Platforms and services that identify and provide location information of social prospects.

Abstract

A platform and related services are disclosed that provide users with both historical and real-time location information for social prospects they wish to meet. A user searches for potential social prospects based on characteristics desirable to the user. Search results are presented to the user in the form of historical and / or current locations of social prospects that match some or all of the user's desired characteristics for their social prospects. The search results can include identities and geographic locations of potentially matching social prospects to assist the user in traveling to meet these prospects. A specialized rating system for the platform or service is also disclosed, which can assist the user in finding matching locations and prospects. A "social prospect" can be any person with whom a user wishes to meet in person for any of a number of social reasons, which may include romantic, business, friendly, etc.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of face-to-face social networking, and more particularly to platforms, related services or processes for providing users with both historical and real-time location information of social prospects.

Background Art

[0002] Over the years, social media applications, social networking websites, and messaging applications have been created to help people communicate with other people who are presumed to have some common interest. Typically, such conventional platforms and services function by having users of the platform or service create a profile that includes a number of details about themselves and their interests, which profile is created in the expectation that other users will find those users when searching for such characteristics. Similarly, on other conventional platforms or services, users search for potential social prospects based on their desired search criteria. Therefore, the "match" between a user and a potential social prospect is brought about based on the matching of one or more such characteristics and / or interests. Further, such searches can also be limited to potential social prospects that exist within the geographically desirable area of the searching user.

[0003] However, in such conventional platforms or services, communication with or further meeting with a potential social prospect is limited to situations where the matching prospect agrees to directly contact the search user, typically through that platform or service. As a result, the search user can only "meet" a potential social prospect if the potential social prospect responds to the search user's attempt to contact them. Therefore, what is needed in the art is a socialization platform or related service that not only enables the search user to search for potential social prospects that match the search user's desired criteria, but also provides the search user with a means to determine where the potential social prospect might be located, so that the user can directly meet the potential social prospect without requiring the prospect to communicate with the user first. Such a socialization platform or service is provided by the principles disclosed. [Overview of the project]

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the disclosed principle is a platform and related services that provide a user with both historical and real-time location information of social prospects who are other users of the platform or service and whom the search user wishes to meet. Using this platform or service, the search user searches for potential social prospects based on characteristics desirable to the search user. The search results are presented to the search user in the form of historical and / or currently existing facilities / locations of social prospects who match some or all of the search user's desired characteristics for their social prospects. Alternatively, the search results are presented to the search user in the form of social prospects who match some or all of the search user's desired characteristics for their social prospects and are currently located at a certain facility. As used herein, the term “social prospect” means any person whom the user wishes to meet in person for any of several social reasons. These persons may include, but are not limited to, one or more people whom the user wishes to meet for romantic, business, or friendly reasons. Therefore, the term "social prospect" is not intended to be limited to specific individuals, genders, occupations, ages, races, religions, sexual orientations, etc. Instead, it is intended to be broad enough to encompass all individuals with whom the user can have direct contact.

[0005] Search results can be filtered using a unique rating coefficient that relates to the likelihood, or probability, of a social prospect matching the search user's desired characteristics existing in a particular location. This rating coefficient may consist of an objective component based on data collected by the platform or service relating to the characteristics desired by the search user of social prospects in a particular location, and a subjective component based on data provided by other users of the platform or service relating to those same characteristics desired by the search user of social prospects in a particular location. As a result, this rating coefficient changes based on the specific characteristics of social prospects that a particular user is searching for, and changes based on the density of prospects in a particular location that match those specific characteristics.

[0006] To better understand the present invention and its advantages, the following description and accompanying drawings are to be referenced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A system-level block diagram of a social networking system 100 according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle is shown. [Figure 2] A screen view of a login screen 200 for a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle, is shown. [Figure 3A] A screen view of an account screen 300A relating to a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle, is shown. [Figure 3B] This is a diagram showing a screen view of a personal profile screen 300B relating to a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 3C] This is a diagram showing a screen view of a social media account screen 300C relating to a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 4]This is a diagram showing a screen view of a user interface having a search screen 400 for a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 4A] This is a diagram of a screen view of additional search criteria 400A, which can be included together with the search screen 400, such as the screen shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5] This is a view of the search results details screen 500, which may be present in the search results when a search is performed using the user interface shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6A] This is a diagram of a screen view of a check-in feedback screen 600A, which can be adopted by a user of a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 6B] This shows a screen view of the additional check-in screen for 600B. [Figure 7A] This is a diagram showing a screen view of a user management screen 700A, accessible by the administrator of a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 7B] This is a diagram of a screen view of location data feed screen 700B, accessible by the administrator or user of a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 7C] This is a close-up view 700C of the dropdown menu for selecting the facility type from the location data feed screen in Figure 7B. [Figure 7D] This is a diagram of the screen view of the facility subtype selection screen 700D. [Figure 8] This is a diagram of a screen view of the recommended location screen 800A, accessible by a user of the platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. [Figure 9] A block diagram of a social networking system 900 incorporating a platform or system according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle is shown. [Figure 10]A block diagram of a social networking system database 1000 for use with a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle, is shown. [Figure 11] A block diagram of a social networking location database 1100 for use with a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle, is shown. [Figure 12] A block diagram of a social networking user database system 1200 for use with a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle, is shown. [Figure 13A] Exemplary screenshots of various account login and sign-up options from a mobile device application for use with the platform or service based on the disclosed principles are shown. [Figure 13B] Exemplary screenshots of various account login and sign-up options from a mobile device application for use with the platform or service based on the disclosed principles are shown. [Figure 13C] Exemplary screenshots of various account login and sign-up options from a mobile device application for use with the platform or service based on the disclosed principles are shown. [Figure 14A] This is an exemplary screenshot from a mobile application of an interactive map that displays facilities matching the user's search criteria. [Figure 14B] This shows an illustrative screenshot from the mobile application of a list of facilities that match the user's search criteria. [Figure 15A] This shows an exemplary screenshot from a mobile application of an interactive map that presents social prospects matching the search criteria of the mobile application user. [Figure 15B]An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing a list of social prospects that match the search criteria of a user of the mobile application. [Figure 16A] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing details associated with a single facility that match the search criteria of a user of the mobile application and that have been selected by the user. [Figure 16B] An exemplary screenshot from the mobile application of FIG. 16A showing a detailed "check-in" screen of the mobile application. [Figure 16C] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing a "check-out" function associated with a single facility that matches the search criteria of a user of the mobile application. [Figure 17] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing an option presented to a user of the mobile application to integrate one or more of the user's social media profiles. [Figure 18] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing an option presented to a user of the mobile application to have an artificial intelligence engine determine profile details on behalf of the user. [Figure 19] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing selection options from available search criteria for finding social prospects, presented to a user of the mobile application. [Figure 20] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing a profile page of a user of the application who has checked in at a particular facility. [Figure 21] An exemplary screenshot from a mobile application showing a QR code (registered trademark) associated with a user of the mobile application. [Figure 22]The following is an example screenshot from a mobile application showing the user of a social prospect profile that matches the user's search criteria, as well as the social prospect's current location at the facility. [Figure 23] Figure 22 shows an exemplary screenshot from a mobile application, displaying the public profile of a social prospect to a mobile application user. [Figure 24] The following are illustrative screenshots from a mobile application showing messaging functionality for a mobile application user to communicate with potential social prospects associated with a platform or service as disclosed herein. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” include exemplary embodiments of the principles of the invention disclosed herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings which constitute part of this specification. These drawings are provided to illustrate specific embodiments that enable the practice of the principles of the invention disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that other embodiments, including structural changes and modifications, may be utilized without departing from the scope of the principles of this disclosure.

[0009] Overview As described above, exemplary embodiments of the disclosed principles provide a platform and services that enable a user to provide search criteria regarding the type of person they wish to meet in person. For example, if a user wishes to meet a single woman within a desired age range, of a selected ethnicity and / or race, in a selected geographical location, a platform or service as disclosed herein could provide a geographical representation of locations within that selected geographical search area where people who meet the user's search criteria are concentrated. Furthermore, the disclosed platform or service could provide the user with temporal search results, such as when people matching the user's search criteria would be (or were) present in geographical locations within the user's search area. Thus, the user can use such search results to travel to the presented locations where such matching people have previously or are currently concentrated, thereby increasing the likelihood that the user will be able to meet the matching people in person.

[0010] In exemplary embodiments, users employ applications that run on each user's mobile device, in which case these multiple mobile applications communicate with a centralized platform. In some embodiments, one or more users may instead communicate with the centralized platform via a network interface, such as a web browser, which runs on the user's computing device and communicates with the platform over a computer network such as the Internet.

[0011] The principles embodied and disclosed within a platform or service utilize a database of personal information corresponding to the user's search parameters to provide the geographical locations of people matching the selected search parameters, thus ensuring that the user can meet such matched individuals in person at their identified locations. This may include not only searching for potential social prospects, including dating opportunities or other romantic interests, but also searching for prospects for business purposes, playmates for the user's children, prospects with similar interests in sports or activities, and any other type of social prospect. As mentioned above, numerous databases exist that store demographic data of individual people. While many databases provide general data such as a person's name, gender, address, and telephone number, there are also databases that store far more personal demographic data not typically used by conventional computer-based platforms, systems, or services. Such more atypical demographic data includes people's age, income, marital status, previous marital history, race, ethnicity, height, weight, body dimensions, body mass index, hair color, eye color, skin color, religious affiliation, occupation, number of children, credit score, income, outstanding debt, debt-to-income ratio, property ownership, involvement in past or present legal proceedings and in what capacity, unfavorable and favorable judgments, and more personal details than typical data used by conventional systems and services. The principle of disclosure may employ all such databases that have personal information about potential social prospects that a user may wish to meet if they match most or all of the characteristics the user desires.

[0012] However, many of these demographic details are precisely the details that people might want to know when considering meeting people face-to-face in a social setting. Importantly, many of these demographic details are those that many people tend to lie about or exaggerate, even if it may be insensitive to the wishes of the people they wish to meet, in order to broaden their chances of meeting others who meet their search criteria. In other cases, some potential prospects or targets may simply have an unrealistic self-perception. As a result, such more personal demographic details, when objectively verifiable, can increase, and often guarantee, the likelihood that a user will meet someone who actually matches the criteria they are searching for.

[0013] Furthermore, the disclosed principle can bring greater accuracy or specificity to search results provided through a platform or service by further utilizing real-time feedback data. In one embodiment, a user can provide feedback to verify that the search results provided to them are accurate. In such embodiments, a user / reviewer can provide real-time information to a platform or service such as those disclosed herein through their mobile application or through a website affiliated with that platform or service. Such a user may also be specifically designated as an authorized reviewer by a platform such as those disclosed herein; however, in other embodiments, such reviewers are simply random and voluntary. In some embodiments, such reviewers may actually be “targets” that the user wishes to meet using the disclosed principle. In such embodiments, these reviewers / targets, who match the user’s search criteria, can verify their presence at a location provided to the search user through the disclosed principle. Verification of the feedback provider’s location can also be done using geolocation. For example, geolocation data provided by the provider's mobile device running a mobile application associated with the disclosed platform or service can provide confirmation of such geographical location, as well as the provider's location at the time the feedback is being provided. In some embodiments, the provider of feedback to the platform or service may be one or more locations searchable by the inquiring user of that platform or service, such as those provided by agents affiliated with specific locations.

[0014] In some embodiments that employ data provided by such various types of reviewers, a feedback interface accessed by such reviewers may present a predetermined demographic field for which the reviewer provides information. Furthermore, demographic data may be provided for each of several categories of people. For example, demographic data that a reviewer could provide for a category such as "women" might include age, race, ethnicity, body size, clothing style, attractiveness, etc., as perceived by each particular reviewer of the "women" they actually see in that location. Similarly, demographic data that a reviewer could provide for a category such as "men" might include age, race, ethnicity, body size, clothing style, attractiveness, etc., as perceived by each particular reviewer of the "men" they actually see in that location. In this regard, a platform or service based on the disclosed principles may employ subjective data to help provide users with accurate search results. Furthermore, the actual number or estimated number of "women" or "men" that the reviewer actually sees in a given location can also be provided, thus offering further details to search users employing the platform or service.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, in a situation where a user is searching for a social prospect that is a child their own child can meet and play with, the reviewer may be provided with the category “Children”. In such an embodiment, demographic information may include the age of the children in that location, the approximate number of boys versus girls, the level of the children’s activity, and other information that the reviewer may be able to perceive in a given location. In yet another embodiment, the social prospect searched by the user may relate to a business network or other business interests, or even to participating together in a common sport or activity. Thus, the reviewer may also provide the search user with real-time feedback to confirm whether the social prospect that the user is searching for and that meets the specific criteria desired by the user actually exists in the geographic location presented to the search user as a search result. As previously stated, geolocation data associated with the reviewer’s physical location, such as via the reviewer’s mobile device running an application associated with the disclosed platform or service, can also be used in this case to confirm the reviewer’s location when providing such feedback.

[0016] Exemplary systems and platforms Figure 1 shows a system-level block diagram of a social networking system 100 according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. A social networking system 100 as disclosed herein may enable an individual or user to contact, interact with, and / or engage with other individuals or users, including social prospects that may have characteristics desired by the search user, such as companies, areas of interest, and / or other search users. In some embodiments, the social networking system 100 may be implemented using multiple mobile applications running on the user's individual computing device or mobile computing device, or using access via a website through the user's computing device. The social networking system 100 may include at least one database 104 that can be connected via a network 102. The network 102 may include a packet-based network, and / or other types of network equipment and network components that enable the transmission of data, images, video, audio, and other file types or formats. Similarly, such a database 104 may be configured to store and / or categorize data, images, video, audio, and / or other file types or formats. Database 104 can be any type of database, but is not limited to any other type or style, including sequential, non-sequel, centralized, distributed, cloud, relational, network, object-oriented, hierarchical, and / or other types or styles of databases.

[0017] Database 104 can be coupled to any number of devices and / or computing systems. For example, via network 102, one or more databases 104 can be coupled to a mobile computing device 106A, a network-attached device 106B, and / or computing device 106C (collectively, device system 106). In some embodiments, mobile computing device 106A may include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone 107A, a mobile computer, a smartphone 107B, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a tablet 107C, and / or other devices that include at least one controller or processor and are capable of connecting to at least one computer-based network. Each such mobile device may be running a mobile application configured to communicate with a platform as disclosed herein, or it may be part of a kind of distributed platform or service as disclosed herein. Similarly, computing device 106C may include, but is not limited to, a desktop computer 109A, a laptop computer 109B, a convertible computer 109C, a tablet computer, and / or other devices having at least one processor and capable of connecting to at least one computer-based network to communicate with the disclosed platform. Furthermore, in advantageous embodiments, a platform such as that disclosed herein includes multiple mobile applications running on the mobile devices of a corresponding number of users, reviewers, and / or social prospects, in which case each of those applications communicates with the platform via a communication network, which may include one or more databases, one or more servers, and one or more processors.

[0018] Furthermore, system 100 may include, but is not limited to, network-connected devices 106B such as a security system, a point of sale (POS) system 108A, a camera system 108B, a ticket or event management system 108C, a sensor system, a credit card payment system, or other devices that can be connected via a computer-based network. In at least one embodiment, these network-connected devices 106B may include a processor or controller for enabling the processing or control of data, images, video, audio, and / or other file types or formats that can be transmitted by the network-connected devices 106B. In some embodiments, the network-connected devices 106B may include the capability to be edge-processed to enable the transmission of pre-processed and / or classified data, images, video, audio, and / or other file types or formats.

[0019] The device system 106 can connect to at least one database 104 and servers 110A / 110B via the network 102. In at least one embodiment, the database 104 can be stored and / or manipulated through servers 110A and / or 110B (collectively, server 110). Server 110 may have at least one processor, at least one memory storage device, at least one data storage device, network connectivity and / or transceivers, and / or input / output bus devices. Server 110 can process and / or analyze data, images, videos, audio, and / or other file types or formats before or after storing them in at least one database 104. For example, when placing and / or storing data, images, videos, audio, and / or other file types or formats in at least one database 104, server 110 can process such data, images, videos, audio, and / or other file types or formats in a way that enables classification and / or tagging. The data organization system 112 can filter, tag, and / or classify data, images, videos, audio, and / or other file types or formats within at least one database 104. The server 110 can use the data organization system 112 to process and / or analyze data, images, videos, audio, and / or other file types or formats upon receipt and / or after they have been stored in at least one database 104. One or more of the server 110, database 104, and data organization system 112, along with one or more other devices and / or components of system 100, can cooperate to provide a platform or service as disclosed herein.

[0020] Additional data sources 116A and / or 116B can be used to provide context to and / or complement data, images, videos, audio, and / or other file types or formats stored in at least one database 104. For example, supplementing Global Positioning System (GPS) data with meteorological data can provide additional information that may enable users to make additional decisions. In at least one embodiment, additional data sources 116A and / or 116B may have source filters 114A / 114B that enable the provision of specific information. For example, a data source may provide 1000 rows of data, but source filters 114A / 114B can reduce that data to 100 rows of usable data. Further details of exemplary data sources that can be accessed for use by a platform or service based on the disclosed principles are described below.

[0021] Platform and service interfaces Figure 2 shows a screen view of a login screen 200 for a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. The login screen 200 is used to prevent unauthorized access to a program, application (or “App”) or website used to access the disclosed platform or service. A user ID 210 may be used as part of a multi-layer access process, in which case the user ID 210 may be an email address or username used or created by the user. Furthermore, the user may provide a password 220 as part of the multi-layer access process. Once the user provides these credentials via the login screen 200, the user can click the login button 230. Alternatively, if the user forgets their username and / or password, the user can click “Forgot your password?” or another similar link 240 to access another page, window, or module which may require the user to enter or provide additional information in order to retrieve all or part of their login credentials.

[0022] Figure 3A shows a screen view of an account screen 300A for a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. A platform or service such as those disclosed herein may utilize an account screen 300A for a user to create and / or manage their account. Multiple pages, windows, and / or modules may exist that enable the user to create, control, and / or manage their account through various input fields and / or selectable contract areas. For example, a first name 302A, a last name 302B, and / or a username 302C. In at least one embodiment, the username 302C may be used as a user ID or part of a user ID. In some embodiments, a user ID separate from the username 302C may be created. The user's email address 304 may also be entered to receive communications from the platform. The user's telephone number 306, address information, including, but not limited to, a country 308A, a city 308B, and / or state 308C, may be used for geographical analysis and / or processing of the information. Users may wish to include a brief biography 310 that allows them to describe information they want others to know about them.

[0023] The user is also prompted to create a unique password 312A, which may typically be a set of letters, numbers, or special characters arranged in some ordered combination known only to the user and the program, application or app, and / or website. In at least one embodiment, there may be a minimum number of letters, or combinations of letters, numbers, or special characters, and for example, the user password 312A may have to include at least one of each category of possible variables for use. Naturally, other types of passwords may also be employed to protect the user's account with the platform. Furthermore, the user may be asked to repeat and / or confirm their chosen password 312B. In other implementations, the program, application or app, and / or website used with the platform or service as disclosed herein may have multiple information fields and / or buttons across a page, window, or module, which may include fewer or more than in the illustrated embodiment. Finally, a save button 314 may be provided so that the user can save all fields of their profile.

[0024] Figure 3B is a screen view of a personal profile screen 300B relating to a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. A platform or service such as those disclosed herein may utilize such a profile screen 300B for a user to provide personal details, which can be used to help other users of the disclosed platform or method match the user to the user based on the personal characteristics provided within the user's profile page. There may be multiple pages, windows, and / or modules that enable the user to provide any number of personal details that can be used to match the user to other users based on the other users' desired personal characteristics. In the illustrated embodiment, the user may provide such personal details as, but are not limited to, gender 314, sexual orientation 316, life situation 318, zodiac sign 320, and fitness level 322. Furthermore, the user may use an upload button 324 to upload a photograph of themselves that can be viewed by other people employing the platform or service according to the disclosed principle. Naturally, a larger or smaller number of personal characteristics can be included within the example profile screen 300B.

[0025] Figure 3C is a screen view of a social media account screen 300C relating to a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. More specifically, a user can use such a social media account screen 300C to provide other users with their handles for their various social media accounts so that other users can contact and otherwise reach out to the user. Illustrative social media handles include, but are not limited to, a user's Facebook® 326, Instagram® 328, Snapchat® 330, and / or TikTok® 332 accounts, as shown in the illustration. Naturally, other social media account handles may also be provided depending on the embodiment of the disclosed platform or service.

[0026] Figure 4 is a screen view of a user interface having a search screen 400 for a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. In particular, such a search screen 400 can be used by a user to search for and find potential social prospects to meet. Specifically, the user enters search criteria for a desired social prospect, and the platform or service, as disclosed herein, provides search results in the form of geographical locations where prospects matching the user's search criteria can be found, or geographical locations where such prospects may have been located in the past. In one embodiment, in a practical application of the disclosed principle for dating or singles networking, the user can perform a search for social prospects based on search criteria 410, including, but not limited to, a city 410A, a date 410B, a time 410C, and / or a type of venue 410D, where the social prospect will be met. Once these selections are made, the user performs the search using the search button 410E. The results from these search criteria 410, as well as from any other search criteria desired by the implementer of the platform or service disclosed herein, can be further filtered using a filter 420. The search result filter 420 may include one or more categories, tags, etc., from a database in which the information is stored or from which the information is derived.

[0027] In an example of a practical application for dating or singles networking, users can filter potential prospects by a rating coefficient 420A. In a favorable embodiment, the rating coefficient 410A may be a specialized rating coefficient related to the likelihood, or probability, that a social prospect matching the search user's desired characteristics is present in a particular location. This specialized rating coefficient may consist of both objective and subjective components. In an exemplary embodiment, the objective component may be based on data collected by the platform or service relating to the characteristics of social prospects located in a particular location. The subjective component may be based on data provided by one or more other users of the platform or service, which is also related to the characteristics of social prospects located in a particular location. As a result, this rating coefficient changes based on the specific characteristics of the social prospects a particular user is searching for and the density of prospects in a particular location that match those specific characteristics. Furthermore, rating coefficients that include both objective and subjective components provide a more accurate measure of specific characteristics of potential social prospects in a particular location. In some embodiments, the objective and subjective components of this unique rating coefficient can be provided separately.

