Social network building
AssigneeYahoo! Inc.
InventorMichael L. Holzer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable electronic device is described that permits a user to easily share one or more network IDs with others, even when the user has an obscure, hard-to-remember network ID and/or a large number of different network IDs. A system, method and device is also described that permits a user to aggregate network IDs into different groups depending on the type of networking that the user is seeking to accomplish and to selectively share such groups of network IDs with other users. A system and method is further described that permits a user to easily obscure or otherwise control access to network IDs that have been designated for sharing with an intended recipient.
Claims16
A portable electronic device, comprising:
- a memory configured to store one or more network identifiers associated with a first user;
- control logic coupled to the memory, the control logic configured to determine when the portable electronic device is capable of communicating with a second portable electronic device, wherein determining when the portable electronic device is capable of communicating with the second portable electronic device comprises determining when the portable electronic device is sufficiently proximate to the second portable electronic device to support wireless communication therewith, to automatically transmit the one or more network identifiers associated with the first user to the second portable electronic device responsive to determining that the portable electronic device is capable of communicating with the second portable electronic device, and to automatically receive one or more network identifiers associated with a second user from the second portable electronic device responsive to determining that the portable electronic device is capable of communicating with the second portable electronic device;
- and
- location information acquisition logic configured to obtain location information relating to a geographical location at which the one or more network identifiers associated with the second user were received;
- wherein the control logic is further configured to associate the location information with the one or more network identifiers associated with the second user.
A method for sharing one or more network identifiers, comprising:
- selecting one or more network identifiers associated with a first user from among a set of multiple network identifiers associated with the first user responsive to input from the first user;
- associating an obscuring identifier with the one or more network identifiers associated with the first user;
- providing the obscuring identifier to the first user in a format suitable for conveyance to a second user;
- and
- granting access to the second user to the one or more network identifiers responsive to receiving both the obscuring identifier from the second user and receiving an authorization message from the first user.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processing unit to share one or more network identifiers, wherein the computer program logic comprises:
- first means for enabling the processing unit to select one or more network identifiers associated with a first user from among a set of multiple network identifiers associated with the first user responsive to input from the first user;
- second means for enabling the processing unit to associate an obscuring identifier with the one or more network identifiers associated with the first user;
- third means for enabling the processing unit to provide the obscuring identifier to the first user in a format suitable for conveyance to a second user;
- and
- fourth means for enabling the processing unit to grant access to the second user to the one or more network identifiers responsive to receiving both the obscuring identifier from the second user and receiving an authorization message from the first user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.