Method and system for enabling the creation and maintenance of proximity-related user groups

摘要

Techniques are described for providing location-based information and functionality to people and computing devices in various ways. In at least some situations, the techniques include enabling multiple people in a common geographic area to interact in various ways, such as via devices capable of communications (e.g., cellular telephones, computing devices with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities, etc.), while in other situations at least some users who are remote from a particular geographic area may be allowed to intercommunicate with one or more other users or other entities in or related to that geographic area. In addition, the techniques include enabling the creation and maintenance of location-based virtual groups of users (also referred to as “clouds”), such as for users of mobile and/or fixed-location devices. Such clouds may enable various types of interactions between group members, and may be temporary and/or mobile.

主权项

1. A location-based virtual group management apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; one or more non-transitory memories comprising computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the location-based virtual group management apparatus to: enable an administrative entity to establish a geographical boundary for the location-based virtual group, wherein the administrative entity is a business and the geographic boundary comprises each of one or more physical locations; enable the administrative entity to define configuration information for the location-based virtual group, the enabling the administrative entity to define configuration information comprising:
establishing membership criteria for admittance to the location-based virtual group;establishing rules of interaction among one or more members of that the location-based virtual group; identify one or more users located with the geographic boundary by:
receiving location information from at least one user device; andidentifying at least one user associated with the at least one user device; invite the one or more users meeting the membership criteria to be the members the location-based virtual group; enable the administrative entity to utilize the location-based virtual group to:
transmit a first content to each of the one or more members meeting the membership criteria and identified as being located within the geographic boundary;transmit a second content to each of the one or more members not located within the geographic boundary; andtransmit a third content to each of one or more users who have been invited but have not yet joined and are identified as being located within the geographic boundary.