[0028] In this illustrated embodiment, the rating coefficient is provided as "GDF," commonly meaning "Goddamn Factor," and can therefore be considered a measure of how impressive a potential social prospect with a given set of searched traits is in a particular location. Naturally, this unique rating coefficient is also given another name. The GDF provides the search user with an additional component when searching for locations to meet prospects that match the search user's desired traits by enabling filtering of search results based on the GDF level. More specifically, several search result locations may be presented that have prospects that match many of the user's desired traits, but by filtering the results by a higher GDF, those search result locations are narrowed down to those with a high density of prospects that match the user's search criteria, or those with a larger number of prospects that match the user's search criteria. Furthermore, the filtering is sliding based on a higher or lower GDP, as selected by the search user. Further details regarding this rating coefficient or GDF are provided below.

[0029] Other filters may also be provided, including those based on more objective or empirical coefficients. These filters may include an age parameter 420B, which can be provided as a measure or range of age for potential prospects. The ability to filter potential social prospects is important not only in dating applications of the disclosed principles but also in other fields involving meeting social prospects. For example, if a platform or service such as the one disclosed herein is used to find playmates for children, filtering search results by age is certainly crucial. Another filter for search results may include a “refine search” filter 420C, which may allow users to further refine search results using criteria such as limiting results to a specific geographical location or distance range. Yet another filter may include filtering potential social prospects by ethnicity 420D, or, in some cases, by race. Naturally, other filters may be included to refine search results, and the user interface of the disclosed principles may include any number of favorable filters to help users narrow their search to potential social prospects closer to the user’s desired results range. Once the user has selected their desired filtering criteria, they can apply those filters to the search results by selecting the "Apply" button 420E. Alternatively, if the user wishes to try different filters on their search results, they can select the "Reset" button 420F to reset the filters and start over.

[0030] The filtered results generate a visual representation of the search results 440 within the user interface of a platform or service as disclosed herein. In this illustrated embodiment, there are a first result 440A, a second result 440B, and a third result 440C, each of which is a location where a social prospect that meets the user's search criteria may be located. Such determinations can be made based on the likelihood that a matching social prospect will exist at those displayed locations, based on documented past experience. Thus, the disclosed principle can provide a prediction that a matching social prospect is likely to exist again at the same location. Alternatively, the disclosed platform or service may provide results indicating that a matching social prospect is actually currently present at the displayed location. The manner in which each of these techniques generates search results is described in detail below.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the displayed exemplary location result 440 provides specific facilities from which matching social prospects can be found. In addition to providing a list of facilities, it may also display specific information related to the user's search criteria, and how that information relates to the listed facilities. For example, in this illustrated embodiment, a “GDF” for each specific search result is provided by each list. This GDF for each result is derived by providing the average or mean of the GDF scores generated for each specific location. As mentioned above, the GDF for any particular location is a combination of collected objective data and received subjective feedback, relating to the density of social prospects matching a specific set of searched characteristics at that particular location. Each search result also provides a check-in button 440D. This button can be used by the user to notify the platform or service that the user is actually present at that particular location. By “checking in,” the platform or service may also be able to allow the user to not only confirm their location at the selected facility, but also to provide feedback on the accuracy of the search results provided by the platform or service. Further details on such feedback options are provided below.

[0032] In addition to the illustrated list view of search results 440, filtered search results can also be provided on a generated and displayed map 450, which has map highlights 450A and 450B. Map highlights 450A and 450B indicate multiple facilities or venues that match the user's search criteria and are within a given proximity range. In addition to providing a visual indicator of the location of each matching venue, such a view also allows the user to visualize the proximity of matching venues to each other, and thus the user can move between multiple venues if the desired social prospect is not available when visiting a single venue.

[0033] An exemplary user interface for use with a platform or service as disclosed herein may also have any number of additional buttons that enable a user to interact with or engage with the platform or service. For example, a My Account button 460A can be used by a user to access their account information and to modify, edit, and / or create additional information about their account. A Logout button 460B can be used to enable a user to log out of their account with the platform or service, and then button 460B may become a Login button that can be used to log back into their account.

[0034] Figure 4A is a diagram of a screen view of additional search criteria 400A, which can be included with the search screen 400, such as the screen in Figure 4. Specifically, the additional search criteria 400A can be for searching for a particular type of location. For example, a dropdown menu for selecting a type of establishment can provide multiple options that the search user can choose from. The user can then scroll through the available establishment type options, and once they find the desired establishment type, they can add it to their search by simply clicking the selected type. In some embodiments, the number of establishments displayed in the search results of Figure 4 can be increased by making multiple selections from the dropdown menu. In the illustrated embodiments, the selection options are arts, entertainment, indoor, multi-faceted, nightlife, and online activities, but additional or other types of establishments can also be included in such a dropdown menu.

[0035] Figure 5 is a screen view of the search results details screen 500, which may be present in the search results when a search is performed using the user interface of Figure 4. The search results details screen 500 not only provides the name and address 510 of the place, but can also present specific details about the place, which may allow the user to decide whether or not to visit the place in search of a desired social prospect. Among these details may be a gallery 520 of images taken at the place, which can provide an appearance of the place's decor, food, drinks, and atmosphere. An annotation 530 regarding the "type" of the place may also be provided. The rating coefficient 410A mentioned above may also be provided, and this may also be selectable by the user to learn more about how the rating coefficient 410A was derived. For example, if the rating coefficient 410A is a GDF or a similar rating coefficient, selecting button 410A may provide the user with details about the individual rating scores provided by the ranking user or other person. There may also be links 550 to obtain additional location details, such as directions to the venue, features and / or services offered by the venue, the venue's location, the venue's website, and other contact information about the venue. Another link 560 may also be provided to allow users to see what other people have said about the venue, by obtaining feedback that may have been provided by regulars of that venue. Finally, this details page may also include information 570 about any particular person or group of people currently visiting the venue, including other users of the platform or service being disclosed.

[0036] Figure 6A is a screen view of a check-in feedback screen 600A that can be adopted by a user of a platform or service according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. The check-in screen 600A may be provided via a mobile application running on the user's mobile computing device, or via a web page or website accessible by the user through the browser software on their computing device. As described above, a user can “check in” at a particular location to notify the platform or service that they are present at that location, and potentially to provide their feedback about that location. In this case, such feedback can be used to improve the accuracy of search results provided to future users. In some embodiments, GPS confirmation, for example via the user’s phone or other geolocation services and devices, may be employed to ensure that the user is actually present at a particular location when checking in.

[0037] In this illustrated embodiment, a check-in button 610 is provided for the user to use when they are ready to check in. However, the user may also provide additional information before selecting the check-in button 610. For example, the user may provide information about the ages of women or other social prospects they see at the location via the age range selector 620. They may also select the various ethnicities of social prospects at the location from the list of ethnicity options 630. Furthermore, the user may provide information about the crowd and / or atmosphere from the list of options 640. The user may also provide their overall personal rating of the venue, for example, by using a rating scale 650 from 1 to 10. Naturally, other types of sliders, lists, and scales can also be used with respect to these illustrated check-in feedback options. Once the user has finished making their various selections on the check-in screen 600A, they can then select the check-in button 610 to complete the check-in process.

[0038] By checking in and providing both subjective and objective information about a specific location or social prospect at a specific location, a platform or service as disclosed herein can provide more accurate search results for other users of that platform or service to find social prospects they wish to meet. In some embodiments, a user checking in is either a previous user who has not previously used the platform or service to find social prospects but has instead chosen to provide feedback information, or, in some cases, a feedback provider who is supported by the platform or service. In embodiments where a user has previously used the platform or service to find a venue with a desired social prospect, the platform or service combines information from the user's previous searches with information provided by the user through the check-in process to further improve the accuracy of future search results.

[0039] Figure 6B shows a screen view of an additional check-in screen 600B. This additional screen may be provided together with the check-in screen 600A described with respect to Figure 6A, or it may be provided to the user when they are ready to leave a particular venue, or when they have already left the venue. Among the additional information that the user can provide through this additional screen 600B is a text box 660 in which the user can provide a review of the location or other additional feedback through a narrative. Furthermore, a photo upload button 670 may also be provided, which allows the user to upload any photos that could have been taken at the location to a disclosed platform or service. Once the user has completed providing the additional information, they can submit that information via the submit review button 680.

[0040] Figure 7A is a screen view of a user management screen 700A accessible by a platform or service administrator, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. An exemplary user management screen 700A may have multiple sections, each having one or more fields for entering data. Through such an exemplary user management screen 700A, the administrator can search for users or add new users. Furthermore, the administrator can also search for users by their "role," such as administrator, staff, or user. Naturally, other types of roles related to the platform or service as disclosed herein may also be included within the user management screen 700A.

[0041] The user management screen 700A may include a name field 705 that allows adding, editing, deleting, or simply searching for the names of new or current users. An email field 710 allows adding, editing, deleting, or searching for a user's email address. Similarly, a user role field 715 allows adding, editing, deleting, or searching for a user's role within an organization (company, venue, or other group). Furthermore, various address fields 720 allow adding, editing, deleting, or searching for a user's address / location. Options 725 may also be provided to display only current users, or even to display disabled users as well. A search button 730A allows searching for information on a specific user displayed, while a reset button 730B can be used to clear the search field to begin entering information for a new user search. A new user add button 735 allows adding a new user to the platform or service by clearing the fields provided on the user management screen 700A and adding new information. A display list 740 of search results for users matching the above search criteria can be shown, and the administrator can select a specific user from this list. An edit button 740A can also be used by the administrator to edit the information within the user list.

[0042] Figure 7B is a screen view of a location data feed screen 700B, accessible by a platform or service administrator or user, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. An exemplary location data feed screen 700B may have multiple sections, each having one or more fields for entering data. Through such an exemplary screen 700B, an administrator or user can search for facilities affiliated with the disclosed platform or service. In some embodiments, the location data feed screen 700B can be used simply by an administrator or even a user to search for facilities in a given geographical location. Alternatively, in some embodiments, an administrator may also use the location data feed screen 700B to add new facilities to the disclosed platform or service as affiliates of that platform or service.

[0043] The location data feed screen 700B may include any of several information fields, such as facility type 745, facility name 750, and location information about the facility 755, which may include a dropdown menu that presents multiple options for selecting a type. The search button 760A allows searching for information about the displayed potential facilities, while the reset button 760B can be used to clear the search field to begin entering information about a new facility.

[0044] Figure 7C is a close-up view 700C of the drop-down menu for selecting a facility type from the location data feed screen in Figure 7B. When a user or administrator selects a drop-down icon or caret, the drop-down menu 765 is presented. The user or administrator can then scroll through the available options for facility types. Once the correct or desired facility type is found, the user or administrator can simply click the selected type. In some embodiments where the location data feed screen is used to search for multiple facilities, the number of facilities displayed in the search results can be increased by making multiple selections from the drop-down menu. In the illustrated embodiments, the selection options are Arts and Entertainment, Business and Professional Services, Community and Administration, Food and Beverage, Events, Health and Medical, Landmarks and Outdoors, Retail, Sports and Recreation, Travel and Transportation, but of course, additional or other types of facilities can also be included in such drop-down menus.

[0045] Figure 7D is a screen view of the facility subtype selection screen 700D. In this illustrated embodiment, when a user selects a facility type 770 from a dropdown menu, for example, as shown in Figure 7C, the user can be provided with facility "subtypes" to provide another level of detail regarding the desired search.

