Method of conducting social network application operations

• US 9,129,304 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Crawford C S Lee
• Original Assignee: Crawford C S Lee
• Inventors: Crawford, C. S. Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Taelor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitiku, Berhanu
• Application Number:
  US13/943,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.29, 705/14.53, 705/14.58, 705/319, 707/784, 709/228
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises: receiving, by a social networking system, location information for a device associated with a first user of the social networking system; associating the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system; sending, from the social networking system, to a second user a communication generated based at least in part on the location information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a social networking system, location information for a device associated with a first user of the social networking system;

associating the location information with the first user in a user profile associated with the first user of the social networking system;

sending, from the social networking system, to a second user a communication generated based at least in part on the location information;

operating at least one social network application server for interacting with users of the social networking system, wherein at least some of the users of the social networking system are users of wireless computing devices;

providing a first mobile application for interacting with the social networking system via communication with the at least one social network application server, the first mobile application providing social network application operations independent of operations of a separate browser application, wherein (i) the first mobile application is further operable to employ geolocation functions of a respective wireless device to communicate geolocation information to one or more servers of hardware and software of the social network application, (ii) the first mobile application is programmed to upload photos to a respective user account with text descriptive information manually entered by the respective user for sharing via the social network application by the respective user, and (iii) at least some entries of text descriptive information communicated from the first mobile application and received by the one or more servers of the social network application are indicative of current activities of respective users;

receiving app usage information, by one or more servers of hardware and software, from a plurality of second mobile applications of different types executing on respective wireless computing devices that is generated independently of user initiated web browsing operations, wherein (i) each of the plurality of second mobile applications includes code for installation on respective wireless computing devices for application operations on respective wireless computing devices, (ii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least mobile gaming applications that include code for conducting gaming operations without employing a separate browser application on the respective wireless computing device for gaming operations, (iii) the plurality of second mobile applications include mobile digital content applications for accessing digital content from a respective library of digital content without employing a separate browser application on the respective wireless computing device for digital content presentation operations, (iv) the plurality of second mobile application include shopping-related mobile applications for completing shopping operations without employing a separate browser application on the respective wireless computing device for shopping operations, and (v) the second plurality of mobile applications are functionally integrated with the social networking system to share social network user activities and user activities of the second plurality of applications;

combining app usage information from the second plurality of mobile applications with social network application information, wherein the combining comprises correlating non-social network application activities to respective identities in the social networking system and wherein the app usage information from the plurality of second mobile applications includes app-specific actions or postings that differ depending on a respective mobile application or mobile application type;

generating mobile app usage analytic data, from combined app usage data, relating to aggregate mobile app usage information across at least the plurality of second mobile applications by multiple different users at multiple different locations; and

providing centralized app advertising, by one or more servers of hardware and software, for the plurality of second mobile applications, wherein the providing centralized app advertising comprises;

(a) correlating purchases of users at different physical retail locations with identities of the users in the social network application, (b) generating purchasing behavior analytic data reports for multiple users and multiple merchants from correlated purchases, (c) providing user analytic data including purchasing analytic data to advertisers in user anonymized form, and (d) targeting ads for specific users via a plurality of different mobile applications without supplying user social network identifying information to the advertisers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein app usage analytic data presented by one or more web pages comprises analytic data indicative of real-world activities of respective users.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein app usage analytic data presented by one or more web pages comprises analytic data indicative of social activities of respective users.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein app usage analytic data presented by one or more web pages comprises analytic data indicative of social activities of respective users together in a group setting.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving ads from advertisers through one or more servers of hardware and software for interacting with advertisers for receiving ads for distribution; and

distributing the ads to users of the wireless computing devices.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the ads are communicated to users while the users are employing respective wireless computing devices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein communication of ads includes communicating hyperlinks to respective ads for selection by respective users.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing further comprises:

providing an advertiser query function to permit advertiser browsing through analytic app usage data according to advertiser supplied app-specific parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving bids for ads that comprise app-specific bid parameters.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the app usage data is communicated directly by the plurality of mobile applications.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the app usage data is received indirectly by first communication of data to respective application servers and then communication of data from the respective application servers to the one or more servers performing the receiving.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein ads from the plurality of second mobile applications are selected on a user-location dependent manner.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting one or more active applications of the plurality of second mobile applications for respective users.

