Patent Publication Number: US-2011072125-A1

Title: Employing matching of event characteristics to suggest another characteristic of an event

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This utility patent application is a continuation U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/688,749 filed on Mar. 20, 2007, and entitled “Employing Matching Of Event Characteristics To Suggest Another Characteristic Of An Event,” the benefit of which is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120, and of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to mobile communications and, more particularly, but not exclusively to determining a suggested characteristic, including a suggested member for an event based on matching of event characteristics. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Tremendous changes have been occurring in the Internet that influence our everyday lives. For example, online social networks have become the new meeting grounds. They have been called the new power lunch tables and new golf courses for business life in the U.S. Moreover, many people are using such online social networks to reconnect themselves to their friends, their neighborhood, their community, and to otherwise stay in touch. 
     The development of such online social networks touch countless aspects of our everyday lives, providing instant access to people of similar mindsets, and enabling us to form partnerships with more people in more ways than ever before. 
     One aspect of our everyday lives that may benefit from online social networking technology involves the aspect that social gatherings may often occur in a less than organized, impromptu fashion. For example, people may decide, online to get together at some restaurant, club, or the like, almost immediately. Some social gatherings, while known by some members of a social network may be unknown by others, until so informed that the social event is presenting, occurring, or is about to occur. 
     People may wish to create these social gatherings and/or to invite others to join these social gatherings. However, the creation and invitation process may be cumbersome due to current technology. Therefore, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified. 
       For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will be made to the following Detailed Description, which is to be read in association with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows components of an environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced; 
         FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of a client device that may be included in a system implementing one or more embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of a network device that may be included in a system implementing one or more embodiments of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a logical flow diagram generally showing one embodiment of a process for determining a suggested characteristic for an event based on other characteristics of other events; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a logical flow diagram generally showing one embodiment of a process for determining event characteristics; 
         FIG. 6  shows one embodiment of a use case for providing a suggested member for an event based on characteristics of other events; 
         FIG. 7  shows one embodiment of another use case for providing a suggested location for an event based on characteristics of other events; and 
         FIG. 8  shows one embodiment of a datastore for storing event characteristics. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be practiced. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Among other things, the present invention may be embodied as methods or devices. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. 
     Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The phrase “in one embodiment” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, though it may. Furthermore, the phrase “in another embodiment” as used herein does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment, although it may. Thus, as described below, various embodiments of the invention may be readily combined, without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. 
     In addition, as used herein, the term “or” is an inclusive “or” operator, and is equivalent to the term “and/or,” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “based on” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references. The meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.” 
     As used herein, the terms “social network” and “social community” refer to a concept that an individual&#39;s personal network of friends, family colleagues, coworkers, and the subsequent connections within those networks, can be utilized to find more relevant connections for a variety of activities, including, but not limited to dating, job networking, service referrals, content sharing, like-minded individuals, activity partners, or the like. Such social network may be created based on a variety of criteria, including, for example, a social event, such as a party, meeting event, or the like. 
     As used herein, the term “event” refers to any physical social gathering of people, having a start time and an end time. In one embodiment, the start, and/or end times may be loosely established, in that they may occur informally, such as might arise based on an informal gathering of people. In another embodiment, the event may have established start and/or end times. Moreover, in one embodiment, the event may have multiple start/end times, such as might occur with a regularly scheduled meeting, or the like. As used herein the terms “event characteristic” or simply “characteristic” refer to any information associated with an event, including the event&#39;s time of creation, the event&#39;s duration, the event&#39;s location, the event&#39;s name, an amount of communication by a member, a time a member joined the event, or the like. 
     As used herein, the term “member” refers to a person or entity who is included in any collection. The term “group” refers to a collection of members who are participating in an event. As such the term “member of an event” refers to a member of a group associated with the event. 
     The term “content” refers to any digital data directed towards a user of a computing device, including, but not limited to audio data, multimedia data, photographs, video data, still images, text, graphics, animation files, voice messages, text messages, or the like. 
     The terms “ID,” “user ID,” and “identity” refer to any information useable in identifying a member, including an alphanumeric string, picture, sound, movie clip, or the like. 
     Briefly stated the various embodiments are directed towards determining a suggested characteristic for an event. At least two events are determined. In one embodiment, at least one characteristic is determined for one of the event. A plurality of other characteristics is determined for the other event. The characteristics of the two events may be determined implicitly from communications during the events or from user input. Based on a relationship between the determined characteristics, a suggested characteristic for the event is then determined. In one embodiment, the relationship is defined as a match of characteristics. 
     The event may then be modified based on the suggested characteristic. For example, a suggested member may be invited to join the event, or the event&#39;s time, location, or name might be changed based on the suggested characteristic. If the other event is current or pending, the event and the other event may be combined. For example, members of one event may be invited to join the other event. 
     Illustrative Operating Environment 
       FIG. 1  shows components of an environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced. Not all the components may be required to practice the invention, and variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. As shown, system  100  of  FIG. 1  includes local area network (“LAN”)/wide area network (“WAN”)—(network)  105 , wireless network  110 , Event Sharing Server (ESS)  106 , mobile devices (client devices)  102 - 104 , and client device  101 . 
     One embodiment of mobile devices  102 - 104  is described in more detail below in conjunction with  FIG. 2 . Generally, however, mobile devices  102 - 104  may include virtually any portable computing device capable of receiving and sending a message over a network, such as network  105 , wireless network  110 , or the like. Mobile devices  102 - 104  may also be described generally as client devices that are configured to be portable. Thus, mobile devices  102 - 104  may include virtually any portable computing device capable of connecting to another computing device and receiving information. Such devices include portable devices such as, cellular telephones, smart phones, display pagers, radio frequency (RF) devices, infrared (IR) devices, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, laptop computers, wearable computers, tablet computers, integrated devices combining one or more of the preceding devices, and the like. As such, mobile devices  102 - 104  typically range widely in terms of capabilities and features. For example, a cell phone may have a numeric keypad and a few lines of monochrome LCD display on which only text may be displayed. In another example, a web-enabled mobile device may have a touch sensitive screen, a stylus, and several lines of color LCD display in which both text and graphics may be displayed. 
     A web-enabled mobile device may include a browser application that is configured to receive and to send web pages, web-based messages, and the like. The browser application may be configured to receive and display graphics, text, multimedia, and the like, employing virtually any web based language, including a wireless application protocol messages (WAP), and the like. In one embodiment, the browser application is enabled to employ Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML), Wireless Markup Language (WML), WMLScript, JavaScript, Standard Generalized Markup Language (SMGL), HyperText Markup Language (HTML), eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and the like, to display and send a message. 
     Mobile devices  102 - 104  also may include at least one other client application that is configured to receive content from another computing device. The client application may include a capability to provide and receive textual content, media content, and the like. The client application may further provide information that identifies itself, including a type, capability, name, and the like. In one embodiment, mobile devices  102 - 104  may uniquely identify themselves through any of a variety of mechanisms, including a phone number, Mobile Identification Number (MIN), an electronic serial number (ESN), or other mobile device identifier. The information may also indicate a content format that the mobile device is enabled to employ. Such information may be provided in a message, or the like, sent to ESS  106 , client device  101 , or other computing devices. 
     Mobile devices  102 - 104  may also be configured to communicate a message, such as through Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Message Service (MMS), instant messaging (IM), internet relay chat (IRC), Mardam-Bey&#39;s IRC (mIRC), Jabber, and the like, between another computing device, such as ESS  106 , client device  101 , each other, or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to these message protocols, and virtually any other message protocol may be employed. For example, the client application may enable a user to interact with the browser application, email application, VOIP applications, or the like. 
     Mobile devices  102 - 104  may further be configured to include a client application that enables the end-user to log into an end-user account that may be managed by another computing device, such as ESS  106 . Such end-user account, for example, may be configured to enable the end-user to receive emails, send/receive IM messages, SMS messages, access selected web pages, participate in a social networking event, or the like. However, participation in various social networking events may also be performed without logging into the end-user account. 
     In addition, mobile devices  102 - 104  may include another application that is configured to enable the mobile user to share and/or receive content, and to display the content. In one embodiment, each of mobile devices  102 - 104  may share with and/or receive the content from ESS  106  and/or from another one of mobile devices  102 - 104 . For example, content may be shared between the mobile devices using MMS, WAP, or the like. In one embodiment, a mobile device may receive a message indicating the content is available for viewing and/or annotating at a website, or the like. 
     In conjunction with sharing content, mobile devices  102 - 104  may enable an interaction with each other, through sharing various messages, and generally participating in a variety of integrated social experiences beyond merely voice communications. In one embodiment, mobile devices  102 - 104  may enable the interaction with a user associated with an event. For example, a user of one of mobile devices  102 - 104  may create a group that includes identified members. In one embodiment, members of the group may elect to share content, such as photographs, video clips, audio clips, text messages, emails, or the like, with other members of the group. Moreover, mobile devices  102 - 104  may enable any of the members of the group to also add other members to the group. In one embodiment, mobile devices  102 - 104  may send a message to the members associated with an event. 
     Mobile devices  102 - 104  may also communicate with non-mobile client devices, such as client device  101 , or the like. In one embodiment, such communications may include providing information about the content to a user of client device  101 , or the like. 
     Client device  101  may include virtually any computing device capable of communicating over a network to send and receive information, including social networking information, or the like. Generally, the set of such devices may include devices that typically connect using a wired or wireless communications medium such as personal computers, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, or the like. In one embodiment, client device  101  may be configured to access a website, or other location, of shared content, and to annotate the content, add additional content, or the like. Similar to mobile devices  102 - 104 , client device  101  may be configured to send and receive a message which includes a recipient list or a selectable option to retrieve the recipient list. 
     In one embodiment, client devices  101 - 104  may enable a user of the devices to receive a suggested characteristic of an event, to provide or change event characteristics of the event, or the like.  FIGS. 6-7  below include one embodiment of examples of providing and changing event characteristics based on suggested event characteristics. 
     Wireless network  110  is configured to couple mobile devices  102 - 104  and its components with network  105 . Wireless network  110  may include any of a variety of wireless sub-networks that may further overlay stand-alone ad-hoc networks, and the like, to provide an infrastructure-oriented connection for mobile devices  102 - 104 . Such sub-networks may include mesh networks, Wireless LAN (WLAN) networks, cellular networks, and the like. 
     Wireless network  110  may further include an autonomous system of terminals, gateways, routers, and the like connected by wireless radio links, and the like. These connectors may be configured to move freely and randomly and organize themselves arbitrarily, such that the topology of wireless network  110  may change rapidly. 
     Wireless network  110  may further employ a plurality of access technologies including 2nd (2G), 3rd (3G) generation radio access for cellular systems, WLAN, Wireless Router (WR) mesh, and the like. Access technologies such as 2G, 3G, and future access networks may enable wide area coverage for mobile devices, such as mobile devices  102 - 104  with various degrees of mobility. For example, wireless network  110  may enable a radio connection through a radio network access such as Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), and the like. In essence, wireless network  110  may include virtually any wireless communication mechanism by which information may travel between mobile device s  102 - 104  and another computing device, network, and the like. 
