GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES AND NEIGBHORHOOD LEADS IN A GEO-SPATIAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140189013A1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raj Abhyanker
• Original Assignee: Fatdoor Incorporated
• Inventors: Abhyanker, Raj
• Granted Patent: US 9,064,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 1/00 Measuring angles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system of determining neighborhood leads and forming government structures in an online geo-spatial social community are disclosed. A method of organizing a community network includes obtaining a region on a geo-spatial map, obtaining a first subset of members of the community network associated with the region, determining a second subset of the members with a highest number of points from the first subset, creating a representative body (e.g., based on an activity level of each of the first subset) from the second subset, and enabling the representative body to manage a portion of the community network associated with the region. A lead member user may be appointed or designated from the representative body from the second subset of the plurality of members with the highest number of points from the first subset based on an acceptance of the lead member (having additional access privileges).

Claims

1. A method of organizing an online community network, comprising:

obtaining a region on a geo-spatial map using a processor and a memory;

obtaining a first subset of a plurality of members of the online community network in a geo-spatial environment associated with the region on the geo-spatial map;

determining a second subset of the plurality of members with a highest number of points from the first subset;

creating a representative body from the second subset;

enabling the representative body to manage a portion of the online community network in the geo-spatial environment associated with the region on the geo-spatial map;

appointing a lead member user from the representative body from the second subset of the plurality of members with the highest number of points from the first subset based on an acceptance of the lead member; and

providing additional access privileges to the lead member user in the online community network of the geo-spatial environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying that each user of the community network lives at a residence associated with a claimable residential address of the community network formed through a social community module of a privacy server using a processor and a memory;

obtaining from each user of the community network, using the processor of a computing device, member data associated with each user, the member data including an address;

associating the address with a profile of each user;

determining a location of each user based on the member data;

storing the member data in a database;

obtaining a personal address privacy preference from each user, the personal address privacy preference specifying if the address should be displayed to other users;

authenticating a particular user of a third-party application as being a verified user of the neighborhood communication system having a verified residential address in the neighborhood communication system;

communicating a social graph of the particular user based on the personal address privacy preference of the particular user to the third-party application; and

providing the verified residential address to the third-party application based on the authentication of the particular user of the third-party application as being the verified user of the neighborhood communication system;

applying an address verification algorithm associated with each user of an online community associated with the community network using a privacy server;

generating a latitudinal data and a longitudinal data associated with each claimable residential address of the online community associated with each user of the online community;

determining a set of access privileges in the online community associated with each user of the online community by constraining access in the online community based on a neighborhood boundary determined using a Bezier curve algorithm of the privacy server;

transforming the claimable residential address into a claimed address upon an occurrence of an event;

instantiating the event when a particular user is associated with the claimable residential address based on a verification of the particular user as living at a particular residential address associated with the claimable residential address using the privacy server;

constraining the particular user to communicate through the online community only with a set of neighbors having verified addresses using the privacy server;

defining the set of neighbors as other users of the online community that have each verified their addresses in the online community using the privacy server and which have each claimed residential addresses that are in a threshold radial distance from the claimed address of the particular user;

obtaining a plurality of votes from the first subset corresponding to an elected official of the region;

determining one of the second subset with a highest number of the plurality of votes; and

selecting the one of the second subset as the elected official.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the elected official is at least one of a neighborhood lead of the online community, a mayor of the online community, a governor of the online community, a president of the online community, and a secretary-general of the online community.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is at least one of a city, a county, a state, a country, a group of countries, a continent, and a planet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the representative body is created based on an activity level of each of the first subset.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset comprises a plurality of elected officials from a plurality of divisions within the region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the representative body is created on a periodic basis.

8. A machine-readable non-transitory medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the method of:

obtaining a region on a geo-spatial map;

obtaining a first subset of a plurality of members of a community network in a geo-spatial environment associated with the region on the geo-spatial map;

determining a second subset of the plurality of members with a highest number of points from the first subset;

creating a representative body from the second subset;

enabling the representative body to manage a portion of the community network in the geo-spatial environment associated with the region on the geo-spatial map;

designating a lead member user from the representative body from the second subset of the plurality of members with the highest number of points from the first subset based on an acceptance of the lead member; and

granting additional access privileges to the lead member user in the online community network of the geo-spatial environment.

