Telecommunications system and terminal apparatus for exchanging terminal stored information and automatically updating changed information among terminal users

• US 7,158,805 B1
• Filed: 02/10/2000
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smartint Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Smartint Company Limited
• Inventors: Park, Hong-Jo, Kim, Mun-Ki
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Contee; Joy
• Application Number:
  US09/913,164
• Time in Patent Office: 2,518 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/519, 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/527.1, 455/67.7, 455/414.1, 455/419, 455/420, 455/425, 380/247, 380/248, 380/249, 380/277, 380/278, 380/279, 380/282
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A telecommunications terminal apparatus and a terminal-stored information updating system and method is disclosed for automatically distributing terminal-stored information and changes made in terminal-stored information among subscribing user'"'"'s telecommunications terminals. Each telecommunications terminal apparatus includes a memory unit sufficient for storing information, pertaining to at least the subscribing user and one or more other telecommunications terminal apparatus users, such as: concise personal information, detailed personal information, a list of other parties that exchange information with the user, and key information indicative of a level of security or accessibility of information stored therein. Each telecommunications terminal belongs to a group of users handled by a telecommunications subscriber system. More than one subscriber system may be provided to handle multiple groups of users. Dedicated subscriber memory devices are provided within each telecommunications subscriber system for storing at least some of the data stored in corresponding subscribing user'"'"'s telecommunications terminals. A data exchange management system is also provided which maintains a database of registered user'"'"'s terminal-stored information and automatically receives and forwards to selected parties any updates or changes made to that information. In addition, changes to a user'"'"'s terminal-stored information that are input on a registered user'"'"'s terminal are automatically provided to the appropriate subscriber system and updated within the memory unit of all other user'"'"'s terminals which have ever exchanged information with that registered user.

Claims

1. A system for exchanging and automatically updating changes in terminal-stored information among users having a telecommunications terminal apparatus, the system comprising:

a plurality of user telecommunications terminal apparatus each comprising;

a user memory unit having at least personal information and detailed personal information stored therein concerning a terminal user and one or more other parties having a telecommunications terminal apparatus, key information indicative of a preassigned level of accessibility associated with terminal-stored information, and a list of other parties that have exchanged information with said terminal user; and

a control unit for;

controlling a forwarding of changes made to a terminal user'"'"'s stored information or key information to other telecommunications terminals included in the list of other parties whenever said changes are input by said user, and

storing an other party'"'"'s terminal stored information and key information in the user memory unit whenever that information is received;

from said other party and

a telecommunications subscriber system comprising

one or more system subscriber memory units for storing a plurality of user'"'"'s terminal stored information and key information corresponding to a plurality of subscriber telecommunications terminals, and

a subscriber system control unit for;

controlling storage of changed user terminal stored information and key information received from one of the plurality of subscriber telecommunications terminals based for storage in one or more subscriber system memory units based on a corresponding subscribing user'"'"'s key information, and

sending the changed information to all terminal apparatus of said other parties;

wherein the system for exchanging and automatically updating changes in terminal stored information among users further comprises;

one or more other subscriber systems;

a plurality of registered user telecommunications terminal apparatus belonging to a subscriber system; and

a data exchange management system for;

receiving changed terminal stored information, and key information from one or more registered telecommunications terminal apparatus, and

sending changed information to other registered telecommunications terminal apparatus in one or more subscriber systems based on said key information of a corresponding registered terminal apparatus from which the changed information is received.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said terminal stored information comprises concise information, detailed information and key information, and wherein even if changes in a user'"'"'s concise information, detailed information and key information are not input into a registered telecommunications terminal apparatus, the concise information, detailed information, or key information is exchanged between parties when another registered party requests a subscriber system to provide such information.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a terminal apparatus user or other subscribing party may comprise an individual, a legal entity, a governmental organization, a school, a military unit, or other organization.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the data exchange management system further comprises a database for storing IDs which may be used to uniquely specify each of a plurality of users registered in one or more subscriber systems, and telephone numbers, each corresponding to the IDs,

wherein when a user of any one of said registered terminal apparatus in a subscriber system makes a call to another party registered in another subscriber system using only an ID of said another party, the subscriber system of said another party is linked based on a telephone number corresponding to said ID stored in the database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data exchange management system enables a terminal apparatus user to select a calling route when a call is made between telecommunications terminal apparatus of two users.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data exchange management system selects a preferred calling route to be selected according to the based on a prior registration of a caller when a call is linked between telecommunications terminal apparatus of two users.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the data exchange management system includes a database storage and periodically or randomly checks a database corresponding to a subscriber'"'"'s telecommunications terminal apparatus that is registered in another subscriber system in response to a subscribing user'"'"'s update request, and when changes in concise information, detailed information, or key information occur, the data exchange management system stores the changes made to information stored in the subscriber memory of the user'"'"'s subscriber system and also stores the memory unit contents of the corresponding user'"'"'s telecommunications terminal apparatus in said database storage.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the telecommunications terminal apparatus further comprises an information exchange device for or more users allowing an automatic exchange of concise information, detailed information, or key information that is stored in the memory unit of a terminal apparatus directly between any two terminal apparatus when an information exchange mode is set within each terminal apparatus.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data exchange management system further comprises an integrated database for storing data maintained in the memory unit of each registered terminal apparatus and/or in subscriber memory units of one or more subscriber systems.

