MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE, COMPUTER EXECUTABLE PROGRAM FOR EXCHANGING PERSONAL INFORMATION, AND METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EXCHANGING PERSONAL INFORMATION

• US 20090186603A1
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ueda, Kazunori, Kawakami, Takashi, Kawamura, Makoto, Kunieda, Shunsuke, Usami, Takayuki, Nishibe, Mitsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A mobile terminal device that has a short range wireless communications unit performing short range wireless communications. A personal information storage unit storing a set of simple personal information relevant to the user of the mobile terminal device and a set of contact information for the user attached to the set of simple personal information and inhibited from being displayed on a device receiving this information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device comprising:

a short range wireless communications unit performing short range wireless communications;

a personal information storage unit adapted to store a set of simple personal information relevant to the user of the mobile terminal device and a set of contact information for the user attached to the set of simple personal information and inhibited from being displayed on a device receiving this information;

a sending/receiving control module controlling said short range wireless communications unit to send the set of simple personal information and the set of contact information stored in said personal information storage unit to a peer device with which the mobile terminal device is in communication to exchange personal information and controlling said short range wireless communications unit to receive a set of simple personal information and a set of contact information relevant to and provided by a peer user;

an automatically grouping and registering module grouping and registering respective sets of simple personal information and respective sets of contact information for respective peer users with whom the user exchanged personal information, received for a predetermined period of time through the short range wireless communications unit, into a storage unit; and

a display control module displaying, from among the sets of simple personal information and the sets of contact information for peer users in a group registered in the storage unit by the automatically grouping and registering module, only the sets of simple personal information on a display unit.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

the personal information storage unit is further adapted to store a set of detailed personal information for the user together with the set of simple personal information and the set of contact information; and

the mobile terminal device further comprises,

a wireless communications unit performing wireless communications via a wireless base station, and

a communication control module that, when a desired set of simple personal information for a peer user is selected from among the sets of simple personal information for peer users in a group displayed on the display unit and a request is made to send the set of the user'"'"'s detailed personal information, controls the wireless communications unit to send the set of detailed personal information stored in the personal information storage unit to a recipient contact designated by the contact information attached to the selected set of simple personal information for a peer user.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein:

the set of contact information for the user of the mobile terminal device stored in the personal information storage unit and the set of contact information for a peer user each include a user identifier assigned to each user from a server device on a certain network, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the server device, and an e-mail address registered associated with the user identifier in a database on the server device; and

the communication control module, when sending the set of detailed personal information to a peer user through the wireless communications unit, accesses the server device based on the URL and sends the user identifier of the peer user, the user identifier of the user of the mobile terminal device, and the set of detailed personal information to the server device, thereupon, the sever device, after completing user authentication based on the user identifiers of each user, retrieves the e-mail address of the peer user from the database based on the user identifier of the peer user, and forwards the set of detailed personal information to the e-mail address.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein:

a validity period within which simple personal information is allowed to be displayed is attached to at least the respective sets of simple personal information for peer users; and

the mobile terminal device further comprises,

a timer counting the present time, and

an erasure control module controlling the storage unit to erase a set of simple personal information whose validity period has been exceeded beyond the present time counted by the timer unit.

5. A computer executable program for exchanging personal information, comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer of a mobile terminal device, cause a processor of the computer to perform the following:

controlling a short range wireless communications means so that, from a personal information storage means in which a set of simple personal information relevant to the user of the mobile terminal device and a set of contact information for the user attached to the set of simple personal information and inhibited from being displayed on a device receiving this information, the communications means sends the set of simple personal information and the set of contact information to a peer device with which the mobile terminal device is in communication to exchange personal information and receives a set of simple personal information and a set of contact information relevant to and provided by a peer user;

grouping and registering respective sets of simple personal information and respective sets of contact information for respective peer users with whom the user exchanged personal information, received for a predetermined period of time through the short range wireless communications means, into a storage means; and

displaying, from among the sets of simple personal information and the sets of contact information for peer users in a group registered in the storage means, only the sets of simple personal information on a display means.

6. The computer executable program for exchanging personal information according to claim 5, wherein:

in the personal information storage means, a set of detailed personal information for the user is stored together with the set of simple personal information and the set of contact information; and

the instructions are further adapted to cause the processor to control a wireless communications means which performs wireless communications via a wireless base station, so that, when a desired set of simple personal information for a peer user is selected from among the sets of simple personal information for peer users in a group displayed on the display means and a request is made to send the set of the user'"'"'s detailed personal information, the communications means sends the set of detailed personal information stored in the personal information storage means to a recipient contact designated by the contact information attached to the selected set of simple personal information for a peer user.

