Mobile Application for Proximity Based Awareness System

• US 20110302504A1
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Unsocial, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Unsocial, Inc.
• Inventors: Khare, Santosh, Modak, Kiran, Richardson, Justin
• Application Number:
  US13/156,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302504A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A proximity-based awareness system that includes a mobile computing device for each user and a system server in communication with the mobile devices. The system server may enable the user to create and edit a personal profile; broadcast the profile to another user; enable the user to search for and view another'"'"'s personal profile and an event profile; bookmark an interesting event and an interesting user based on keywords; store a profile image or profile video associated with the user, and designate a virtual presence at a location. Each mobile device includes a processor that may determine the location of the user; provide an interface to enable the user to interact with the system server, transmit information to the system server, and display information received from the system server; and allow the user to enter keywords. As such, the system allows users to become aware of other nearby users.

Claims

1. A proximity-based awareness system for a group of users, the group of users including an illustrative user and other users, the system comprising a mobile computing device for each user in the group of users and a system server, where:

(a) the system server is remote from but in communication with each mobile computing device, the system server includes a database, and the system server performs the steps of;

(i) enabling the illustrative user to create and edit a personal profile of the illustrative user containing information about the illustrative user,

(ii) enabling the illustrative user to select a privacy setting to limit a shareable level of information about the illustrative user in the illustrative user'"'"'s personal profile,

(iii) broadcasting the illustrative user'"'"'s personal profile to at least one of the other users based on the privacy setting, each of the other users having a respective other user'"'"'s personal profile,

(iv) enabling the illustrative user to search for and view at least one other user'"'"'s personal profile,

(v) enabling the illustrative user to search for and view an event profile, the event profile being associated with an event occurring within a proximity boundary, the proximity boundary being a predetermined distance from the mobile computing device of the illustrative user,

(vi) enabling the illustrative user to disclose to the other users an intention to attend the event, the intention to attend the event being visible to the other users upon viewing the event profile,

(vii) automatically bookmarking an interesting event based on one or more keywords previously provided by the user,

(viii) automatically identifying an interesting other user based on the one or more keywords,

(ix) storing a profile image associated with the illustrative user,

(x) storing a profile video associated with the illustrative user, and

(xi) recording the identifying information for the first geographic location in the database;

(b) each mobile computing device has a processor, and the processor performs the steps of;

(i) determining a first geographic location of the illustrative user by executing an application programming interface (API) to access a geo-locating application,

(ii) transmitting identifying information for the first geographic location to the system server,

(iii) providing an interface to enable the illustrative user to interact with the system server, transmit information to the system server, and display information received from the system server,

(iv) displaying at least one other user'"'"'s personal profile,

(v) displaying the profile image,

(vi) displaying the profile video,

(vii) displaying the event profile,

(viii) displaying a list of users present and virtually present within the proximity boundary, the list including an indicator showing which of the group of users is present and which of the group of users is virtually present,

(ix) allowing the user to enter the one or more keywords; and

(c) the system server also performing the steps on

(i) automatically registering the illustrative user based on the first geographic location of the illustrative user, and

(ii) designating a virtual presence at a second geographic location that is distinct from the first geographic location.