[0046] In this embodiment, the selected establishment type 770 is a food and beverage establishment, and then a list of possible establishment subtypes 775 relating to the selected establishment type is presented. Such subtypes can be presented in one of several ways, such as an additional drop-down menu. The establishment subtypes presented are bars, breweries, restaurants, and vineyards and wineries, but of course, additional or other types of establishment subtypes can also be included. Furthermore, the establishment search may also include further filtering based on geographical location 780. For example, as shown in the figure, the geographical location filtering options presented may be based on US states, however, other options for geographically filtering the establishment search results can also be provided. Such geographical location searches can enable users not only to find places near them but also to prepare for future travel to specific states and / or locations.

[0047] Figure 8 shows a screen view of the Recommended Locations screen 800A, accessible by a user of the platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. The Recommended Locations screen 800A can be used by a user or administrator to search for or add facilities that are pre-affiliated with the platform or service as disclosed herein.

[0048] An exemplary incentive location screen 800A may include multiple sections, each having one or more fields for entering data. Through such an exemplary screen 800A, an administrator or user can search for locations that are encouraged by the disclosed platform or service. In some embodiments, the incentive location screen 800A can be used by an administrator or user to search for encouraged locations in a given geographical location. Alternatively, in some embodiments, an administrator may also use the incentive location screen 800A to add a new location to the disclosed platform or service as a location encouraged by that platform or service.

[0049] The reward location screen 800A may include any of several information fields, such as the reward location title 805, the reward location geographical location 810, and location information 815 about the reward location, and may include a dropdown menu that presents multiple options for selecting the type of location. Furthermore, a field 820 may also be provided for entering "tags" associated with the reward location. A search button 825A allows searching for information on potential reward locations displayed, while a reset button 825B can be used to clear the search field to begin entering information on a new reward location.

[0050] The "Add New Recommended Location" button 830 allows users to add new recommended locations to the platform or service by clearing the fields provided on the recommended location screen 800A and adding new information. A display list 835 of recommended locations matching the search criteria described above can be displayed, and users or administrators can select a specific recommended location from this list. Additional information about the presented recommended location, such as crowd ratings or the overall rating of the location (indicated as "TGFM rating") provided by the disclosed platform or service, can also be displayed in list 835. Naturally, other information or additional information about the presented recommended location can also be provided. Furthermore, for example, if a recommended location is no longer recommended by the platform or service, the administrator can also use the delete button 840 to remove those recommended locations.

[0051] Feedback and Information Database Figure 9 shows a block diagram of a social networking system 900 incorporating a platform or system according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. The social networking system 900 may depend on both users (e.g., individuals) who use the system, or users who operate companies or other groups or events that participate in or interact with the social networking system 900. The social networking system 900 may utilize a network 905, such as a computer network like the Internet, which enables the interconnection of user devices, processors, computing devices, databases, and other computer equipment. For example, user 910 may access a platform or hosted service according to the disclosed principle via the network 905.

[0052] A platform or service as disclosed herein may have access to one or more databases 915A, 915B (collectively, 915) for storing and / or classifying information such as data, images, video, audio, and other types of information available to the disclosed platform or system as disclosed herein. Furthermore, a user 910 may use their computing device to make a query 910A to the platform or service, which is done to cause one or more processors or computing devices associated with the platform or service to access at least one database 915 in response to the query 910A. In addition to the information databases 915, the exemplary system 900 may also include one or more history databases 920, which are described in more detail below.

[0053] As described in detail above, a user inquiry 910A of system 900 may include a search for one or more locations that satisfy the user's desired selected search criteria. In one exemplary embodiment, the user may be searching for a bar or nightclub within a selected geographic area that is expected to have regulars who match the user's selected gender, age, ethnicity, attractiveness coefficient (e.g., the “GDF” component introduced above), and other characteristics of a prospect the user wishes to meet in person. Various locations 925A, 925B (collectively, 925), which can be any number of locations, are discoverable through the social networking system 900 using searches performed by inquiry user 910 through a platform or service as disclosed herein.

[0054] While providing search results that include locations, the social networking system 900 may also employ feedback 930 to assist in providing search results to the inquiring user 910, as described above. In particular, the feedback 930 can be used within the system 900 to provide the platform or service with information not only about the demographic and personal characteristics of the social "prospect" or "target" that the user of the disclosed principle wished to meet, but also about the type, atmosphere, characteristics, etc., of the locations included in the user's search results. For example, feedback 930 may be provided by other users 935 acting as reviewers at specific locations 925 searchable by the system 900 to help ensure that the search results provided to a particular user are accurate. In such embodiments, the user / reviewer can provide real-time information to the system 900 via a platform or service as disclosed herein, for example, via an application running on the user / reviewer's mobile computing device. Such users / reviewers may be specifically selected and designated as authorized reviewers by the platform or service, or they may simply be random, voluntary users. In some embodiments, such reviewers may also include prospects or targets (940A, 940B) whom the inquiring user wishes to meet using the disclosed principles. In such embodiments, these reviewers / targets (collectively, 940) can confirm that they are present at location 925 and that they possess certain characteristics that are searchable by users of the platform or service.In some embodiments, geolocation data can be used in conjunction with such reviewers / targets to not only ensure that the reviewer / target is present in the locations they claim to be present in, or from which they claim to have checked in, but also to ensure that the reviewer / target possesses some or all of the characteristics they claim to have and that have been searched for by the user. In some embodiments, the provider of feedback to the platform or service may be provided by an agent affiliated with one or more of the locations searchable by the inquiring users of the platform or service. As stated above, this location feedback may be provided to the platform of the disclosed service to help provide inquiring users with accurate search results and may include confirming information such as the personal characteristics of people at the reporting agent's location, as well as the type of location, the atmosphere (and feel / impression) of the location, the characteristics of the location, the size of the current crowd at the location, and other information available to the user to search for potential targets.

[0055] Figure 10 shows a block diagram of a social networking system database 1000 for use with a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. Specifically, in this embodiment, the system database is a personal information database 1000 that stores data relating to the personal information of one or more potential user prospects or targets (1010A, 1010B, 1010C, collectively 1010). In some embodiments, the database 1000 actually consists of multiple databases, which can be housed in separate geographical locations.

[0056] The information stored in one or more databases 1000 may include any personal information, or information that can be used in other ways, about a potential target whom a user of the disclosed principle wishes to meet in person, such as their current location (e.g., via GPS data from the potential target's mobile device), a history of places visited, a health profile, BMI, and clothing size. Naturally, other types of personal information not shown, such as gender, race, ethnicity, education level, occupation, whether they have children, marital status, religious affiliation, and other information, may also be found in one or more databases 1000. All such personal information may be found in various databases, including mobile phone carrier records, educational records, tax records, various medical records, medical facility records, social media accounts (including those employing recognition technology to scan posted photos / images), purchase history, and other unique sources, and these databases may be accessible by the Platform or Service disclosed herein through the Terms of Service agreement, which people typically consent to without review or objection, or further through the voluntary disclosure of some or all of such personal information by the Platform or Service, or by any other party or entity in exchange for something of value provided by the Platform or Service.

[0057] Such personal information concerning a search user's potential prospect or target may be employed by the disclosed platform or service to verify information provided by the user target. More specifically, in embodiments in which a potential target provides feedback to the platform or service by "checking in" at a particular location, such target may provide feedback not only about the location where they are present, but also about their personal demographic and personal characteristics. However, such target may provide false or misleading information about themselves, whether intentionally or not, and therefore a target database may be employed and queried to verify such provided personal information. Such verification work may also be used by the platform or service disclosed herein to help provide search users with the most accurate data possible. In fact, even a target's current GPS information can be used to verify that the target is actually present at the location where they are providing feedback.

[0058] Figure 11 shows a block diagram of a social networking location database 1100 for use with a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. Specifically, in this embodiment, the location database stores data about various locations (1110, 1120, 1130) that can be provided as search results to users using the platform or service. In some embodiments, the database 1100 actually consists of multiple databases, which can be housed in separate geographic locations.

[0059] In the illustrated embodiment, the location database 1110 stores information relating to places such as a bar 1110, a church 1120, and an event venue 1130, or any number of places or place types. For example, for each place, there may be data, images, videos, audio, and other information that are categorized and / or tagged, including, but are not limited to, historical demographics 1135, current occupancy rates at the place 1140, whether the place is a platform or system's recommended location 1145, type of facility 1150, amenities or features of the place 1155, atmosphere / impression at the place 1160, typical (or current) customer types at the place 1165, and other information that may be relevant to the search user. Information relating to places can be obtained from any of several sources, such as government records, social media accounts and posts, company websites, or any database or source that has information relating to possible places. In practice, information relating to places can be provided by users and / or targets affiliated with a platform or service such as those disclosed herein. As mentioned above, such location information can also be verified using information obtained through the feedback of users and / or targets affiliated with the disclosed platform or service, or through a database of information associated with those users / targets.

[0060] Figure 12 shows a block diagram of a social networking user database system 1200 for use with a platform or service, according to one embodiment of the disclosed principle. Specifically, in this embodiment, the user database 1200 stores data relating to information about users 1210 of the disclosed platform or service for searching for social targets. In some embodiments, the user database 1200 actually consists of multiple databases, which can be housed in separate geographical locations.

[0061] The information stored in one or more databases 1200 may include any personal information or other usable information, such as user-reported data 1220, verified data 1230 about the user, data 1240 about the user provided by a third party, and user 1210's search preferences 1250, as illustrated. For example, in an embodiment in which user 1210 employs a platform or service to search for a social target of a romantic nature, the stored user information may include the user's personal preferences for potential targets, such as ethnicity, age, marital status, body size, and / or other personal information 1260 of the desired target.

[0062] Additional information about user 1210 that can be stored in database 1200 may include information similar to that stored about a target, such as current location (e.g., via GPS data from the user's mobile device), history of visited places, health profile, BMI, clothing size, gender, race, ethnicity, education level, occupation, presence of children, marital status, religious affiliation, and other information. Therefore, in embodiments where the user is a potential social target of a different user, such information can be immediately stored and thus verified.

[0063] Similar to information about targets, information stored about user 1210 is obtained from various databases, or verified using such databases (if the user provides the information), including mobile phone carrier records, educational records, tax records, various medical records, medical facility records, social media accounts (including those employing recognition technology to scan posted photos / images), purchase history, and other unique sources. As previously stated, such information may be accessible by the platforms or services disclosed herein through the terms of service or other similar agreements, as described above. Furthermore, corroborating information about user 1210 may be provided as part of feedback that other users or targets may provide to the disclosed platforms or services where user 1210 is located.

[0064] Monetization A system, platform, or service built and implemented in accordance with the disclosed principles may offer several monetization methods. Revenue may be generated through paid advertising from establishments such as restaurants, bars, and clubs, which may include locations that form part of the search results for search users. Furthermore, certain brands and retailers from various industries, such as alcoholic beverage companies, travel agencies, and ride-sharing companies, may also offer paid advertising to the disclosed platform or service, which may be displayed on any of the various screens presented to users and reviewers.

[0065] Furthermore, a premium (paid) version of the disclosed platform or service may also be offered, in which case the presentation of some or all advertisements to users may be removed for a recurring fee. Even with the removal of advertisements, the recurring fee will still generate some revenue for the platform or service as described herein. However, even in the case of a premium version of the platform or service with removed advertisements, revenue may still be possible through other means that are publicly known and understood in the art.

