Abstract:
A system for generating and working with communities of interests is disclosed. In various forms, the present system allows multiple users sharing common interests to interact with each other seamlessly, seek out times when each is available, and other such convenience functions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to social communities. More particularly, the present invention relates to ways for users of mobile devices to discover others with similar interests, to form social communities with those people, and to seamlessly interact with other members of a social community regardless of the hardware and software each member may be using. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Mobile devices have become ubiquitous in today&#39;s society. Many people have abandoned traditional “land-line” telephones in favor of mobile telephones and devices. Others plan their daily lives using personal digital assistants (PDAs). These devices grant people the opportunity to connect with others in ways not possible before. 
     However, despite the advances in technology, connecting with others who share common interests remains difficult. A user must first locate one or more other people who share common interests. The devices she owns will not be able to do this for her, or to help her in any significant way, so she must look for others on her own. Users can search online services for groups sharing her interests. However, these groups will not be able to dynamically share content with her or her devices. These groups are generally limited to interacting via fixed landline devices, over the Internet, with limited access to information with their community in a mobile context. This prevents a user from making full use of the advantages offered by mobile networks and associated mobile devices. 
     Even if the user manages to somehow find a group of people who shares common interests, interacting with the group is difficult with conventional technology. For example, a marathon runner may wish to share videos of her finishing a race with others in her group. However, present technology makes such sharing difficult. The user could burn the video onto a DVD and send it to the other members of the group. However, this is expensive and time-consuming. The user may wish to send the video directly from her mobile device to the devices of the other members. Present technology does not provide the user with a way of knowing which of her members is capable of receiving or viewing the video. Further, if one member uses a different video format, the user would have to first translate the video into a format compatible with that member&#39;s device prior to sending the video to that member. 
     Present technology also presents difficulties for people wishing to interact across platforms. Applications running on mobile devices, personal computers, or Internet protocol enabled entertainment devices (such as IP-enabled digital video recorders) operate using different platforms and protocols. It is difficult for a user using one platform or application to interact with other users or other applications on different platforms. 
     Conventional technology does not permit a user to interact seamlessly with others users across a network. What is needed is a way for users to discover, create or enhance social communities of users who share at least one common interest. What is further needed is a way for members of social communities to interact with one another through any network regardless of the functionality of each user&#39;s devices or whether the network is fixed or mobile. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional techniques for creating, joining and enhancing social communities across multiple network access points are inefficient and inconvenient. Such techniques require a user to discover a social community by himself, a difficult and time-consuming task. Further, even if a user manages to find a social community, interacting with members of the community is difficult because other users&#39; devices may not share the same capabilities as the device the user herself operates. This inhibits the creation of social communities and limits the possibilities inherent in a mobile environment. 
     The present invention addresses the shortcomings of conventional devices as well as network access and presents opportunities for users of mobile devices to discover others with similar interests, to form social communities with those people, and to seamlessly interact with other members of a social community regardless of the hardware and software each member may be using. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention is an interactive community of interest profiling system. The system has a profile generation component which can generate a profile of a user. A social community discovery component can discover existing social communities or create a new social community based on that profile. A social community registration component registers a user with a social community discovered by the discovery component. Finally, social community multimedia reception and transmission components receive or transmit multimedia from or to other members of the social community. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention is an interactive application system. An interactive application component permits a plurality of applications to interact and communicate with each other according to the needs of a user, regardless of the platform the application runs on or its location in a network. A social profile generation component monitors the user&#39;s interactions with the plurality of applications and generates a social profile of a user based on the user&#39;s interactions with the applications. A social community discovery component discovers social communities with interests common to the user based on the profile generated by the social profile generation component. A social community registration component registers the user with a social community discovered by the social community discovery component. The plurality of applications interacts with each other, users, and applications belonging to other users of a social community through the interactive software component. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a user communicating with a social community according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows members of a social community seamlessly interacting with each other according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows multiple applications interacting with each other in the interactive application environment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows multiple users using different devices interacting with one another according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, despite having multiple applications running on different devices and platforms. 
         FIG. 5  shows another view of the interactive application component shown in  FIG. 3 , with additional components related to generating a social profile and using the social profile to discover and register with social communities according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides for an interactive community of interest profile, permitting users to create and join social communities and then to interact seamlessly with members of the social community regardless of platform or location on the network. In the examples and embodiments described herein, the interactive community of interest will refer to applications and components stored in mobile telephones. However, the applications may be stored in other devices. The applications could be stored in other mobile devices (such as personal digital assistants), personal computers (including laptop or desktop personal computers), Internet Protocol enabled digital entertainment devices or in network servers. 
     An overview of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  shows social community  102 . Users  104   a ,  104   b , and  104   c  (represented by the respective device each user is using) are members of social community  102 . As shown, user  100  is not a member of social community  102 . However, user  100  may take advantage of the present invention to seek out and join social community  102 , as shown by the arrow. Once user  100  has joined social community  102 , the present invention permits the user to seamlessly interact with other members of social community  102  and enhance her mobile experience. 
     User  100  may seek out and join social community  102  by any number of ways. For example, user  100  could search for a social community using a web portal. The user could also search for a social community through her mobile telephone. These methods are exemplary; the user could use any technique to seek out social community  102 . In fact, the user need not actively seek out a social community with which to join. The community of interest profile could do it for the user based on an interactive user profile  302  (shown in  FIG. 3  and discussed below). 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, users  100 ,  104   a ,  104   b , and  104   c  have an interactive user profile  302  containing information about the user&#39;s interests, as shown in  FIG. 5 . This profile could be generated in any number of ways. For example, a social profile generation component  502  stored in user  100 &#39;s mobile device or in a network component such as a network server, could monitor the applications and services user  100  chooses to avail himself of. If the user often looks at baseball scores, the social profile generation component  502  could conclude that user  100  has an interest in baseball and add this to user  100 &#39;s social profile. Alternatively, the user could enter information into the social profile generation component  502 , which the social profile generation component can then use to generate interactive social profile  302 . The social profile generation component  502  may generate the profile through the above techniques or through a combination of the above techniques or through other techniques similar to the above, such other methods still being within the scope of the present invention. 
     Once the social profile generation component  502  has enough information to generate a profile, a social community discovery component  504  and a social community registration component  506  can use the interactive user profile  302  to find a social community  102  with members sharing user  100 &#39;s interests and to register user  100  with social community  102 . The social community registration component  506  could automatically register user  100  with social community  102 . The social community registration component  506  could serve user  100  with a list of social communities that the social community discovery component  504  has discovered. User  100  may then select which social community to join, such as social community  102 . 
     Registering user  100  with social community  102  can be done in any of a number of ways. The registration process could be automatic. Once either the user  100  or the social community registration component  502  determines that user  100  shares interests with social community  102 , the social community registration component automatically registers user with social community  102 . Social community registration component  506  or user  100  could also send a message to one or more members of social community  102  requesting membership. If the social community registration component  506  receives a reply message granting permission to join social community  102 , social community registration component  504  registers user  100  with social community  102 . 
       FIG. 2  shows two social communities, social community  102  and social community  202 . User  100  is a member of both social community  102  and social community  202 . Users  104   a ,  104   b , and  104   c  are members of social community  102 . Users  204   a ,  204   b , and  204   c  are members of social community  202 . Using the present invention, each member of a social community may interact with other members of the same social community and send each other multimedia (such as audio or video) regardless of what platform each user is using (such as mobile phone, personal computer, or Internet protocol enabled entertainment device) or each user&#39;s location on a network. As a result, users remain in contact with each other and enhance their mobile experience. For example, user  100  could share video clips with users  104   a ,  104   b , and  104   c , as shown by the arrows connecting user  100  with users  104   a ,  104   b , and  104   b . Similarly, user  104   b  could share her contact list with users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   c , as shown by the arrows connecting user  104   b  with users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   c . The interaction between the users  100 ,  104   a ,  104   b , and  104   c  occurs seamlessly, regardless of what platform or network each user is using. 
     In another example, user  100  is interested in triathlons. At first, user  100  is not a member of any social community, as shown in  FIG. 1 . She utilizes a social profile discovery component to look for existing social communities of other people interested in triathlons. User  100  could accomplish this in a number of ways, such as through user  100 &#39;s mobile device or through a web portal. Once she discovers a social community  102  compatible with her interests, she sends a message to one or more members of social community  102  requesting to join. If the members agree, user  100  joins social community  102 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . In a similar fashion, user  100  may also join social community  202 . Social community  202  could, for example, comprise user  100 &#39;s college friends. 
