Proxy-based profile management to deliver personalized services

• US 20060020508A1
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patron, David, Arellano, Javier B., Gorti, Sreenivasa Rao, VanVleck, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,854,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A third-party profile service based on a proxy server model is described, where a user'"'"'s profile service resides at a URL, in contrast to a profile service that requires federation identity. A profile service is provided that augments location-based services offered by service providers targeting mobile users via, for example, wireless and Wifi Networks. Additional personalization is driven by identity/profile services. Participants in the scenario are not required to share an identity or profile (i.e., static federation is not required). The user establishes a single profile with a trusted provider, hands-off solicitations to a profile agent that operates on behalf of the user to apply policies and preferences. The agent also provides privacy and anonymity (opaqueness).

Claims

1. A method of e-commerce wherein a merchant discovers the presence of a user'"'"'s mobile device and sends through the device to the user an offer of goods or services, the method comprising the steps of:

discovering the device;

obtaining a URL to the user'"'"'s profile agent;

querying the profile agent for the user'"'"'s profile;

applying the user'"'"'s profile preferences and policies to filter the profile information retrieved by the agent;

delivering a personalized offer to the agent based on the profile information; and

determining whether to deliver the offer to the user'"'"'s device based on the profile preferences and policies.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting an acceptance of the offer to the merchant; and

receiving an offer confirmation from the merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying the user'"'"'s profile preferences and policies to filter the profile information retrieved by the agent, and the step of determining whether to deliver the offer to the user'"'"'s device based on the profile preferences and policies, are performed by the profile agent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed over a public mobile network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network is a WiFi network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of discovering the device is accomplished by means of Bluetooth®

technology.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the profile agent URL is obtained during the discovery negotiation protocol.

8. A network architecture for XML-based Web services and information exchange, whereby a Web service provider detects and interacts with a mobile device having a non-federated user identity, the architecture comprising:

a profile configuration interface to input profile preferences and policies for the non-federated user identity;

a profile database that stores the profile policies and preferences input at the interface;

a profile agent that mediates the exchange of Web services and information between the service provider and the non-federated user identity according the profile preferences and policies; and

a profile agent URL.

9. The architecture of claim 8, further comprising a client on the user device that supports user interaction with the profile agent.

10. The architecture of claim 8, wherein the profile configuration is linked to Smartpages®

to retrieve requested information.

11. The architecture of claim 8, wherein the profile configuration is linked to a UDDI catalogue database to retrieve requested information.

12. The architecture of claim 8, wherein the architecture supports wireless discovery of the mobile user device.

13. The architecture of claim 8, wherein the mobile user device supports a web browser.

14. The architecture of claim 8, wherein the service provider and the user device interact wirelessly.

15. The architecture of claim 14, further comprising Bluetooth®

technology.

16. The architecture of claim 14, further comprising cellular device discovery technology.

17. The architecture of claim 14, further comprising WiFi.

18. A media network whereby a Web service provider interacts with a user medium via the network to offer services to a non-federated user identity, wherein each medium of the network reads computer-readable program code that programs the medium to perform selected functions, and further wherein the selected functions of the media comprise:

providing a profile configuration interface to configure user profile policies and preferences;

storing the profile policies and preferences in a database;

directing a profile request from the service provider to a URL having a profile agent resident thereon;

running the profile agent to optionally accept profile requests and offers from a service provider, apply the profile policies and preferences to filter queries and offers from the service provider, provides information permitted by the profile policies to the service provider, and exchange services and information with the user medium; and

applying an XML-based definition of the exchanged services and information.

19. The media network of claim 18, wherein the functions further comprise running a profile agent client on the user device.

20. The media network of claim 18, wherein the media comprises a proxy agent.

21. The media network of claim 18, wherein the user medium comprises a mobile device.

22. The media network of claim 18, wherein at least two media of the network are wirelessly networked.

23. The media network of claim 18, wherein the wirelessly networked mediums comprise Bluetooth®

.

24. The media network of claim 18, wherein the functions further comprise cellular device discovery.

25. The media network of claim 18, further comprising WiFi wireless communication between at least two media of the network.

26. The media network of claim 18, wherein the functions further comprise wireless discovery of a mobile user medium of the network.

27. A medium that reads computer-readable programming code, wherein the code programs the medium to perform programmed functions, and further wherein the functions comprise:

accepting profile configuration input, wherein the input comprises profile policies and preferences, and further wherein the profile corresponds to a non-federated identity;

storing the profile policies and preferences in a database;

communicating a profile agent URL to a service provider in connection with the wireless discovery by the service provider of a mobile device of the non-federated identity; and

running the profile agent that optionally accepts profile queries from the service provider;

applies the profile policies and preferences to filter queries from the service provider, and retrieves information permitted by the profile policies to the service provider.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the agent further comprises a mobile agent.

29. The medium of claim 27, wherein the non-federated identity is opaque.

30. The medium of claim 27, wherein the medium wirelessly communicates with the device of the non-federated identity.

31. The medium of claim 30, wherein the communication is exchanged over a public mobile network.