(12) United States Patent
`Robertson et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`USOO7739 139B2
`
`(54) SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM
`(75) Inventors: Brian D. Robertson, Boston, MA (US);
`Warn W. Adams, Edgartown, MA
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`(73) Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc., Reno, NV
`(US)
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`(21) Appl. No.: 12/127,495
`
`(22) Filed:
`(65)
`
`May 27, 2008
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2008/0228887 A1
`Sep. 18, 2008
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(60) Continuation of application No. 1 1/022,089, filed on
`Dec. 22, 2004, now Pat. No. 7,386,464, which is a
`division of application No. 10/780,486, filed on Feb.
`17, 2004, now Pat. No. 7,194,419, which is a continu-
`ation of application No. 09/348,355, filed on Jul. 7,
`1999, now Pat. No. 6,714,916, which is a continuation
`of application No. 08/962,997, filed on Nov. 2, 1997,
`now Pat. No. 6,269,369.
`(51) Int. Cl.
`G06F 9/44
`
`(2006.01)
`
`(52)
`(58) Field of Classification Search ......................
`See application file for complete search history.
`References Cited
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`
`(56)
`
`4.- : W
`
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`8, 1989 Ahlstrom et al.
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`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`405108902 A
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`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`Wellman (For A Social Network Analysis of Computer Networks),
`Jan. 1996, ACM, pp. 1-11.*
`(Continued)
`Primary Examiner Romain Jeanty
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Knobbe, Martens, Olson &
`Bear LLP
`
`JP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A networked computer system provides various services for
`assisting users in locating, and establishing contact relation
`ships with, other users. For example, in one embodiment,
`users can identify other users based on their affiliations with
`particular schools or other organizations. The system also
`provides a mechanism for a user to selectively establish con
`tact relationships or connections with other users, and to grant
`permissions for Such other users to view personal information
`of the user. The system may also include features for enabling
`users to identify contacts of their respective contacts. In addi
`tion, the system may automatically notify users of personal
`information updates made by their respective contacts.
`
`4,626,836 A 12/1986 Curtis et al.
`
`25 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ass
`
`PSEUDO FRIENDS OF FRIENDS
`REPORT FOR MEMBER A
`
`Your Friends of Friends in Group A:
`-697
`
`Member C (via Member B)
`
`a
`f f
`|
`
`
`
`Member. A links to Member B
`with any level of permissions
`ser-
`
`a?
`
`Merber B links to Member A
`with Friends of Friendsvpermissions
`N-6s
`
`as N
`Member
`frks to Member C
`with any level of permissions
`
`- as?
`Member C inks to Merriber B
`with Friends of Friendsvpermissions
`
`f
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 001
`
`

`

`US 7,739,139 B2
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,848,395 A 12/1998 Edgar et al.
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`9, 1999 Delorme et al.
`6,049,796 A
`4/2000 Siitonen et al.
`6,070,160 A
`5/2000 Geary
`6,092,088 A
`7/2000 Takeda
`6,175,831 B1
`1/2001 Weinreich et al.
`6,269,369 B1
`7/2001 Robertson et al.
`6,460,036 B1 10/2002 Herz
`6,714,916 B1
`3, 2004 Robertson et al.
`7,194,419 B2
`3/2007 Robertson et al.
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
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`rating Filtering), Mar. 1997, Communication of the ACM, vol. 40No.
`3, pp. 1-4.*
`“ 1997 Edition GS Lotus Organizer/Exploring Organizer/Windows
`95 edition.” pp. iii-vii and 8-1-8-6.
`"Applications Handbook For the Palm III TMOrganizer.” 3Com, pp.
`iii-v, and 1-12 (Apr. 1998).
`“Symantec ACT User's Guide and Reference, Version 2.0 For Win
`dows.” pp. ix-xvi and 3-11-3-26.
`“Information about Lotus Notes from the Lotus Web Site (www.Lotus.
`com), pp. 1-13 (Apr. 1998).
`"Domino 4.6 Features Overview.” Jul. 1997, 2 pages, www.lotus.
`com/domino.
