Systems and methods for providing location-based cascading displays

• US 8,606,297 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grindr LLC (San Vicente Parent LLC)
• Original Assignee: Grindr LLC (San Vicente Parent LLC)
• Inventors: Simkhai, Joel Joseph, Lewallen, Scott Ryan, Ditlevsen, Morten Bek
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US13/071,420
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455405-408, 4554121-4122, 4554141-4144, 455/466, 4554561-4563, 340/988, 340/995.15, 340/593.13, 340/825.49, 342/176, 342/387, 342/13, 342/458, 342/457, 342/456, 342/453, 342/450
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating user interaction such as within a social network are described. In one implementation, location-based display of images and/or other information associated with other users or entities may be provided. The information may be provided in association with mapping or other positional data or information such as personal interests.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, the method comprising:

receiving, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

generating a list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filtering, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmitting, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users.

2. The method of claim 1 further including transmitting, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to favorite users identified by the requesting user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering includes removing, from the list of the other users, any blocked ones of the users identified by the requesting user.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the filtering includes removing, from the list of the other users, the favorite users.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating the list includes:

generating a first list of the other users located within a first range of the location;

determining a number of the other users associated with the first list is less than a predefined number; and

generating a second list of the other users located within a second range of the location, wherein the second range is greater than the first range.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the filtering includes:

filtering the first list; and

filtering the second list.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering criteria includes age-related criteria provided by the requesting user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering criteria is related to interests of the requesting user.

9. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, the method comprising:

receiving, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

identifying a first list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filtering the first list based upon a filtering criteria other than interests associated with the requesting user;

generating a second list of the other users located within the range of the location by filtering the first list in accordance with the interests associated with the requesting user; and

transmitting, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the second list of the other users.

10. The method of claim 9 further including transmitting, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to favorite users identified by the requesting user.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the filtering includes removing, from the list of the other users, any blocked ones of the users identified by the requesting user.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the filtering includes removing, from the list of the other users, the favorite users.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the generating the second list includes:

generating a third list of the other users located within a first range of the location;

determining a number of the other users associated with the third list is less than a predefined number; and

generating a fourth list of the other users located within a second range of the location, wherein the second range is greater than the first range.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the filtering includes:

filtering the third list; and

filtering the fourth list.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the filtering criteria includes age-related criteria provided by the requesting user.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the filtering criteria is related to interests of the requesting user.

17. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a first location of the requesting user;

receiving, at the portable electronic device, profile information relating to selected other users located within a first predefined range of the first location wherein each of the selected other users possess one or more characteristics consistent with a filtering criteria; and

displaying representations of the selected other users upon a user interface of the portable electronic device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the representations comprise photographs.

19. The method of claim 17 further including displaying, upon the user interface, at least a portion of the profile information of one of the selected users in response to user input.

20. The method of claim 17 further including:

receiving, at the portable electronic device, profile information relating to favorite users identified by the requesting user; and

displaying, upon the user interface, the profile information relating to the favorite users.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the filtering criteria includes age-related criteria provided by the requesting user.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the filtering criteria is related to interests of the requesting user.

23. The method of claim 17 further including:

transmitting information relating to a second location of the portable electronic device; and

updating the user interface to include representations of those users located within a second predefined range of the second location.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the first predefined range is equivalent to the second predefined range.

25. The method claim 17 further including:

displaying, upon the user interface, information relating to one or more potential communication modes in response to user selection of a selected one of the representations; and

initiating a communication session with a portable communication device of the one of the users associated with the selected one of the representations.

26. A computer program product for facilitating location-based social interaction, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including codes for causing a computer to:

receive, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

generate a list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filter, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the computer-readable medium further includes codes for causing the computer to transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to favorite users identified by the requesting user.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the codes for causing the computer to filter include codes for causing the computer to remove, from the list of the other users, any blocked ones of the users identified by the requesting user.

29. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the codes for causing the computer to filter include codes for causing the computer to remove, from the list of the other users, the favorite users.

30. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the codes for causing the computer to generate a list include codes for causing the computer to:

generate a first list of the other users located within a first range of the location;

determine a number of the other users associated with the first list is less than a predefined number; and

generate a second list of the other users located within a second range of the location, wherein the second range is greater than the first range.

31. A computer program product for facilitating location-based social interaction, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including codes for causing a computer to:

receive, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

identify a first list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filter the first list based upon a filtering criteria other than interests associated with the requesting user;

generate a second list of the other users located within the range of the location by filtering the first list in accordance with the interests associated with the requesting user; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the second list of the other users.

32. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein the computer-readable medium further includes codes for causing the computer to transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to favorite users identified by the requesting user.

33. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein the codes for causing the computer to filter include codes for causing the computer to remove, from the list of the other users, any blocked ones of the users identified by the requesting user.

34. A method for facilitating location-based social interaction, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first portable electronic device of a first user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, location accuracy control information;

receiving, from a second portable electronic device located within a predefined range of a location of the first portable electronic device, a request for information concerning users of the online service located within the predefined range; and

providing, to the second portable electronic device, location information relating to the location of the first portable electronic device wherein an accuracy of the location information is consistent with the location accuracy control information.

35. A server system for facilitating location-based social interaction, the server system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including a processor-readable medium storing codes for causing the processor to;

receive, from a portable electronic device of a requesting user of an online service for facilitating location-based social interaction, a request for information concerning other users of the online service wherein the request includes information relating to a location of the requesting user;

generate a list of the other users located within a range of the location;

filter, based upon filtering criteria, the list in order to create a filtered list of the other users; and

transmit, to the portable electronic device, profile information relating to the filtered list of the other users.