Social network for affecting personal behavior

• US 7,720,855 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2007
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invent.ly LLC
• Original Assignee: Stephen J Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/983,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20090012988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 707/4, 707/104.1, 709/203, 709/217, 709/224
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A social network for affecting personal behavior is provided. The psychological and behavioral progress of a registered user of the social network is maintained. The social network provides the registered user with friends who can track the user'"'"'s progress and encourage the user by communications with the user. The friends of the user can be anybody, including people who are not registered with the social network. A dynamic mechanism for grouping different users into support groups is also provided. The grouping is based on the user'"'"'s progress, satisfaction with the user'"'"'s supporters, and the user'"'"'s traits and preferences. User-customized profiles are used to elucidate user traits instead of standard direct forms to avoid incorrect or misleading responses to the forms. In addition, a wireless portable device in communication with the social network of friends and supporters is provided for constant access to sources of motivation.

Claims

1. A method for affecting personal behavior using a computer implemented social network, comprising:

(a) having said computer implemented social network of a plurality of registered users to said social network and a plurality of viewers, wherein said viewers are not registered users to said social network;

(b) providing a user profile function allowing each of said plurality of registered users themselves to create a user profile by;

(i) entering a plurality of attributes associated with the same of said plurality of registered users;

(ii) defining at least one behavioral icon, wherein each of said at least one behavioral icon represents at least one behavioral action; and

(iii) defining at least one psychological icon, wherein each of said at least one psychological icon represents at least one psychological state;

(c) providing an updating function allowing each of said plurality of registered users themselves to update;

(j) said at least one behavioral action;

(jj) said at least one psychological state;

or

(jjj) said at least one behavioral action and said at least one psychological state

(d) maintaining a list of one or more friends linked with one of said plurality of registered users, wherein said one or more friends are allowed to view said user profile of said linked registered users, wherein said one or more friends comprise;

(k) at least one of said plurality of registered users;

(kk) at least one of said plurality of not registered viewers;

or

(kkk) said (k) and said (kk); and

(e) providing a motivating function that allows said one or more friends of one of said plurality of registered users to motivate the same of said plurality of registered users, wherein motivating is accomplished by sending a communication to the same of said plurality of registered users, wherein said communication is a poke, a message, or a poke and a message.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising grouping said plurality of registered users into a plurality of support groups based on said user profile of each of said plurality of registered users.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising providing a rating function allowing each of said plurality of registered users to rate said grouping.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said grouping is updated based on said rating and the success of each of said plurality of registered users in affecting personal behavior.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising inviting at least one of said plurality of viewers to become registered to said computer implemented social network.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising automatically sending said poke to said registered user to be motivated when said user profile of said registered user to be motivated is viewed by said one or more friends of said registered user to be motivated.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said method affects weight control and wherein said at least one behavioral action comprises water intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one psychological state comprises a mood, wherein said mood is represented by multiple predetermined emotional states.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one psychological state comprises a mood, wherein said mood is represented by a plurality of emoticons.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said creation of said user profile for each of said plurality of registered users further comprises selecting an animated graphical image to be a coach character.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said motivating communication is sent via a wireless gateway to a portable device, wherein said motivating communication is sent by one or more of said friends of one of said plurality of registered users to the same of said plurality of registered users.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said updating by one of said registered users is accomplished by entering data on a portable device.

13. A system for affecting personal behavior, comprising:

(a) an application server for operating a computer implemented social network of a plurality of registered users to said social network and a plurality of viewers, wherein said viewers are not registered users to said social network, wherein said application server;

(i) hosts a user profile for each of said plurality of registered users of said social network;

(ii) stores behavioral data representing at least one behavioral action for each of said plurality of registered users; and

(iii) maintains a list of one or more friends for each of said plurality of registered users, wherein said one or more friends of each of said plurality of registered users comprises at least one of said plurality of registered users, at least one of said plurality of viewers, or at least one of said plurality of registered users and at least one of said plurality of viewers, wherein said one or more friends of each of said plurality of registered users can view said user profile of the same of said plurality of registered users;

(b) a portable device used by one of said plurality of users; and

(c) a wireless gateway for communication between said portable device and said application server;

wherein said user of said portable device can enter said behavioral data onto said portable device and transmit said entered behavioral data to said application server via said wireless gateway; and

wherein said one or more friends of said user of said portable device can send a motivating communication to said portable device via said wireless gateway and said user of said portable device can view said communication on said portable device.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said motivating communication is a poke, a message, or a customized short message, wherein said customized short message is stored by said application server.

15. The system as set forth in claim 14, wherein said poke, said message, or said customized short message is automatically sent from said application server via said wireless gateway to said portable device when said user profile or said behavioral data of said user of said portable device is viewed by one of said supporters of said user of said portable device.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said wireless gateway is a SMS gateway and wherein said portable device is a mobile phone, a wristwatch, a personal digital assistant, a portable music player, or a portable medical device.

17. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said user of said portable device can enter said behavioral data onto said portable device by entering a numerical value between 0 and 9, wherein said numerical value represents an amount of said at least one behavioral action undertaken by said user of said portable device.

18. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said application server charts said behavioral data of each of said plurality of registered users.

19. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said personal behavior to be affected is weight control and wherein said at least one behavioral action comprises water intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity.