Patent Application
20130095929
Aspects of the present invention relate generally to the field of digital communications, and more specifically to networked computer systems that manage social interactions among users in a structured manner.
Conventional relationship development systems often provide opportunities for members to ‘virtually meet’ other users and to engage in activities that allow the members to get to know one another, but often such systems allow the introduction stages to linger without encouraging efficient progress in developing the relationship to achieve the end goal of an in-person meeting in a timely manner. Additionally, such conventional systems do not often manage expectations so that members may receive an unpleasant surprise when it comes time to meet in person. This often results in feelings of disappointment, having been deceived, and having wasted time working towards a relationship that was not going to be successful.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system that facilitates interactions to progressively develop a relationship while managing expectations to avoid disappointment.
The foregoing and other aspects of various embodiments of the present invention will be apparent through examination of the following detailed description thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which similar reference numbers are used to indicate functionally similar elements.
a)-10(b) illustrate exemplary systems facilitating participation in a game according to an embodiment of the present invention.
A computer system for developing a relationship according to a multi-step process is disclosed. Relationship development may occur in small steps, each step designed to get to know the other person a little better and to encourage more meaningful communication. A computer may store a data object that defines a workflow having multiple stages to assist in the progressive development of a relationship between multiple system users. Each workflow stage may include one or more games such that the games each stage are designed to encourage increased communication between the participants. A workflow may comprise at least three stages including: a connect stage having games that may be designed to introduce the workflow participants, a play stage having games that may be designed to determine if the relationship has the potential to continue developing, and a meet stage having games that may be designed to manage expectations if the relationship is to continue. Initial stages may include games encouraging written or asynchronous communication. Subsequent stages may include encouraging voice, video, or real-time communication via interactive sessions managed by the computer system.
A user may access the relationship development system from the client 110 via a user interface 111 capable of accessing and displaying the relationship development system. The client 110 may be any device that facilitates a user accessing the server 120 via a user interface 111, for example a personal computer, laptop, tablet device, Internet accessible gaming system, mobile handheld computing device, or other network accessible device. The user interface may be a program or application or may comprise middleware that acts as a frontend to or otherwise facilitates access to the relationship development system. The user may interact with the user interface 111 through an input device, such as by inputting a selection as with a mouse, a keyboard, a handheld controller, or a screen tap. The user may observe the response to the selection on an output device or display. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the user interface 111 may run in a browser window controlled by the user, the browser window connected to and receiving instruction from the server 120. In another aspect of the invention, the user interface 111 may run in an application window for an application installed on the client 110 and controlled by the user.
When a user accesses the interface 111, the client device 110 may communicate with the server 120. The server may return information to the client device 110 to facilitate the user's interaction with the relationship development system. The client interface 111 may display one or more modules, each module supported by one or more databases accessible by the server 120.
A user registered with the progressive relationship system, and with a valid user record 310, may utilize the features of the relationship system to develop a progressive relationship with another user. In accordance with an embodiment, a user may be a registered user of a relationship system that encourages or facilitates communication between users. Then, a progressive development feature may be implemented as part of the relationship development system. Any registered user of the relationship system may have access to the progressive development feature and begin progressively forming relationships with other users.
According to an embodiment, the progressive development feature may be implemented as a self-contained application of the relationship system. Then the users may access the relationship system and the progressive development feature with separate interface modules or applications. A progressive development interface module may be downloaded onto a user's client device as an individual application, accessed via a browser window running on the client device, or accessed from a third party application or website utilizing a feature Application Programming Interface (API) of the relationship system.
In an embodiment, access to the progressive development feature may be restricted to a subset of all users registered with the system. For example, access may be limited to users that have completed an extended user profile or as a reward, for example, for reaching a milestone in terms of length of membership with the system, for highly active users, or as part of a promotion. An exemplary extended user profile may include one or more photos of the user, for example a head shot, a head-to-toe shot, a photo of the user with friends or family, a photo of the user participating in a favorite hobby, a voice caption or commentary on one or more of the user's photos, a short video, or short personal statement about the user's likes and dislikes. The user's status 314 or other status information associated with the user record 310, may reflect the user's permissions for accessing system features, for example, the user status 314 may indicate that the user is in good standing and may access the progressive development feature of the relationship system.