[0066] Premium Version A premium version may be configured to offer certain advantages over the free or ad-supported versions of the disclosed platform or service. For example, a premium version may provide real-time results for the social prospects a user is searching for. Specifically, a free version of a platform or service, such as those disclosed herein, may be configured to provide only historical information about where the searched social prospects have been found. Such a version still provides the user with valuable information about where their desired prospects have been found historically, as well as the dates and times when those prospects were historically present in those locations. However, a premium version may provide the user with real-time information about where their desired social prospects can currently be found. Such real-time information offers a significant advantage to paying users in meeting their desired prospects.

[0067] In addition to simply charging premium users a fee for the premium version of the platform or service, such premium features may also be obtained through other means. For example, users may be rewarded for providing reviews, confirmations, or other types of feedback to the platform or service. Even high-level use of the platform or service disclosed herein may be a legitimate reason to reward a user simply due to the number of ad impressions delivered to that user. In some embodiments, such rewards may take the form of points or other cumulative units, in which case earning a predetermined level of points grants access to one or more premium features, or access to the entire premium version of the platform or service, but possibly only for a limited period. In some embodiments, instead of earning points, users may be allowed to retain access to the premium version only if they provide a minimum amount of feedback within a predetermined period, such as once a month. In favorable embodiments, such rewards, points, or other means of earning access to the premium version of the platform or service may not actually be earned until the feedback or review information provided by the user is confirmed. In some embodiments, a combination of one or more of the above-described methods of obtaining premium access may also be implemented.

[0068] Gamification In some embodiments of the platform or service based on the disclosed principles, “gamification” of the use of the platform or service may also be employed. Various methods of “gamifying” the platform or service may be used, for example, to encourage feedback, reward users for premium status levels, or simply encourage greater use of the platform or service overall. In one embodiment, such gamification could be similar to Pokémon GO®, in which case users could earn points for using the platform or service to search for social prospects, using the platform or service to meet people, or providing verifiable feedback to the platform or service. Furthermore, in some embodiments, users may be encouraged to post their personal characteristics on the platform or service, for example, to determine whether other users would like to meet them, and may be rewarded for posting. Similarly, incentives held by specific locations can reward users for visiting certain facilities within those locations as one of many possible search result locations for potentially meeting desired social prospects. Such rewards can take the form of points, or, in some cases, other monetary incentives such as free drinks or other discounts at the location.

[0069] In some embodiments, the socialization component of the platform or service disclosed herein can provide a form of gamification. For example, instead of a single person considering meeting a single social prospect, the user may instead indicate that they are one of a group of three or any other number of people within a group considering meeting a desired social prospect. The disclosed platform or service can then be used to provide the location of a group where the same number of social prospects matching the searched characteristics are located. In such embodiments, a group of social prospects using the platform or service may earn points or other rewards for notifying the platform or service about the size of their group. Furthermore, in some embodiments, providing this ability to a search user who is part of a group considering meeting the same or similar number of social prospects can be a premium feature of the disclosed platform or service, as described above.

[0070] Metaverse applications In addition to providing users of the platforms or services described herein with unprecedented information about geographical locations for meeting social prospects that match their desired characteristics, the principles disclosed are not limited to physical locations. In some embodiments, the platforms or services disclosed herein can provide users with information about when and where to meet their desired social prospects in a virtual location. In today's online age, more and more people are meeting or wish to meet others in a virtual setting rather than in person. The platforms or services disclosed herein can provide the same unique advantages and functions with respect to geographical locations in a virtual environment as described above. Therefore, a search user can search for a metaverse location that has potential social prospects that match their desired characteristics. Furthermore, while searches for direct meetings with social prospects can focus on real-world characteristics such as physical appearance, income, marital status, and whether or not they have children, the characteristics of a user searching for social prospects in the metaverse can instead focus on the characteristics of the social prospect's avatar, their status in a particular game or location within the metaverse, or other characteristics related to the virtual environment rather than the physical realm. Naturally, such combinations of real-world and metaverse characteristics can also be adopted by the search user.

[0071] This disclosure may include computing devices that may include any of the following: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or equivalent discrete theoretical circuits or integrated logic circuits. In some embodiments, the system may include multiple components, such as one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more DSPs, one or more ASICs, or one or more FPGAs in any combination. It will also be understood that multiple circuits, processors, or controllers may be used in combination, in tandem, or in multithreading. Furthermore, it will be understood that a browser or program may be implemented on a mobile device or mobile computing device, such as a telephone, mobile phone, cell phone, tablet, laptop, mobile computer, personal digital assistant ("PDA"), processor, microprocessor, microcontroller, or other device or electronic system that can be connected to a user interface and / or display system. A mobile computing device or mobile device may also operate on or in the same manner as the computing devices disclosed herein, or based on improvements to the computing devices disclosed herein.

[0072] The components of this disclosure may include any individual electronic circuit components and / or integrated electronic circuit components that implement analog and / or digital circuits capable of generating functions belonging to the modules herein. For example, these components may include analog circuits, such as amplifiers, filtering circuits, and / or other signal conditioning circuits. These components may also include digital circuits, such as combinational logic circuits or sequential logic circuits, memory devices, and the like. Furthermore, the modules may include memory capable of containing computer-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause the modules to perform various functions belonging to the modules herein.

[0073] Memory may include any volatile, non-volatile, magnetic, or electrical media, such as random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), electrically-erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disks, or any other digital media. Furthermore, tangible non-temporary computer-readable media may also exist, such as (portable or internal) hard drive disks, flash drives, compact disks, DVDs, zip drives, floppy disks (registered trademarks), optical media, magnetic media, or any other possible drives or disks, which contain machine instructions executed by the internal logic of the computing device. It will be understood that tangible non-temporary computer-readable media may also be considered a form of memory or storage medium.

[0074] It should be noted that the term "button" is used in a broad sense and may also be used to indicate an area that allows a user to engage with or link to additional data, information, web pages, operations, or actions, or to otherwise engage with a computing device or mobile computing device.

[0075] Exemplary mobile device application Figures 13A–13C show illustrative screenshots of various account login and sign-up options from a mobile device application for use with the platform or service according to the disclosed principles. Figure 13A provides a screenshot 1300 of one embodiment of an introductory welcome screen for users or potential users of the platform or service associated with the mobile application. On such a screen, the user would have the option to log in using their personal credentials if they already have an account with the platform or service, or they would have the option to create such an account for the first time.

[0076] Figure 13B shows a screenshot 1310 of one embodiment of a page where a new user can enter their personal information to create an account on the platform or service. In this embodiment, the user can provide their gender information 1320, their geographical location 1330, and their intended purpose 1340 for becoming a user of the platform or service. For example, as described in detail above, the user may wish to participate in searching for and finding potential romantic prospects, potential new friends, and / or potential business prospects, all of which are social prospects as disclosed herein. The user may select one or more such options for using the platform or service as disclosed herein and then coordinate future searches and matches of their social prospects while using the platform or service.

[0077] Figure 13C shows a screenshot 1350 of one embodiment of a page where a new user can provide their personal information to create an account on the platform or service by linking one or more of their existing accounts 1360. In this embodiment, the user can create their account using their sign-in credentials and information associated with their Google® account, Facebook account, or Apple® account. Naturally, any existing account of the user, such as an Instagram account, Twitter® account, or LinkedIn® account, can be used in this manner. Once the user provides their login credentials to the platform or service via a mobile application, the user can then provide their email address 1370 or other contact information, as well as a secure password 1380 to access their newly created account.

[0078] Figure 14A shows an exemplary screenshot 1400 from a mobile application for use with a platform or service according to the disclosed principles, of an interactive map presenting facilities 1410 that match the search criteria of a mobile application user. In particular, when the "Location" button is selected by the user, an icon representing the geographical location of the matching facilities 1410 is displayed.

[0079] To find matching facilities, users can input search criteria for desired social prospects, and a platform or service as disclosed herein can find prospects that match the user's search criteria, or provides search results in the form of geographical locations where such prospects may have existed in the past. The search can be carried out in the manner described above, or artificial intelligence (AI) can be employed to perform the search on behalf of the user. AI implementations are described in more detail below.

[0080] As illustrated, locations / facilities 1410 that match the user's search criteria are indicated not only using interactive icons, but such icons may also include rating coefficients for those facilities, such as those described above, in the manner described above. In this illustrated embodiment, the ratings are different for each facility 1410 and can be developed in any of several different ways. For example, a facility's rating (which, in addition to the exemplary labels described above, may be publicly known as a "Z-score," "Z-rating," or "Z-coefficient") may be a collection of ratings provided by users of the platform or service. In other embodiments, the provided ratings may be determined by the platform or service, and may also be determined at least partially by information provided or collected from the facility's interaction with the platform or service. In yet another embodiment, the AI ​​may be implemented to determine the rating for each facility 1410 by extracting information from any applicable source in order to provide an appropriate rating for each facility 1410. In further embodiments, facility ratings may be inconsistent when displayed to each user of the platform or service, in which case each rating is determined influenced by each specific user's profile / personal information and / or their interaction with the platform or service. Naturally, any technology can be employed to develop the ratings for each facility.

[0081] Furthermore, each icon for each facility presented, including the search results, can be interactive. For example, by clicking on a specific icon, a user can view further details about that facility, as shown at the bottom of the screen in Figure 14A. As illustrated, the further details about the selected facility may also include the number of other users currently present at that facility (1430), and may also display the number of users by gender. Moreover, the icon (1440) displaying the facility's rating can also be interactive, displaying further details about the rating, its components, and, in some cases, how the rating for that facility was developed.

[0082] In relation to the rating icons for each establishment, additional icons 1450 are also shown. These icons are shown as martini glasses or coffee cups, but these additional icons 1450 can be made up of any shape or item. The meaning of these additional icons 1450 is an “offer” currently being made by another user (i.e., a potential social prospect) at each particular establishment. In an exemplary embodiment, a martini glass icon may be displayed at a particular establishment to indicate that another user is currently offering a “buy them a drink” to the user’s social prospect. The display of this icon may or may not be for the original user viewing the screenshot in Figure 14A, based on the criterion that the user is offering a drink. Similarly, a coffee cup icon may be displayed at a particular establishment to indicate that another user is currently offering a “coffee” to the user’s social prospect. Again, the display of this icon may or may not be for the original user viewing the screenshot, based on the criterion that the user is offering an offer. Furthermore, the type of offer being made is based on the goals of the user making the offer. Therefore, an "offer to buy a drink" might indicate that the user has a romantic interest in meeting a social prospect, while an "offer to buy a coffee" might indicate that the user wants to meet a social prospect for business networking purposes. Naturally, any type of icon can be used to indicate these intentions of a user currently located at the displayed establishment.

[0083] Furthermore, the additional icon 1450 may indicate other intentions for meeting a social prospect, such as meeting the prospect for friendly reasons (e.g., participating in an activity together such as tennis or chess), meeting the prospect for the purpose of finding a playmate for the user's children, or meeting the prospect for any reason the user may wish to socially meet another user. In yet another embodiment, such an additional icon 1450 may include a number to indicate the number of offers of each type of offer at each facility, and in some embodiments, the additional icon 1450 may also be clickable to find such information. Clicking it may display to the user another screen showing such information.

