Apparatus for signaling circle of friends

• US 10,097,972 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proxfinity, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Proxfinity, Inc.
• Inventors: Hutchison, James W., Carrel, Mitchell A., Matles, Robert, Hutchison, Christine A., Matles, Lauren R., Whitman, Lee M., Carrel, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHINGLES, KRISTIE D
• Application Number:
  US14/880,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 709204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/10 Architectures or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A device and method is provided for signaling an affinity of a peer device. According to one embodiment, the device receives a wireless signal from the peer device and determines the presence of the peer device based on the received signal. The device is able to detect the peer device when the peer device is within the vicinity or a certain proximity of the device. The received signal carries an affinity code of the peer device so that the device can detect the affinity of the peer device by comparing the received affinity code with its preset affinity code. If the two affinity code match, the device notifies the user of the presence of another user and signals that the two users share the same affinity.

Claims

1. A first device for signaling a common affinity, the first device comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a wireless signal from a second device, wherein the wireless signal includes an affinity code corresponding to the second device;

a processor, configured to;

determine that the affinity code corresponding to the second device matches an affinity code corresponding to the first device, wherein the affinity code corresponds to one of a plurality of affinities, each of the plurality of affinities corresponding to different affinity codes; and

in response to determining that the affinity code corresponding to the second device also corresponds to the first device, causing profile information corresponding to a first user of the first device to be transmitted to the second device via a text message.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust a matching range between the first device and the second device, and the adjustment of the matching range is based on adjusting a signal strength threshold.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a phone.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a wearable device, configured to communicate with a phone, and wherein the text message transmitted to the second device is transmitted by the phone.

5. A first device for signaling a common affinity, the first device comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a wireless signal from a second device, wherein the wireless signal includes an affinity code corresponding to the second device;

a processor, configured to;

determine that the affinity code corresponding to the second device matches an affinity code corresponding to the first device, wherein the affinity code corresponds to one of a plurality of affinities, each of the plurality of affinities corresponding to different affinity codes; and

in response to determining that the affinity code corresponding to the second device also corresponds to the first device, cause a notification to be provided to the user of the first device and cause profile information of a user corresponding to the second device to be displayed.

6. The first device according to claim 5, wherein the first device is a phone, and wherein the profile information of the user corresponding to the second device is displayed on a display of the phone.

7. The first device according to claim 5, wherein the first device is a wearable device, configured to communicate with a phone, and wherein the profile information of the user corresponding to the second device is displayed on a display of the phone.

8. The first device according to claim 5, wherein the first device is configured to receive the profile information of the user corresponding to the second device from a server.

9. A system for signaling a common affinity, the system comprising:

a first device corresponding to a first user, configured to;

receive a wireless signal from a second device, wherein the wireless signal includes an affinity code corresponding to the second device; and

a phone corresponding to the first user, wherein the phone is communicatively coupled to the first device and is configured to;

notify the first user as to the presence and/or an affinity of one or more other users having an affinity in common with the first user, based on one or more wireless signals received by the first device, by displaying profile information of the one or more other users having the affinity in common with the first user on a display of the phone.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first device is a wearable device.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the phone is further configured to send text messages or transmit profile information to other phones or devices.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein one or more predetermined affinity codes are stored in a memory of the first device and/or a memory of the phone.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein user information is stored in a memory of the first device and/or a memory of the phone.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first device or the phone is configured to receive user input of an affinity code.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the affinity code is a code that is obtained from a website.