7. The computer executable program for exchanging personal information according to claim 6, wherein:

the set of contact information for the user stored in the personal information storage means and the set of contact information for a peer user each include a user identifier assigned to each user from a server device on a certain network, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the server device, and an e-mail address registered associated with the user identifier in a database on the server device; and

the instructions are further adapted to cause the processor to control the wireless communications unit to access the server device based on the URL and send the user identifier of the peer user, the user identifier of the user of the mobile terminal device, and the set of detailed personal information to the server device.

8. The computer executable program for exchanging personal information according to claim 5, wherein:

a validity period within which simple personal information is allowed to be displayed is attached to at least the respective sets of simple personal information for peer users; and

the instructions are further adapted to cause the processor to control the storage means to erase a set of simple personal information whose validity period has been exceeded beyond the present time counted by a timer means.

9. A method for exchanging personal information between mobile terminal devices, comprising the steps of:

controlling a short range wireless communications means so that, from a personal information storage means in which a set of simple personal information relevant to the user of a mobile terminal device and a set of contact information for the user attached to the set of simple personal information and inhibited from being displayed on a device receiving this information, the communications means sends the set of simple personal information and the set of contact information to a peer device with which the mobile terminal device is in communication to exchange personal information and receives a set of simple personal information and a set of contact information relevant to and provided by a peer user;

grouping and registering respective sets of simple personal information and respective sets of contact information for respective peer users with whom the user exchanged personal information, received for a predetermined period of time through the short range wireless communications means, into a storage means; and

displaying, from among the sets of simple personal information and the sets of contact information for peer users in a group registered in the storage means, only the sets of simple personal information on a display means.

10. A system for personal information exchange between mobile terminal devices, comprising:

mobile terminal devices; and

a server device,

each mobile terminal device including,

a short range wireless communications unit performing short range wireless communications,

a wireless communications unit performing wireless communications via a wireless base station,

a personal information storage unit adapted to store a set of simple personal information relevant to the user of the mobile terminal device, a set of contact information for the user including a user identifier assigned to each user from a server device on a certain network, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the server device, and an e-mail address registered associated with the user identifier in a database on the server device, wherein the set of contact information is attached to the set of simple personal information and inhibited from being displayed on a device receiving this information, and a set of detailed personal information for the user,

a sending/receiving control module controlling the short range wireless communications unit to send the set of simple personal information and the set of contact information stored in the personal information storage unit at the time of exchanging personal information and controlling the short range wireless communications unit to receive a set of simple personal information and a set of contact information relevant to and provided by a peer user,

an automatically grouping and registering module grouping and registering respective sets of simple personal information and respective sets of contact information for respective peer users with whom the user exchanged personal information, received for a predetermined period of time through the short range wireless communications unit, into a storage unit,

a display control module displaying, from among the sets of simple personal information and the sets of contact information for peer users in a group registered in the storage unit by the automatically grouping and registering module, only the sets of simple personal information on a display unit, and

a communication control module that, when a desired set of simple personal information for a peer user is selected from among the sets of simple personal information for peer users in a group displayed on the display unit and a request is made to send the set of the user'"'"'s detailed personal information, controls the wireless communications unit to access the server device based on the URL from the set of contact information attached to the selected set of simple personal information and send the user identifier of the peer user, the user identifier of the user of the mobile terminal device, and the set of detailed personal information to the server device;

the server device including,

a user identifier issuance unit that issues and delivers a user identifier to a mobile terminal device,

a database adapted to store the e-mail address of each user associated with each user identifier issued by the user identifier issuance unit,

a user authentication unit that, upon receiving the user identifier of the peer user, the user identifier of the user of the mobile terminal device, and the set of detailed personal information from the mobile terminal device, performs user authentication based on the user identifier of the user of the mobile terminal device by referring to the database, and

a forwarding unit that, when the user of the mobile terminal user has been authenticated as a valid user by the user authentication unit, retrieves the e-mail address of the peer user from the database based on the user identifier of the peer user, and forwards the set of detailed personal information for the user of the mobile terminal device to the e-mail address.