Proximity based social networking

• US 8,880,100 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Radium Incorporated (Reel FX, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US13/429,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method for proximity based social networking is disclosed between mobile computing devices each having a short range communication (SRC) device using near field magnetic induction. The SRC devices can include at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity. The method comprises defining a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a communication range of the SRC devices. A proximity signal is communicated in the proximity boundary between the SRC devices. Information can be exchanged between the mobile computing devices based on the settings of a social networking filter module.

Claims

1. A method for proximity based social networking, comprising:

defining a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a communication range of one of a first Short Range Communication (SRC) device and a second SRC device, wherein each of the first and second SRC devices are configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), and the first SRC device is configured to be coupled to a first mobile computing device and the second SRC device is configured to be coupled to a second mobile computing device;

wherein at least one of the first SRC device and second SRC device include a plurality of antennas that are substantially orthogonal to each other to provide magnetic induction diversity to substantially reduce a variability of an edge of the proximity boundary;

communicating a proximity signal in the proximity boundary between the first SRC device and the second SRC device; and

instructing at least one of the first and second mobile computing devices to perform at least one action when the proximity signal is detected between the first and second SRC devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting at least one rule regarding desired social networking attributes for a proximity based social networking filter module which is associated with at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices, the at least one rule identifying the at least one action performed by the at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices when the proximity signal is detected between the first and second SRC devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the at least one action includes sending a profile from a first user of the first mobile computing device coupled to the first SRC to a second user of the second mobile computing device coupled to the second SRC based on the settings of the at least one rule in the proximity based social networking filter modules operating on the at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one action includes receiving a profile from at least one of a first user and a second user at the at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the profile of the second user is received at the first mobile computing device via at least one of the first SRC device and a media communication device coupled to the mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving of the profile of the second user at the first mobile computing device comprises receiving a profile communication at the first mobile computing device through at least one of an email, a text message, an instant message, a social networking communication, a wired transmission, and a wireless transmission.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one action includes notifying the first user of the first mobile computing device that the profile of the second user associated with the second SRC device is located within the proximity boundary.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first user of the first mobile computing device is notified by emitting at least one of a sound and a vibration from the first mobile computing device when the profile communication is received.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first user of the first mobile computing device is notified by displaying, at least one of image of the second user associated with the second SRC device and an image in the profile of the second user associated with the second SRC device, on the first mobile computing device when the profile communication is received.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first user of the first mobile computing device is notified by displaying at least one of a video and a multimedia presentation of the profile of the second user associated with the second SRC device on the first mobile computing device when the profile communication is received.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

tracking a location of at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices based on an interaction between the first SRC device and a second SRC device;

storing a history of the location of at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices; and

modifying the set rules in the proximity based communication filter module based on the history of the location of the first and the second mobile computing devices.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the setting of the at least one rule for the proximity based communication filter module comprises setting profile categories on which information on profiles attributes related to the profile categories are desired to be received.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the setting of the at least one rule for the proximity based communication filter module comprises:

learning the profile preferences of the first user; and

adjusting the at least one rule for the proximity based communication filter module based on the learned profile preferences of the first user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first and the second mobile computing devices includes a close proximity communication device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the close proximity communication device is compliant with a Near Field Communication (NFC) specification.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second mobile computing devices are one of a handheld computing device, a smart phone, a multimedia device, a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, and an embedded computing device.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking a location of the first and second mobile computing devices based on an interaction between the first SRC device and the second SRC device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing a history of the location of the first mobile computing device for a specified location.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the proximity signal in the proximity boundary between the first SRC device and the second SRC device comprises transmitting the proximity signal from the second SRC device to the first SRC device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first and the second SRC devices is a Multi-Mode Magnetic Induction Communication (MMMIC) device having magnetic induction diversity.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining that the second user with the profile transmitted by the second SRC device or the second mobile computing device is within the proximity boundary by receiving the proximity signal within a range of the second SRC device, wherein the range is a distance that is less than λ

/2pi meters from the short range communication device, where λ

is a wavelength of one of the first and second SRC device signals in meters.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second SRC devices include the ability to communicate with a close proximity communication device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the proximity signal in the proximity boundary between the first SRC device and the second SRC device comprises transmitting the proximity signal from the first SRC device to the second SRC device, and

wherein the at least one action includes receiving proximity information from the second SRC device that is related to the profile of the second user associated with the second SRC device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first and the second SRC devices configured as a Multi-Mode Mode Magnetic Induction Communication (MMMIC) device simultaneously communicates with a close proximity communication device and a non close proximity communication device.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the proximity signal at the first SRC device that is transmitted by the second SRC device at a distance of greater than 10 centimeters (cm).

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action includes identifying a user of the second mobile computing device at the first mobile computing device based on information in the proximity signal.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action includes receiving a profile sharing communication at the first mobile computing device for the profile of the second user associated with the second SRC device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the profile sharing communication is received when the first SRC device is coupled to the first mobile computing device and is within a range of 2 meters from the second SRC device.

