Contact List Sharing Method

• US 20130012121A1
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Li-Hui, Liu, Te-Chuan, Lin, Jen-Chiun, Jan, Cheng-Shiun
• Application Number:
  US13/517,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A virtual group contact list of a first mobile electronic device is generated using a wireless service under the purpose of finding contact information of users not stored in a contact list of the first mobile electronic device, by confirming whether there are other surrounding mobile electronic devices utilizing the wireless communication service and responding to a polling signal from the first mobile electronic device. A user of the first mobile electronic device is able to contact a wanted user whose contact information stored in contact lists of confirmed or identified mobile electronic devices giving responses to the first mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A contact list sharing method using a wireless service, comprising:

broadcasting a polling signal based on a wireless communication protocol by a first mobile electronic device;

confirming, by the first mobile electronic device, whether there is a second mobile electronic device using the wireless communication protocol by receiving a response signal, which is in response to the polling signal, from the second mobile electronic device; and

merging a contact list of the second mobile electronic device into a virtual group contact list of the first mobile electronic device when the first mobile electronic device receives the response signal.

2. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 further comprising merging a contact list of the first mobile electronic device into the virtual group contact list of the first mobile electronic device.

3. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 further comprising:

waiting, by the first mobile electronic device, for a stop instruction of the wireless service; and

removing the contact list of the second mobile electronic device from the virtual group contact list of the first mobile electronic device when the stop instruction is received.

4. The contact list sharing method of claim 3 wherein the stop instruction is triggered by the second mobile electronic device when a signal magnitude of communication between the first mobile electronic device and the second mobile electronic device is weaker than a predetermined magnitude.

5. The contact list sharing method of claim 3 wherein the stop instruction is triggered by the second mobile electronic device deactivating the wireless communication protocol.

6. The contact list sharing method of claim 3 wherein the stop instruction is triggered by the first mobile electronic device.

7. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the second mobile electronic device to issue a request to access to the contact list of the second mobile electronic mobile device; and

receiving by the first mobile electronic device an authorization from the second mobile electronic device for authorizing the access to the contact list of the second mobile electronic mobile device.

8. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 further comprising the second mobile electronic device transmitting the contact list of the second mobile electronic mobile device to the first electronic mobile device by using the wireless communication protocol.

9. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 further comprising the first mobile electronic device transmitting the contact list of the first mobile electronic mobile device to the second electronic mobile device by using the wireless communication protocol.

10. The contact list sharing method of claim 9 further comprising the second mobile electronic device merging the contact list of the first mobile electronic device with a virtual group contact list of the second mobile electronic device.

11. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication protocol is based on Bluetooth, WiFi, or WiFi direct.

12. The contact list sharing method of claim 1 wherein the steps of broadcasting, confirming, and merging is only performed at a predetermined time, a predetermined location, or both.

13. A non-transitory machine readable media comprising:

computer code which when executed by a processor of a first mobile electronic device broadcasts a polling signal based on a wireless communication protocol;

computer code which when executed by a processor confirms, by the first mobile electronic device, whether there is a second mobile electronic device using the wireless communication protocol by receiving a response signal, which is in response to the polling signal, from the second mobile electronic device; and

computer code which when executed by a processor merges a contact list of the second mobile electronic device into a virtual group contact list of the first mobile electronic device when the first mobile electronic device receives the response signal.