[0084] A brief reference to Figure 14B shows a screenshot 1460 presenting a list view of facilities geographically displayed on the map of Figure 14A. Such a list view allows mobile application users to quickly scroll through all the facilities making up the search results without having to click on each facility's icon displayed on the aforementioned map view. The list of facilities can also be sorted using one of several criteria, such as alphabetical sorting or sorting based on the rating 1440 each facility has. Other sorting criteria may include the number of potential social prospects 1430 at each location (and even the number of people of a particular gender), the type of facility (e.g., bar vs. restaurant vs. nightclub), AI-provided sorting of the list based on the user's search criteria, or any other desired sorting criteria. A “Recommended” button 1470 can also be provided for such sorting based on previously determined user search criteria or the user's interaction with the platform or service during previous searches. Finally, a map view button 1480 can be provided so that the user can switch back to the map view of Figure 14A if desired.

[0085] Figure 15A shows an exemplary screenshot 1500 from a mobile application for use with a platform or service according to the disclosed principles, of an interactive map presenting social prospects 1510 (e.g., other users) that match the search criteria of the mobile application user. In particular, when the "People" button 1520 is selected by the user, icons representing specific prospects at each geographical location of matching facilities are displayed. As shown in the figure, the icons representing prospects at each facility are, in this embodiment, profile pictures of individual prospects 1510. Furthermore, the number of potential social prospects 1510 can also be displayed as part of the icons, and in situations where the number of prospects 1510 at a particular facility is too large to display all of their profile images, only the images of the first few prospects can be displayed on the map. Furthermore, the displayed few may be selected by the platform or service (via AI or other means) to be prospects that most closely match the user's search criteria. In other embodiments, the displayed few may simply be selected randomly.

[0086] Additionally, the aforementioned additional icons 1450 are shown on or near the icons representing prospects in each facility. Specifically, these additional icons 1450 may include the aforementioned martini glass or coffee cup icons (or other possible icons with different meanings) as described in detail above. Also shown at the bottom of the screenshot in Figure 15A is a popup 1530 for a specific prospect currently in one of the facilities. In this embodiment, the user clicks one of the icons 1510 to display a popup 1530 with more information about a particular social prospect. Illustrative information that may be displayed in the popup 1530 may include one or more profile pictures, a specific rating for the prospect, personal information about the prospect, and whether the prospect is one of the users who "offered a drink" or "offered a coffee." Furthermore, in some embodiments, the user may be able to click the popup 1530 to access the prospect's entire profile. Furthermore, as shown in the diagram, navigation buttons 1540 can be provided so that the user can move forward or backward between the prospects 1510 present in the various facilities displayed. In this case, as the user progresses through the present prospects 1510, each prospect will appear in a pop-up window 1530.

[0087] A "Filter" button 1550 can also be provided so that the user can filter the displayed icons and associated prospects 1510 based on any of several criteria selectable by the user. For example, the user may want to filter the displayed results so that only prospects of a specific gender are displayed, and / or, in some cases, only those prospects who are offering drinks or coffee are displayed. In some embodiments, prospects can be filtered based on the rating coefficients of the present prospects. In yet another embodiment, AI can be used to filter the prospects displayed at each facility so that only prospects that are likely to match the user's criteria are displayed. In such embodiments, the choice for manual filtering or the choice for AI-based filtering can be provided by clicking the filter button, which can display or pop up a filtering screen that interacts with the user.

[0088] Referring to Figure 15B, an exemplary screenshot 1560 from a mobile application shows a list view of social prospects displayed in the map view of Figure 15A that matches the search criteria of the mobile application user. Such a list view allows the mobile application user to quickly scroll through all the presented social prospects that make up the search results without having to click on each prospect's icon displayed on the aforementioned map view. The list of prospects can also be sorted using one of several criteria, such as alphabetical sorting or sorting based on the rating each prospect has. Other sorting criteria may include the gender or other personal characteristics of the potential social prospect, AI providing list sorting based on the user's search criteria or previous interactions with the platform or service, or any other desired sorting criteria. A “Recommended” button 1570 may also be provided for such sorting based on previously determined user search criteria or the user's interactions with the platform or service during previous searches. Finally, a map view button 1580 may be provided so that the user can switch back.

[0089] Figure 16A shows an exemplary screenshot 1600A from a mobile application for use with a platform or service according to the disclosed principles, showing details associated with a single facility that matches the user's search criteria and has been selected by the user. The exemplary screenshot 1600A can provide detailed information 1605 about the facility. In some embodiments, a rating coefficient for the selected facility can be presented to the user. As previously stated, by selecting an icon (not shown) displaying this rating coefficient, the user can view details of how the rating coefficient for that facility was determined.

[0090] Furthermore, as shown in the figure, such a screenshot 1600A can provide the user with a list 1610 of social prospects currently located in the same facility. More specifically, by selecting the "Here and Now" tab 1615, the user can be presented with a list of currently present social prospects. Such a list can be organized, sorted, and filtered as desired by the user, as in the embodiments described above. Within the list of social prospects 1610, additional details 1620 can be provided for each prospect displayed to the user. Such details may include, for example, each prospect's rating, each prospect's personal characteristics, and whether the prospect has expressed a desire to meet with other people while in the facility. As mentioned above, the list 1610 can be clickable by the user to access the full profile of the selected prospect, if desired. Furthermore, as shown in the illustration, if a social prospect indicates their desire to meet with other people by "offering a drink" or "offering coffee," or by any other means providing such instructions, the user may be provided with a button 1625 to accept the prospect's invitation. In the illustrated embodiment, a button 1625 labeled "Accept" is provided so that the user can accept the prospect's offer of a drink to one of the people. In other embodiments, the user may be provided with a button or other means (not shown) to allow the user to choose to "offer a drink" or "offer coffee" to one of the existing prospects.

[0091] Furthermore, this embodiment of screenshot 1600A also shows a “check-in” button 1630, which may function as the check-in button described in detail above. For example, a user can “check in” when they arrive at the geographic location of a particular facility. As previously stated, the exemplary mobile application may work with location technology of the mobile device on which the mobile application is running, such as GPS, to ensure that the user is actually present at the geographic location of the facility when checking in. By “checking in,” the platform or service may also enable the user to not only confirm their location at the selected facility, but also to provide feedback on the accuracy of the search results provided by the platform or service, as described above. Advantageously, when a user “checks in” at a location, other mobile applications running on other users' devices that are communicating with the same platform or service as disclosed herein will be updated to indicate to those other users that the checked-in user is present at that facility.

[0092] A brief look at Figure 16B shows a screenshot 1600B of the “Check-in” screen of the mobile application shown in Figure 16A. On this screen 1600B, the user can provide their “Status” while they are at the facility they are checking into. Illustrative statuses may include showing (1635) to other users (which may be limited to matching users found during prospect searches, as disclosed herein), indicating that the user is “offering drinks” to other (matching) users, or the user may choose to have the AI ​​engine generate their status on their behalf (1645). Alternatively, the user may choose to write their own status (1650) if, for example, none of the available options or AI-generated statuses are acceptable to them. Once the user has set their status, or in some cases chooses not to set a status at all, the user can click the “Check-in” button 1655 to complete the check-in process at that facility. Such status information may then be available to other users of the platform or service disclosed herein.

[0093] Returning to Figure 16A, screenshot 1600 also shows a “Previously Visited” tab 1670. By selecting this tab 1670, the user can view a different list of social prospects who have previously visited the facility. Similar to the previously mentioned list, this list of prospects can also be sorted or organized in any favorable manner. Similarly, this list of prospects can also be interactive, allowing the user to choose to view a prospect in order to access their complete profile. A platform or service as disclosed herein can determine in several different ways that a previous user / prospect has previously visited a facility. For example, the prospect may have checked in at the facility in the manner disclosed herein, and the date and time when the prospect was previously checked in and present at the facility can also be presented to the user. Furthermore, or alternatively, a prospect's previous location at a particular facility can be determined via location technology on a device running a mobile application according to the disclosed principles. Information about these users who have previously visited the facility may include their personal characteristics, their image, whether they have received or accepted any offer or acceptance of any beverage or coffee (or similar offer / acceptance), their rating coefficient, or any other useful information as disclosed herein.

[0094] Figure 16C shows an exemplary screenshot 1600C from a mobile application of the “checkout” function associated with a single facility that matches the search criteria of the mobile application user. Similar to screenshot 1600A in Figure 16A, this screenshot 1600C also shows a specific facility selected by the user. Therefore, details 1680 about the facility can also be provided to the user in this case. This screen 1600C may be presented to the user after the user has checked in at the selected facility. The user remains checked in while staying at the facility. Therefore, this screen 1600C presents a “checkout” button 1690 that the user can select when leaving the facility. Similar to the “check-in” button described above, when a user checks out of a facility, the user’s mobile application provides the platform or service with the user’s checkout status, and the platform or service provides that status to other mobile applications of other users. In some embodiments, the application can automatically check out the user when the user leaves the facility. For example, location-based technology on the mobile device on which the application is running can be used to verify that the user's geographical location no longer matches the facility. Such an embodiment is advantageous in situations where the user forgets to select the checkout button 1690 when leaving the facility, thereby preventing other users from being mistakenly notified that the user is located at the facility after the user has left.

[0095] Referring here to Figure 17, an exemplary screenshot 1700 from a mobile application for use with a platform or service according to the disclosed principles is shown, presenting the mobile application user with the option to integrate one or more of the user's social media profiles. Similar to the above situation where a user can use one or more of their social media profiles to create an account with the platform or service, the user may choose to integrate one or more of their social media profiles with the platform or service via the mobile application to help provide information about them to other users and to help determine search criteria that would be desirable for them.

[0096] When a user rates our social media profile on a platform or service, that user's mobile application, or the platform or service, can extract data from the user's integrated profile. This extracted data can be used not only to create the user's account, but also to automatically determine specific search criteria associated with the user. For example, such search criteria can be determined based on interests and other information collected from the user's integrated social media profile. In addition to conventional data extraction tools, AI can be employed to determine personal traits, interests, and other information for the user, and this AI can be used to determine what traits a potential social prospect should possess to be attractive to the user. For example, if a data extraction tool or AI tool can detect that a user has posted about a particular type of pet or a particular activity, that information can be used to find potential matches for that user. Such decisions may be advantageous in situations where a user adopts a disclosed platform or service for romantic purposes, however, similar decisions can also be used to determine other types of prospects that may be of interest to the user. For example, if a user's social media profile reveals that the user was involved in a particular business, then prospects with characteristics that would be advantageous for meeting the user for business purposes can also be identified.

[0097] Figure 18 shows an exemplary screenshot 1800 from a mobile application for use with a platform or service based on the disclosed principles, presenting the mobile application user with the option to have an AI engine determine search criteria for social prospects on behalf of the user. As described above, a mobile application user can integrate one or more of their social media accounts with the platform or service to import information about them into their account. When integrated in this way, the application can give the user the opportunity to provide a description of themselves in a text box 1810, including details about their personal characteristics, interests, and, if applicable, any characteristics found in potential social prospects that would be of interest to them.

