Dynamic location-based social networking

• US 8,108,414 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Geofriend, LLC
• Original Assignee: David Stackpole
• Inventors: Stackpole, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US11/998,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 707/784
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method and system for establishing a location based social networking is provided. A client application is provided on a communications device of a user seeking to establish the location based social network. The user creates a personal profile and a preference profile using the client application. The preference profile refers to characteristics the user seeks in potential members of the location based social network. The user transfers the personal and preference profiles to the social networking server which registers a location and range selected by the user. The social networking server identifies potential members within the registered location and range by matching the personal profile of each of the potential members with the preference and personal profiles of the user. The social networking server provides communications link between the user and the identified potential members upon mutual confirmation between the user and the identified potential members.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of establishing a location-based social network, wherein the method utilizes at least one computer processor to implement steps of:

providing a client application on a communications device of a user;

creating a personal profile and a preference profile by the user using the client application, wherein the preference profile refers to characteristics sought by the user in potential members of the location-based social network;

transferring the personal profile and the preference profile to a social networking server using the client application by the user;

registering a location for the location-based social network by the social networking server;

registering a range of the location-based social network around the location, wherein the location and the range are selected by the user;

identifying the potential members within the registered location and the registered range, comprising;

calculating distance between the user and the potential members based on the registered location and the registered range of the user, and registered location and registered range of each of the potential members;

determining overlaps found between the registered location and the registered range of the user and, registered locations and registered ranges of the potential members;

creating a network among the potential members, wherein the registered range of each of the potential members overlaps the registered range of the user; and

matching personal profile of each of the potential members within the created network with the preference profile and the personal profile created by the user;

providing a communications link between the user and one or more of the identified potential members upon mutual confirmation between the user and the one or more of the identified potential members;

determining a social value score of a location based on weighted characteristics of the location, members in the location, weighted importance of relationship between the user and the members, and weighted keywords of interest to the user, wherein the social value score is used by the social networking server to suggest locations of highest social value to the user;

whereby the communications link establishes the location-based social network based on the preference profile of the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user imports the personal profile and the preference profile by choosing one of a plurality of personal and preference profiles of the user stored at the social networking server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the location-based social network is based on one of the preference profiles of the user and relationship criteria of the user, wherein the relationship criteria defines the type of relationship sought by the user with potential members.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the potential members are identified as one of actual potential members and virtual potential members, wherein the virtual potential members are not in physical proximity of the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the virtual potential members of the location-based social network access limited information from the personal profiles and preference profiles of members at a location and members within virtual localized location-based social network of the virtual potential members prior to visiting the location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social networking server recommends an optimal place and time to hold a social event based on collective preferences of invitees to the social event, wherein the collective preferences comprise time, date, environment, and distance preferences of the invitees.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the communications link is provided between the user, members, and non-members of the location-based social network for a designated period of the social event.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social networking server allows the user to create and join affinity groups through a menu-driven graphical user interface provided on the communications device of the user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the user searches for one of the affinity groups and the potential members in one or more social categories of interest to the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the user creates and associates functions to each of the affinity groups, wherein the functions are used to prompt actions pertaining to each of the affinity groups, wherein the functions are activated by using one of user recognizable codes, graphical user interface, and a combination thereof.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the user associates the functions with events, new and existing social contacts, and profiles.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the functions are activated using the user recognizable codes or the graphical user interface, further wherein the functions facilitate the search for locations of members of the affinity groups created by the user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the user performs the search by one of a step of combining the user recognizable codes associated with the affinity groups and a step of combining graphical user interface entries in a search criteria.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the user performs the search by combining the user recognizable codes, graphical user interface entries, and the preference profile of the user in a search criteria.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of performing searches by the user for locations of highest social value of the potential members based on common topics of interest and the preference profile sought by the user.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social networking server determines the location and the range of the user from information generated by one of global positioning system on the communications device, scanning of the personal profile, inputs from the user, and any combination thereof.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user registers a plurality of preferred locations to build the location-based social network.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the personal profile and the preference profile comprise physical and non-physical characteristics, clothing characteristics, locations, and distinguishing characteristics of the user and the potential members respectively.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user searches for a target user by providing one of visual data and descriptive data of the target user in a search query to the social networking server, wherein the social networking server responds with profiles of the potential members matching the visual data and the descriptive data.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the user searches for the target user via automated notifications from the social networking server to the user based on proximity of the user to compatible target users.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the user searches for the target user via one of degree and distance estimation and triangulation from other users within a vicinity to identify the target user.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the social networking server queries the user to confirm one of the profiles of the potential members as a match to the target user, further wherein the social networking server alerts the target user upon receiving a confirmation from the user.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of performing a search by the user using search criteria comprising weighted characteristics of the preference profile, weighted keywords of interest to the user, and weighted locations of interest to the user, wherein the user applies weights to the search criteria for finding members of affinity groups and the potential members compatible with the user in a social context.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the keywords of interest to the user in the search criteria is incorporated in the preference profile of the user.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the personal profile of the user is augmented using inputs provided by social contacts of the user.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social networking server determines optimal matches among the social contacts of the user and between the social contacts and the user, further wherein the social networking server notifies the user of the optimal matches.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the social networking server stores and forwards communication messages between members of the location-based social network, further wherein the social networking sever identifies keywords from the communication messages to determine topics of the communication messages and frequency of occurrence of each of the topics.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of segmenting social contacts of the user into categories, wherein the user assigns a factor to each category for determining a degree of importance of the category.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user requests a compatibility ranking between social contacts of the user by entering names of the social contacts into the social networking server.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user is able to create a temporary profile customized to a particular social context.

