System and method for generating a list of devices in physical proximity of a terminal

• US 20060009155A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paalasmaa, Joonas, Sorvari, Antti, Salmenkaita, Jukka-Pekka
• Granted Patent: US 7,336,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

This invention relates to generating a list of devices in physical proximity of each other and utilizing said list, for example, for sharing of content between a plurality of mobile devices applying individual media items such as address book entries, calendar entries, and/or Short Messaging Services (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) utilizing a communication network to identify one or more devices in physical proximity of a terminal;

(b) generating a list of said identified one or more devices in response to a user controlled operation of said terminal; and

(c) associating said list with said user controlled operation.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said user controlled operation has a recording nature and provides an item.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said item comprises a text recording, an image recording, an audio recording or any combination thereof.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprises selecting one or more recipients from said list and sharing an item with said one or more recipients.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said communications network comprises a Bluetooth network, wireless local area network, a mobile telecommunications network, an inter-network such as the Internet, or any combination thereof.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said identifying one or more devices comprises receiving a communication network identity for a device in physical proximity of said terminal.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said communication network identity comprises Bluetooth ID, radio frequency ID, wireless communication protocol ID, cell ID, or any combination thereof.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said physical proximity is defined by a transmission range within said communications network, by a border at a geographical distance from said terminal, or by any combination thereof.

9. A method according to claim 6, further comprises associating said communication network identity of said device with a personal identity of a user of said device.

10. A method according to claim 9 further comprises associating said personal identity with a sharing means.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said sharing means comprises a short messaging services message, a multimedia messaging services message, an email, a server system having a shared memory accessible by said terminal and said one or more devices, or any combination thereof.

12. A method according to claim 2, further comprises clustering said item with any other item of said terminal according to recording time of said item and said any other item.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said clustering further comprises clustering said item with any other item of said terminal according to associated geographical recording position of said terminal.

14. A method according to claim 2 further comprises drafting a sharing message comprising said item or a link to a shared memory storing said item.

15. A system comprising:

(a) means for utilizing a communication network to identify one or more devices in physical proximity of said terminal;

(b) means for generating a list of said identified one or more devices in response to a user operation of said terminal; and

(c) means for associating said list with said user controlled operation.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein said user controlled operation has a recording nature and provides an item.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said item comprises a text recording, an image recording, an audio recording or any combination thereof.

18. A system according to claim 15, further comprises a sharing medium for sharing an item with one or more recipients of said list.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein said means for utilizing is located in said terminal, is located in a positioning server communicating with said terminal, or any combination thereof.

20. A system according to claim 15, wherein said means for generating a list is located in said terminal, is located in a positioning server communicating with said terminal, or any combination thereof.

21. A system according to claim 15, wherein said means for utilizing is adapted to communicate a communication network identity for an identified device to said means for generating a list.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein said communication network identity comprises Bluetooth ID, radio frequency ID, wireless communication protocol ID, cell ID, or any combination thereof.

23. A system according to claim 15, wherein said means for generating a list is adapted to receive said communication network identity for said identified device.

24. A system according to claim 15, wherein said communications network comprises a Bluetooth network, a wireless local area network, a mobile telecommunications network, an inter-network such as the Internet, or any combination thereof.

25. A system according to claim 18, wherein said sharing medium comprises a short messaging services message, a multimedia messaging services message, an email, a server system having a shared memory being accessible by said terminal and said one or more devices, or any combination thereof.

26. A system according to claim 15, wherein said one or more devices comprise a communication terminal, such as a mobile or cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a computer, an accessible storage facility, a accessible display facility, a digital television, or any combination thereof.

27. A communication terminal comprising means for utilizing a communication network to identify one or more devices in physical proximity of said terminal;

means for generating a list of said identified one or more devices in response to a user operation of said terminal; and

means for associating said list with said user controlled operation.

28. A communication terminal according to claim 27, wherein said user controlled operation has a recording nature and provides an item.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein said item comprises a text recording an image recording, an audio recording or any combination thereof.

30. A communication terminal according to claim 27, further being adapted to share said item with any of said one or more devices in said list.

31. A communication terminal according to claim 27, wherein said means for utilizing is adapted to receive a communication network identity for an identified device from a positioning server

32. A communication terminal according to claim 27, wherein said means for utilizing is adapted to communicate said communication network identity to said means for generating a list.

33. A communication terminal according to claim 28, wherein said terminal is adapted to cluster said item with any other item of said terminal according to recording time of said item and said any other item.

34. A communication terminal according to claim 33, wherein said terminal is adapted to cluster said item with any other item of said terminal according to associated geographical recording position of said terminal.

35. A communication terminal according to claim 28, wherein said terminal further comprises a message generator adapted to draft a sharing message comprising said item or a link to said shared medium.

36. A communication terminal according to claim 27, wherein said terminal comprises a communication terminal, such as a mobile or cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a computer, an accessible storage facility, a accessible display facility, a digital television, or any combination thereof.

37. A computer program product comprising:

computer code for utilizing a communication network to identify one or more devices in physical proximity of a terminal;

computer code for generating a list of said identified one or more devices in response to a user controlled operation of said terminal; and

computer code for associating said list with said user controlled operation.

38. A computer code product according to claim 37, further comprises computer code for selecting one or more recipients from said list and sharing an item with said one or more recipients.

39. A computer code product according to claim 37, further comprises computer code for associating a communication network identity of said device with a personal identity of a user of said device.