14. A method of conducting social network operations in a social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

operating at least one social network application server for interacting with users of the social network application service, wherein at least some of the users of the social network application service are users of wireless computing devices;

providing a first mobile application for interacting with the social network application service via communication with the at least one social network application server, wherein (i) the first mobile application is further operable to employ geolocation functions of a respective wireless device to communicate geolocation information to one or more servers of hardware and software of the social network application, (ii) the first mobile application is programmed to upload photos to a respective user account with text descriptive information manually entered by the respective user for posting on a webpage of the social network application for the respective user, and (iii) at least some entries of text descriptive information communicated from the first mobile application and received by the one or more servers of the social network application are indicative of current activities of respective users;

receiving app usage information, by one or more servers of hardware and software, from a plurality of second mobile applications of different types executing on respective wireless computing devices, wherein (i) each of the plurality of second mobile applications includes code for installation on respective wireless computing devices for application operations on respective wireless computing devices, (ii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least mobile gaming applications that include code for conducting gaming operations, (iii) the plurality of second mobile applications include mobile digital content applications, (iv) the plurality of second mobile application include shopping-related mobile applications for completing shopping operations, and (v) the second plurality of mobile applications are functionally integrated with the social network application service to share social network user activities and user activities of the second plurality of applications;

generating mobile app usage analytic data, from combined app usage data, relating to aggregate mobile app usage information across at least the plurality of second mobile applications by multiple different users at multiple different locations; and

providing centralized app advertising, by one or more servers of hardware and software, for the plurality of second mobile applications, wherein the providing centralized app advertising comprises;

(a) correlating purchases of users at different physical retail locations with identities of the users in the social network application, (b) generating purchasing behavior analytic data reports for multiple users and multiple merchants from correlated purchases, (c) providing user analytic data including purchasing analytic data to advertisers in user anonymized form, and (d) targeting ads for specific users via a plurality of different mobile applications without supplying user social network identifying information to the advertisers.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the providing further comprises:

providing an advertiser query function to permit advertiser browsing through analytic app usage data according to advertiser supplied app-specific parameters.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving bids for ads that comprise app-specific bid parameters.

17. A method of conducting social network operations in a social networking service, the method executed by a computer system and comprising:

operating at least one social network application server for interacting with users of the social network application service, wherein at least some of the users of the social network application service are users of wireless computing devices;

providing a first mobile application for interacting with the social network application service via communication with the at least one social network application server, wherein the first mobile application is further operable to employ geolocation functions of a respective wireless device to communicate geolocation information to one or more servers of hardware and software of the social network application;

receiving app usage information, by one or more servers of hardware and software, from a plurality of second mobile applications of different types executing on respective wireless computing devices, wherein (i) each of the plurality of second mobile applications includes code for installation on respective wireless computing devices for application operations on respective wireless computing devices, (ii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least one user-to-user messaging application, (iii) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least one digital content application for receiving digital content including links to third-party digital content, (iv) the plurality of second mobile applications include at least one digital image sharing application, and (v) the second plurality of mobile applications are functionally integrated with the social network application service to associate application operations of the second plurality of mobile applications with user identities in the social network application service;

combining app information from the second plurality of mobile applications with social network application information, wherein the combining comprises associating application activities of the second plurality of mobile applications with respective identities in the social network application service; and

providing centralized mobile application advertising operations, by one or more servers of hardware and software, for multiple mobile applications in a manner that is at least partially dependent upon social network information, wherein the providing centralized app advertising comprises;

(a) correlating purchases of users at different physical retail locations with identities of the users in the social network application, (b) generating purchasing behavior analytic data reports for multiple users and multiple merchants from correlated purchases, and (c) providing user analytic data including purchasing analytic data to advertisers.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the providing further comprises:

providing an advertiser query function to permit advertiser browsing through analytic app usage data according to advertiser supplied app-specific parameters.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein ads for mobile applications are selected on a user-location dependent manner.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the providing further comprises:

providing an advertiser query function to permit advertiser browsing through analytic app usage data according to advertiser supplied app-specific parameters.