Combined short range radio network and cellular telephone network for interpersonal communications

• US 20050250552A1
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Eagle, Nathan Norfleet, Pentland, Alex Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Portable communication devices, such as Bluetooth enabled cellular phones, communicate with and identify like devices that are nearby, and send notification messages to a remote server. When a notification message is received at the server identifying two devices that have come within range of one another, the server compares the profile data associated with each of the two identified devices and facilitates communications between the devices when appropriate.

Claims

1. A method for generating an announcement signal when two persons having related attributes are near to one another, said method comprising, in combination, the steps of:

providing each of said two persons with an identification device that may be carried by that person from place to place and that can be electronically detected at a distance,

storing attribute data describing each of said two persons in a storage facility located remotely from both of said two persons,

detecting when said two persons are near to one another to produce a notification signal identifying said two persons,

transmitting said notification signal to said remote location,

in response to the receipt of said notification signal at said remote location, retrieving and comparing said attribute data describing each of said two persons to produce an alert signal if said attribute data indicates that said two persons possess a predetermined relationship to one another and,

transmitting said alert signal to one or both of said two persons.

2. Apparatus comprising, in combination,

a long range communications network,

a plurality of portable electronic devices, each given one of said devices comprising:

a short range radio transmitter for transmitting a unique identification code value that identifies said given one of said devices,

a short range radio receiver capable of detecting and storing received identification code values transmitted by other ones of said devices that are nearby, and

a long range communications interface coupled to said long range communications network comprising;

means for transmitting one or more notification messages over said long range communication network, said notification messages including the unique identification code value identifying said given one of said electronic devices and one or more or said received identification code values, and

means for receiving an alert message via said long range communication network, and

a server connected to a long range communication network, said server comprising;

a database for storing profile data which describes each or said devices or one or more users of each of said devices,

a message receiver coupled to said long range communications network for receiving one or more notification messages from said devices,

processing means coupled to said message receiver and to said database for generating an new alert message when the profile data for two nearby ones of said devices satisfy a predtermined matching criteria, and

a message transmitter for transmitting said new alert message via said long range communications network to one or both of said two nearby ones of said devices.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said short range radio transmitter and said short range radio receiver employ the Bluetooth protocol and said unique identification code is the Bluetooth device address of said given one of said devices.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each given one of said devices further includes a memory for storing recently received identification code values and wherein said means for transmitting one or more notification messages transmits a notification message when an identification code value newly received by said receiving means does not match any of said recently received identification code values in said memory.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein one or more of said notification messages contains a mode indication value that characterizes the current operating mode of said given one of said devices.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said profile data comprises, for each individual one of said devices, the unique identification code value that identifies said individual one of said devices and further comprises attribute data that describes said individual one of said devices or one or more users of each of said individual one of said devices.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said profile data further comprises, for each individual one of said devices, preference values which indicate the desired characteristics of other ones of said devices as specified by the profile data stored in said database for said other ones of said devices.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each alert message contains information derived from the profile data stored in said database for one or both of said two nearby ones of said devices.