Social circle based social networking

Inventor: Mark Blinder (Boca Raton, FL)

G06Q50/01 G06Q30/02 H04L12/588

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 9,292,882
App. No.: 13/554,636
Granted: Mar 22, 2016
Kind: B2

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Abstract

Systems and methods of the present invention relate to the implementation of a novel social network. In one particular implementation, the invention includes transmitting contact data for displaying graphical representations of contacts for display to a first user, the contacts being contacts of the first user within a private circle in a computer-implemented social networking service; generating a first inner social circle corresponding to the first user, the first inner social circle comprising a first subset of contacts of the first user within the social networking service and defining a first distribution for digital content within that first inner social circle; and creating a sub-account by the first user, the sub-account corresponding to a second user, the sub-account being managed by the first and second users; wherein the second user becomes a member of the first inner social circle.

Claims (53)

1. A system comprising: one or more computing devices; and one or more computer-readable media coupled to the one or more computing devices and having instructions stored thereon which, that when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

transmitting contact data for displaying graphical representations of contacts for display to a first user, the contacts being contacts of the first user within a private circle in a computer-implemented social networking service;

generating a first inner social circle corresponding to said first user, the first inner social circle comprising a first subset of contacts of the first user within the social networking service and defining a first distribution for digital content within that first inner social circle;

creating a sub-account upon direction from said first user, said sub-account corresponding to a second user, said sub-account being managed by commands received from said first and second users;

wherein said second user becomes a member of said first inner social circle based on the second user being a sub-account;

transmitting contact data for displaying graphical representations of contacts for display to a third user, the contacts being contacts of the third user within a private circle in a computer-implemented social networking service;

generating a second inner social circle corresponding to said third user, the second inner social circle comprising a first subset of contacts of the third user within the social networking service and defining a second distribution for digital content within that second inner social circle;

creating a sub-account upon direction from said third user, said sub-account corresponding to a fourth user, said sub-account being managed by commands received from said third and fourth users;

wherein said fourth user becomes a member of said second inner social circle based on the fourth user being a sub-account;

receiving a request from said second user for said fourth user to join a second user's private network;

upon determining both the second and fourth users are sub-accounts:

transmitting said request to said first user for review;

receiving from said first user an approval notification to send said request to join said second user's private network to said second user;

transmitting said request to join said second user's private network to said third and fourth users for review;

receiving from said fourth user or said third user an approval notification to join said second user's private network based on a pre-approval by said third user;

adding said fourth user to said second user's private network;

transmitting contact data for displaying graphical representations of contact information corresponding to said fourth user for display to the second user;

receiving a request from said first user directed to said third user to link the first and second inner social circles to form an outer social circle;

transmitting to said third user said request to form an outer social circle;

receiving from said third user approval to link said first and second social circles;

and linking said first and second inner social circles to form said outer social circle.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting to said third user form data with options to exclude members from said second inner circle from said outer social circle.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein receiving from said third user approval to link said first and second social circles includes receiving an indication of which members of said second inner social circle can be linked and become members of the outer social circle.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting data to said first user corresponding to a first wall for displaying postings corresponding to said first inner social circle and to a second wall for displaying postings corresponding to said outer social circle.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein said data corresponding to said first and second walls is structured as news feed notifications.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said second and fourth user accounts are defined based on an age of said second and fourth users.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein said second and fourth users are under the age of eighteen.

8. A method comprising: transmitting contact data for displaying graphical representations of contacts for display to a first user, the contacts being contacts of the first user within a private circle in a computer-implemented social networking service;