29. A system for proximity based social networking, the system comprising:

a first Short Range Communication (SRC) device that is configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI);

wherein a proximity signal is configured to be communicated in a proximity boundary between the first SRC device and a second SRC device, the proximity boundary having dimensions defined by a communication range of one of the first and second SRC devices;

wherein at least one of the first SRC device and second SRC device include a plurality of antennas that are substantially orthogonal to each other to provide magnetic induction diversity to substantially reduce the variability of the edge of the proximity boundary;

wherein at least one of the first and second SRC devices is configured to instruct at least one of a first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device to perform at least one action when the proximity signal is detected between the first and second SRC devices.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the first mobile computing device is coupled to the first SRC device.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

a proximity based social networking filter module that is associated with the first mobile computing device, and is configured to have set at least one rule regarding desired social networking attributes, the at least one rule identifying at least one action performed by the mobile computing device when the proximity signal is detected between the first SRC device and the second SRC device,

wherein the at least one action is performed by the first mobile computing device based on the at least one rule when the proximity signal is detected between the first SRC device and the second SRC device and the at least one rule indicates a desire to receive information at the first mobile computing device for the desired social networking attribute transmitted by the second SRC device.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the first mobile computing device further comprises:

a media communication device that is configured to receive the desired social networking attribute from a proximity media communication device associated with the second SRC device.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the media communication device and the proximity media communication device are configured to communicate via a wireless standard selected from the group consisting of IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, 3GPP, 3GPP LTE, Bluetooth®

, Zigbee®

, GSM, CDMA, UHF, VHF, and UWB.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the proximity boundary has a width that is less than 6 feet.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the proximity signal has a power less than a noise floor beyond a distance of 6 feet from the second SRC device.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device is selected from the group consisting of a handheld computing device, a smart phone, a multimedia device, a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, and an embedded computing device.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the first SRC device is configured to transmit the proximity signal to the second SRC device and receive proximity information from the second SRC device that is related to a profile of a second user associated with the second SRC device when the first and second mobile computing devices are within the proximity boundary.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of the first SRC device and the second SRC device is a Multi-Mode Magnetic Induction Communication (MMMIC) device, wherein the MMMIC device comprises:

a device configured to communicate using Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) and having magnetic induction diversity with the at least two antennas, and configured to detect a signal transmitted by a Near Field Communication (NFC) compliant device at a distance of greater than 10 centimeters (cm);

an identification module configured to determine a type of device that the NFC compliant device is, based on the signal transmitted;

a communication module configured to communicate through magnetic induction diversity using NFMI with the NFC compliant device at one of a first distance of greater than 10 cm and a second distance of less than 10 cm from the NFC compliant device based on the type of device that is determined by the identification module; and

a magnetic induction diversity module configured to select a magnetic induction diversity scheme for the MMMIC device to communicate with the NFC compliant device based on the first or second distance selected over which to communicate.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the MMMIC device has three antennas which are positioned to be mutually orthogonal to one another.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the selected antenna is configured to communicate the first distance of greater than 10 cm and less than 340 cm.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the MMMIC device is configured to select one of the at least two antennas that is most sensitive to the signal transmitted by the NFC compliant device when the NFC compliant device is at the first distance of greater than 10 cm.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein the MMMIC device is configured to select one of the at least two antennas that is not the most sensitive to the signal transmitted by the NFC compliant device when the NFC compliant device is at the distance of less than 10 cm.

43. The system of claim 38, wherein the MMMIC device is configured to select one of the at least two antennas that is least sensitive to the signal transmitted by the NFC compliant device when the NFC compliant device is at the second distance of less than 10 cm.

44. The system of claim 38, wherein the MMMIC device operates in compliance with the NFC specification when the NFMI device is communicating with the NFC compliant device at the distance of less than 10 cm.

45. The system of claim 38, wherein one of the at least two antennas are selected to communicate with the NFC compliant device at the distance of less than 10 cm, wherein the antenna selected is a most inefficient antenna of the at least two antennas.

46. The system of claim 38, wherein one of the at least two antennas are selected to communicate with the NFC compliant device at the distance of less than 10 cm, wherein the antenna selected is not a most efficient antenna of the at least two antennas.

47. The system of claim 38, wherein the MMMIC device is configured to communicate with the NFC compliant device based on the type of device that is identified at the distance of greater than 10 cm and at a distance that is less than λ

2pi meters, where λ

is a wavelength of the NFC signal in meters.

48. A method for proximity based social networking, comprising:

defining a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a communication range of one of a first Short Range Communication (SRC) device and a second SRC device, wherein each of the first and second SRC devices are configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), and the first SRC device is configured to be coupled to a first mobile computing device and the second SRC device is configured to be coupled to a second mobile computing device;

wherein at least one of the first SRC device and second SRC device include a plurality of antennas that are substantially orthogonal to each other to provide magnetic induction diversity to substantially reduce a variability of an edge of the proximity boundary;

communicating a proximity signal in the proximity boundary between the first SRC device and the second SRC device; and

posting information regarding an interaction between the first and second mobile communication devices to a social networking website when the proximity signal is detected between the first and second SRC devices.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein posting information regarding the interaction between the first and second mobile communication devices further comprises posting identity information of at least one of a first user of the first mobile computing device and a second user of the second mobile computing device.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein posting information regarding the interaction between the first and second mobile communication devices further comprises posting a location where the interaction took place.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein posting information regarding the interaction between the first and second mobile communication devices further comprises posting at least a portion of information from a profile of one of a first user of the first mobile computing device and a second user of the second mobile computing device.