`“Yahoo! White Pages.” Copyright 1994-1998, Yahoo!, http://www.
`yahoo.com/.
`
`“Who Where?,” Copyright 1995-1998, Who/Where? Inc., http://
`www.whowhere.com/.
`R. Tamura, et al., “Lotus Notes 4. pp. 39, 64-65, and 176 (1996).
`Cardwell, “Cyberscene Planet Keeps You in Touch.” Dec. 1996, Bos
`ton Herald Boston.
`Day, "New Software Tracks Corporate Travel Plans.” Jan. 1991,
`Denver Post (Denver, CO.US), V99 N153 sG p2, Dialog File 63
`Accession No. 0187621.
`Wetzel, “Municipally-owned venues feel brunt of city budget cuts.”
`Aug. 1991, Amusement Business, v103, n31, p3(3), Dialog File 148,
`Accession No. 05427255.
`“Should manufacturers try to establish rapport with their agents'
`other principals.” Mar. 1995, Agency Sales Magazine v25n3, pp.
`13-15, Dialog File 15, Accession No. 00988855.
`Smith, “Companies Meet Each Other at the Airport.” Jul. 1995. The
`Los Angeles Times, ISSN: 04583.035.
`Gerety, “Whose Job Is It Anyway?, Meetings. As a Subset of Travel.
`Yes or No?” Apr. 1992, Business Travel News, ISSN: 8750-3670.
`Brisson, et al., “Lifeco Puts Pre-Trip Control in Travel Managers'
`Hands. Mar. 1991, Business Travel News, ISSN: 8750-3670.
`“PlanetAll plans to Make a World of Difference in Busy Lives.” Nov.
`1996, PRNewswire, pp. 1113NEWO25.
`“Fall Internet World '96 Exhibitor Previews. Dec. 3, 1996, Business
`Wire, p. 12030220, Dialog File 16, Accession No. 04716024.
`Answer and Second Amended Counterclaims of Defendant Amazon.
`com, Inc. in Cordance Corporation v. Amazon.com, Inc. (C.A. No.
`06-491-MPT).
`* cited by examiner
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 002
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 1 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
`92/
`
`A7///CHW08ABX
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 003
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 2 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
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`
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`Exhibit 1012
`Page 004
`
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 004
`
`
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 3 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 005
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 005
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent J9V4AdaLNI
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 006
`
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 006
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 5 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 007
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 007
`
`
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Ore
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`_pany
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 6 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
`FS
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 008
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 008
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 7 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
`
`
`PSEUDO REGISTRATION FORM
`
`Name
`
`HomeAddress
`
`Home Phone
`
`Work Address
`
`Work Phone
`
`Birthday
`
`Your High School
`
`56(7-22
`Your College
`
`26(7-2
`
`9a2-4
`
`222-4
`
`34(2-25
`
`242-74
`
`242-72
`
`34(2-74
`
`Year of Enrollment
`
`Graduation Year
`
`2607-24
`a2-22
`Year of Eric? Graduation Year
`242-24
`
`AV/C, 27
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 009
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 8 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
`2227 Ca
`
`
`
`PSEUDO GROUP LST FORM
`
`Following are the other members who went to
`your college at about the same time.
`32-4
`/
`Click on the boxes next to the names of the people
`you'd like to add to your Address Book.