     Network  105  is configured to couple ESS  106  and its components with other computing devices, including, mobile devices  102 - 104 , client device  101 , and through wireless network  110  to mobile devices  102 - 104 . Network  105  is enabled to employ any form of computer readable media for communicating information from one electronic device to another. Also, network  105  can include the Internet in addition to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), direct connections, such as through a universal serial bus (USB) port, other forms of computer-readable media, or any combination thereof. On an interconnected set of LANs, including those based on differing architectures and protocols, a router acts as a link between LANs, enabling messages to be sent from one to another. Also, communication links within LANs typically include twisted wire pair or coaxial cable, while communication links between networks may utilize analog telephone lines, full or fractional dedicated digital lines including T1, T2, T3, and T4, Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs), wireless links including satellite links, or other communications links known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, remote computers and other related electronic devices could be remotely connected to either LANs or WANs via a modem and temporary telephone link. In essence, network  105  includes any communication method by which information may travel between ESS  106 , client device  101 , and other computing devices. 
     Additionally, communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, data signal, or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The terms “modulated data signal,” and “carrier-wave signal” includes a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information, instructions, data, and the like, in the signal. By way of example, communication media includes wired media such as twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber optics, wave guides, and other wired media and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. 
     One embodiment of ESS  106  is described in more detail below in conjunction with  FIG. 3 . Briefly, however, ESS  106  may include any computing device capable of connecting to network  105  to enable determination (e.g., creation and/or modification) of a user&#39;s social network based on event characteristics. 
     ESS  106  may be configured to create an event group and to share content with the members of the group. ESS  106  may receive from various participants in the event, content, and other social networking information, including information associated with event, messages, or the like. ESS  106  may then employ any of a variety of communication services to enable the messages to be shared between the members of the group. Moreover, ESS  106  may enable a website or other location for storage and access of at least some of the shared messages. ESS  106  further enables members of the group to add more members to the group, even if the member adding is not the original creator of the group. In one embodiment, ESS  106  may send an initiation to one of client devices  101 - 104  to invite a user associated with the devices to join the event. 
     ESS  106  may be further configured to determine at least one characteristic for at least one event. The event may include past, present, or future events. ESS  106  may be configured to determine implicit event characteristics, such as a start time, end time, or location of an event based on the sharing of at least one message. 
     ESS  106  may determine a suggested event characteristic for an event based on a match between characteristics of the event and characteristics of other events. ESS  106  may provide the suggested characteristic to one of client devices  101 - 104  for further processing. Client devices  101 - 104  may send a confirmation to ESS  106  to update the event based on the suggested event characteristic. In one embodiment, the suggested event characteristic may be a suggested member for the event. ESS  106  may employ a process similar to that described below in conjunction with  FIGS. 4-5  to perform at least some of its actions. 
     Devices that may operate as ESS  106  include personal computers desktop computers, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, servers, and the like. 
     Although  FIG. 1  illustrates ESS  106  as a single computing device, the invention is not so limited. For example, one or more functions of ESS  106  may be distributed across one or more distinct computing devices. For example, determining associations between group and/or event characteristics, determining recipient lists for shared messages, managing various social networking events, including sharing of content, managing Instant Messaging (IM) session, SMS messages, email messages, posting of content, determining implicit information such as start/end times, locations, or the like for an event, may be performed by a plurality of computing devices, without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. 
     Illustrative Client Environment 
       FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of a client device that may be included in a system implementing one or more embodiments of the invention. Client device  200  may include many more or less components than those shown in  FIG. 2 . However, the components shown are sufficient to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the present invention. Client device  200  may represent, for example, mobile devices  102 - 104  of  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in the figure, client device  200  includes a processing unit (CPU)  222  in communication with a mass memory  230  via a bus  224 . Client device  200  also includes a power supply  226 , one or more network interfaces  250 , an audio interface  252 , video interface  259 , a display  254 , a keypad  256 , an illuminator  258 , an input/output interface  260 , a haptic interface  262 , and an optional global positioning systems (GPS) receiver  264 . Power supply  226  provides power to mobile device  200 . A rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery may be used to provide power. The power may also be provided by an external power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradle that supplements and/or recharges a battery. 
     Client device  200  may optionally communicate with a base station (not shown), or directly with another computing device. Network interface  250  includes circuitry for coupling client device  200  to one or more networks, and is constructed for use with one or more communication protocols and technologies including, but not limited to, global system for mobile communication (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), user datagram protocol (UDP), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), SMS, general packet radio service (GPRS), WAP, ultra wide band (UWB), IEEE 802.16 Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), SIP/RTP, or any of a variety of other wireless communication protocols. Network interface  250  is sometimes known as a transceiver, transceiving device, or network interface card (NIC). 
     Audio interface  252  is arranged to produce and receive audio signals such as the sound of a human voice. For example, audio interface  252  may be coupled to a speaker and microphone (not shown) to enable telecommunication with others and/or generate an audio acknowledgement for some action. Display  254  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), gas plasma, light emitting diode (LED), or any other type of display used with a computing device. Display  254  may also include a touch sensitive screen arranged to receive input from an object such as a stylus or a digit from a human hand. 
     Video interface  259  is arranged to capture video images, such as a still photo, a video segment, an infrared video, or the like. For example, video interface  259  may be coupled to a digital video camera, a web-camera, or the like. Video interface  259  may comprise a lens, an image sensor, and other electronics. Image sensors may include a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit, charge-coupled device (CCD), or any other integrated circuit for sensing light. 
     Keypad  256  may comprise any input device arranged to receive input from a user. For example, keypad  256  may include a push button numeric dial, or a keyboard. Keypad  256  may also include command buttons that are associated with selecting and sending images. Illuminator  258  may provide a status indication and/or provide light. Illuminator  258  may remain active for specific periods of time or in response to events. For example, when illuminator  258  is active, it may backlight the buttons on keypad  256  and stay on while the client device is powered. Also, illuminator  258  may backlight these buttons in various patterns when particular actions are performed, such as dialing another client device. Illuminator  258  may also cause light sources positioned within a transparent or translucent case of the client device to illuminate in response to actions. 
