Proximity Discovery System and Method
First Claim
1. A proximity discovery system comprising:
- and server for storing contact data; and
a plurality of user devices comprising a first user device and a second user device;
each of the plurality of user devices comprising;
a) an antenna and transceiver for exchanging discovery messages with a plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device;
b) a proximity detector for estimating a distance from the user device to each of the other plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device;
c) a user detection module configured to;
i) generate discovery messages to each of the other plurality of mobile devices; and
ii) detect the discovery messages from each of the other plurality of mobile devices;
iii) wherein the discovery messages consist of a user name and digital photo;
d) a connection module configured, if at least one user requests a connection, to;
i) transmit a user profile to the at least one user requesting the connection; and
ii) receive a user profile from the at least one user requesting the connection;
iii) wherein a user profile comprises user biographic information and user professional information in which social media contact data are shared.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A proximity discovery system enabling a person to quickly and efficiently discover colleagues within their proximity without visual contact is disclosed. The system comprises a mobile computing device including an antenna and transceiver for exchanging messages with a plurality of other mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device, a user detection module for detecting the messages from the other mobile devices, a proximity detector for estimating a distance between the user device and each of the mobile devices, a connection module for sharing biographic and professional information with the plurality of mobile devices based on one of a plurality of connection levels. At a first level, the users exchange name and initial corporate affiliation data, while at a second level they exchange more detailed professional data and social media contact data, for example.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A proximity discovery system comprising:
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and server for storing contact data; and a plurality of user devices comprising a first user device and a second user device; each of the plurality of user devices comprising; a) an antenna and transceiver for exchanging discovery messages with a plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device; b) a proximity detector for estimating a distance from the user device to each of the other plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device; c) a user detection module configured to; i) generate discovery messages to each of the other plurality of mobile devices; and ii) detect the discovery messages from each of the other plurality of mobile devices; iii) wherein the discovery messages consist of a user name and digital photo; d) a connection module configured, if at least one user requests a connection, to; i) transmit a user profile to the at least one user requesting the connection; and ii) receive a user profile from the at least one user requesting the connection; iii) wherein a user profile comprises user biographic information and user professional information in which social media contact data are shared.
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2. The proximity discovery system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of user devices further comprises:
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a camera for capturing a digital image of a paper business card; and an optical character recognition (OCR) module configured to; a) extract a user name and contact information from the digital image; and b) retrieve a user photo from a social media website if said contact information comprises a social media website address.
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3. The proximity discovery system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of user devices further comprises:
an alert generator configured to detect when a person previously determined by a user to be of interest has been detected within approximately a range of approximately 100 meters of the user device, and alerting the user of the proximity of that person of interest.
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4. The proximity discovery system of claim 4, wherein the antenna and transceiver comprise a BLUETOOTH antenna and transceiver.
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5. A proximity discovery system comprising a user device and server for storing contact data, the user device comprising:
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an antenna and transceiver for exchanging discovery messages with a plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device; a user detection module for detecting the discovery messages from each of the plurality of mobile devices; a proximity detector for estimating a distance from the user device to each of the plurality of mobile devices; a connection module for sharing biographic and professional information with the plurality of mobile devices based on one of a plurality of connection levels, wherein the plurality of connection levels comprises a first level in which name and corporate affiliation are shared, and a second level in which social media contact data are shared. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16)
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13. A method of discovering a plurality of mobile devices in proximity of user with a user device, the method comprising:
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transmitting, via an antenna and transceiver, a discovery message to a plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device; receiving, via the antenna and transceiver, a discovery message from a from a plurality of mobile devices within approximately 100 meters of the user device; estimating a distance from the user device to each of the plurality of mobile devices; exchanging biographic and professional information with the plurality of mobile devices based on one of a plurality of connection levels, wherein the plurality of connection levels comprises a first level in which name and corporate affiliation are exchanged, and a second level in which social media contact data are exchanged. - View Dependent Claims (14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification