Group Formation Using Anonymous Broadcast Information

• US 20100070758A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jain, Gaurav, Bush, Jeff, Huang, Ronald Keryuan, Gosnell, Jason, Low, Daryl Mun-Kid, Mishra, Puneet
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A number of devices co-located at a geographic location can broadcast and receive tokens. Tokens can be exchanged using a communication link having limited communication range. Tokens that are received by a device can be stored locally on the device and/or transmitted to a trusted service operating remotely on a network. In some implementations, the tokens can be stored with corresponding timestamps to assist a trusted service in matching or otherwise correlating the tokens with other tokens provided by other devices. The trusted service can perform an analysis on the tokens and timestamps to identify devices that were co-located at the geographic location at or around a contact time which can be defined by the timestamps. A group can be created based on results of the analysis. Users can be identified as members of the group and invited to join the group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving tokens and corresponding timestamps from devices;

identifying devices that have exchanged one or more tokens at a time, or in a time frame, determined by the timestamps;

identifying users associated with the identified devices; and

creating a group for the identified users.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a geographic location of the identified devices; and

targeting users in the group with location based services based on the geographic location.

3. The method of claim 2, where targeting further comprises:

sending content to one or more users in the group.

4. The method of claim 1, where the tokens comprise cryptographic material.

5. The method of claim 1, where the tokens are periodically changed.

6. The method of claim 1, where the devices include one or more of wireless devices and wired devices.

7. The method of claim 2, where the geographic location is provided by an access device or based on the location of an access device.

8. A method performed by a device, comprising:

exchanging tokens with a number of devices;

sending the tokens and corresponding timestamps to a trusted service; and

receiving from the trusted service, information describing a group of users associated with devices that exchanged tokens.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving from the trusted service, an invitation to join the group of users;

receiving input accepting the invitation to join;

sending the input to the trusted service; and

receiving from the trusted service, information confirming that the user has joined the group.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending location information to the trusted service; and

receiving a location-based service or content based on the location information.

11. The method of claim 8, where exchanging tokens further comprises:

broadcasting cryptographic tokens.

12. The method of claim 11, where the cryptographic tokens are periodically changed.

13. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving tokens and corresponding timestamps from devices;

identifying devices that have exchanged one or more tokens at a time, or in a time frame, determined by the timestamps;

identifying users associated with the identified devices; and

creating a group for the identified users.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a geographic location of the identified devices; and

targeting users in the group with location based services based on the geographic location.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where targeting further comprises:

sending content to one or more users in the group.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the tokens comprise cryptographic material.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the tokens are periodically changed.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the geographic location is provided by an access device or based on the location of an access device.

19. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

exchanging tokens with a number of devices;

sending the tokens and corresponding timestamps to a trusted service; and

receiving from the trusted service, information describing a group of users associated with devices that exchanged tokens.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving from the trusted service, an invitation to join the group of users;

receiving input accepting the invitation to join;

sending the input to the trusted service; and

receiving from the trusted service, information confirming that the user has joined the group.

21. The computer-readable medium method of claim 19, further comprising:

sending location information to the trusted service; and

receiving a location-based service or content based on the location information.

22. The computer-readable medium method of claim 19, where exchanging tokens further comprises:

broadcasting cryptographic tokens.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, where the cryptographic tokens are periodically changed.