Apparatus for signaling circle of friends

• US 8,417,777 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proxfinity, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Christine A. Hutchison, James W. Hutchison, Lauren R. Matles, Lee M. Whitman, Lisa A. Brinkman, Mitchell A. Carrel, Robert Matles
• Inventors: Matles, Robert, Whitman, Lee M., Hutchison, Christine A., Brinkman, Lisa A., Matles, Lauren R., Hutchison, James W., Carrel, Mitchell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHINGLES, KRISTIE D
• Application Number:
  US12/636,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/10 Architectures or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A device and method is provided for signaling an affinity of a peer device. According to one embodiment, the device receives a wireless signal from the peer device and determines the presence of the peer device based on the received signal. The device is able to detect the peer device when the peer device is within the vicinity or a certain proximity of the device. The received signal carries an affinity code of the peer device so that the device can detect the affinity of the peer device by comparing the received affinity code with its preset affinity code. If the two affinity code match, the device generates an the user to the presence of another user and signals that the two users share the same affinity.

Claims

1. A device for signaling an affinity, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal from a peer device while the peer device is within a vicinity of the device, wherein the signal includes an affinity code of the peer device;

a plurality of lights, wherein each of the plurality of lights has a different color;

a memory, configured to store a mapping of the plurality of lights to affinity codes of the device; and

a processor for determining that the affinity code received from the peer device matches an affinity code of the device, and causing a light of the device to turn on, wherein the light that is turned on corresponds to the matched affinity code based on the mapping,

wherein the affinity codes of the device indicate affiliations of a user of the device with corresponding interest groups.

2. The device of claim 1, further including an input interface for receiving user input of affinity codes and mapping of the plurality of lights to affinity codes for storing in the memory.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the peer device is within a vicinity of the device based on a characteristic of the received signal.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the characteristic of the received signal includes the strength of the received signal.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing configured to be worn by a user of the device.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a position locator for determining a location of the device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the position locator includes a position receiver for receiving a positioning signal indicative of the location of the device.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the position locator receives signals from a communications network and determines the location of the device based on the signals.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the received signal further carries information of a location of the peer device, and the processor is configured to determine a distance between the device and the peer device based on the location of the device and the location of the peer device.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sound generator; and

wherein the processor is further configured to activate, the sound generator upon the determination that the affinity code received from the peer device matches an affinity code of the device.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit for displaying the affinity code of the peer device and information of a user of the peer device.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting an outgoing signal carrying affinity codes of the device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is further configured to detect the presence of the peer device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the receiver is configured to detect the presence of the peer device through a wireless connection between the device and the peer device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the receiver is configured to detect the presence of the peer device in accordance with a characteristic of the wireless connection.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the characteristic of the wireless connection includes a strength of the wireless connection and the receiver is configured to determine the strength of the connection is above a threshold.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause a text message to be displayed to a user of the device indicating that the affinity code received from the peer device matches an affinity code of the device.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the peer device has left the vicinity of the device, and to provide a notification to a user of the device that the peer device has left the vicinity of the device in response to determining that the peer device has left the vicinity of the device.

19. A method for signaling an affinity of a peer device including:

receiving, by a device, a signal transmitted by the peer device while the peer device is within a vicinity of the device;

determining an affinity code of the peer device based on the received signal;

determining that the affinity code received from the peer device matches an affinity code of the device; and

turning on a light of the device, wherein the light that is turned on corresponds to the matched affinity code based on a mapping of a plurality of lights of the device having different colors to affinity codes of the device, the mapping being stored at the device,

wherein the affinity codes of the device are indicative of affiliations of a user of the device with corresponding interest groups.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

detecting the presence of the peer device in accordance with a characteristic of the received signal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the characteristic of the received signal indicates a proximity of the peer device.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating a sound signal after determining that the affinity code received from the peer device matches an affinity code of the device; and

displaying a text message indicating that the affinity code received from the peer device matches an affinity code of the device.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining that the peer device has left the vicinity of the device;

in response to determining that the peer device has left the vicinity of the device, providing a notification to a user of the device that the peer device has left the vicinity of the device.