     Client device  200  also comprises input/output interface  260  for communicating with external devices, such as a headset, or other input or output devices not shown in  FIG. 2 . Input/output interface  260  can utilize one or more communication technologies, such as USB, infrared, Bluetooth™, or the like. Haptic interface  262  is arranged to provide tactile feedback to a user of the client device. For example, the haptic interface may be employed to vibrate client device  200  in a particular way when another user of a computing device is calling. 
     Optional GPS transceiver  264  can determine the physical coordinates of client device  200  on the surface of the Earth, which typically outputs a location as latitude and longitude values. GPS transceiver  264  can also employ other geo-positioning mechanisms, including, but not limited to, triangulation, assisted GPS (AGPS), E-OTD, CI, SAI, ETA, BSS or the like, to further determine the physical location of client device  200  on the surface of the Earth. It is understood that under different conditions, GPS transceiver  264  can determine a physical location within millimeters for mobile device  200 ; and in other cases, the determined physical location may be less precise, such as within a meter or significantly greater distances. In one embodiment, however, mobile device may, through other components, provide other information that can be employed to determine a physical location of the device, including for example, a MAC address, IP address, or the like. 
     Mass memory  230  includes a RAM  232 , a ROM  234 , and other storage means. Mass memory  230  illustrates another example of computer storage media for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Mass memory  230  stores a basic input/output system (“BIOS”)  240  for controlling low-level operation of mobile device  200 . The mass memory also stores an operating system  241  for controlling the operation of mobile device  200 . It will be appreciated that this component may include a general purpose operating system such as a version of UNIX, or LINUX™, or a specialized client communication operating system such as Windows Mobile™, or the Symbian® operating system. The operating system may include, or interface with a Java virtual machine module that enables control of hardware components and/or operating system operations via Java application programs. 
     Memory  230  further includes one or more data storage  244 , which can be utilized by client device  200  to store, among other things, applications  242  and/or other data. For example, data storage  244  may also be employed to store information that describes various capabilities of mobile device  200 . The information may then be provided to another device, including being sent as part of a header during a communication, sent upon request, or the like. Moreover, data storage  244  may also be employed to store content and/or social networking information including text messages, address books, group member lists, or the like. At least a portion of the content and/or event information may also be stored on storage medium  266 , such as a disk drive, removable storage, or the like within mobile device  200 . 
     Applications  242  may include computer executable instructions which, when executed by mobile device  200 , provide such functions as calendars, contact managers, task managers, transcoders, database programs, word processing programs, screen savers, security applications, spreadsheet programs, games, search programs, and so forth. Applications  242  may further include Message Managers (MM)  245 . 
     MM  245  represents any of a variety of applications configured to transmit, receive, and/or otherwise process messages and other network content, including, but not limited to SMS, MMS, IM, email, VOIP, browsers, or the like, and to enable telecommunication with another user of another networked device. For example, MM  245  may include any of a variety of browser applications, which may be run under control of operating system  241  to enable and manage requesting, receiving, and rendering markup pages such as WAP pages (sometimes referred to as WAP cards), SMGL, HTML, HDML, WML, WMLScript, JavaScript, and the like. 
     MM  245  may further include an IM application that is configured to initiate and otherwise manage an instant messaging session, including, but not limited to AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, .NET Messenger Server, ICQ, and the like. In one embodiment, the IM application within MM  245  may be configured to employ a SIP/RTP to integrate IM/VOIP features. For example, the IM application may employ SIMPLE (SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leverage), APEX (Application Exchange), Prim (Presence and Instant Messaging Protocol), Open XML-based XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), more commonly known as Jabber and OMA (Open Mobile Alliance)&#39;s IMPS (Instant Messaging and Presence Service) created specifically for mobile devices, or the like. 
     MM  245  may also include text messaging application(s) that enables client device  200  to receive and/or send text messages to another device. In one embodiment, the text messaging application(s) may also provide an alerting mechanism that indicates to a user of client device  200  when a text message is received. The text messaging application(s) may also allow the user to compose a text response message, and to send the text response message over a network. The text messaging application(s) may operate to manage SMS text messages, MMS messages, Enhanced Message Service (EMS) messages, or the like, where graphics, video clips, sound files, or other content may be communicated between client device  200  and another networked device. 
     In any event, any one or more of the messaging applications within MM  245  may be employed to enable a user of client device  200  to create a group with members for an event, to share content, and other messages with members of the group, and to access content or the like, from another networked device, such as a website, server, or the like. In one embodiment, MM  245  may enable a user to send SMS messages, and/or send/receive MMS messages, where the messages may include content, a link to a remote server where the content is stored, or the like. In one embodiment, at least one event characteristic of an event may be sent over network interface  250  using MM  245 . In one embodiment, a suggested event characteristic may be received over network interface  250  and displayed by MM  245 . In one embodiment, MM  245  may display the (suggested) event characteristics in the browser application, an SMS application, email application, or the like. The (suggested) event characteristic may be used to modify the event. For example, MM  245  may send over network interface  250 , a confirmation that the event should be modified to include the (suggested) event characteristic. 
     Illustrative Server Environment 
       FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of a network device that may be included in a system implementing one or more embodiments of the invention. Network device  300  may include many more components than those shown. The components shown, however, are sufficient to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention. Network device  300  may represent, for example, ESS  106  of  FIG. 1 . 
     Network device  300  includes processing unit  312 , video display adapter  314 , and a mass memory, all in communication with each other via bus  322 . The mass memory generally includes RAM  316 , ROM  332 , and one or more permanent mass storage devices, such as hard disk drive  328 , tape drive, optical drive, and/or floppy disk drive. The mass memory stores operating system  320  for controlling the operation of network device  300 . Any general-purpose operating system may be employed. Basic input/output system (“BIOS”)  318  is also provided for controlling the low-level operation of network device  300 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , network device  300  also can communicate with the Internet, or some other communications network, via network interface unit  310 , which is constructed for use with various communication protocols including the TCP/IP protocol. Network interface unit  310  is sometimes known as a transceiver, transceiving device, or network interface card (NIC). 
     The mass memory as described above illustrates another type of computer-readable media, namely computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile, nonvolatile, removable, and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computing device. 
     The mass memory also stores program code and data. One or more applications  350  are loaded into mass memory and run on operating system  320 . Examples of application programs may include transcoders, schedulers, calendars, database programs, word processing programs, HTTP programs, including XmlHTTPRequest (XHR), Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) programs, customizable user interface programs, IPSec applications, encryption programs, security programs, account management, and so forth. Event Manager (EM)  355  and/or Message Servers  354  may also be included as application programs within applications  350 . 
     Event Data Store (EDS)  352  stores a plurality of received content. In one embodiment, EDS  352  may be a database, a file structure, or the like. EDS  352  may store event characteristics, including a time of an event, a location of an event, an amount of activity during the event, content associated with the event, or the like. EDS  352  may store unique IDs for all users associated with an event, or the like. In one embodiment, EDS  352  may store table  800  of  FIG. 8 . 
     Message server(s)  354  include virtually any communication server that may be configured to enable communications between networked devices, including email servers, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers, Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP) servers, SMS servers, various text messaging servers, VOIP servers, IM servers, MMS servers, RSS servers, audio servers, web servers, or the like. Message server(s)  354  may employ EDS  352  to store or otherwise manage content that may be communicated over a network. In one embodiment, various message server(s)  354  may receive a message from one network device, and, in conjunction with Event Manager (EM)  355 , employ information about group membership to store, and/or share the content to other members over the network. In one embodiment, message server(s)  354 , in conjunction with EM  355 , store received content for a group, within EDS  352 . 
     EM  355  is configured to manage events. As such, EM  355  may receive from message server(s)  354  a request for creation, deletion, or modification of a group for an event. EM  355  may employ EDS  352 , to create and otherwise manage the membership to the group. EM  355  may further employ various message server(s)  354  to send a message to the members of the group indicating that they are a member of the group. 
     Moreover, EM  355  may be configured to determine at least one characteristic for at least one event. EM  355  may be configured to receive the event characteristics from a user, over network interface unit  310 , or the like. While message server(s)  354  may be configured to manage and enable sharing of messages, including messages having content, EM  355  may employ the messages, and related information to determine implicit event characteristics of an event. Thus, EM  355  may determine start times, end times, locations of an event, or the like. EM  355  may store the derived implicit or received event characteristics within an association. EM  355  may also store identities of members with or associated with the characteristics. EM  355  may employ a process similar to that described below in conjunction with  FIG. 5  to perform at least some of its actions. Referring briefly to table  800  of  FIG. 8 , event characteristics  862 - 866  may include implicitly and/or explicitly determined characteristics. 
     Suggested Characteristic Manager (SCM)  353  is configured to determine a suggested event characteristic for an event based on a match between characteristics of the event and characteristics of other events. SCM  353  may receive the characteristics of the event and the other event from EM  355  and/or EDS  352 . Based on the suggested event characteristic, SCM  353  may modify the event. For example, SCM  353  may modify a field associated with the event in EDS  352 , or the like. 
     Generalized Operation 
     The operation of certain aspects of the invention will now be described with respect to  FIGS. 4-5 .  FIGS. 4-5  provide logical flow diagrams of certain aspects, while  FIGS. 6-7  provide use case examples to further illustrate the invention. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a logical flow diagram generally showing one embodiment of a process for determining a suggested characteristic for an event based on characteristics of other events. Process  400  may also be performed by ESS  106  of  FIG. 1 . 
     Process  400  begins, after a start block, at block  404 , where characteristics of an event is determined. One embodiment of a process for performing block  404  is described in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . Briefly, however, at block  404 , the characteristics may be determined based on a user configuration of the event or implicitly, from information communicated during the event or a location of a device of a member during the event. 
     In one embodiment, the characteristics include identities of one or more members. For example, an event A may be named “Drinking,” may include the members “Bob” and “John” and may be scheduled or determined to start at 7:15 pm, and may be located at Bob&#39;s place. Thus, for the event A, the characteristics are (Members: Bob, John, Time: 7:15 pm, Location: Bob&#39;s place). In any case, processing next flows to block  406 . 
     At block  406 , another characteristics of another event is determined. In one embodiment, the process for determining the other characteristics is described in more detail in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . The other event may be a past event occurring before the event, a present or current event occurring concurrently with the event, or a pending/future event scheduled to occur after a current time or after the event. 
     Referring briefly to  FIG. 8 , table  800  of  FIG. 8  shows examples of characteristics of the other event. For example, characteristics  862 - 865  include an identity of member A and member B, an event time, an event location and an event name. Each of the characteristics  862 - 865  are also associated with an event status (e.g., current, pending, past). As shown, member A and member B may represent at least two members of an event described by the characteristics. As shown, more than one row of datastore may include information for the same event (e.g., rows  862  and  865  for the event named “Drinks”) Although datastore  800  shows one representation of a storage of characteristics of events, the information may be stored in any way without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the information may be stored as a single list of characteristics, associated with a plurality of members, or the like. 
     Referring back to process  400 , processing next flows to decision block  408 . At decision block  408 , it is determined whether the characteristics of the event matches the other characteristics of the other event. A particular characteristic matches another particular characteristic if the two characteristics are a partial match, an exact match, within a range of each other, or another substantial match of each other, or the like. In one embodiment, where the particular event characteristic is an identity of a member of the events, a member of the event may match another member of the other event if the members are the same members. In another embodiment, the event characteristics may match if the member of the event is in a social network community with the other member of the other event. In any case, a match may be determined to exist between the characteristics and the other characteristics if at least one of the characteristics of the event matches at least one of the other characteristics of the other event. In one embodiment, a match threshold may be used, and a match is determined to exist if the number of matching characteristics is equal to or exceeds the threshold. 
     Referring briefly to datastore  800  of  FIG. 8 , each row of rows  862 - 865  is associated with a pair of members for a particular event. At least one member of the event A may match one member of rows  862 - 865 . For example, the members John may match member John in rows  863 - 865 . Moreover, the event A&#39;s time of 7:15 pm may match event times  820 ,  822 ,  823 , and  824 . Moreover, event A&#39;s name of “Drinking” may match event names  840 ,  843 , and  844 : “Drinks” based on string matching or other information retrieval techniques. For example, the string “Drinking” may be canonicalized, capitalized, stemmed, stop word removed, or the like, before matching. “Drinking” may be stemmed to “Drink” and matched with “Drinks” based on a partial string match. 
     Referring back to process  400 , if it is determined that the characteristics of the event matches the characteristics of the other event, then processing continues to decision block  410 . Otherwise, processing returns to a calling process for other processing. 
     As shown, blocks  410  and  412  are optional. In one embodiment, blocks  410  and  412  may not be performed, and processing may continue from decision block  408  to block  413 . 
     In one embodiment, at decision block  410 , it is determined whether the other event is a currently ongoing event or a pending/future event. In one embodiment, the time of the other event may be compared to a current time, a start and/or end time of the event, or the like. If the time of the other event is within a time-window (e.g., 15-30 minutes) of the current time and/or time of the event, then the event is determined to be a currently ongoing event. If the time of the other event is a time in the future of the current time and/or time of the event, then the event is determined to be a pending/future event. In another embodiment, a status of the other event may be stored in a table field, or the like, associated with the event, such as in fields  853 - 857  of  FIG. 8 . The status may be used to determine whether the other event is a current or pending event. In any case, if the other event is a current or pending event, then processing continues to block  412 . Otherwise, processing continues to block  413 . 
     At block  412 , a suggestion to combine the event and the other event may be sent to a user. In one embodiment, the user is an owner of the event (e.g., a member who created the event). In one embodiment, the suggestion may be sent to a client device associated with the user, such as mobile device  104  of  FIG. 1 . The suggestion may include the name of the other event, the characteristic of the other event, an identity of a member who created the other event, the identities of members of the other event or the like. The suggestion may be any mechanism, including a web page, an email, an IM message, an SMS message or the like. The suggestion may enable the user to respond over any mechanism, including over HTTP, email, IM, SMS, or the like. In one embodiment, the suggestion may enable the user to move the members of the event to the other event, change the characteristics of the other event based at least in part on the characteristic of the event, send a request to an owner of the other event to combine the event and the other event, or the like. In one embodiment, the suggestion may enable a pop-up in a web page, an HTML section in a web page, a dynamic HTML change of a web page (e.g., using JSON, AJAX), or the like, to enable the user to combine the event and the other event. Processing then continues to block  413 . 
     At block  413 , a suggested characteristic for the event is determined based on a match between at least one characteristic of the characteristics and at least another characteristic of the other characteristics. The match may be determined, for example, at decision block  408 . In one embodiment, the suggested characteristic may be an identity of a suggested member for the event, an event time, an event location, an event name, or the like. In one embodiment, the suggested characteristic may be one of the other characteristics that was not matched. For example, referring to table  800  of  FIG. 8 , event A may match rows  862 - 866 . While member “John” may be members of rows  862 - 866 , members “Matt” and “Mike” are not members of event A and thus are determined as suggested members. For row  863 , a suggested time may be determined as “Friday 8:00 pm-9:30 pm” because this time does not match event A&#39;s time. Similarly, an event name and an event location may be suggested based on information in table  800 . Processing then continues to block  414 . 
     At block  414 , the determined suggested event may be provided to the user. In one embodiment, the suggested event characteristic may be sent to a client device associated with the user. The suggested event characteristic may be sent over any protocol, channel, mechanism or the like, including HTML/HTTP, SMS, IM, or the like. The suggested event characteristic may include a suggested member for the event, a suggested name, a suggested location, a suggested time, or the like. The suggested event characteristic may also include other identifying information to aid the user in deciding whether to use the suggested event characteristic to modify the event. The other identifying information may include the name of the other event, the name of the owner of the other event, or the like. In one embodiment, the suggested event characteristic may enable a pop-up in a web page, an HTML section in a web page, a dynamic HTML change of a web page (e.g., using JSON, AJAX), or the like, to enable the user to confirm the modification of the event based on the suggested event characteristic. For example, as the user is entering, modifying, or updating the characteristic of an event using a web page form, a field associated with a type of event characteristic may present a popup-list, or the like, which may include the suggested event characteristic. Selecting the suggested event characteristic from the popup-list, may enable sending a confirmation to modify the event. 
     At decision block  416 , it is determined whether the confirmation to modify the event based on the suggested event characteristic is received. In one embodiment, the confirmation may be received from the user, a device associated with the user, from a third party (e.g., another member of the event) enabled by the user to modify the event, or the like. In one embodiment, the user may send to another member (or to all members) of the event, the suggested event characteristic to enable at least one of the other members to modify the event based on the suggested event characteristic. The other members may respond using any mechanism, including responding with the confirmation, a vote to modify the event, or the like. The confirmation may be sent over any protocol, channel, mechanism or the like, including HTML/HTTP, SMS, IM, or the like. The confirmation may include the suggested event characteristic, security information identifying the sender, or the like. If the confirmation is received, the processing continues to block  418 . Otherwise, processing returns to a calling process for further processing. 
     At block  418 , the event is modified based on the suggested event characteristic, including a suggested member. In one embodiment, a suggested member may be added to the event. In one embodiment, a field of the event, such as a member list, database field, or the like, may be modified based on the suggested event characteristic. For example, the suggested member may be added to the list of members of the event. In one embodiment, an invitation to join the event may be sent to suggested member. The suggested member may send a response to add the suggested member to the event. Processing then returns to a calling process for further processing. 
     In an alternate embodiment, process  400  may operate on a plurality of event characteristics. In this embodiment, a plurality of event characteristics may be determined at block  404  and at block  406 . The pluralities of event characteristics may be determined to match at block  408 . In another embodiment, a plurality of suggested event characteristic may be determined at block  413  and suggested to a user at block  414 . At block  418 , the event may be modified based on the plurality of suggested event characteristic. In one embodiment, the plurality of suggested event characteristic may be of different types. For example, a suggested member and a suggested location may be concurrently provided to the user at block  414 . In another embodiment, the plurality of suggested event characteristics may be of the same type. For example, a plurality of suggested members may be provided to the user at block  414 . 
     In another alternate embodiment, the plurality of suggested event characteristics may be ordered. Ordering the plurality of suggested characteristics (either of the same of different types) may be based on a number of matching characteristics between the event and the other event/events for each suggested event characteristic. For example, member “Mike” is a member of event B. Referring to table  800  of  FIG. 8 , member “Mike” and member “John” are members of event “Drinks” and another event “Book-Club”, and member “Mike” and member “Matt” are members of event “Drinks ” In this example, the pair of members (“Mike”, “John”) matches both events “Drinks” and “Book-Club.” Accordingly, the number of matching characteristics between event B and the events in table  8  is two. For the pair (“Mike”, “Matt”) the number of matching characteristics is one. Because member “John” is associated with a higher number of matching characteristics, member “John” is placed higher in the plurality of suggested event characteristics, followed by the member “Matt.” In any case, the ordered plurality of suggested event characteristics is provided to the user at block  414 . 
     In yet another alternate embodiment, process  400  may be performed substantially in real-time and/or the blocks of process  400  may be performed substantially concurrently. For example, the user may create an event using a web page. The user may enter an event characteristic, for example, in a field of a web page. The event characteristic may be partially or completely entered. In one embodiment, as the user types in the event characteristic, the partially or completely entered event characteristic is sent to a server, using for example, JSON, AJAX, XML, or the like. The entered event characteristic may be used to determine the event characteristic at block  404 . Concurrently with receiving other parts of the event characteristic and determining the event characteristic at block  404 , other blocks of process  400  may be performed. For example, a suggested event characteristic for the same event characteristic being entered by the user and/or a different event characteristic may determined at block  413  and may be sent to the user at block  414 . Thus, the user may receive the suggested event characteristic as a suggested text-completion for the event characteristic of the field the user is currently entering and/or a suggested characteristic for a different event characteristic of a different field. The user may decide to accept the received suggested event characteristic. For example, the user may click a submit button, click on the text-completion, or the like, to enable sending a confirmation to modify the event based on the suggested event characteristic. Processing then continues to block  416 , as described above. 
     In one embodiment, process  400  may be enabled to be performed by a user input. For example, on a client device, a user may create the event. In response, block  404  may then be performed. 
     In another embodiment, at least some blocks of process  400  may be automatically performed without user input. For example, at least some of the blocks may be performed based on a timer trigger, or other internally generated trigger, or the like. In one embodiment, a sever such as ESS  106  of  FIG. 1  may automatically trigger at least some of the blocks to be performed. In another embodiment, a client device may automatically send a message to the server to perform at least some of the blocks. In any case, in one embodiment, blocks  404  and  406 , and/or  408  and  413  may automatically be performed, thus enabling an automatic determination of a suggested characteristic. In another embodiment, at block  416 , a confirmation may be received from another process, or the like, and not from a user. Alternately, blocks  414  and  416  may be optional and may not be performed. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a logical flow diagram generally showing one embodiment of a process for determining event characteristics either implicitly or explicitly. Process  500  may also be performed by ESS  106  of  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, process  500  may represent actions performed in blocks  404  and/or blocks  406  of  FIG. 4 . 
     Process  500  begins, after a start block, at block  502 , where information about an event is received. In one embodiment, the received information may include at least one identity of one member of the event, an event name, an event location, an event time, or the like. The received information may be sent by an owner of the event, stored in a database, or other datastore, or the like. Processing then continues to block  504 . 
     At block  504 , a message is received during the event. The message may be sent by a member of the event, and/or may be sent to another (including all members) of the event. The message may be a text message, media content message, or the like. The message may identify the event, (e.g., by an event ID, or the like). Processing next continues to block  506 . 
     At block  506 , a time of the event is determined based on the received message. In one embodiment, the start and/or end time may be determined by a rate of flow of received messages. For example, in one embodiment, when the flow rate of messages exceeds some threshold value, such as two/minute, five/minute, or the like, then it might be determined that the event has started. However, it should be clear that other values may also be selected, without departing from the scope of the invention. Moreover, in one embodiment, the start time may also be determined based, for example, on receiving a first message. Similarly, the end time may also be inferred from the flow rate of messages. Thus, in one embodiment, when the flow rate of messages drops below another threshold value, that time, might be determined to be the end time for the event. 