`32-6
`557-5
`N
`--
`State University, 1982-1986
`-ie-2
`257-7(7
`232-74
`Y
`CDX John Doe (Graduated 1985)
`Robert Johnson (Graduated 1986)
`O Jane Smith (Graduated 1986)
`62-74 c
`
`A76,
`
`7
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 010
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 9 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
`a/7/2
`
`
`
`PSEUDO PERMISSION FORM
`-60-2
`Click on the boxes next to the Permission Levels that
`you would like to grant to your new contact
`-670-4
`John Doe
`a(207-7
`
`a 22-4
`-
`NX Crossing Paths Notification Permission
`
`a(2/7 N PerSond Information
`D<
`
`Birthday Notification
`
`-6(70-72
`-670-74
`Friend of Friends Information
`
`a22-74 c
`
`A76, 9
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 011
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 10 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 012
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 012
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 11 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
`A207 N
`
`
`
`PSEUDO MEMBER UPDATE
`
`Member Update - 650-2
`December 7, 1998
`
`-652-4
`The following of your contacts have upcoming birthdays:
`- Avery Rogers (Dec. 11)
`- Jane Bigelow (Dec. 14)
`452-4
`
`Your contacts have registered the following address changes:
`- Tom Kohn
`New work address:
`1000 Wilson Boulevard
`Arlington, Va 22229
`
`452-/2
`
`New work phone:
`703-558-3312
`
`-
`-60 /2
`
`af2-74 -
`The following new members have affiliated with the same groups as you:
`- Gary Clayton (State College, 1985)
`A22-76
`
`abA-72
`The following members have linked to you and have requested that
`you reciprocate:
`-
`Jun Ohamd
`- Lee Rogers
`
`A52-207
`
`(32(7-2
`/1
`You have scheduled a trip to Phoenix on December 14. The following of
`your contacts live in Phoenix or will be in Phoenix on that date:
`- Andrew Kress
`- Taylor Pierce
`630-2/
`
`a(7-24
`According to Astrology, the following of your contacts are compatible with
`you today (Libras)
`- Bryan Jamieson
`- Anne Thierry
`
`-630 25
`
`A76 //
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 013
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 12 of 14
`
`US 7,739,139 B2
`
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 014
`
`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 014
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Jun. 15, 2010
`
`Sheet 13 of 14
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`US 7,739,139 B2
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 015
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 015
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
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`Jun. 15, 2010
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`Sheet 14 of 14
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`US 7
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`2
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`739,139 B2
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 016
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
`Exhibit 1012
`Page 016
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`US 7,739,139 B2
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`1.
`SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM
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`RELATED APPLICATIONS
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`2
`user workstation 160 to access the files 148 under the media
`tion of server software 140, 144 running on the server 130.
`Typically, in Such a system a central system administrator
`organizes users into classes and the creator of a file 148
`determines what classes of users may view the file. The rules
`governing which individual users or classes of users have the
`authorization to view a particular file 148 may be stored as
`part of the file itself. Alternatively, these rules are based upon
`the hierarchical directory structure of the file server in which
`the file is stored. That is, a particular user may view files in
`one directory but not another.
`FIG.3 represents a common deployment of a contact man
`agement system based on Groupware. Each user enters infor
`mation 202 about himself and specifies a set of permissions
`204 that define what classes of users are able to view various
`pieces of the information 202. What this deployment of the
`prior art lacks is the ability to authorize viewing privileges on
`a user-by-user basis rather than on a class-by-class basis. For
`instance, a user would be able to grant access to his home
`phone number 206 to the Human Resources department of his
`employer (e.g., Class A) while denying access to the same
`information to his co-workers (e.g., Class C). The user would
`not be able to give access to his home phone number selec
`tively to a first co-worker while denying it to a second co
`worker if both co-workers were part of the same class of users
`as organized by the central system administrator. Further
`more, such a system would lack a practical notification meth
`odology. There would be no way for a user to specify “notify
`me when the first co-worker changes his information but not
`when the second co-worker changes his information.”
`Internet-Based “White Pages” and E-Mail Directory Ser
`vices. In a typical prior art “white pages' or e-mail service,
`client computers and a server computer are connected via the
`World WideWeb as depicted in FIG. 4. A user subscribes to a
`White Pages or E-Mail service via a client computer 270
`operating a web browser 282 or other software application
`residing in memory 274 that allows it to display information
`downloaded from a server computer 230 over the WorldWide
`Web 260. The server computer system accesses a database
`240 containing contact information entered by registered
`users. The service enables users to view contact information
`entered by other users. The authorization scheme may allow
`all users to limit certain classes of users from viewing certain
`parts of their user record as represented in FIG. 3. However,
`there are no linkages between individual users and thus users
`cannot restrict the viewing of their information on a user-by
`user basis. Furthermore, users cannot be notified when infor
`mation for particular users has changed.
