Kenneth M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,098,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

In one embodiment, a geo-social networking system maintains a data store of shared space, wherein each shared space comprises one or more content objects, a location, and one or more privacy settings. The geo-social networking system allows a user read-access to a shared space based on privacy settings associated with the shared space. The geo-social networking system allows a user write-access to a shared space if the user is at the location associated with the shared space.

Claims

1. A method, by one or more computing devices, comprising:

maintaining a data store of shared spaces, wherein each shared space comprises one or more content objects and is associated with a location;

allowing, a first user, read-access to the shared spaces based on one or more read access controls with the shared spaces; and

allowing the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the allowing, a first user, read-access to the shared spaces based on respective privacy settings associated with the shared spaces, further comprises:

accessing data indicating a current location of the first user;

accessing the data store of shared spaces;

identifying one or more nearby shared spaces wherein each of the nearby shared spaces has a location within a threshold distance from the first user'"'"'s current location;

selecting at least one shared space from the one or more nearby shared spaces based on respective read-access controls associated with the one or more nearby shared spaces;

and

transmitting one or more content objects of the selected shared space to the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein read-access controls associated with a nearby shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the nearby shared space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the allowing the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space, further comprises:

receiving, from the first user, a message comprising one or more new content objects;

accessing data indicating a current location of the first user;

determining the first user'"'"'s write-accessibility to the shared space based at least in part on one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space and a determination whether the first user'"'"'s current location is within the threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space; and

updating the shared space stored in the data store of shared spaces with the one or more new content objects, if the first user has write-access to the shared space.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the shared space.

6. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory storage medium storing computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

maintain a data store of shared spaces, wherein each shared space comprises one or more content objects and is associated with a location;

allow, a first user, read-access to the shared spaces based on one or more read access controls with the shared spaces; and

allow the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein to allow, a first user, read-access to the shared spaces based on respective privacy settings associated with the shared spaces, further comprises instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

access data indicating a current location of the first user;

access the data store of shared spaces;

identify one or more nearby shared spaces wherein each of the nearby shared spaces has a location within a threshold distance from the first user'"'"'s current location;

select at least one shared space from the one or more nearby shared spaces based on respective read-access controls associated with the one or more nearby shared spaces;

and

transmit one or more content objects of the selected shared space to the first user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein read-access controls associated with a nearby shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the nearby shared space.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein to allow the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space, further comprises instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from the first user, a message comprising one or more new content objects;

access data indicating a current location of the first user;

determine the first user'"'"'s write-accessibility to the shared space based at least in part on one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space and a determination whether the first user'"'"'s current location is within the threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space; and

update the shared space stored in the data store of shared spaces with the one or more new content objects, if the first user has write-access to the shared space.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the shared space.

11. One or more computer-readable tangible storage media embodying software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

maintain a data store of shared spaces, wherein each shared space comprises one or more content objects and is associated with a location;

allow, a first user, read-access to the shared spaces based on one or more read access controls with the shared spaces; and

allow the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein to allow, a first user, read-access to the shared spaces based on respective privacy settings associated with the shared spaces, further comprises software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

access data indicating a current location of the first user;

access the data store of shared spaces;

identify one or more nearby shared spaces wherein each of the nearby shared spaces has a location within a threshold distance from the first user'"'"'s current location;

select at least one shared space from the one or more nearby shared spaces based on respective read-access controls associated with the one or more nearby shared spaces;

and

transmit one or more content objects of the selected shared space to the first user.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein read-access controls associated with a nearby shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the nearby shared space.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein to allow the first user write-access to a shared space as long as the first user is within a threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space, further comprises software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

receive, from the first user, a message comprising one or more new content objects;

access data indicating a current location of the first user;

determine the first user'"'"'s write-accessibility to the shared space based at least in part on one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space and a determination whether the first user'"'"'s current location is within the threshold distance of the location associated with the shared space; and

update the shared space stored in the data store of shared spaces with the one or more new content objects, if the first user has write-access to the shared space.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the one or more write-access controls associated with the shared space comprise one or more privacy settings associated with the shared space.