[0098] Alternatively, a mobile application may give the user the opportunity to have the AI ​​engine create such a description of the user, for example via button 1820. If the AI ​​option is selected by the user, the AI ​​can develop a description of the user's personality, interests, and the characteristics that the user is likely to want to find in potential social prospects they may encounter through the disclosed platform or service, by evaluating the user's integrated social media accounts. As mentioned above, this may include the AI ​​evaluating details about the user found in the user's integrated accounts, the user's posts and messages, images that the user has posted, liked, or commented on, comments or likes made by the user or other people on the user's posts, and any other information that the AI ​​may be able to collect about the user. The AI ​​can then use that information to determine, on behalf of the user, search criteria that the AI ​​"is confident" will find good matches for the user. As mentioned above, the AI ​​engine can also be useful in encouraging characteristics that the AI ​​determines may be attractive to other users on the platform or service, and therefore in helping users write, expand, or adjust the details of their profile in order to help those potential social prospects seek them out.

[0099] Referring to Figure 19, an exemplary screenshot 1900 from a mobile application for use with a platform or service based on the disclosed principles is shown, presenting the mobile application user with options to select from available search criteria for finding social prospects. In this embodiment, the AI ​​engine extracts one or more of the user's social media accounts and determines several characteristics that the AI ​​considers to be of interest to the user if found in social prospects. As described above, the AI ​​engine can determine these potential interests by evaluating all the information found in the user's integrated social media accounts.

[0100] As illustrated, the mobile application can then allow the user to select which characteristics they perceive as most important to them in finding potential social prospects. Such selected tags 1920 can then be given greater weight by the search engine of the disclosed platform or service when performing a search for social prospects on behalf of the user. The user may also be given the ability to remove certain presented characteristics if they are not of interest to them, or in some cases, should not be considered during the prospect search. Furthermore, a dialog box 1930 can be provided through the application to allow the user to input other characteristics that were not previously displayed. Any number of characteristics can be adopted by the application and / or platform or service as desired. Furthermore, characteristics can be presented by category and on multiple pages as needed or desired.

[0101] Figure 20 shows an exemplary screenshot from a mobile application for use with a platform or service according to the disclosed principles, showing the profile page of an application user who has checked in at a specific facility. The illustrated profile page is similar to the one described above, however, here the selection of the QR code button is shown. Selecting the QR code button opens a new screen, as shown in Figure 21, or presents a pop-up screen, displaying a QR code unique to this particular user.

[0102] Figure 21 shows an exemplary screenshot 2100 from a mobile application of a QR code 2110 associated with a user of the mobile application shown in Figure 20. For example, by displaying a user's QR code 2110 via the "My QR Code" tab or button 2120, other users can scan that user's QR code 2110, thereby providing the scanning user with useful information about the user. This information can then be automatically saved within the scanning user's mobile application, or linked to the scanning user's application via a connection to a platform or service in another manner. Also on this page is a "Scan" tab or button 2130 that allows this particular user to scan another user's QR code (not shown).

[0103] Such information may include, but is not limited to, personal details about the user (e.g., name, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.), the user's contact information (e.g., email address, phone number, address, etc.), the user's interests, characteristics associated with the user (e.g., those determined by the AI ​​engine regarding the user), the user's current and historical activity on the platform or service, the reasons why the user uses the platform or service, the user's occupation and, if applicable, work schedule, and any other information that may be useful or of interest to other users / social prospects on the platform or service. Furthermore, users may also have the ability to modify the information shared with other users via their QR code 2110. Additionally, users in certain categories on the platform or service may share only specific types of information via their QR code 2110. For example, employees or other individuals associated with a particular establishment may only have their first name and work schedule available to users scanning their QR code, allowing "regulars" of that establishment to know when that person works there. In a business networking embodiment, a user's QR code can be scanned by another business prospect, thereby providing the scanning user with information such as the user's occupation, position, work schedule, and possibly the type of business interests the user wishes to find in other prospects through the platform or service. In a children's playmate embodiment, a user's QR code can provide the scanning user with information such as the user's name or parent's name, activities the child is participating in (and possibly the child's schedule for such activities), the child's school information, the date, time, and place preferred by the child's parents regarding playdates, and any other information that may be useful for the child to contact friends or playmates through the platform or service.

[0104] Figure 22 shows an exemplary screenshot 2200 from a mobile application for use with a platform or service according to the disclosed principles, which presents the mobile application user with social prospects that match the user's search criteria, as well as the current location of those social prospects at a facility. Such exemplary screens of the application may provide the prospect's image 2210, the prospect's rating coefficient 2220, and the facility 2230 where the prospect is currently located. Furthermore, such screens may notify the user of information such as whether the prospect is “offering a drink,” “offering coffee,” or any other status information that the prospect has chosen to share. A “Get Directions” button 2240 may also be provided so that the user can quickly receive directions to the facility where the prospect is currently located, for example, via a navigation application on the user's mobile device. To obtain additional information about the prospect, the user can click or select the prospect's image.

[0105] Figure 23 shows an exemplary screenshot 2300 from the mobile application of Figure 22, presenting the public profile of the social prospect of Figure 22 to the user of the mobile application. This viewable prospect profile can provide the user with several additional details 2310 about the prospect. Other images that the prospect has chosen to post on their profile can also be made accessible to the user. The screen can also notify the user whether the prospect is "offering a drink" (2320) or "offering coffee". Furthermore, the screen can allow the user to "accept a drink" via button 2330, in which case a message or notification indicating the user's "acceptance" of the drink (or coffee, or simply meeting) will be sent to the prospect. Such acceptance or similar communication from the user to the prospect may also allow messaging or other direct communication with the prospect, such as messaging shown in Figure 24 and described below. Alternatively, messaging with a prospect can also be initiated by the user via the messaging button 2340 on the screen. The map button 2350 may also allow the user to obtain directions to the prospect's current location, as described above. The contact button 2360 may also be provided on this screen and on other screens described herein.

[0106] Finally, referring to Figure 24, an exemplary screenshot 2400 from a mobile application shows a messaging function for a user of the mobile application to communicate with potential social prospects associated with a platform or service as disclosed herein. Accessible by a button at the bottom of the screen, this messaging screen may include two tabs: a “People” tab 2410 and a “Notifications” tab 2420. When the People tab 2410 is selected, a list 2430 of social prospects with whom the user has been messaging is displayed, as shown. The label on tab 2410 may also have an indicator 2440 showing the number of prospects found in this list of people with whom the user has been messaging, or it may show the number of unread messages 2440a from the list of prospects. In other embodiments, both may be shown on the People tab 2410.

[0107] When a list of prospects is displayed, the settings on the message screen can display not only the name of each prospect with whom the user has been messaging, but also the prospect's image2450, and, in some cases, a preview2460 of the last message received from the prospect. Emojis may also be available, as shown in the illustration. Furthermore, the date and / or time2470 of the messages exchanged with each prospect can also be displayed. Clicking on one of the prospects in the list can open a new page or generate a pop-up window (not shown) that displays the entire message conversation with the selected prospect. Message conversations can be deleted or saved, or only specific messages can be deleted or saved.

[0108] When the Notifications tab 2420 is selected by a user, a list of notifications received by that user is displayed. For example, these notifications may include only prospect prompts to the user, but in other embodiments, these notifications may also include notifications from the platform or service. Similar to the People tab 2410, the Notifications tab 2420 may also have an indicator 2480 that shows the number of notifications found in this list of notifications, or it may show the number of unread notifications received from the user's prospects. In other embodiments, both may be displayed on the Notifications tab 2420.

[0109] Exemplary Incentive System As mentioned above, another advantage of the platform or service by the disclosed principles, which can also be implemented via a mobile application, is the use of an incentive system to help users find and meet potential social prospects. This incentive system functions as a kind of virtual currency within the platform or service, motivating users to be open and honest with other users, encouraging good behavior on the platform or service, and deterring bad behavior. In an exemplary embodiment, the incentive system could start each user with a number of stars or any other type of points or currency for introduction, in which case users could earn such stars by performing certain actions on the platform or service and lose stars by performing certain actions that are considered at least somewhat harmful.

[0110] In some embodiments, the incentive currency is called "Z-Stars," following the branding of the "Z Guide" with respect to the exemplary embodiments of the mobile application described in Figures 13A to 24 above. Naturally, any name can be adopted for any virtual currency or points implemented on a platform or service as disclosed herein. Briefly reviewing Figure 16B, the exemplary embodiment disclosed therein shows the user starting with a default of 20 Z-Stars, indicated in the upper right corner of the application screen. In some embodiments, this starting amount of Z-Stars can be the maximum allowable amount, and the user can only lose and regain stars through their own actions on the platform or service. In other embodiments, the user can start with a default number of Z-Stars and then potentially gain or lose stars to an ongoing number of Z-Stars, which may be higher or lower than that starting number. In such embodiments, a maximum number of stars may be set, while in other embodiments, there is no maximum number of potential stars that the user can earn.

[0111] As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of Figure 16B, a user can earn one or more Z stars simply by “checking in” at a particular establishment. This is considered positive or beneficial behavior because it involves the user being active on the platform or service, and in particular allows other users to know that the first user has made their presence public at that establishment. Furthermore, if a user sets their status to not only check in but also to “offer drinks” in general or to specific users, this is an activity that encourages social interaction on the platform or service, and the offering user can earn a predetermined number of Z stars. In some embodiments, offering drinks can be detrimental, for example, if the platform determines that the user is offering an excessive number of drinks. Other actions that may cause a user to lose stars may include a lack of interaction on the platform, as well as ignoring some or all “offers” of drinks or coffee, etc., made by other users.

[0112] Furthermore, as illustrated, if a user has the AI ​​write their check-in status, this may be considered lazy behavior, as opposed to the user taking the time to prepare a personalized status, and therefore may result in the user losing a certain number of stars. Naturally, in other embodiments, using the AI ​​engine to take some action on the platform may be considered beneficial, and therefore the user may be rewarded with new stars. This may be the case when a user employs the AI ​​to conduct a search for potential social prospects, or when a user employs the AI ​​to help set up their profile so that they can be more attractive to other search users. In other embodiments, these actions may be considered harmful in certain circumstances, and therefore the user may lose a predetermined number of stars instead of gaining them. In some embodiments, gaining or losing stars for a particular action may be determined by the platform or service on a per-user basis, based on the history of each user's actions on that platform.

[0113] Further examples of user behavior that may cause a user to lose stars include cases where a user hides their age on their profile, fails to provide a profile picture, or is judged by other users to be dissimilar to their provided profile picture and is therefore considered to be deceiving other users. Conversely, a user can earn stars by providing an updated profile picture, which can be verified by the time / date and location-determining capabilities of the user's mobile device. In some embodiments, a platform or service based on the disclosed principles may require each user to provide a new profile picture from time to time (e.g., once a year), such as a “selfie,” and the user may be rewarded for doing so. In such embodiments, facial recognition, AI, and other technologies may also be employed by the platform or service, such as through a mobile application as disclosed herein, to verify that the picture is indeed that of the user.

