Location-Based Social Network Neighborhood Assignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online social networks fail to leverage the common interests and physical connections among people living in the same geographical area, as they do not collect accurate and reliable residence information from users, limiting their ability to provide location-specific features and community-focused interactions.
Innovation Solution
A location-based online social network system that assigns users to neighborhoods based on their location, allowing access to communications and interactions within their assigned neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods, enabling community-focused interactions and feature utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If online social networks do not collect accurate residence information from users, then user privacy and data collection complexity are maintained, but the ability to provide location-specific features and community-focused interactions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces neighborhood boundaries and geographic area data as intermediary structures that enable location-specific social networking features without requiring direct collection of detailed user residence information. The system uses neighborhood definitions (vertices, boundaries, geographic areas) as mediators between user locations and social interactions, allowing community-focused features while maintaining privacy.
2Reliability
If online social networks collect accurate residence information, then community-focused interactions and location-aware features are enabled, but user privacy concerns and data collection complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by associating users with specific geographic neighborhoods and boundaries rather than collecting detailed personal residence data. The system creates localized community groups based on geographic areas, allowing accurate location-based interactions while protecting user privacy by working with aggregated neighborhood data rather than individual address information.
3Ease of operation
If users are restricted to only their local neighborhood, then community focus is enhanced, but the network's connectivity and information sharing across nearby communities are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges local neighborhood communities by defining nearby neighborhood relationships and enabling information sharing across multiple geographic areas. Users can post information that is distributed to their local neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods, combining the benefits of localized community focus with broader regional information sharing. The system merges multiple neighborhood data sets to provide comprehensive local area networking.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments relate to a system and a method of managing an online social network having a plurality of neighborhoods. The system may receive a location from a user, and select, based on the location, a neighborhood from the plurality of neighborhoods. The system may further assign the user to the selected neighborhood and grant the user access to communications by users assigned to the selected neighborhood. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises creating and storing in computer data storage neighborhood data defining a plurality of geographical neighborhoods based upon a plurality of vertices or boundaries; using a computer, for each particular neighborhood among the plurality of neighborhoods, determining one or more nearby neighborhoods is associated with a geographical area proximate to the particular neighborhood; using the computer, receiving from a second computer that is associated with a user account, activation input specifying selections of one or more nearby neighborhoods as activated in association with the particular user account, wherein the activation input specifies fewer than all the one or more nearby neighborhoods; updating a database coupled to the computer to associate the selections of one or more nearby neighborhoods as activated in association with the particular user account; using the computer, receiving a request from the second computer to perform any of displaying a map page that includes the nearby neighborhoods, displaying a feed of messages, and creating a new message; using the computer, in response to the request, performing causing the displaying the map page that includes the nearby neighborhoods, causing displaying the feed of messages, or the creating the new message based upon only the selections of the one or more nearby neighborhoods as activated in association with the particular user account.