Method and apparatus of modifying a device according to acquaintance information

• US 8,472,976 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Ledet, David Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/222,684
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/418, 455/517, 709/204, 715/707, 701/208
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Disclosed are examples of modifying a current state of a mobile station based on the location of the mobile station with respect to a nearby acquaintance. The method may include detecting a presence of a mobile station in a predefined domain area identified by an application, the predefined domain area being associated with at least one acquaintance, and performing a modification to a current state of the mobile station based on a level associated with the at least one acquaintance.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a presence of a mobile station in a predefined domain area identified by an application, the predefined domain area being associated with at least one acquaintance;

performing a modification to a current state of the mobile station based on a level associated with the at least one acquaintance; and

determining whether the mobile station is already modified from its previous state, and if not, then enabling the modification to the mobile station, and if so, then not enabling the modification to the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence of the mobile station is detected as being in the predefined domain area when the mobile station enters a predefined distance radius of the at least one acquaintance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modification to the current state of the mobile station comprises at least one of a change in scent, temperature, audio and video controls of the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

increasing an intensity of the modification to the current state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves closer to the acquaintance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decreasing an intensity of the modification to the current state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves further from the acquaintance.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an acquaintance level of the identified acquaintance; and

performing the modification to the current state of the mobile station based on a user defined modification that is associated with the determined acquaintance level.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory configured to store acquaintance level information; and

a processor configured to

detect a presence of a mobile station in a predefined domain area identified by an application, the predefined domain area being associated with at least one acquaintance, and

perform a modification to a current state of the mobile station based on a level associated with the at least one acquaintance;

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the mobile station is already modified from its previous state, and if not, then enabling the modification to the mobile station, and if so, then not enabling the modification to the mobile station.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the presence of the mobile station is detected as being in the predefined domain area when the mobile station enters a predefined distance radius of the at least one acquaintance.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the modification to the current state of the mobile station comprises at least one of a change in scent, temperature, audio and video controls of the mobile station.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to increase an intensity of the modification to the current state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves closer to the acquaintance.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to decrease an intensity of the modification to the current state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves further from the acquaintance.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an acquaintance level of the identified acquaintance, and perform the modification to the current state of the mobile station based on a user defined modification that is associated with the determined acquaintance level.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform:

detecting a presence of a mobile station in a predefined domain area identified by an application, the predefined domain area being associated with at least one acquaintance;

performing a modification to a current state of the mobile station based on a level associated with the at least one acquaintance;

determining whether the mobile station is already modified from its previous state, and if not, then enabling the modification to the mobile station, and if so, then not enabling the modification to the mobile station.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the presence of the mobile station is detected as being in the predefined domain area when the mobile station enters a predefined distance radius of the at least one acquaintance.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the modification to the current state of the mobile station comprises at least one of a change in scent, temperature, audio and video controls of the mobile station.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

increasing an intensity of the modification to the current state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves closer to the acquaintance.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

decreasing an intensity of the modification to the current state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves further from the acquaintance.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

determining an acquaintance level of the identified acquaintance; and

performing the modification to the current state of the mobile station based on a user defined modification that is associated with the determined acquaintance level.