     As a member of social community  102 , user  100  now has the ability to communicate seamlessly with other members of social community  102 . To continue the example, social community  102  may be training for an upcoming breast cancer triathlon. Members of social community  102  exchange real time locations, race routes, and contact lists with each other to assist in the training. User  104   b  could send users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   c  information specifically related to her mobile context including a map of the race route, shown by the arrows from user  104   b  to users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   c . This information could be attached to messages sent to users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   c  or it could be sent separately. In addition, as a member of social community  102 , user  100  can send information to other members from any device user  100  has, whether it be a mobile device, laptop computer, or Internet protocol enabled entertainment device. 
     During the breast cancer triathlon, user  100  wishes to send a real time video stream of her teammates to her friends in social community  202  from her mobile device. A social community multimedia transmission component automatically determines which members of social community  202  are capable of receiving the video clip and notifies user  100  of those members. User  100  selects the members to whom she wishes to send the video clip and social community multimedia transmission component transmits the clip to the selected viewers, shown by the arrows connecting user  100  with users  204   a ,  204   b , and  204   c  If any translation or formatting is required to format the clip into a format viewable by a particular member, the social community multimedia transmission component automatically performs any translation or formatting required. In this fashion, user  100  can send multimedia to any member of social community  202  without being concerned about how the video is to be received. Through seamless interaction with other members of social community  202 , user  100 &#39;s social networking experience is expanded and enhanced, maximizing the capabilities of mobile networks. 
     In another exemplary embodiment,  FIG. 3  shows a view of interactive application component  300 . Interactive application component  300  is a software foundation that permits applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310  to interact with each other regardless of platform or network. In addition, interactive application component  300  permits user  100  to dictate how applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310  interact. This permits user  100  to customize his applications and in so doing enhance his mobile experience.  FIG. 3  shows interactive user profile  302  interacting with applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310 . 
     For example, application  304  could be a calendar program and application  306  could be a music player application. User  100  can coordinate calendar program  304  and music player application  306  to play the user&#39;s favorite song as a “wake-up call” in the morning. In the morning, calendar application  304  accesses application  306  and directs application to play the selected song. In selecting which song to play, user  100  could dictate what song to play, or music player application could determine the users favorite song by consulting interactive user profile  302 . 
     Interactive application component  300  contains interactive user profile  302 . Interactive user profile  302  is a profile of the user  100 , comprising user  100 &#39;s interests or any other information about user  100 . For example, interactive user profile  302  could contain information on user  100 &#39;s favorite song, hobbies, sports teams, or the like. Interactive user profile could also contain personal information on user  100 , such as user  100 &#39;s name and address. 
     Interactive user profile  302  may be created by monitoring user  100 &#39;s interactions with applications and services over time. This monitoring can occur through monitoring “trigger points” in each application  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310 . Monitoring these trigger points creates a pattern of usage. This pattern of usage can then be correlated with the particular applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310  to create interactive user profile  302 . Interactive user profile  302  could be stored in any location. It could be stored, for example, on user  100 &#39;s mobile device. It could also be stored on a personal profile data repository accessible by any of user  100 &#39;s devices, including his mobile device, personal computer, or Internet protocol enabled digital entertainment device. 
     The monitoring may be performed by social profile generation component  502 , shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  shows an expanded view of interactive application component  300 , also shown in  FIG. 3 . Interactive software component  300  may include social profile generation component  502 , social community discovery component  504 , and social community registration component  506  in addition to interactive user profile  302  and applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310 . 
     Social profile generation component  502  monitors applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310 , shown by the arrows connecting applications  304  and  310  with social profile generation component  502 . For sake of clarity arrows indicating social profile generation component  502 &#39;s monitoring of applications  306  and  308  are not shown. Nevertheless, social profile generation component monitors applications  306  and  308  as well as applications  304  and  310 . 
     User  100 &#39;s interactions with applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310  will, over time, permit social profile generation component  502  to draw conclusions about user  100 &#39;s interests. Once social profile generation component  502  concludes that user  100  has a particular interest, social profile generation component updates interactive user profile  302  to reflect this interest. Later, social community discovery component  504  uses interactive user profile  302  to discover social communities sharing user  100 &#39;s interests. Social community discovery component  504  passes the social communities it has discovered to social community registration component  506 . Social community registration component  506  may then register user  100  with those social communities using any of the techniques described herein. 
     Social profile generation component  502 , social community discovery component  504 , and social community registration component  506  could be located at any point in the network. For example, at least one of the components (and possibly all three) could be stored on a network server. Storing the components on a network server would permit the components to interact with existing social communities, such as those created by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The present invention would extend these existing social communities into the mobile world, enhancing their value to the user. 
