User group creation

• US 20040082351A1
• Filed: 06/26/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Westman, Ilkka
• Granted Patent: US 7,162,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of establishing a user group amongst a plurality of mobile terminals, comprising: receiving at a host device, from at least one of the plurality of mobile terminals, an identity associated with each of said mobile terminals; and grouping or collecting, at the host device, the identities associated with the mobile terminals, to thereby establish a user group, wherein the at least one said mobile terminal transmits said associated identities to the host device on a local communication link.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a user group amongst a plurality of mobile terminals, comprising:

receiving at a host device, from at least one of the plurality of mobile terminals, at least one identity associated with each said mobile terminal; and

grouping or collecting, at the host device, the identities associated with the mobile terminals, to thereby establish a user group, wherein the at least one of said mobile terminals transmit the said associated identities to the host device on a local communication link.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the user group is a temporary user group.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the host device is associated with a mobile communications network, further comprising the step of transmitting the user group to the mobile communications network.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the mobile communications network further communicates with the mobile terminals in the user group.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating the user group.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the step of dynamically updating the user group includes receiving, at the host device, at least one identity associated with a mobile terminal, and adding said identity to the user group.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the step of dynamically updating the user group includes deleting an identity from the user group.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the user group.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the user group is stored with a characteristic to identify the group.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the characteristic is at least one of a date stamp;

a time stamp;

a location stamp.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of mobile devices transmit their associated identities to the host device responsive to a request for their associated identity from the host device, wherein the host device transmits said request on a local communication link.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the request from the host device is a broadcast signal.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the host device includes a mobile terminal.

14. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step, after said grouping step, of transmitting the identities of the user group to the plurality of terminals.

15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the local communication link is a short-range communication link.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the short-range communication link is a radio communication link.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the radio communication link is a Bluetooth link.

18. A method according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mobile terminals is associated with a mobile telecommunications network.

19. A method according to claim 1 wherein the host device is a mobile terminal.

20. A method according to claim 1 wherein the host device is dedicated control unit.

21. A method according to claim 1 wherein the host device is a computer.

22. A device for establishing a user group amongst a plurality of mobile terminals, including:

means for receiving an identity associated with each of the mobile terminals, said means being adapted to receive the identities on a local communication link; and

means for grouping or collecting the associated identities to thereby establish a user group.

23. A device according to claim 22 wherein the local communication link is a short-range communication link.

24. A device according to claim 23 wherein the short range communication is a radio link.

25. A device according to claim 24 wherein the radio link is a Bluetooth link.

26. A device according to claim 23 wherein the short range communication link is an infra-red link.

27. A device according to claim 22 further including means for communicating with a mobile communication system, and means for transmitting the user group to said mobile communication system.

28. A device according to claim 22 further comprising means for storing one or more user groups.

29. A device according to claim 22 comprising a mobile telephone.

30. A device according to claim 22 comprising a host control device.

31. A device according to claim 22 comprising a computer system.

32. A mobile communications system including a device for establishing a user group amongst a plurality of mobile terminals of the system, including a host device for receiving an identity associated with each of the mobile terminals, said host device being adapted to receive the identities on a local communication link, and said host device further being adapted to group or collect the associated identities to thereby establish a user group.