System and a method for organizing real-world group gatherings around a topic of interest

• US 9,135,663 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Meetup Incorporated (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Meeker, Matthew, Heiferman, Scott, Kamali, Peter, Steinberg, Peter, Hanley, Dervala
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/710,055
• Time in Patent Office: 4,109 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1, 705/319
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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

Abstract

A computer-assisted method, computer system, and program product provide the functionality of a portal for persons to find, based on a topic of interest, the nearest relevant in-person gathering of other persons interested in the topic as well. The system provides for the automated creation of groups and for their automatic sustainment through automatic scheduling of periodic gatherings. Strangers in geographic proximity are automatically brought together into chapters formed around the topic of interest. Chapters may be led by organizers, and gatherings may have hosts. Automatic functions for venue selection, venue voting, cancellation, and feedback are provided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a server via a distributed communications network a request from an organizer to start a chapter;

automatically creating at the server the chapter, wherein the chapter corresponds to a topic and a geographic locale;

receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from a plurality of users a respective same selection of the topic from a plurality of predefined topics;

receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from the plurality of users a respective same indication of the geographic locale;

receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from the plurality of users a respective same selection of the chapter;

adding the plurality of users to the chapter as respective members;

receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from the organizer a selection of a date, time, and physical venue for an in-person gathering of the members of the chapter, wherein the physical venue is associated with the geographic locale;

transmitting from the server via the distributed communications network to the members data corresponding to the date, time, and physical venue;

identifying, by a computer or the server, a subset of users that plan to attend the in-person gathering based on user input;

automatically, by a computer or the server, determining when the in-person gathering has taken place based on at least one of the date and time selected by the organizer; and

automatically, by a computer or the server, polling the subset of users after the in-person gathering has taken place by sending a feedback request to the subset of users, the feedback request configured to obtain quantitative and qualitative information regarding the in-person gathering.

2. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selection of the venue is based on a characteristic of the topic.

3. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selection of the venue is based on an input from a member of the chapter.

4. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the input comprises votes from one or more of the members of the chapter indicated as planning to attend the in-person gathering, and the selection of the venue is based on a majority of the votes.

5. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 4, wherein, when the number of votes from one or more of the members of the chapter indicated as planning to attend the gathering exceeds a venue attendance threshold, more than one venue for the gathering is selected.

6. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the input comprises a venue indication from the organizer.

7. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving attendance plan indications, from one or more of the members of the chapter, indicating a plan to attend the in-person gathering.

8. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 7, further comprising the step of canceling the in-person gathering when the number of received attendance plan indications does not exceed a predetermined attendance threshold.

9. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the predetermined attendance threshold is set by the organizer.

10. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a reminder to the members of the chapter after the scheduling of the in-person gathering and before the in-person gathering.

11. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 10, wherein the reminder is sent only to one or more of the members of the chapter indicated as planning to attend the in-person gathering.

12. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving from the at least one member of the chapter, before the in-person gathering, at least one indication that the at least one member plans to attend the in-person gathering.

13. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the quantitative information comprises an actual number of attendees of the in-person gathering.

14. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the qualitative or quantitative information comprises at least one of the following:

a suggestion for a next gathering, suitability of the venue, an estimate of the number of people who attended the in-person gathering, an actual number of people who attended the in-person gathering, an attendance of a specific member at the in-person gathering, an attendance of the at least one member at the in-person gathering, or any combination thereof.

15. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing at least one of the users with a capability to search the plurality of predetermined topics using a keyword.

16. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of the users with a capability to display the plurality of predetermined topics in a hierarchical manner.

17. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein an indication of the chapter is provided to at least one of the users in response to the selection by the at least one user of the topic and the indication of the geographic locale.

18. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the at least one user receiving the indication of the chapter is indicated as one of the respective members of the chapter.

19. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of accepting a request to automatically send a user a notification of the creation of a new chapter relating to the geographic locale and the topic.

20. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the geographic locale comprises one of a postal code and a city name.

21. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the geographic locale comprises latitude and longitude related information.

22. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving an indication from one member of the members of the chapter that the one member is a hosting member for the in-person gathering.

23. The method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, as set forth in claim 22, further comprising the step of automatically generating for the hosting member one of a sign, a banner, and a nametag for the in-person gathering.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical venue is within the geographic locale.

25. A system for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, the system comprising a computer having a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor of the computer, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving a request from an organizer to start a chapter;

automatically creating the chapter, wherein the chapter corresponds to a topic and a geographic locale;

receiving from a plurality of users a respective same selection of the topic from a plurality of predefined topics;

receiving from the plurality of users a respective same indication of the geographic locale;

receiving from the plurality of users a respective same selection of the chapter;

adding the plurality of users to the chapter as respective members;

receiving from the organizer a selection of a date, time, and physical venue for an in-person gathering of the members of the chapter, wherein the physical venue is associated with the geographic locale;

transmitting to the members data corresponding to the date, time, and physical venue;

identifying a subset of users that plan to attend the in-person gathering based on user input;

automatically determining when the in-person gathering has taken place based on at least one of the date and time received from the organizer; and

automatically polling the subset of users after the in-person gathering has taken place by transmitting a feedback request to the subset of users, the feedback request configured to obtain quantitative and qualitative information regarding the in-person gathering.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the physical venue is within the geographic locale.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor of the computer, causes the processor to perform the further step of:

before the in-person gathering, receiving, from the at least a portion of the members of the chapter, an indication that at least one member plans to attend the in-person gathering.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the qualitative or quantitative information comprises at least one of the following:

a suggestion for a next gathering, suitability of the venue, an estimate of the number of people who attended the in-person gathering, an actual number of people who attended the in-person gathering, an attendance of a specific member at the in-person gathering, an attendance of the at least one member at the in-person gathering, or any combination thereof.