Methods and apparatus for organizing and presenting contact information in a mobile communication system

• US 20070150444A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pascal Chesnais, Sean Wheeler, Steven Pomeroy
• Original Assignee: Gazdzinski & Associates PC
• Inventors: Chesnais, Pascal, Wheeler, Sean, Pomeroy, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for gathering, organizing and displaying contact information in a mobile communications network. In one embodiment, a method for operating a mobile communication network includes an information server and a mobile communications device coupled to the service via a wireless connection. The method comprises transmitting a location identifier message including a current location from the mobile communications device to the server via the wireless link. The mobile device also transmits a list of contacts to the server via the wireless link. The contacts are matched with the location using a location database maintained for other mobile communications devices in order to generate a list of proximate users. Alternatively, the contact list can be based upon cognitive or psychographic proximity (versus merely physical proximity). The list of proximate users is transmitted to the mobile communications device, and the list is displayed in an easily perceived fashion based on user preferences.

Claims

1. In a mobile communications network, said network including an information server and a mobile communications device coupled to said server via at least a wireless link, a method of operating comprising:

transmitting a message including proximity-related information from said mobile communications device to said server via said at least wireless link;

transmitting a list of contacts from said mobile communication device to said server via said at least wireless link;

matching said contacts with said proximity-related information using data maintained for other communications devices to generate a list of proximate users;

transmitting said list of proximate users to said mobile communications device; and

displaying at least a portion of said list of proximate users on said mobile communications device.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said mobile communication device comprises a cellular telephone, and said at least wireless link comprises a cellular air interface selected form the group consisting of:

(i) CDMA;

(ii) GSM, and (iii) UMTS.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said proximity-related information comprises location information, and said act of matching comprises:

determining at least one coordinate for each contact in said list of contacts, said at least one coordinate selected from the group consisting of;

(i) longitude-latitude, (ii) GPS coordinates, and (iii) UTM coordinates;

computing a distance from a current location for said mobile communications device derived from said location information to said at least one coordinate; and

removing contacts having a distance that that does not meet one or more screening criteria.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

obtaining a set of landmarks from a landmark location database, said set of landmarks being within a boundary distance said current location;

assigning contacts that have not been removed via said act of removing to at least one cluster name, said at least one cluster name corresponding to a landmark obtained from said set of landmarks.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said act of computing also comprises determining a true proximity by including a weighting factor for obstacles located between said current location and said at least one coordinate.

6. The method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising displaying said set of landmarks along with said list of proximate users on said mobile communications device.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said proximity-related information is derived at least in part from participation of said mobile device in an ad hoc wireless network.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said contacts are displayed in at least one cluster, wherein the configuration of said at least one cluster on a display is based at least in part on the number of contacts present in that at least one cluster.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said at least one cluster comprises a plurality of clusters displayed in a grid format.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein only cluster information is displayed for each contact, and specific location information for said contacts is maintained undisclosed.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said proximity-related information comprises information relating to the cognitive proximity of one or more contacts to a user of said mobile communications device.

12. A mobile communications device for communicating with a network, said mobile communications device having an input device and a display device, said mobile communications device comprising:

a microprocessor adapted to run client software;

client software configured to;

transmit a list of contacts from said mobile communications device to a server;

receive a list of proximate users from said server; and

display said list of proximate users on said mobile communications device; and

position location apparatus in data communication with said microprocessor and adapted to determine the location of the mobile communications device.

13. The mobile communications device as set forth in claim 12, wherein said list of proximate users comprises a list of users who are located within a prescribed distance from said mobile communications device.

14. The mobile communications device as set forth in claim 12, wherein a distance between said mobile communications device and one of said contacts is calculated by weighting any distance across water more heavily than any distance across land.

15. The mobile communications device as set forth in claim 12, wherein said client software is further adapted to transmit the location of said mobile communication device to a server via a wireless link, said wireless link comprising a cellular air interface selected form the group consisting of:

(i) CDMA;

(ii) GSM, and (iii) UMTS.

16. The mobile communications device as set forth in claim 12, wherein said proximate users are grouped into clusters based on their proximity to one or more landmarks.

17. The mobile communications device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said clusters are displayed in a grid format.

18. The mobile communications device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said clusters are displayed over a geographical map received from said server.

19. A server for use in a mobile communications network, said mobile communications network providing communications services to a plurality of mobile communications devices, said server comprising:

a microprocessor configured for executing software instructions;

server software, running on said microprocessor, said server software comprising at least one software module adapted to;

receive a location identifier message, including a current location, from a mobile communications device from said plurality of mobile communication devices;

receive a list of contacts from said mobile communication device;

match said contacts with said current location using a location database maintained for other mobile communications devices to generate a list of proximate users; and

transmit said list of proximate users to said mobile communications device.

20. The server as set forth in claim 19, wherein said server software is further configured to:

determine the coordinates for each contact in said list of contacts;

compute a distance from said current location to each of said coordinates; and

remove those contacts having a distance that is greater than a threshold distance.

21. The server as set forth in claim 20, wherein said server software is further adapted to:

determine a set of landmarks from a landmark location database within a boundary distance said current location; and

assign contacts that have not been removed to one or more clusters that correspond to a landmark within said set of landmarks.

22. The server as set forth in claim 20, wherein said server software is further adapted to determine a true proximity by including a weighting factor for obstacles located between said current location and said coordinates.

23. The server as set forth in claim 22, wherein one of said obstacles comprises a body of water, and the distance across said body of water is given greater weight than a distance across land.

24. The server as set forth in claim 19, wherein said server software is further for configured to receive user preference information from a plurality of said mobile communications device, and store said user preference information on a per-user or per-device basis.

25. The server as set forth in claim 19, wherein said server software is further configured to retrieve information relating to a geographical area proximate to a mobile communications device requesting a buddy list, and transmit said information to said requesting mobile communications device.

26. In a mobile communications network, said network including an information server and a mobile communications device coupled to said server via at least a wireless link, a method of operating said mobile communications device, comprising:

transmitting a message including proximity-related information from said mobile communications device to said server via said at least wireless link;

transmitting a list of contacts from said mobile communication device to said server via said at least wireless link;

receiving data at said mobile device, said data being used by said mobile device to provide a plurality of proximate users to the user of said mobile communications device, said proximate users being at least one of;

(i) geographically proximate;

or (ii) cognitively proximate; and

displaying to said user of said mobile communications device presence information relating to one or more of said proximate users.