- AOP Code: WG 164
- Exp: 01/04/10
- Categories: TECHNOLOGY
- Industry: TECHNOLOGY - SOFTWARE
FACEBOOK DEFENSE - MANAGING ONLINE NETWORK MEMBER RELATIONSHIPS
The patent claims methods and systems for identifying and managing relationships formed between members of an online network, aka social networks.
Basis for Selection:
WhoGlue has sued Facebook for allegedly infringing US Patent 7,246,164.
Patent Number: US 7,246,164 | Latest Date for Prior Art: May 09, 2000
Filing Date of Patent: May 09, 2002 | Owner(s): WhoGlue, Inc.
Interested Parties: Facebook, Inc.; Siemens Technology-to-Business Center, LLC
Description:
WhoGlue claims that use of the Facebook website infringes the ‘164 patent. While the complaint does not allege that all social networking systems infringe the patent, some news coverage has questioned whether WhoGlue will be suing others.
There is an interview with the CEO in an article by the Baltimore Sun. http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-bz.facebook24sep24,0,5315456.story
The patent application claims priority to a provisional application filed on May 10, 2001. The application was originally assigned to Siemens Technology-to-Business Center, LLC. In 2003, the patent application was assigned to WhoGlue, Inc.
In allowing the application, the Patent Examiner stated
"The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art of record does not teach or suggest, individually or in combination, receiving, from said first user, first information having a first information access right after associating said second user with said first user, wherein said first information is to be entered into at least one input template of said online relationship management system to provide first structured information automatically generated from at least one input template based on said first information; receiving, from said first user, second information having a second information access right, wherein said second information is to be entered into said at least one input template of said online relationship management system; and not allowing transmission, to said second user, of said second information if the second user information access right level is inconsistent with said second information access right, in light of other features described in independent [application] claims 27 and 47." (Now Claims 1 and 24 of the '164 Patent)