     For example, application  304  could be a sports monitoring application that permits user  100  to follow particular sports teams (such as the Washington Nationals) and receive updated score alerts. The selection of the particular sports team to follow may be a “trigger point” for monitoring in application  304 . As the baseball season goes on and user  100  continues to receive scores from Washington Nationals games, social profile generation component  502  can conclude that user  100  is a fan of the Washington Nationals. Social profile generation component  502  then updates user  100 &#39;s interactive user profile  302  with this information. Later, social community discovery component  504  can use the information in interactive user profile  302  to find social communities dedicated to following the Washington Nationals. 
     In another example, application  306  could be a video player application and application  308  could be a multimedia messaging service (MMS) application. Social profile generation component  502  notices that, over a period of time, user  100  uses video player application  306  to watch a wide variety of video clips. However, when video player application  306  interacts with MMS application  308 , it is most often to send clips of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to user  100 &#39;s friends. Interactive social profile  302  can then be updated to reflect user  100 &#39;s interest in The Daily Show. Since user  100  repeatedly views clips of The Daily Show with video player  306  and forwards those clips to friends using MMS application  308 , it is likely that user  100  is a fan of The Daily Show. 
       FIG. 5  shows social community discovery component  504  and social community registration component  506  as distinct components. Social community discovery component  504  and social community registration component  506  could, optionally, be part of one larger component. The two components could also be part of social profile generation component  502 . The two components could also be one of the applications  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310 . 
     In another exemplary embodiment,  FIG. 4  shows users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  interacting with each other through applications  302 ,  304 , and  306 . Here, unlike in the immediate above exemplary embodiment, applications  304 ,  304 , and  306  are not necessarily associated with the same user. User  100  interacts with application  302 , user  104   a  interacts with application  304 , and user  104   b  interacts with application  306 . 
     In  FIG. 4 , users  100  and  104   a  are interacting with each other using mobile devices through a wireless network. However, user  104   b  is interacting with user  100  with a personal computer through another network, possibly a combination of a broadband “land-line” network and a wireless network. Despite the multiple architectures and networks, the present invention according to the present embodiment permits the users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  to interact with each other seamlessly. This enhances the social networking experience of users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  because they do not need to worry about what platforms or networks the other users are using. 
     The present embodiment could be used to facilitate online gaming. Users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  may all be players of a particular online game. Based on their history of playing this online game, their interest in the online game was added to their interactive user profile. Users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  joined or created social community  102  based on their respective interactive user profiles. In this example, social community  102  is a community of users interested in the particular online game users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  are interested in. Users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  may have joined social community  102  voluntarily or automatically, or by any other technique, such as those described above. 
     Once users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  are members of social community  102 , they may use the present invention to enhance their social network experience by easily connecting with each other to play their online game. A social community management component can keep track of each member of social community  102  and notify user  100  whenever users  104   a  or  104   b  are online and available to play the online game. If users  104   a  and  104   b  are online, the social community management component can interact with an instant messaging application to permit user  100  to send instant messages back and forth between users  104   a  and  104   b.    
     At an earlier point in time, interactive application component  300 , in conjunction with interactive social profile  302 , may have determined that user  100  often switches to the online game after communicating with users  104   a  or  104   b . Interactive application component  300  then can create a connection between the instant messaging component and the online game so that user  100  can switch seamlessly between the two without having to first close the instant messaging application. 
     Once users  100 ,  104   a , and  104   b  have agreed to play the online game, user  100  uses the existing connection between the instant message program and the online game to immediately open the online game and play with users  104   a  and  104   b . Users  104   a  and  104   b  may use different platforms or networks to interact with user  100 . Interactive software component  300  automatically performs any formatting or translation required to interact with users  104   a  and  104   b , despite being on different platforms. To user  100 , the experience occurs seamlessly. He has no knowledge of the different platforms or networks used by users  104   a  and  104   b  and he does not need to worry about connecting to them, since interactive software component handles the connection automatically. User  100 &#39;s social network experience is thus enhanced through the seamless interaction offered by interactive software component  300 . 
     The above examples presented single scenario circumstances where one user is linked to a single community with common interests. However, it should be noted that a single user may be linked to many user communities or social circles such that the interaction between the individual and such communities or circles are more complex than the simple examples presented above. In a real time situation, a single user may be interacting with multiple users in differing communities at the same time. 
     The foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents. 
     Further, in describing representative embodiments of the present invention, the specification may have presented the method and/or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention.