Method for scheduling automated delivery of digital content to a designated recipient at a designated future point in time

Abstract

The present web-based system and methods enabled by an application executable on a computing device of the system allow subscribers to develop a private circle and interactive family & friends tree within a private social network, and to schedule delivery of selected content to a designated recipient, either on a future date or upon occurrence of a future event having a date unknown to the subscriber. The system may determine a delivery date for the selected content, even if no date is specified by the subscriber, based on data obtained from other subscribers to the private circle and/or machine learning analysis, and may validate the delivery date before delivering the content. The system may enable parent subscribers to the private circle to add newborn and/or unborn children to the private circle, and may enable subscribers to prepare a digital will and integrate the will with the subscriber's account in the private circle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for scheduling automated delivery of digital content to a designated recipient at a designated future point in time, comprising:
 providing a private social network operating on a system that comprises:
 a cloud-based server having a memory and programmed instructions stored therein, 
 a plurality of computing devices in operative connection and communication with the cloud-based server, each computing device in the plurality comprising a display, a processor and a memory, wherein the computing device is configured to access the memory and programmed instructions stored in the cloud-based server and execute at least some of the programmed instructions; enabling a user to subscribe to the private social network to become a subscriber, wherein the private social network comprises other subscribers and wherein the subscribers can execute the programmed instructions using a computing device in the plurality of computing devices; 
   wherein the system enables the subscriber to access the programmed instructions with a computing device and actuate the accessed programmed instructions to perform:   establishing a private circle of some of the other subscribers to the private social network, wherein the private circle is configured to include both current subscribers and future subscribers who are not yet born but are identified by relationship with the subscriber;   creating and storing digital content at a data library located in the memory of the cloud-based server of the system;   accessing, curating and/or editing the created and stored digital content;   selecting a designated recipient for receiving digital content selected by the subscriber from the digital content and/or identified physical content, wherein the designated recipient is selected from the private circle and is configured to be selected from both the current subscribers and future subscribers;   selecting, by the subscriber, a future delivery triggering event that is either based on a milestone event with a known start date, or on a future event having a date of occurrence that is unknown to the subscriber at the time that the future delivery triggering event is selected by the subscriber;   determining the date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event and assigning a confidence score to the determined date of occurrence;   attempting to validate the determined date of occurrence by determining whether the confidence score satisfies an auto-approval threshold value;   if the confidence score satisfies the auto-approval threshold value, scheduling a delivery date for delivery of the selected digital content to the designated recipient based on the determined date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event; and   delivering the selected digital content and/or the identified physical content to the designated recipient on the scheduled delivery date.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein attempting to validate the determined date of occurrence by determining whether the confidence score satisfies the auto-approval threshold value comprises determining that the confidence score does not satisfy the auto-approval threshold value, the method further comprising:
 determining whether the confidence score satisfies a manual-check threshold value;   if the confidence score satisfies the manual-check threshold value, electronically submitting, via the system, the determined date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event and the confidence score to an operator for manual validation of the determined date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event;   receiving, via the system, validation of the determined date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event;   scheduling the delivery date for delivery of the selected digital content to the designated recipient based on the determined date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event; and   delivering the selected digital content and/or the identified physical content to the designated recipient on the scheduled delivery date.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein attempting to validate the determined date of occurrence by determining whether the confidence score satisfies the manual-check threshold value comprises determining that the confidence score does not satisfy the manual-check threshold value, the method further comprising:
 not scheduling the delivery date for delivery of the selected digital content and/or the identified physical content to the designated recipient based on the determined date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the future delivery triggering event comprises a milestone with a known start date, and wherein the date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event is determined based on a date selected by the subscriber at the time of the selecting of the future delivery triggering event. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the future delivery triggering event comprises a future event having a date of occurrence that is unknown to the subscriber at the time that the future delivery triggering event is selected by the subscriber, and wherein determining the date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event comprises:
 obtaining data from other subscribers to the private circle; and   determining the date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event based on the data obtained from the private circle of the other subscribers to the private social network.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising using artificial intelligence and/or machine learning algorithms to analyze the data obtained from the other subscribers to the private circle, wherein determining the date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event based on the analysis of the data obtained from the other subscribers to the private circle. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the date of occurrence of the future delivery triggering event is not predictable solely based on another date. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising designating the designated recipient as a person that has not yet been conceived or born. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the subscriber selects a plurality of future delivery triggering events and wherein the selected digital content and/or identified physical content is different for each one of the plurality of future delivery triggering events. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the future delivery triggering event comprises one or more of the group consisting of: news of a pregnancy, news of a birth, a birthday, a graduation, a wedding, a wedding anniversary and a funeral. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the future delivery triggering event comprises one or more of the group consisting of: a future birth and a birthday for a presently unborn person. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the future delivery triggering event coincides with a holiday. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected digital content is delivered at a single future delivery triggering event. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected digital content is delivered at more than one future delivery triggering event. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected digital content is delivered at a recurring future delivery triggering event. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein any delivered digital content may be accessed by the designated recipient at any time after the digital content has been delivered to the designated recipient.