As shown in
A game record 330 may include a unique game ID 331, a game status 332, and pointers to the users that are participating in the game 333. A game record 330 may additionally contain game parameters 334 utilized by the relationship development system in implementing the game. Game parameters may include, for example, the participant who will have the next ‘turn’ in the game, the method the participants 333 have chosen to exchange communication where applicable, for example through an in-game messaging service or a third party instant messaging service, or other relevant information. The game record 330 may also contain other information not listed, for example a time or turn limit either predefined by the system or selected by one or more of the participants.
Additionally, as part of the registration process, or through a profile edit interface, the user may identify third party sites or social networking applications that they may use with the relationship development system, or that they may want to grant access to their user profile information. A relationship development system user may share his workflow status or game results by selecting links from their general profile interface or progressive development feature profile interface that may make a post to a social networking site, facebook for example. A user may additionally have the option to automatically post updates to the third party site, for example a twitter message may be published upon completion of a game or upon advancing to a new stage in a workflow of the progressive development feature. Similarly, the user may also receive a notification, for example by email, through a message in a pop-up window, or via a message received in a local mailbox as part of the relationship development system, summarizing the workflow status upon completion of a stage in the progressive development feature.
A workflow module 511 may provide access to any progressive relationship workflows in progress and links to continue the workflow by engaging in games that advance the progressive relationship. As shown in
A progressive development profile or workflow status page may provide access to the workflows the registered user has pending and options to create a new workflow or to terminate an active workflow. The user may then request access to an active workflow (block 615). If the requested workflow is in progress, the user may then access that workflow (block 620). If the user requests a new workflow with another user of the relationship development system, then a participation request may be sent to the identified user (block 625). If the identified user declines participation in the workflow (block 630), then the workflow may be terminated (block 655). However, if the identified user accepts the request to participate in the workflow (block 630), a new workflow may be created for the two users.
The progressive development feature of the relationship development system may then facilitate the stages of a workflow initiated by the user, each stage implemented to improve and encourage communication between the participants. Encouraging greater communication in progressive stages of a workflow may include encouraging lengthier or more meaningful communication. Exemplary stages of a workflow may include a connect stage (block 635), a play stage (block 640), a meet stage (block 645), and a date stage (block 650). As will be understood, different or additional stages may be implemented while maintaining the goal of the workflow to progressively develop a relationship by encouraging increasing and more meaningful communication between participants.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, the stages of the workflow may only be accessed in order. Then the users cannot participate in a meet stage game without first participating in a connect stage game. In other embodiments, participants may access the stages in any order. In some embodiments a participant may access each stage of the workflow only once while in other embodiments the users can participate in multiple games for each stage multiple times.
A user may terminate the workflow at any time (block 655). Access to the workflow may then be restricted for all users of the workflow upon termination by any one user. The workflow may additionally be automatically terminated, for example upon completion of all stages of the workflow. Each game in any stage of the workflow may continue for a predetermined number of game turns, a predetermined length of time, or until a participant exits the game.
Connect stage games may be intended to establish communication and determine if the participants have enough in common to pursue a closer relationship. The connect stage may include one or more interactive games to introduce the players and break the ice between matched participants. Users may participate in connect stage games in an asynchronous manner, sharing responses and reactions when convenient, over a period of time. When it is a user's turn, the user may receive a notification prompting them to play. Notifications may be received as a message displayed in a relationship system mailbox, a pop up message that activates when the user accesses the relationship system, an external email message or SMS message, an application alert or badge, or other method of communicating an appropriate notification to the user. The time for response in a connect stage game may be restricted, for example, such that the user cannot immediately reply or cannot reply within the hour, or such that the user may be required to reply within a predetermined number of days before the game or workflow is terminated. Exemplary connect stage games may include a fortune cookie game, a card sorting game, a category listing game, a rating game, or a short answer game.
In an exemplary rating game, a participant may rate one or more images, items, quotations, or other objects. For a given image, the participant may first decide whether they like the depicted image or not, then share their decision or a group of decisions with the other participants. Upon comparing the ratings or decisions for each image, the participants may then discuss why they decided an image a certain way or ask questions about the other participant's rankings. Alternatively, given a topic or a category of a personal characteristic that is meaningful for a successful relationship, a participant may identify the characteristics that are important to them, share their identified characteristics with other participants, and compare the identified characteristics. Such ranking style games provide participants an opportunity to quickly and easily identify things they have in common or significant incompatibilities.
