System and method for finding people to share spontaneous activity or event in a particular geographic area

#A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

#“TONIGHT IN THE CITY”, “WHO IN THE CITY” and “ME IN THE CITY” are trademarks of Tonight In The City, Inc.

#This invention relates generally to internet dating, and more particularly provides a system and method for meeting new people in a given geographic area for a spontaneous common activity of interest.

#FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a network system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 1B is a block diagram of a “TONIGHT IN THE CITY” web server program, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating details of a computer system.

#The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the embodiments are possible to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to these and other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles, features and teachings disclosed herein.

#Networking and bulletin board websites facilitate online dating and connect people faster than was ever possible before, and the improvements contemplated by the “TONIGHT IN THE CITY”™ website build on this technology. The “TONIGHT IN THE CITY”™ website originated, in part, from the observation that existing online dating products do not offer the unique features that make spontaneous dating possible. In fact, existing online dating products appear to vary in their brand names and the population they serve, but, otherwise, fail to facilitate a date with someone without going through the first date motions and information gathering. Research found that this process is mostly wasteful and frustrating to users using the theory that information gathering should be done on a first date, not through the back and forth of emails. The research also has found that the back and forth between members through emails sets both parties up for a let down, since they are already familiar with each other and gives the first date the feel of a third date.

#The approach offered by existing dating sites involves contacting people through impersonal emails and then exchanging photo(s). Most often, only one of the sides provides a photo. This process is not conducive for spontaneous and selective dating. Accordingly, the “TONIGHT IN THE CITY”™ website includes features that facilitate spontaneous dating with activities in or outside the neighborhood area and thereby accommodate a fulfilled need.