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`SUMMARY
`
`A networked computer system provides various services
`for assisting users in locating, and establishing contact rela
`tionships with, other users. For example, in one embodiment,
`users can identify other users based on their affiliations with
`particular schools or other organizations. The system also
`provides a mechanism for a user to selectively establish con
`tact relationships or connections with other users, and to grant
`permissions for Such other users to view personal information
`of the user. The system may also include features for enabling
`users to identify contacts of their respective contacts. In addi
`
`This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
`No. 1 1/022,089, filed Dec. 22, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,
`464 which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
`10/780,486, filed Feb. 17, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,194,419
`which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
`09/348,355, filed Jul. 7, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,714,916),
`which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/962,
`997, filed Nov. 2, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,369).
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention relates generally to multi-user com
`puter systems, such as contact management systems, that
`provide services for users to locate and share personal infor
`mation with other users.
`2. Description of Related Art
`Several types of prior art for managing contact information
`exist, including Personal Information Management Software
`applications, Groupware Applications, and Internet-based
`“White Pages' and e-mail services.
`Personal Information Management Software. As repre
`sented generally in FIG. 1, in a typical prior art Personal
`Information Management (PIM) software application (e.g.,
`Lotus Organizer, Microsoft Outlook, or U.S. Robotics Palm
`Pilot), a PIM software application 120,124 that stores contact
`information in a database resides on a workstation or hand
`held computer 100 having a central processing unit 102, a
`display 108, a keyboard and/or mouse 110, a primary memory
`104 (e.g., random access memory) for program execution, a
`secondary memory 106 (e.g., a hard disc) for program Stor
`age, and peripheral devices 112. As is well known, programs,
`such as the PIM software 120, are executed in the RAM 104
`by the CPU 102 under control of the operating system soft
`ware 122, 126.
`In the prior art, users themselves enter the contact infor
`mation that they want to store in the PIM software. A variety
`of methods exist for entering this contact information. It may
`be entered manually using the keyboard, imported from an
`existing file on their computer, or imported via a peripheral
`device Such as a business card Scanner. The defining charac
`teristic of this class of prior art is that the input of the contact
`information is performed by the user of the software and,
`when the information changes, the user must modify the
`information himself What this class of prior art lacks is a
`means for information to be shared between multiple users
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`and a means for a given user to post changes to his own
`information for the benefit of others.
`Groupware Applications. As generally represented in FIG.
`2, in a typical prior art Groupware application (e.g., Lotus
`Notes), a user workstation 160 accesses information stored on
`a central server computer 130 over a computer network 150,
`such as a Local Area Network or Intranet. The server system
`consists of a central processing unit 132, a primary memory
`134 (e.g., random access memory) for program execution, a
`secondary storage device 136 (e.g., a hard disc) for program
`storage, and a modem 138 or other device for connecting to
`the computer network. The user workstation 160 is the same
`as the user workstation 100 described in reference to FIG. 1
`with the addition of a modem 162 or other device for con
`necting to the computer network. The file server or database
`contains data files 148that can be accessed only by authorized
`users. The user uses client software 174, 176 running on the
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`Meta Platforms, Inc.
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`US 7,739,139 B2
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`3
`tion, the system may automatically notify users of personal
`information updates made by their respective contacts.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in
`and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments
`of the invention, wherein:
`FIG. 1 depicts a computer loaded with Personal Informa
`tion Management software;
`FIG. 2 generally depicts the data schema of a category of
`prior art known as groupware applications;
`FIG. 3 shows a common scheme for authorizing permis
`sion to view information in the prior art;
`FIG. 4 depicts two computers interconnected via the Inter
`net, one of which is a server connected to a database and the
`other of which represents a user's client workstation, both of
`which are configured according to the prior art;
`FIG.5 depicts two computers interconnected via the Inter
`net, one of which is a server connected to a database and the
`other of which represents a user's client workstation, both of
`which are configured according to the present invention;
`FIG. 6 represents an object model of the key tables in the
`relational database maintained on the server computer in the
`preferred embodiment of the present invention:
`FIG. 7 represents a pseudo graphical user interface in
`whichauser enters information in specific data fields to create
`a personal data record;
`FIG. 8 represents a pseudo graphical user interface for
`listing other users with the same group affiliation as that
`specified by a first user;
`FIG. 9 represents a pseudo graphical user interface for
`specifying what type of data fields from a first user's personal
`data record to which the first user wishes to grant a specific
`second user access;
`FIG. 10 represents a pseudo graphical user interface that
`displays the information stored in a user's personal address
`book;
`FIG. 11 represents a pseudo graphical user interface that
`provides a first user with specific information that has
`changed about the other users to which the first user is linked;
`FIG. 12 represents a pseudo graphical user interface that
`allows a first user to enter travel information and find out
`which contacts have overlapping travel Schedules
`FIG. 13 represents a pseudo graphical user interface that
`45
`allows a first user to gather information about the contacts of
`his contacts; and
`FIG. 14 is a data flow diagram of an alternative embodi
`ment of the present invention where a personal digital assis
`tant is synchronized with a server database of user informa
`tion.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
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`Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
`embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illus
`trated in the accompanying figures. While the invention will
`be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments,
`it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the
`invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, the inven
`tion is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and
`equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and
`Scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
`As represented in FIG. 5, the preferred embodiment fol
`lows a standard Internet architecture, in which client comput
`ers 370 and a server computer 330 are connected via the
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`World Wide Web 360 and modems 338,378 or other com
`munications channels. A user accesses the server 360 via a
`client computer 370 operating a web browser 382 or other
`software application residing in memory 374 that allows it to
`display information downloaded from a server computer 330.
`The server computer system 330 runs server software 342,
`including the network-computer-based personal contact
`manager 343 of the present invention, which interacts with
`the client computers 370 and a user information database 340.
`In a commercial embodiment of the present invention, the
`personal contact manager 343 is the heart of a Web-based
`personal contact management service called PlanetAll. The
`database 340 contains contact information entered by regis
`tered users. The personal contact manager 343 in some situ
`ations will notify a set of users of updates made to the data
`base 340 by another user to whom the notified set is related.
`The database 340 in is a relational database built from a set
`of relational tables 350. In the conventional manner, both the
`server 330 and the clients 370 include respective storage
`devices, such as hard disks 336 and 376 and operate under the
`control of operating systems 344,384 executed in RAM334,
`374 by the CPUs 332, 372. The server storage device 336
`stores program files 346 and the operating system 348. Simi
`larly, the client storage devices 376 store the web browser
`software 386 and the operating systems 388. In an alternative
`configuration, in which the client is a personal information
`manager (PIM), such as the U.S. Robotics PalmPilot, the disc
`376 can also include a local PIM database 390 and PIM
`Software, which performs data management and synchroni
`Zation functions.
`FIG. 6 outlines the data structure of the relational database
`340 in the preferred embodiment, in which seven tables 350
`are employed to enable most of the functionality of the sys
`tem:
`(1) Customer Table 440;
`(2) Friend Table 460;
`(3) Group Table 400;
`(4) Affinity Table 420;
`(5) Address Table 480:
`(6) Phone Table 500; and
`(7) Travel Event Table 520;
`The Customer Table 440 contains one record for each
`unique user. The key field in this table is CustomerID 440-2.
`All information stored in the various database tables relating
`to a particular member is linked together by a unique number
`in this field. Other important fields in this table include infor
`mation used by users to login to the system (Username 440-6
`and Password 440-8), information which helps users identify
`each other (First Name 440-10, Last Name 440-12, and
`E-mail 440-20), information required to provide Birthday
`Notification (Birthday 440-16) and information required to
`provide Crossing Paths notification (CityID 440-14). Each
`record in the Customer Table 440 is time-stamped via the
`RecordDate field 440-4. Other fields 440-22 can also be
`included in the Customer Table 440 (and the other tables as
`well).
`The Friend Table 460 relates users to each other. Each
`record in the table represents a relationship between one user,
`identified by CustomerID 460-4, and another, identified by
`Friend ID 460-6, with a certain level of permissions 460-10.
