SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING SOCIAL DISCOVERY

• US 20160057594A1
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ernesto Nebel
• Original Assignee: Ernesto Nebel
• Inventors: Nebel, Ernesto
• Granted Patent: US 9,832,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method for facilitating social discovery includes: obtaining, by a first device associated with a first user, device information associated with at least a second device from the second device; transmitting the device information associated with the second device to a social discovery platform; receiving, from the social discovery platform, user information associated with a second user of the second device in response to the device information associated with the second device; and displaying, to the first user, the user information associated with the second user.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating social discovery, comprising:

a social discovery platform; and

a first device associated with a first user, the first device comprising;

a hardware processor; and

at least one executable software module that, when executed by the hardware processor, is configured to;

obtain, from at least a second device, device information associated with the second device;

transmit the device information associated with the second device to the social discovery platform;

receive, from the social discovery platform, user information associated with a second user of the second device in response to transmitting the device information associated with the second device; and

display, to the first user, the user information associated with the second user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable software module is further configured to discover the second device and receive device information from the second device based on a WiFi Direct Service Discovery protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable software module is further configured to:

receive, from the first user, a request to establish communications with at least the second user of the second device; and

establish a WiFi Direct connection with the second device in response to the request.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the executable software module is further configured to:

receive, from the first user, a message to transmit to the second user; and

transmit the message to the second device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second device comprises:

a hardware processor; and

at least one executable software module that, when executed by the hardware processor, is configured to;

receive, from the first device, the message from the first user;

determine whether the first user paid a fee; and

in response to determining that the first user paid the fee, display the message to the second user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the fee comprises one of an amount stipulated by the second user and an amount set by the social discovery platform.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the fee comprises an amount that is set dynamically based on one or more of the following:

a total number of users attempting to transmit messages to the second user, a time when the first user transmitted the message to the second user, a location of the first user and the second user, and a total number of messages transmitted by the first user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user information associated with the second user includes at least one of the following:

a photograph of the second user, an age of the second user, a gender of the second user, one or more occupations of the second user, a location of the second user, one or more group affiliations of the second user, one or more interests of the second user, and one or more characteristics of the second user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the device information associated with the second device comprises a MAC address of the second device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable software module is further configured to determine whether to display, to the first user, the user information associated with the second user based at least in part on the user information associated with the second user and one or more filter criteria specified by the first user.

11. A method for facilitating social discovery, comprising:

obtaining, by a first device associated with a first user, device information associated with at least a second device from the second device;

transmitting the device information associated with the second device to a social discovery platform;

receiving, from the social discovery platform, user information associated with a second user of the second device in response to the device information associated with the second device; and

displaying, to the first user, the user information associated with the second user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising discovering the second device and receiving device information from the second device based on a WiFi Direct Service Discovery protocol.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user, a request to establish communications with at least the second user of the second device; and

establishing a WiFi Direct connection with the second device in response to the request.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user, a message to transmit to the second user; and

transmitting the message to the second device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, at the second device, the message from the first user;

determining, by the second device, whether the first user paid a fee; and

in response to determining that the first user paid the fee, display the message to the second user at the second device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the fee comprises one of an amount stipulated by the second user and an amount set by the social discovery platform.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the fee comprises an amount that is set dynamically based on one or more of the following:

a total number of users attempting to transmit messages to the second user, a time when the first user transmitted the message to the second user, a location of the first user and the second user, and a total number of messages transmitted by the first user.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the user information associated with the second user includes at least one of the following:

a photograph of the second user, an age of the second user, a gender of the second user, one or more occupations of the second user, a location of the second user, one or more group affiliations of the second user, one or more interests of the second user, and one or more characteristics of the second user.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the device information associated with the second device comprises a MAC address of the second device.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether to display, to the first user, the user information associated with the second user based at least in part on the user information associated with the second user and one or more filter criteria specified by the first user.