9. A system, comprising:

a member repository database comprising a plurality of members;

a geo-spatial repository database comprising a plurality of regions on a geo-spatial map; and

a lead management server configured to;

obtain a first subset of the plurality of members associated with one of the plurality of regions;

determine a second subset of the plurality of members with a highest number of points from the first subset;

create a representative body from the second subset;

enable the representative body to manage a portion of the community network associated with the one of the plurality of regions;

appoint a lead member user from the representative body from the second subset of the plurality of members with the highest number of points from the first subset based on an acceptance of the lead member; and

provide additional access privileges to the lead member user in the online community network of the geo-spatial environment.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a privacy server;

to verify that each user of the community network lives at a residence associated with a claimable residential address of the community network formed through a social community module of a privacy server using a processor and a memory;

to obtain from each user of the community network, using the processor of a computing device, member data associated with each user, the member data including an address;

to associate the address with a profile of each user;

to determine a location of each user based on the member data;

to store the member data in a database; and

to obtain a personal address privacy preference from each user, the personal address privacy preference specifying if the address should be displayed to other users;

a mapping server associated with the privacy server through a network to generate a geospatial representation of a set of points on a map defining residences associated with each use of the community network having the member data; and

a verify module of the privacy server;

to authenticate a particular user of a third-party application as being a verified user of the neighborhood communication system having a verified residential address in the neighborhood communication system;

to communicate a social graph of the particular user based on the personal address privacy preference of the particular user to the third-party application;

to provide the verified residential address to the third-party application based on the authentication of the particular user of the third-party application as being the verified user of the neighborhood communication system,

wherein the privacy server communicatively coupled with the mapping server through a network to apply an address verification algorithm associated with each user of the online community to verify that each user lives at a residence associated with a claimable residential address of an online community formed through a social community module of the privacy server using the processor and the memory;

wherein the mapping server to generate a latitudinal data and a longitudinal data associated with each claimable residential address of the online community associated with each user of the online community,

wherein the privacy server to automatically determine a set of access privileges in the online community associated with each user of the online community by constraining access in the online community based on a neighborhood boundary determined using a Bezier curve algorithm of the privacy server,

wherein the privacy server to transform the claimable residential address into a claimed address upon an occurrence of an event,

wherein the privacy server to instantiate the event when a particular user is associated with the claimable residential address based on a verification of the particular user as living at a particular residential address associated with the claimable residential address using the privacy server,

wherein the privacy server to constrain the particular user to communicate through the online community only with a set of neighbors having verified addresses using the privacy server,

wherein the privacy server to define the set of neighbors as other users of the online community that have each verified their addresses in the online community using the privacy server and which have each claimed residential addresses that are in a threshold radial distance from the claimed address of the particular user,

wherein the privacy server to constrain the threshold radial distance to be less than a distance of the neighborhood boundary using the Bezier curve algorithm,

wherein the privacy server to permit the neighborhood boundary to take on a variety of shapes based on at least one of an associated geographic connotation, a historical connotation, a political connotation, and a cultural connotation of neighborhood boundaries,

wherein the privacy server to apply a database of constraints associated with neighborhood boundaries that are imposed on a map view of the online community when permitting the neighborhood boundary to take on the variety of shapes,

wherein the mapping server to generate a geospatial representation of a set of points on a map defining places and points of interest, and

wherein a member management module configured to obtain member data associated with each of the plurality of members, wherein the member data comprises one of a plurality of locations on the geo-spatial map.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the member management module is further configured to:

determine an activity level of each of the plurality of members in the member repository, wherein the representative body is created based on the activity level of each of the first subset.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a representative interface accessible by the representative body, comprising;

a neighborhood management module configured to provide a neighborhood management option to the representative body;

a neighborhood cleanup module configured to provide a member profile regulation option to the representative body;

a representative communication module configured to send and receive messages between each of the second subset of the plurality of members; and

a forum configured to display a comment from at least one of the first subset.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the government management module is further configured to:

obtain a plurality of votes from the first subset corresponding to an elected official of the one of the plurality of regions;

determine one of the second subset with a highest number of the plurality of votes; and

select the one of the second subset as the elected official.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the elected official is at least one of a mayor, a governor, a president, and a secretary-general.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of regions is at least one of a city, a county, a state, a country, a group of countries, a continent, and a planet.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the first subset comprises a plurality of elected officials from a plurality of divisions within the one of the plurality of regions.