[0114] In some embodiments, facilities that are users of a platform or service as disclosed herein may also have an incentive-based system. For example, a place / facility may be motivated to use the platform (e.g., through a mobile application as described above, or by other means) to encourage users to visit their facility. Furthermore, such incentives may also be a monetization opportunity for the platform or service. For example, a facility may pay a fee (one-time or recurring) to encourage users of the platform or service who are searching for a place to meet potential social prospects to recommend its location. Facilities may also advertise special sales and events they may host, depending on their membership with the platform or service. Such facility users may also earn or lose stars in cryptocurrency based on their activity (or lack thereof) on the platform. For example, a facility may earn stars by participating in incentives and offering special sales to users of the platform, but may lose stars for not doing so regularly. Furthermore, establishments can earn stars from users who visit their locations, which may be by rating the establishment using any favorable criteria. Establishments can also offer incentives to users to take the time to rate the establishment, such as providing free drinks or food in exchange for a rating. Similarly, establishments may lose stars if the rating provided by a user is negative, but may also gain stars if the rating is positive.

[0115] Exemplary AI Implementation Advantageously, most or all of the functions of the aforementioned platforms, services, and mobile applications can be implemented or supported by the use of artificial intelligence. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the development and use of artificial intelligence, and therefore, such detailed descriptions are not included herein. However, novel applications and results can be obtained by implementing AI in some or all of the inherent functions of a platform or service designed or built according to the disclosed principles. For example, as stated above, AI can be used to help users of the disclosed platform or service draft profile details that may be viewable to other users / social prospects. In such embodiments, AI can be used to look up other online information about a user creating an account, such as the use of various social media profiles. AI can not only do a better job of encompassing all relevant information about the user that the user may have forgotten to add to their new profile, but can also present that information better. Such better presentations can also be tailored to the user's purpose for using the platform or service, such as adjusting their profile to best present themselves to potential romantic prospects, or to best present themselves to potential business prospects they can meet on the platform.

[0116] Other potential AI implementations for users to create or update their profiles on a disclosed platform or service include the use of AI to help users craft messages to specific social prospects they wish to meet. In such embodiments, the AI ​​engine may examine the prospect's profile to craft an ideal message for meeting / making an impression on that person, whether for romantic or business purposes, or, in some cases, simply to find common activities to do with that person. In other similar implementations, the AI ​​may be used to update a user's profile based on what the AI ​​determines could make them more attractive to what other users of the platform or service might prefer, or what those users are or have been looking for when using the platform or service. In such embodiments, the AI ​​engine may examine the user's profile and then, as desired, make suggestions that the user can accept or reject. Similarly, the AI ​​may be implemented to update a user's profile based on what could make them more attractive to another specific profile discovered by the user. For example, a user can select the profile of someone they would like to meet, and then ask the AI ​​to suggest changes to their profile to make them a better "match" for that person. Then, when that person searches for potential social prospects on the platform or service, the user's profile is more likely to be found as a potential match in that search.

[0117] In further implementations, AI can also be used to suggest which locations are better suited for meeting certain types of people during a user's geographical search for social prospects. Such AI-based customization may be based on the user's past visit history to specific facilities, the history of people / users who have visited specific facilities, and the history of traits associated with people who visit specific types of facilities. AI can also be implemented to find further potential matches for a user after the user has previously found a matching prospect. For example, once a user finds a matching prospect, the user can query the AI ​​to find further people similar to that original matching prospect. AI can also be implemented to suggest specific people as potential matches for the user based on the user's past searches regarding specific traits of people, such as age, interests, body type, whether they have children, income, and occupation. In such embodiments, the AI ​​can help the user discover specific traits in potential matches that the user was not aware of being attracted to. In short, by implementing AI in various aspects of the disclosed principles, the benefits and advantages of the platforms and services disclosed herein can be enhanced. In this regard, the platforms or services disclosed herein can provide users with a unique and novel ability to search for and discover potential social prospects, and AI can support that search and discovery in a way that provides users with benefits that they could not enjoy through their searches alone.

[0118] While this disclosure has been shown and described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The inventors anticipate that such modifications will be adopted as needed by those skilled in the art, and they intend that the invention will be practiced in ways other than those specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter described in the claims appended herein, as permitted by applicable law. Furthermore, any combination of the elements described above in all possible modifications is encompassed by this disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or expressly rejected by the context.

[0119] While various embodiments of the principles disclosed herein have been described above, it should be understood that these are presented only as examples and are not limiting. Therefore, the breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above, but should be defined solely in accordance with any claims and their equivalents issued herein. Furthermore, while the above advantages and features are provided in the described embodiments, this does not limit the application of any such issued claims to any processes and structures that achieve any or all of the above advantages.

[0120] Section headings in this specification are provided for consistency with proposals in accordance with 37 C.FR 1.77, or to provide constituent clues in other ways. These headings are not intended to limit or characterize the inventions described in any claims that may be issued from this disclosure. Specifically, for example, a heading refers to a “technical field,” but the claims should not be limited by the wording chosen to describe the so-called field under this heading. Furthermore, a description of the technology as background information should not be construed as an acknowledgment that a particular technology is prior art to any embodiment in this disclosure. Nor should the “summary of the invention” be considered to characterize the embodiments described in the issued claims. Furthermore, no reference to the singular “invention” in this disclosure should be used to assert that the novelty in this disclosure exists in only one point. Multiple embodiments may be described in accordance with the limitations of multiple claims issued from this disclosure, and such claims define the embodiments protected thereby and their equivalents. In all cases, the scope of such claims should be considered in light of this disclosure on the basis of their own value, but should not be limited by the headings set forth herein.

[0121] Furthermore, the abstract is provided in accordance with 37C.FR §1.72(b), which requires an abstract that enables the reader to quickly grasp the nature of the technical disclosure. The abstract is submitted with the understanding that it is not to be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Moreover, it is found that in the aforementioned “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention,” various features are consolidated into a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiment requires more features than those explicitly described in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the claims, the subject matter of the invention lies in fewer features than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed. Therefore, the following “Claims” are incorporated herein into the “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention,” and each claim stands alone as a separate embodiment.

Claims

1. A platform that encourages socialization, and said platform is Multiple user profiles, each user profile associated with a set of personal characteristics related to the corresponding user, including at least one of gender, age, race, ethnicity, and body size, Multiple facility profiles, each facility profile associated with a set of socialization characteristics related to the corresponding facility, including at least one of historical demographics, facility type, atmosphere / impression, and customer type, A database storing the plurality of user profiles and the plurality of facility profiles, Multiple software applications that can run on multiple corresponding user devices, each of which communicates with the platform via a communication network, The system comprises one or more processors that communicate with the at least one database and the plurality of software applications, and the one or more processors The system receives a search query from a search user, via one of the multiple software applications corresponding to the search user, to find a facility. From the user profile corresponding to the search user, the set of personal characteristics is identified. The identified set of personal characteristics of the search user is compared with the set of socialization characteristics of each stored facility profile. Based on the aforementioned matching, facilities are identified that are visited by people who have one or more personal characteristics that match one or more personal characteristics of the search user. The set of identified personal characteristics of the search user is compared with the set of personal characteristics of each stored user profile. Based on the matching, identify other users of the platform who have a location associated with one of the identified facilities and who have one or more personal characteristics that match one or more personal characteristics of the search user. The software application corresponding to the search user presents to the search user the respective locations of the identified facilities that match the associated locations of the identified other users. A platform running software configured to present to the search user, via the software application corresponding to the search user, the respective locations of the other identified users in the corresponding matching locations of the identified facilities.

2. The aforementioned one or more processors further The search user receives a notification corresponding to selecting one of the other identified users whose location is presented, via the software application corresponding to the search user. The platform according to claim 1, which runs software configured to present to the search user user profile information of the selected identified other user via the software application corresponding to the search user.

3. The platform according to claim 1, wherein presenting the location of each of the identified facilities includes presenting the geographical location on a map presented to the search user via the search user's mobile application, and presenting the location of a matching identified other user includes presenting the geographical location on the map of the identified other user at the corresponding identified facility.

4. The platform according to claim 1, wherein the location of the identified other user associated with any of the identified facilities is a past location of the identified other user in the identified facility.

5. The platform according to claim 1, wherein the location of the identified other user associated with any of the identified facilities is a future location where, based on the historical patterns of places visited by the identified other user, it is predicted that the identified other user is likely to be present at the same identified facility again.

6. The platform according to claim 1, wherein the location of the identified other user associated with any of the identified facilities is the current location of the identified other user in the identified facility.

7. The platform according to claim 6, further comprising determining the location of the identified other user in a corresponding geographical location via location technology associated with a mobile device corresponding to each identified other user, which runs one of a plurality of mobile applications.

8. The platform according to claim 1, wherein one or more processors are further configured to run software that provides the search user with respect to each identified facility a rating coefficient relating to the likelihood, likelihood, likelihood of another identified user matching the search user's desired characteristics being located at, likely to be located at, or currently located at, an objective component based on data collected by the platform relating to the personal characteristics of each identified other user, relating to the personal characteristics of each identified other user, and a subjective component based on data provided to the platform by other unidentified users of the platform, relating to the personal characteristics of each identified other user.

9. The platform according to claim 8, wherein the rating coefficient changes based on the density of identified other users in identified facilities who have personal characteristics that match the search criteria of the search user.

10. The platform according to claim 9, wherein the identified facility is one of the other unidentified users.

11. The platform according to claim 1, wherein each of the identified other user's personal characteristics includes a rating coefficient relating to the likelihood that the identified other user's personal characteristics match the search user's desired personal characteristics, the rating coefficient comprising an objective component based on data collected by the platform relating to the personal characteristics provided by the identified other user, relating to each of the identified other users' personal characteristics, and a subjective component based on data provided to the platform by other unidentified users of the platform, relating to the personal characteristics of each of the identified other users.

12. The platform according to claim 11, wherein the rating coefficient for each identified other user varies based on the number of personal characteristics of each identified other user that match the desired personal characteristics of the search user.

13. The platform according to claim 1, wherein one or more processors further run software configured to receive notifications from a mobile application that the search user has established their location in one of the identified facilities.

14. The platform according to claim 13, wherein establishing the location of the search user in one of the identified facilities includes confirming the location of the search user in the identified facility via location technology associated with the mobile application corresponding to the search user.

15. The platform according to claim 14, wherein each of the identified other users' personal characteristics includes a rating coefficient relating to the likelihood that the identified other user's personal characteristics match the desired personal characteristics of the search user, the rating coefficient comprising an objective component based on data collected by the platform relating to the personal characteristics provided by the identified other user, relating to each of the identified other users' personal characteristics, and a subjective component based on data provided to the platform by other unidentified users of the platform, relating to the personal characteristics of each of the identified other users, the search user is one of the other unidentified users.

16. The platform according to claim 1, wherein the socialization characteristics of each of the identified facilities include information provided by one or more users of the platform who have previously visited the facility.

17. The platform according to claim 1, wherein the socialization characteristics of each of the identified facilities include information provided by one or more users of the platform who are currently located at one or more of the identified facilities.

18. The platform according to claim 1, wherein the socialization characteristics of identified facilities include modification information received from the search user when located at the identified facility.

19. The platform according to claim 1, comprising corrected information received from the search user after observing the other identified user while they were located at the identified facility, including personal characteristics of other identified users having locations associated with the identified facility.

20. The aforementioned one or more processors further Having received an invitation to meet other users of the platform at the identified facility, transmitted via the software application corresponding to the identified other user from another identified user currently located at the identified facility, The software application corresponding to the search user presents the invitation to the search user. The software application corresponding to the search user receives acceptance of the invitation from the search user. The platform according to claim 1, which runs software configured to provide the consent to the identified other user via the software application corresponding to the identified other user.

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