Networking by matching profile information over a data packet-network and a local area network

• US 6,690,918 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Benhov GmbH, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: SoundStarts, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, Michael, Johnson, Gary, Evans, Robert, Carinalli, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Vivan
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAVER, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US09/755,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20020090911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1-41.3,418,419,420,466,426.1,552.1,557,556.1,556.2,560 379/201.02-201.04
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A system for anonymously initiating communication between system-connected communications devices is provided wherein the initiation of communication results from comparison and priority matching of profile information shared between the devices. The system in one aspect comprises at least two communications devices connected to the system, the communications devices having at least a microprocessor, a data-input mechanism, a display screen, a wireless local-area-network protocol application enhanced with short-wave radio communication capability installed per instance to each of the devices, and a profile comparison and matching application installed per instance to each of the devices. When any two of the devices come into short-wave radio range of each other, the devices activated, a wireless local-area-network is established and the in-range devices swap profiles, which are compared to profiles held locally on each device such that a profile match registering on at least one device enables the device matching the profile to signal the sending device of the matched profile in order to request communication between the devices.

Claims

1. A method for initiating communication between at least two users of two or more users operating communications devices, at least one of which is a cellular telephone device, on a local area network (LAN) connected to a cellular telephone network having gateway access to the Internet network, the communication advanced according to priority profile exchange and matching between the users comprising the steps of:

(a) activating the communications devices to exchange profile information with each other;

(b) receiving profiles, each communications device receiving profiles from other participating communications devices, including the cellular telephone receiving profiles from a Web server in the Internet;

(c) comparing the received profiles to local profiles stored on each of the participating communications devices or on the Web server in the Internet network, the matching performed according to priority criteria;

(d) registering at least one match of profiles on at least one of the communications devices or on the Web server;

(e) identifying the sending device of the highest priority profile matched either at the local device or at the Web server; and

(f) initiating communication between the communications devices involved in the profile match, the communication initiated from the device registering the profile match or by the Web server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local-area-network is a wireless network using short-wave radio technology.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein in step (a), activation of the communications devices and detection of other devices within range constitutes the local-area-network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein in step (a), the communications devices have a microprocessor, a display, an input control mechanism, and a wireless local-area-network protocol embedded in the microprocessor.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein in step (a), the wireless local-area-network protocol is a firmware installable to the device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein in step (b), the received profiles are real profiles.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein in step (c), the local profiles are request profiles.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications network further comprises a wireless data-packet-network connected to the local-area-network and accessible from the Internet network and wherein at least one of the communications devices is a Web-enabled hand-held computer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the Web-enabled hand-held computer is adapted to perform steps (c) through (f) on behalf of other communications devices.

10. A system for anonymously initiating communication between system-connected communications devices including one or both of Web-enabled cellular telephones and Web-enabled hand-held computers having voice communication capability using short-wave radio technology, the initiation of communication resulting from comparison and priority matching of profile information shared between the devices comprising:

at least two communications devices connected to the system, the communications devices having at least a microprocessor, a data-input mechanism, and a display screen;

a wireless local-area-network protocol application enhanced with short-wave radio communication capability installed per instance to each of the devices;

a computerized host node connected to the system, the host node enabled for profile comparison and matching on behalf of the communications devices and having a connection to a communications server also accessible by the communication devices, the server maintained on the Internet, the communications server for storing profile information and for enabling system extension to remote Internet users accessing the server; and

a profile comparison and matching application installed per instance to each of the devices, to the host node and to the Internet file server, characterized in that when any two of the devices come into short-wave radio range of each other, with the devices activated, a wireless local-area-network is established and the in-range devices swap profiles, which are compared to profiles held locally on each device such that a profile match registering on at least one device enables the device matching the profile to signal the sending device of the matched profile in order to request communication between the devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless local-area-network application and the profile comparison and matching application are integrated as one application.