31. A computer system for establishing a location-based social network comprising:

at least one computer processor and one computer memory;

a client application on a communications device, executed by the at least one computer processor, of a user for one of creating and importing a personal profile and a preference profile and transferring the personal profile and the preference profile to a social networking server;

the social networking server further comprising;

a geocoding module for registering a location and range of the location-based social network for the user, wherein the location and the range are selected by the user;

the social networking server determining locations and ranges of the user and potential members by calculating distance between the user and the potential members based on the registered location and the registered range of the user, and registered location and registered range of each of the potential members;

the social networking server determining overlaps found between the registered location and the registered range of the user and registered locations and ranges of the potential members;

the social networking server creating a network among the potential members comprising each of the registered ranges of the potential members overlapping the registered range of the user, wherein the social networking server further comprises;

a database, stored on the at least one computer processor, comprising user registry, wherein the user registry is used to identify potential members within the location and the range of the user by matching personal profile of each of the potential members with the preference profile and the personal profile created by the user; and

the social networking server determining a social value score of a location based on weighted characteristics of the location, members in the location, weighted importance of relationship between the user and the members, and weighted keywords of interest to the user, wherein the social value score is used by the social networking server to suggest locations of highest social value to the user;

a communications network for establishing a communications link between the user, the identified potential members, and the social networking server.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the client application comprises a graphical user interface and enables the user to perform one or more of the steps of:

creating and joining affinity groups;

searching locations of members of the affinity groups using user recognizable codes associated with the affinity groups;

searching for the potential members based on one of preference profiles specified by the user and common topics of interest between the user and the potential members; and

searching for a target user by providing visual data and descriptive data of the target user.

33. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the geocoding module extracts location information from one of the personal profile of the user and global positioning feeds from the communications device of the user.

34. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program product comprises:

a first computer parsable program code for creating a personal profile and a preference profile, wherein the preference profile refers to characteristics sought by a user in potential members of a location-based social network;

a second computer parsable program code for transferring the personal profile and the preference profile to a social networking server;

a third computer parsable program code for registering a location and a range of the user for the location-based social network by the social networking server, wherein the location and the range are selected by the user;

a fourth computer parsable program code for identifying the potential members within the registered location and the registered range, wherein the fourth computer parsable program code further causes a computer to;

calculate distance between the user and the potential members based on the registered location and the registered range of the user, and registered location and registered range of each of the potential members;

determine overlaps found between the registered location and the registered range of the user and, registered locations and registered ranges of the potential members;

create a network among the potential members, wherein the registered range of each of the potential members overlaps the registered range of the user; and

match personal profile of each of the potential members within the created network with the preference profile and the personal profile created by the user;

determine a social value score of a location based on weighted characteristics of the location, members in the location, weighted importance of relationship between the user and the members, and weighted keywords of interest to the user, wherein the social value score is used by the social networking server to suggest locations of highest social value to the user;

a fifth computer parsable program code for providing a communications link between the user and one or more of the identified potential members upon mutual confirmation between the user and the one or more of the identified potential members.