`The user interface of the system provides a multitude of ways
`for users to view information about other users, and every one
`of these ways relies on a database query of the Friend Table
`460 to determine the list of other users whose information a
`particular user may see. Each record is time-stamped via the
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`US 7,739,139 B2
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`RecordDate field 460-8 so that users may be notified when
`their contacts records change. Each record is uniquely iden
`tified by a RelationID 460-2.
`The Group Table 400 contains one record for each unique
`group with which users may affiliate. Each group is identified
`by a GroupName 400-4 and Group Type 400-6. Examples of
`these groups would be GroupName 400-4-"Massachusetts
`Institute of Technology” (Group Type="University') and
`GroupName
`400-4="Sigma
`Chi
`(Group Type="Fraternity'). Each record has a time-stamp
`400-8 and a unique identifier 400-2.
`Each record of the Affinity Table 420 relates a user, iden
`tified by CustomerID 420-4, to a group, identified by
`Group ID 420-6. If a user affiliates with six groups, there
`would be six records in the Affinity Table 420. This table
`stores information about the time period of a users affiliation
`with a particular group in the FromYear and Toyear fields
`420-8, 420-10 so that the system may help users find their
`contemporaries. Each record is time-stamped 420-12 so that
`the system may report to users when other users join the
`group, has a unique identifier 420-2 and can include addi
`tional fields 420-14.
`The Address Table 480 stores information for any number
`and kind of addresses for a particular user, identified by
`CustomerID 48.0-4. For instance, if a user wants to make his
`home address, work address and Summer home address avail
`able to his contacts, there would be three records for that user
`in the Address Table 480, each being identified in part by an
`appropriate AddressType 480-8 (e.g., home, work, Summer
`home). Each record is time-stamped 480-16 so that the sys
`tem can notify users when their contacts have added or modi
`fied address information and has a unique identifier 480-2.
`Address information is conventional, including Street
`Address 480-8, CityID 480-10, Postal code 480-12, and mili
`tary Base 480-14 fields.
`The Phone Table 500 is directly analogous to the Address
`Table 480, but it stores telephone and fax number information
`instead of address information. Each record is identified by a
`unique PhoneRecordID 500-2 and includes the CustomerID
`500-4 of the user whose phone information is contained in the
`record, a phone type ID 500-6 indicating, e.g., whether the
`record is for a telephone or fax, the phone number 500-8 and
`a time-stamp 500-10.
`The Travel Event Table 520 stores information about users’
`travel plans. This table is required to notify users when their
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`travel plans intersect with the travel plans of their contacts. A
`record in the Travel Event Table 520 includes the CustomerID
`520-4 of the user whose travel information is contained in the
`record, arrival and departure dates 520-6, 520-8 and a CityID
`520-10 identifying the travel destination. Each record is
`uniquely identified by a Travel EventID 520-2 and is time
`stamped with a RecordDate 520-14.
`In the preferred embodiment, a multitude of other tables
`540 are used to enable a variety of user services. The Permis
`sion Type Table 542 contains one record for each of the
`varieties of permission levels the system allows members to
`assign to their contacts in the Friend Table 460. In the pre
`ferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, permission infor
`mation is grouped into five categories for the purpose of user
`interface simplicity (crossing paths notification permission
`600-6, personal information 600-8, work information 600
`10, birthday notification 600-12, and friends of friends infor
`mation 600-14). However, the Permission Type table 542
`could just as easily be structured to allow members to grant
`and deny access to information on a field by field basis.
`The City Table 550 stores latitude and longitude informa
`tion for two million cities to enable the system to notify users
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`when their contacts travel within a defined geographical
`radius. The Zodiac Table 552 allows the system to associate
`birthdays with signs of the Zodiac and thereby notify which of
`their contacts have compatible astrological signs on a particu
`lar day. The AddressType, PhoneType and Group Type tables
`544, 546, 548 define the types of address, phone and group
`that can be defined in the respective Address, Group and
`Phone tables 480,400,500. The advantage of this normalized
`relational database architecture is that it permits scaling and
`speed far in excess of any embodiment of the pri