     At block  508 , a location of the event may be determined based on a physical location of a client device (e.g., mobile device) associated with at least one member of the event during the event. For example, a GPS coordinate, IP address, street-address (e.g., entered by the member), or the like may be received from the client device, concurrently with messages being sent to members of the event. The received information may be a location, may be used to identify a location (e.g., through a lookup of a street address based on a GPS coordinate), or the like. 
     In another embodiment, if it is determined that several of the mobile devices sharing messages are within some determined distance apart, then those locations may be used to determine a location of the event. Thus, in one embodiment, a location central to the locations of the mobile devices may be used to determine the event location. In another embodiment, the locations of the mobile devices may be used to search a data store, such as a merchant directory, white pages, maps, or the like, to identify a facility, business, park, theater, home, or the like. The location of the facility may then be employed to identify a location of the event. However, the invention is not limited to these techniques to determine a location of the event, and virtually any other mechanism may be employed. For example, in one embodiment, the shared messages may be searched for keywords that might indicate a location. Processing next continues to block  510 . 
     At block  510 , the received information, determined time and/or determined location may be provided as at least one characteristic of the event. The at least one characteristic may be provided to another process, or the like, for further processing. For example, the at least one characteristic may be used by blocks  404  and/or  406  of  FIG. 4 . Processing then returns to a calling process for further processing. 
     Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart illustration support combinations of means for performing the specified actions, combinations of steps for performing the specified actions and program instruction means for performing the specified actions. It will also be understood that each block of the flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified actions or steps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     Illustrative Use Cases 
       FIG. 6  shows one embodiment of a use case for providing a suggested member for an event based on characteristics of other events. Interface  601  of example  600  illustrates that, in one embodiment, a message to create an event may be sent to an event sharing server (ESS) such as ESS  106  of  FIG. 1 , or the like. The message may, in one embodiment, employ SMS, however, the invention is not so limited, and any of a variety of communication message services may also be employed. As shown, at interface  601 , the user may request a “new” event to be created by the name “partygroup.” The user may then be added to the “partygroup” event. After receiving the request to create the event, the ESS may determine at least one event characteristic. The ESS may also determine that the user (e.g., “John”) is a member of the group associated with event. 
     At interface  602 , the user receives an instruction on how to add other members to the group associated with the event. 
     At interface  603 , the user adds member associated with the identifier “Mike.” Although shown as a name, the member “Mike” may be identified with a phone number such as “4155551234.” After receiving the request to add the members, the ESS may determine suggested members and/or other suggested event characteristics, using for example, process  400  of  FIG. 4 . 
     At interface  604 , the user receives a message from the ESS, suggesting the suggested member “Matt.” Although shown as a name, the member “Matt” may be identified with a phone number such as “4155552234.” The user is instructed to send the response “add” to add “Matt” to the event. Interface  605  shows the message “add” being sent by the user to add the suggested member “Matt” to the event. 
       FIG. 7  shows one embodiment of another use case for providing a suggested location for an event based on characteristics of other events. Example  700  of  FIG. 7  is a continuation of example  600  of  FIG. 6 . 
     Interface  701  shows another suggested characteristic of the event being received by the user. The suggested characteristic may be based on the current characteristic, including the identities of the members of the event. The suggested characteristic may be determined by, for example, process  400  of  FIG. 4 . As shown, the suggested location “John&#39;s place” is sent to the user. The user is instructed to send the message “add” to modify the event with the appropriate location. At interface  702 , the user sends the message “add” to modify the event. Accordingly, at interface  703 , a message is received to confirm that the location of the current event has been modified to be “John&#39;s place.” 
     Interface  705  shows another user interface for providing the event characteristics, receiving suggested event characteristics, enabling changing the event characteristics, and displaying a confirmation of the changed event characteristics, or the like. As shown, interface  705  provides richer content than interface  703 . In one embodiment, interface  705  may be a web page, or the like, displayed on a client device, or the like. Interface  703  may provide event time text entry boxes  706 - 707 , location text entry box  708 , and members  709 - 711 . As shown, interface  705  may be populated by the process embodied in interface  701 - 703 . However, interface  705  may be populated by other mechanisms, including by input received at a web page, XML input, or the like. In any case, interface  705  shows the event characteristics for the event in event time text entry boxes  706 - 707 , location text entry box  708 , and members  709 - 711 . As the user modifies and/or enters new information in at least one of these components, the other components may provide suggested characteristics. For example, as the user changes the location name in location text entry box  708 , a new member may dynamically be suggested in suggested member list  712 , as a pop-up list, or the like. The process for providing the suggested characteristic is described in process  400  of  FIG. 4 . 
     Illustrative Data Structure 
       FIG. 8  shows one embodiment of a datastore for storing event characteristics. Table  800  may be stored in EDS  352  of  FIG. 3 . Table  800  may be used to match against a current event characteristics and to provide suggested event characteristics and/or ordering information, as described in process  400  of  FIG. 4 , for example. Table  800  may be populated by process  500  of  FIG. 5 . 
     As shown, each one of rows  860 - 866  include a member A and member B field, an event status field, and a plurality of event characteristic fields, including an event time field, event location name field, and an event name field. At least some fields may be empty. An empty field may represent a field that matches any value. 
     As shown, an event may have several rows in table  800 . For example, the event “Drinks” has three entries in table  800 . Also, each row of rows  860 - 866  includes a pair of members—member A and member B, for each of the associated event. However, each row may include more or less members without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Table  800  may include many more fields than those shown. For example, table  800  may include other event characteristic fields, including a priority of an event, a status of the event as public or private, a type o the event, or the like. The fields shown, however, are sufficient to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention. 
     The above specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.