Optimizing buddy finder telecommunication service

• US 8,626,933 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: van Steenbergen, Ate Sander, ter Wisscha, Onno, van den Beemt, Ren
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US12/954,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709206-207, 709/224, 709227-228
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A service is provided to users of communication devices present in a geographic service area. Each device is associated with a specific user. The service comprises conditionally alerting a user, via his/her communication device, to a presence of another device of another user. The alerting occurs if the other user is registered as a buddy of the user and if a geographical distance between the user'"'"'s device and the buddy'"'"'s device is smaller than a pre-determined threshold. A succession of polling cycles is run. In each polling cycle, the mobile devices are sequentially polled based on location and according to a ranking determined in a preceding polling cycle that minimizes a value of a sum of terms. Each respective term indicates a respective difference between rankings of the mobile device of the respective user and of the mobile device of the buddy of the respective user.

Claims

1. A method of providing a service to a plurality of users of communication devices present in a geographic service area covered by the service, the method comprising:

associating each specific one of the communication devices with a specific one of the plurality of users;

conditionally alerting a particular one of the plurality of users, via a communication device associated with the particular user, to a presence of another communication device of another one of the plurality of users in the service area, wherein the conditional alerting takes place upon a determination comprising;

that the other user is registered as a buddy of the particular user,

that at least one of the particular communication device and the other communication device is a mobile communication device, and

that a geographical distance between the particular communication device and the other communication device is less than a first predetermined threshold; and

running a succession of polling cycles, wherein in each specific one of the polling cycles, mobile ones among the communication devices are sequentially polled with regard to geographic location and according to a specific ranking determined in a preceding one of the polling cycles,

wherein the specific ranking is determined to minimize a value of a sum of terms, and

wherein each respective one of the terms is indicative of a respective difference between a possible rank of the respective mobile communication device of the respective user and a respective possible other rank of the respective other mobile communication device of the respective other user registered as the buddy of the respective user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined threshold differs for at least two users in the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each respective term in the sum of terms, a respective geographical distance between the respective mobile communication device of the respective user and the respective other mobile communication device of the respective other user registered as a buddy of the respective user is smaller than a second predetermined threshold that exceeds the first predetermined threshold.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising control software that, when executed on a data processing system, is configured for providing a service to a plurality of users of communication devices present in a geographic service area covered by the service, the control software comprising:

instructions for associating each specific one of the communication devices with a specific one of the plurality of users;

instructions for conditionally alerting a particular one of the plurality of users, via a communication device associated with the particular user, to a presence of another communication device of another one of the plurality of users in the service area, wherein the conditional alerting takes place upon a determination comprising;

that the other user is registered as a buddy of the particular user,

that at least one of the particular communication device and the other communication device is a mobile communication device, and

that a geographical distance between the particular communication device and the other communication device is less than a first predetermined threshold; and

instructions for running a succession of polling cycles, wherein in each specific one of the polling cycles, mobile ones among the communication devices are sequentially polled with regard to geographic location and according to a specific ranking determined in a preceding one of the polling cycles,

wherein the specific ranking is determined to minimize a value of a sum of terms, and

wherein each respective one of the terms is indicative of a respective difference between a possible rank of the respective mobile communication device of the respective user and a respective possible other rank of the respective other mobile communication device of the respective other user registered as a buddy of the respective user.

5. A data processing system, configured for providing a service to a plurality of users of communication devices present in a geographic service area covered by the service, wherein the data processing system is configured for at least:

associating each specific one of the communication devices is associated with a specific one of the plurality of users;

conditionally alerting a particular one of the plurality of users, via a communication device associated with the particular user, to a presence of another communication device of another one of the plurality of users in the service area wherein the conditional alerting takes place upon a determination comprising;

that the other user is registered as a buddy of the particular user,

that at least one of the particular communication device and the other communication device is a mobile communication device, and

that a geographical distance between the particular communication device and the other communication device is less than a first predetermined threshold; and

running a succession of polling cycles, wherein in each specific one of the polling cycles, mobile ones among the communication devices are sequentially polled with regard to geographic location and according to a specific ranking determined in a preceding one of the polling cycles,

wherein the specific ranking is determined to minimize a value of a sum of terms, and

wherein each respective one of the terms is indicative of a respective difference between a possible rank of the respective mobile communication device of the respective user and a respective possible other rank of the respective other mobile communication device of the respective other user registered as a buddy of the respective user.