POPULATING ONLINE FORUMS

• US 20130212174A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Webb, Brandyn, Gould, Kirk B., Kaplan, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, a forum for user interaction is provided. A clone of the forum is created, thereby allowing any number of users to be in the same forum while limiting the number of users in each instance of the forum. It is determined whether a relationship exists between a user entering the forum and one or more other users entering the forum or with one or more other users already in the forum. If a relationship exists, the user entering the forum is placed in a clone of the forum based on the relationship.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating a first forum on an online service in which users interact with each other;

creating multiple instances of the first forum;

creating a second forum on the online service in which users interact with each other;

creating multiple instances of the second forum;

determining that a first user joining the first forum came from a second forum; and

determining that a second user in a particular instance of the first forum interacted with the first user in the second forum and became associated with the first user, and consequently placing the first user in the particular instance of the first forum.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first string of information about the first user, wherein the string of information indicates that the first user came from the particular instance of the second forum; and

receiving a second string of information about the second user, wherein the string of information indicates that the second user came from the particular instance of the second forum.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first string is received from a client computer of the first user; and

the second string is received from a client computer of the second user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first string and the second string are automatically sent from the client computer of the user and the client computer of the second user, respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching a cache to find other users who have recently moved to the first forum from the particular instance of the second forum;

finding the second user in the cache; and

determining that space availability exists in the particular instance of the first forum before placing the first user in the particular instance of the first forum.

6. A server system, comprising:

one or more server computers implementing an online service, wherein each server computer is programmed to perform operations comprising;

creating a first forum on the online service in which users interact with each other;

creating multiple instances of the first forum;

creating a second forum on the online service in which users interact with each other;

creating multiple instances of the second forum;

determining that a first user joining the first forum came from a second forum; and

determining that a second user in a particular instance of the first forum interacted with the first user in the second forum and became associated with the first user, and consequently placing the first user in the particular instance of the first forum.

7. The server system of claim 6, further comprising:

a network; and

a client system in communication with the online service over the network.

8. The server system of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a first string of information about the first user, wherein the string of information indicates that the first user came from the particular instance of the second forum; and

receiving a second string of information about the second user, wherein the string of information indicates that the second user came from the particular instance of the second forum.

9. The server system of claim 8, wherein:

the first string is received from a client computer of the first user; and

the second string is received from a client computer of the second user.

10. The server system of claim 8 wherein the first string and the second string are automatically sent from the client computer of the user and the client computer of the second user, respectively.

11. The server system of claim 6, further comprising:

searching a cache to find other users who have recently moved to the first forum from the particular instance of the second forum;

finding the second user in the cache; and

determining that space availability exists in the particular instance of the first forum before placing the first user in the particular instance of the first forum.

12. A method, comprising:

creating a forum on an online service in which users interact with each other;

creating multiple instances of the forum on the online service;

receiving a string of information from a user joining a particular instance of the forum, the string containing user information; and

determining which of the multiple instances of the forum the user should be placed in based on the string of information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user information comprises information about an address of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the address comprises a physical address of the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the physical address comprises the country that the user is in.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the address comprises an online address of the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the online address comprises one of an email address, an internet protocol address, or a domain name of a server.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the string of information comprises the language in which the user prefers to communicate.

19. A server system, comprising:

one or more server computers implementing an online service, wherein each server computer is programmed to perform operations comprising;

creating a forum on the online service in which users interact with each other;

creating multiple instances of the forum on the online service;

receiving a string of information from a user joining a particular instance of the forum, the string containing user information; and

determining which of the multiple instances of the forum the user should be placed in based on the string of information.

20. The server system of claim 19, wherein the user information comprises information about an address of the user.

21. The server system of claim 20, wherein the address comprises a physical address of the user.

22. The server system of claim 21, wherein the physical address comprises the country that the user is in.

23. The server system of claim 20, wherein the address comprises an online address of the user.

24. The server system of claim 23, wherein the online address comprises one of an email address, an internet protocol address, or a domain name of a server.

25. The server system of claim 19, wherein the string of information comprises the language in which the user prefers to communicate.