10. A system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users, the system comprising:

a plurality of user information and telecommunications terminals each comprising a user memory unit for storing concise information or detailed personal information on a user and one or more other parties, key information to determine the access level of the information, and a list of all other parties that have ever exchanged information with the user; and

a user control unit for controlling the sending of changes in the user'"'"'s concise information, detailed information, or key information to all other information and telecommunications terminals included in the list when the changes are input, and storing the other party'"'"'s concise information, detailed information, or key information in the user memory unit when the information are received; and

a subscriber system comprising a plurality of system memory units which store a user'"'"'s concise information, detailed personal information, or key information for each of the plurality of user information and telecommunications terminals; and

a system control unit for controlling changed concise information, detailed personal information, or key information sent from one of the plurality of information and telecommunications terminals to be stored in the system memory unit corresponding to the user reading information stored in the system memory units based on the key information, and sending the information to information and telecommunications terminals of all other parties;

wherein the subscriber system stores one or more of the following information items;

identifying numbers of goods, commodities, a road sign, and advertising media located close to a user, and product model names, telephone numbers of manufacturers, sales companies, advertising companies, or service providing companies corresponding to said identifying numbers in each corresponding user'"'"'s personal information, or detailed personal information; and

said subscriber system automatically sends information related to said identifying numbers to a user'"'"'s information and telecommunications terminal, or sends user personal informal or detailed personal information to manufacturers, sales companies, advertising companies, or service providing companies whenever the subscriber system receives said identifying numbers from the user'"'"'s telecommunications terminal apparatus.

12. The system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users of claim 10, wherein when the user'"'"'s personal information, or detailed personal information changes, the changed information is sent to the manufacturers, sales companies, advertising companies, or service providing companies.

13. The system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users of claim 10, wherein when the goods or commodities are cars or consumer electronic products that have an internally attached CPU, and if the CPU sends information on whether or not a product is out of order through a communication tool using one or more of infrared rays, light rays, radio waves, and supersonic to the user'"'"'s information and telecommunications terminal, the information and telecommunications terminal sends the information to the subscriber system and then the subscriber system sends the information to the manufacturer sales company, or service providing company so that remote diagnosis and remote after sales service for the product is enabled.

14. The system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users of claim 13, wherein the interface between the attached CPU and the information and telecommunications terminal in the car'"'"'s case, a power supply terminal of a cigarette lighter socked can be used as a wired communication terminal, or an additional communication terminal is added to the cigarette lighter socket.

15. The system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users of claim 14, wherein when the car'"'"'s CPU sends diverse data on speed, location, break state, engine state, and other states of the car'"'"'s operation to the user information and telecommunications terminal through the interface, and then the terminal provides the subscriber system sends the information to an automobile company, or traffic control center that needs the information, so that a driver, a billing place of a toll road, an after-sales service center, a gas station, a tow truck company, or the police can carry out necessary steps.

17. The system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users of claim 10, wherein when the user information and telecommunications terminal sends an order for purchasing and approval of products and services to the manufacturer and the sales company, the sales company sends diverse information necessary for purchasing including one or more information among current processing state, price, shops, purchasing date, delivery state, completion of delivery, delivery date, to the user'"'"'s information and telecommunications terminal through the subscriber system or the data exchange management system.

11. A system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users, the system comprising:

a plurality of user information and telecommunications terminals each comprising a user memory unit for storing concise information or detailed personal information on a user and one or more other parties, key information to determine the access level of the information, and a list of all other parties that have ever exchanged information with the user; and

a user control unit for controlling the sending of changes in the user'"'"'s concise information, detailed information, or key information to all other information and telecommunications terminals included in the list when the changes are input, and storing the other party'"'"'s concise information, detailed information, or key information in the user memory unit when the information are received; and

a subscriber system comprising a plurality of system memory units which store a user'"'"'s concise information, detailed personal information, or key information for each of the plurality of user information and telecommunications terminals; and

a system control unit for controlling changed concise information, detailed personal information, or key information sent from one of the plurality of information and telecommunications terminals to be stored in the system memory unit corresponding to the user reading information stored in the system memory units based on the key information, and sending the information to information and telecommunications terminals of all other parties;

wherein the user'"'"'s concise information includes at least one or more of the following information items;

an identification number, a telephone number, a facsimile number, a mobile phone number, a pager number, a home page address, an e-mail address, a home address, and an office address; and

the user'"'"'s detailed information includes at least one or more of the following information items;

a profile, a working field, greeting, a moving picture or a voice data for introducing the user, a user hobbies, user merits, user interests, a user diverse information item, a bulletin board, or one or more information items used for expressing a user'"'"'s mood, look, emotion, or information related to certain gifts or actions, or information for expressing an index of amiableness with another party, or information on various natural environment, or information on user quizzes.

16. The system for exchanging concise and detailed information among users of claim 11, wherein after a user downloads quizzes in the form of state data from the data exchange management system and sends these to the information and telecommunications terminals of other users, the other users solves the quizzes and re-send the answers to the user who sent the quizzes, the subscriber system, or the data exchange management system, and the, after the answers are scored, the other users receive the result.