Location-based social software for mobile devices

• US 9,712,958 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Crowley, Dennis P., Rainert, Alexander M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US15/131,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563, 4554142, 4554561, 455457, 4554141, 455266, 4554143, 455415, 4554122, 4554351, 455463, 4554562, 455466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting broadcasting in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• 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 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method for communicating location information to a device includes receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user; associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user; and sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, a message that is generated based at least in part on the location information.

Claims

1. A method for communicating location information to a device, comprising:

receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, a message from a first user that includes a continuous string of characters that has alphanumeric characters and a non-alphanumeric prefix to the alphanumeric characters;

associating, by the computer system, the received message with a profile associated with the first user;

identifying, using the non-alphanumeric prefix, an action that is to be taken by the computer system on the alphanumeric characters; and

sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, a message that is generated based at least in part on the identification of the action and comprises applying the action to the alphanumeric characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device associated with the first user is a GPS-enabled mobile device and the message includes location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received location information comprises a GPS coordinate.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a location name that corresponds to the received location information from a stored association between the location name and stored location information that corresponds to the received location information, and including the location name in the message to the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location name comprises a venue name that corresponds to the received location information.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the message that is generated based at least in part on the location information includes an electronic image of the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the second user is included in a group of users of the social networking service selected by the first user, and, in response, sending the message to the device associated with the second user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first user is in proximity to the second user, based on the location information of the first user and location information of the second user, and wherein sending the message is in response to determining that the first and second users are in proximity to each other.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving status information provided by the first user and associating the received status information with the profile associated with the first user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-alphanumeric character comprises a search engine indicator and the action comprises performing a computer text search operation on the alphanumeric characters.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the received message does not identify the second user, and the second user is identified by the computer system based on a pre-existing defined relationship between the first user and the second user.

12. One or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media having recorded thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more computer processors, perform operations comprises:

receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, a message from a first user that includes a continuous string of characters having alphanumeric characters and a non-alphanumeric prefix to the alphanumeric characters;

associating, by the computer system, the received message with a profile associated with the first user;

identifying, using the non-alphanumeric prefix, an action that is to be taken by the computer system on the alphanumeric characters; and

sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, a message that is generated based at least in part on the identification of the action and that comprises applying the action to the alphanumeric characters.

13. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the device associated with the first user is a GPS-enabled mobile device and the message includes location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with the first user.

14. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise determining a location name that corresponds to the received location information from a stored association between the location name and stored location information that corresponds to the received location information, and including the location name in the message to the second user.

15. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the location name comprises a venue name that corresponds to the received location information.

16. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the first user is in proximity to the second user, based on the location information of the first user and location information of the second user, and wherein sending the message is in response to determining that the first and second users are in proximity to each other.

17. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the message that is generated based at least in part on the location information includes an electronic image of the first user.

18. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the received location information comprises a GPS coordinate.

19. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the second user is included in a group of users of the social networking service selected by the first user, and, in response, sending the message to the device associated with the second user.

20. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 12, further comprising receiving status information provided by the first user and associating the received status information with the profile associated with the first user.

21. The tangible machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the received message does not identify the second user, and the second user is identified by the computer system based on a pre-existing defined relationship between the first user and the second user.