System and method for identifying transient friends
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- identifying, for a first user, a second user that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user;
adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and
after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitoring the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user;
wherein monitoring the second user comprises;
determining that the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user;
waiting at least an amount of time defined by a proximity exit delay after determining that the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user;
after waiting the at least an amount of time defined by the proximity exit delay, determining whether the second user is associated with a location outside the proximate area of the first user; and
if a determination is made that the second user is associated with a location outside the proximate area of the first user after waiting the at least an amount of time defined by the proximity exit delay, removing the second user as a transient friend of the first user.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for identifying transient friends for a social network of a user are provided. A transient friend processing function obtains locations of a number of users or locations otherwise associated with the number of users. In order to identify transient friends for a first user, the transient friend processing function identifies other users associated with locations within a proximate area of the first user. For each of the identified users, the transient friend processing function compares a user profile of the first user to a user profile of the identified user to determine whether to add the identified user as a transient friend of the first user. If the transient friend processing function determines that the identified friend is to be added as a transient friend of the first user, the identified friend is then added as a transient friend of the first user.
141 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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identifying, for a first user, a second user that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitoring the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; wherein monitoring the second user comprises; determining that the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; waiting at least an amount of time defined by a proximity exit delay after determining that the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; after waiting the at least an amount of time defined by the proximity exit delay, determining whether the second user is associated with a location outside the proximate area of the first user; and if a determination is made that the second user is associated with a location outside the proximate area of the first user after waiting the at least an amount of time defined by the proximity exit delay, removing the second user as a transient friend of the first user.
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2. A method comprising:
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identifying, for a first user, a second user that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user; after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitoring the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein monitoring the second user comprises removing the second user as a transient friend of the first user when the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determining when the second user is again associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determining whether a re-establish wait period has expired since the second user was removed as a transient friend of the first user; and if the re-establish wait period has expired, adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user.
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3. A method comprising:
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identifying, for a first user, a second user that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user; after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitoring the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein monitoring the second user comprises removing the second user as a transient friend of the first user when the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determining when the second user is again associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determining whether a re-establish wait period has expired since the second user was removed as a transient friend of the first user; and if the re-establish wait period has expired; determining whether to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user in the social network of the first user as a function of a comparison of at least one attribute of the first user and at least one attribute of the second user; and adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user if a determination is made to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user.
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4. A method comprising:
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identifying, for a first user, a second user that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitoring the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein monitoring the second user comprises; determining when the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; notifying the first user such that the first user is enabled to choose whether to remove the second user as a transient friend of the first user; if the first user chooses to remove the second user as a transient friend, removing the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and if the first user chooses not to remove the second user, promoting the second user from a transient friend to a persisted friend of the first user.
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5. A method comprising:
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identifying, for a first user, a second user that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitoring the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein identifying the second user that is associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user comprises; determining whether to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user in the social network of the first user as a function of a comparison of at least one attribute of the first user and at least one attribute of the second user; and adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user if a determination is made to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user, wherein determining whether to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user comprises; comparing the at least one attribute of the first user and the at least one attribute of the second user to provide a correlation score; and determining that the second user is to be added as a transient friend of the first user if the correlation score is greater than a first threshold. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system comprising:
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a communication interface communicatively coupling the system to a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users via a communication network; and a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to; obtain information identifying a location associated with each of the plurality of users; identify, for a first user of the plurality of users, a second user of the plurality of users that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; add the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitor the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein in order to monitor the second user, the control system is further adapted to; determine that the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; wait at least an amount of time defined by a proximity exit delay after determining that the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; after waiting the at least an amount of time defined by the proximity exit delay, determine whether the second user is associated with a location outside the proximate area of the first user; and remove the second user as a transient friend of the first user if a determination is made that the second user is associated with a location outside the proximate area of the first user after waiting the at least an amount of time defined by the proximity exit delay.
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11. A system comprising:
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a communication interface communicatively coupling the system to a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users via a communication network; and a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to; obtain information identifying a location associated with each of the plurality of users; identify, for a first user of the plurality of users, a second user of the plurality of users that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; add the second user as a transient friend of the first user; after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitor the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein in order to monitor the second user, the control system is further adapted to remove the second user as a transient friend of the first user when the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determine when the second user is again associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determine whether a re-establish wait period has expired since the second user was removed as a transient friend of the first user; and add the second user as a transient friend of the first user if the re-establish wait period has expired.
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12. A system comprising:
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a communication interface communicatively coupling the system to a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users via a communication network; and a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to; obtain information identifying a location associated with each of the plurality of users; identify, for a first user of the plurality of users, a second user of the plurality of users that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; add the second user as a transient friend of the first user; after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitor the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein in order to monitor the second user, the control system is further adapted to remove the second user as a transient friend of the first user when the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determine when the second user is again associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; determine whether a re-establish wait period has expired since the second user was removed as a transient friend of the first user; and if the re-establish wait period has expired, determine whether to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user in the social network of the first user as a function of a comparison of at least one attribute of the first user and at least one attribute of the second user; and add the second user as a transient friend of the first user if a determination is made to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user.
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13. A system comprising:
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a communication interface communicatively coupling the system to a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users via a communication network; and a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to; obtain information identifying a location associated with each of the plurality of users; identify, for a first user of the plurality of users, a second user of the plurality of users that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; add the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitor the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein in order to monitor the second user, the control system is further adapted to; determine when the second user is no longer associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user; notify the first user such that the first user is enabled to choose whether to remove the second user as a transient friend of the first user; remove the second user as a transient friend of the first user if the first user chooses to remove the second user as a transient friend; and promote the second user from a transient friend to a persisted friend of the first user if the first user chooses not to remove the second user.
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14. A system comprising:
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a communication interface communicatively coupling the system to a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users via a communication network; and a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to; obtain information identifying a location associated with each of the plurality of users; identify, for a first user of the plurality of users, a second user of the plurality of users that is associated with a location within a proximate area of the first user as a transient friend of the first user in a social network of the first user; add the second user as a transient friend of the first user; and after adding the second user as a transient friend of the first user, monitor the second user such that a status of the second user as a transient friend of the first user is based upon whether the second user continues to be associated with a location within the proximate area of the first user, wherein in order to determine whether to add the second user as a transient friend of the first user, the control system is further adapted to; compare the at least one attribute of the first user and the at least one attribute of the second user to provide a correlation score; and determine that the second user is to be added as a transient friend of the first user if the correlation score is greater than a first threshold. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification