Event-Based Information Sharing for Temporary Groups
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing social networking applications are cumbersome for temporary and loosely-bound group interactions, such as meet-ups, as they require complex friend-establishment protocols and are inefficient for sharing location information during specific events, and do not easily allow participants to control visibility settings or automatically end information sharing when the event concludes.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for real-time information sharing among a group of user devices within a predetermined time period, allowing users to create events, share geographic locations and imagery, and control privacy settings, with automatic registration and termination of sharing based on event duration, and optional permission settings for contact information exchange after the event.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing social networking applications are used for temporary group meet-ups, then users can share location information, but the friend-establishment protocols are cumbersome and require explicit relationship establishment and rescinding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the friend-establishment protocol from the temporary group interaction flow. Instead of requiring users to go through complex friend-adding procedures, the system creates event-based groups where participants are automatically members for the duration of the event. This removes the cumbersome relationship establishment step while maintaining location sharing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic group membership that automatically adjusts based on event timing. Participants are added to the group when the event starts and automatically removed when it ends, eliminating the need for manual relationship management. This dynamic approach adapts to the temporary nature of meet-ups without requiring explicit user actions.
2Productivity
If information sharing is enabled for temporary events, then participants can share locations in real-time, but automatic termination of sharing when the event ends is not implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent sets up automatic termination of information sharing as a preliminary configured feature of the event system. When the event is created with a defined end time, the system pre-configures the information sharing to automatically stop at that time, eliminating the need for manual intervention and ensuring privacy protection without requiring user action.
3Adaptability or versatility
If privacy settings are made configurable for each user, then users can control visibility of their information, but the settings management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing different privacy settings for different types of information (e.g., location, contact details, imagery) and different visibility levels (event participants only, public, private). Each user can independently configure which information types are shared and with whom, providing fine-grained control without requiring a completely complex system architecture.
4Adaptability or versatility
If real-time information sharing is implemented during events, then participants can share locations and imagery, but the system does not support post-event contact information exchange
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic information sharing that transitions from event-based sharing to post-event contact exchange based on user preferences. During the event, participants share real-time locations and imagery. After the event, the system dynamically offers participants the option to exchange contact information, extending the functionality beyond the event duration while maintaining user control over when and how sharing occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for real-time information sharing. A server receives, from a first user device, a request to create an event, a start time and an end time for the event, and a request to share information among a group of user devices only during a sharing duration associated with the start time and the end time. The server receives information from the respective user devices in the group during the sharing duration, and distributes the received information to the group of user devices only during the sharing duration. The distributed information comprises at least one of geographic locations of the group of user devices and imagery taken by one or more respective devices in the group during the event. After the end time, contact information related to one or more user devices in the group is distributed to other user devices in the group.