Creating a group based on proximate detection

• US 9,532,188 B1
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jayaram, Ranjith
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/806,378
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method for creating a group based on proximate detection are disclosed. In one implementation, the system includes a current device, a subsequent device, a completion determination module and a group creation module. The current device detects a subsequent device via a proximity detection technique and sends group data including a current user identifier to the subsequent device. The subsequent device receives the group data and, responsive to receiving the group data, modifies the group data to include a subsequent user identifier. The completion determination module determines that a completion pattern exists when the completion determination module determines that the subsequent user is a group creator. The group creation module creates an online, social networking group, responsive to the existence of the completion pattern. The group includes a plurality of users associated with a plurality of user identifiers of the group data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, by a first device, a second device via a proximity detection technique, the first device associated with a first user, the second device associated with a second user;

sending, by the first device, group data including a first user identifier to the second device, the first user identifier associated with the first user, the group data including an ordered list of user identifiers having a beginning and an end;

receiving, by the second device, the group data;

responsive to receiving the group data, modifying, by the second device, the group data to include a second user identifier, the second user identifier associated with the second user by appending the second user identifier to the end of the ordered list;

determining that a completion pattern exists, wherein the completion pattern exists when it is determined that a user identifier at the beginning of the ordered list and a user identifier at the end of the ordered list are the same; and

creating an online social networking group responsive to existence of the completion pattern, the online social networking group including a plurality of users associated with the user identifiers in the group data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ordered list is generated by each device appending a user identifier of a user associated with that device to the ordered list, a user identifier associated with a group creator being at the beginning of the ordered list and the user identifier associated with a most recent recipient of the group data being at the end of the ordered list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the online social networking group further comprises:

sending the group data to a social networking server, the social networking server associated with an online social networking service; and

creating, at the social networking server, the online social networking group, the online social networking group including the plurality of users associated with the user identifiers in the group data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device determines whether the completion pattern exists.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the online social networking group modifies a pre-existing group by including the plurality of users associated with the user identifiers to the pre-existing group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity detection technique includes near field communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the group data uses near field communication.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive group data from a preceding device, the group data including an ordered list of user identifiers having a beginning and an end;

responsive to receiving the group data, modify the group data to include a first user identifier by appending the first user identifier to the end of the ordered list, the first user identifier associated with the first user;

determine whether a completion pattern exists, wherein the completion pattern exists when it is determined that a user identifier at the beginning of the ordered list and a user identifier at the end of the ordered list are the same;

responsive to existence of the completion pattern, create an online social networking group, the online social networking group including a plurality of users associated with the user identifiers in the group data;

when no completion pattern exists, detect a second device via a proximity detection technique, the second device associated with a second user; and

send group data including the first user identifier to the second device.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the ordered list is generated by each device appending a user identifier of a user associated with that device to the ordered list, a user identifier associated with a group creator being at the beginning of the ordered list and the user identifier associated with a most recent recipient of the group data being at the end of the ordered list.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein creating the online social networking group further causes the computer to:

send the group data to a social networking server, the social networking server associated with an online social networking service, the social network server creating the online social networking group, the online social networking group including the plurality of users associated with the user identifiers in the group data.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the second device determines whether the completion pattern exists.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein creating the online social networking group modifies a pre-existing group by including the plurality of users associated with the user identifiers to the pre-existing group.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the proximity detection technique includes near field communication.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein sending the group data uses near field communication.

15. A system comprising:

a first device operable to detect a second device via a proximity detection technique, the first device associated with a first user and the first device operable to send group data including a first user identifier to the second device, the group data including an ordered list of user identifiers having a beginning and an end, the first user identifier associated with the first user, the first device also operable to modify the group data to include the first user identifier;

the second device operable to receive the group data, the second device associated with a second user, and responsive to receiving the group data, modify the group data to include a second user identifier, the second user identifier associated with the second user, the second device communicatively coupled to the first device to receive the group data;

a completion determination module operable to determine that a completion pattern exists, wherein the completion pattern exists when the completion determination module determines that a user identifier at the beginning of the ordered list and a user identifier at the end of the ordered list are the same; and

a group creation module operable to create an online social networking group responsive to existence of the completion pattern, the online social networking group including a plurality of users associated with user identifiers in the group data, the group creation module communicatively coupled to receive the existence of a completion pattern from the completion determination module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the ordered list is generated by each device appending a user identifier of a user associated with that device to the ordered list, a user identifier associated with a group creator being at the beginning of the ordered list and a user identifier associated with a most recent recipient of the group data being at an end of the ordered list.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the system further comprises:

a social networking server operable to create the online social networking group, the online social networking group including the plurality of users associated with the user identifiers in the group data, the social network server associated with an online social networking service and communicatively coupled to receive the group data; and

wherein creating the social networking group includes sending the group data to the social networking server.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the second device includes the completion determination module and determines whether the completion pattern exists.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein creating the online social networking group modifies a pre-existing group by including the plurality of users associated with the user identifiers to the pre-existing group.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first device and second device are able to perform near field communication and one or more of the proximity detection technique and the sending of the group data uses near field communication.