IMPROVED SHORT RANGE CONNECTIVITY USABILITY BY USING CONTACT INFORMATION

• US 20070293193A1
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hansson, Emil, Ramsten, Fredrik
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method and computer application for local communication between electronic equipment in a user-friendly manner. In one aspect of the invention, a mobile telephone initiates a search for electronic equipment having a predetermined modality and within communication range of the mobile telephone. Electronic equipment capable of responding to the request transmit information through a local interface adapter. Such information may include, for example, a unique identifier that may include a telephone number, session initiation protocol (SIP) address of the electronic equipment, user social security number, user and/or contact biometric information, and the like. By receiving the unique identifier of the electronic equipment, the mobile telephone may search an associated electronic phonebook application to identify contact information associated with the unique identifier. For example, if the unique identifier is stored in the electronic phonebook application of the mobile telephone, the mobile telephone may display a user-friendly designation corresponding to contact information previously stored in the electronic phonebook to the associated user of the mobile telephone 10.

Claims

1. A method of exchanging information, the method comprising:

providing a mobile telephone having a local interface adapter and an electronic phonebook application;

detecting at least one electronic device within a communication range through the local interface adapter;

receiving a unique identifier from the at least one electronic device;

determining whether the unique identifier is stored in the electronic phonebook application, wherein the electronic phonebook application includes contact information including one or more unique identifiers associated with at least one contact;

selecting the at least one electronic device within the communication range; and

exchanging information with the selected contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a telephone number associated with the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a session initiation protocol address associated with the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is biometric information associated with the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1 further including displaying a query on a display of the mobile telephone in a user-sensible format to an associated user prior to the step of selecting the at least one electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one from the group consisting of:

an image, a multimedia file, a text message, a command line interface prompt or a vCard.

7. The method of claim 1 further including receiving user input from a user input device of the mobile telephone in response to receiving the unique identifier from the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user input corresponds to a user-friendly designation representing at least one of the electronic device or the contact associated with the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8 further including storing the user input in the electronic phonebook application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the received information is an electronic business card of an associated user of the at least one electronic device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic business card includes a user-friendly designation representing at least one of the electronic device or the contact.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of electronic devices are selected.

13. The method of claim 1 further including prompting an associated user to associate the at least a portion of the received information with the contact in the electronic phonebook.

14. A method of exchanging information, the method comprising:

transmitting a request for information from a mobile telephone, where the request is transmitted through a local area adapter associated with the mobile telephone;

receiving unique identification information in response to the request for information from at least one electronic device with a communication range;

determining that information associated with the at least one electronic device has previously been stored in the electronic phonebook application of the mobile telephone;

providing an indication that the electronic device is stored in the electronic phonebook application.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the unique identification information includes a telephone number associated with the at least one electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15 further including exchanging information between the mobile telephone and the at least one electronic device and displaying a user-friendly designation associated with the at least one electronic device during at least a portion of the transmission.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the unique identification information includes a session initiation protocol address.

18. The method of claim 14 further including selecting at least one electronic device within the communication range;

and exchanging information with the selected electronic device.

19. The method of claim 18 further including transmitting information from the mobile telephone in a Bluetooth protocol to the at least one electronic device previously stored in the electronic phonebook application of the mobile telephone and within the communication range.

20. A computer program stored on a machine readable medium, the program being suitable for use in an electronic equipment having an electronic phonebook application, wherein when the electronic equipment transmits a discovery request through a local interface adapter at least one electronic device in a communication range transmits a unique identifier in response to the discovery, wherein the electronic equipment associates contact information stored in the electronic phonebook application with the received unique identifier.

21. The computer program of claim 20, wherein the unique identifier received from the at least on electronic device is at least one selected from the group consisting of a telephone number, a session initiation protocol address and/or biometric information associated with the electronic device.