For an exemplary fortune cookie game, a user may select or be assigned a fortune. The user may then share an interpretation, understanding or impression related to the fortune with the workflow participants, compare interpretations, or describe how the fortune applies to them. In an exemplary card sorting game, the game may present to the participants multiple cards in a category or theme, each participant may then put the cards in an order or ranking that has meaning for them. The participants may then share and compare their sorted order. Additionally, in an exemplary category listing game, a participant may choose a topic from a list of potential topics and then list four things responsive to the topic, and then share and compare their list with the other participants.
Any one of these games may also serve as a short answer game in which the card or category and the resultant responses, orders and lists may serve as talking points that inspire the exchange of a series of questions between the participants. Similarly, in an exemplary stand-alone short answer game, a participant may choose a question from a list of predetermined questions, may choose a topic of potential interest, may come up with their own questions, or may be provided a question to answer or discuss. Then the participant may ask another participant the selected question and respond to their questions in turn.
An exemplary fortune cookie game is illustrated in
The play stage may include asynchronous and real time interactive games to allow the participants who have identified common interests or otherwise wish to know each other better, to determine if they want to continue to develop the relationship. Users may participate in asynchronous games as part of the play stage, sharing responses and communications when convenient, over a period of time. Users may additionally participate in play stage games in a natural, real-time manner, sharing responses and reactions to the games as they occur. Play stage games may be intended to encourage greater communication and allow the participants to determine if they are interested in pursuing a closer relationship. Exemplary play stage games may include a storyline game or a debate style game.
In an exemplary storyline game, given a portion of a story, the participants may take turns continuing and developing the story. Similarly, for a given storyline, the participants may take turns describing their thoughts and reactions, or may even engage in a friendly debate. Such games may require a more detailed answer or otherwise encourage more communication than the connect stage games.
An exemplary play stage game is illustrated in
The meet stage may include one or more real time interactive games that include a video or other ‘face-to-face’ style communication to allow the participants to get to know each other better and to determine if they want to continue to pursue the relationship. Users may participate in meet stage games in an interactive, real-time, face-to-face manner, visually or vocally sharing responses and reactions to the games as they occur. Meet stage games may be intended to encourage real-time, face-to-face communication in order to introduce the participants visually, to help participants manage expectations about the other participants, to avoid the obligations that may necessarily accompany a first, in-person, meeting and limit the interaction to avoid awkwardness, and to determine if the participants are interested in pursuing a closer relationship.
Exemplary meet stage games may include a conversation starter game or other game designed to get the participants to engage in a video conversation. In an exemplary conversation starter game, a topic is displayed or selected and a live video conversation between the participants is initiated. A meet stage game may be limited by the number of steps performed in a game, or by time such that after a predetermined period of time, e.g. 10 minutes, the game will automatically end.
An exemplary meet stage game is illustrated in
The date stage may include setting up, arranging and evaluating an actual in-person meeting. The progressive development feature may facilitate setting up a date by encouraging the participant to leave a voicemail for or send a message to another participant, or by assisting in organizing tickets or reservations. Additionally, the participants may set parameters for a date, for example a date, a time, a place and a type of activity. Then the relationship development system may query affiliated systems on the network to identify an available setting for a date meeting those specified parameters. The relationship development system may additionally automatically make an appropriate reservation with or reserve the appropriate tickets from an affiliated system and notify the participants of the scheduled event. The progressive development feature may also encourage the participants to rate the date, thereby confirming it took place and indicating completion of all the steps in the workflow.
a) and 10(b) illustrate exemplary systems 1000, 1030 facilitating the participation of users in a game and communication between the participants according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in
As shown in
The foregoing discussion identifies functional blocks that may be used in relationship development systems constructed according to various embodiments of the present invention. In practice, these systems may be applied in a variety of devices, such as personal computing systems and/or mobile devices. In some applications, the functional blocks described hereinabove may be provided as elements of an integrated software system, in which the blocks may be provided as separate elements of a computer program. Some embodiments may be implemented, for example, using a computer-readable storage medium or article which may store an instruction or a set of instructions that, if executed by a processor, may cause the processor to perform a method in accordance with the embodiments.
In some applications, the modules described hereinabove may be provided as elements of an integrated software system, in which the blocks may be provided as separate elements of a computer program. Other applications of the present invention may be embodied as a hybrid system of dedicated hardware and software components. Moreover, not all of the modules described herein need be provided or need be provided as separate units. For example, while the exemplary data stores in
While the invention has been described in detail above with reference to some embodiments, variations within the scope and spirit of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the invention should be considered as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
