Device, system and method for recording personal encounter history

• US 9,015,492 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, LISA C
• Application Number:
  US14/024,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 713/183, 713/187
• US Class Current: 713/183
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• 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 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Provided are exemplary embodiments including a method for creating and using a personal encounter history using a communication device. The method involves the communication device receiving the transmission of a pseudo identifier from a proximal communication device where the pseudo identifier is associated with the user of the proximal communication device. Once received, the method continues with the wireless communication device requesting and receiving the actual identification of the user of the proximal communication device that is correlated with the pseudo identifier. The communication device includes a transceiver capable of communicating wirelessly with a mobile telecommunications network, a memory device and a processor. To ensure privacy, the processor is capable of receiving a pseudo identifier from a proximate communication device and then requesting an actual identification correlated with the pseudo identifier of the proximate communication device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a server, a request from a mobile communication device for an actual identification of a particular user of a proximal communication device correlated with a proximal pseudo identifier that is unique to the particular user of the proximal communication device, wherein the proximal pseudo identifier is received by the mobile communication device as a result of a broadcast by the proximal communication device;

determining, by the server, whether consent rules for providing the actual identification of the particular user are met; and

responsive to determining that the consent rules are met, providing, by the server, the actual identification of the particular user of the proximal communication device, correlated with the proximal pseudo identifier that is unique to the particular user of the proximal communication device, to the mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximal pseudo identifier includes a hash, and the actual identification includes contact information for the particular user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

logging information associated with an encounter between the mobile communication device and the proximal communication device into a personal encounter history log file, wherein the personal encounter history log file includes a history of encounters between the mobile communication device and the proximal communication device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein logging the information associated with the encounter includes logging a location of the encounter and environmental conditions associated with the encounter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein logging the information associated with the encounter includes logging contact information for the particular user of the proximal communication device, and the method further comprises searching the personal encounter history log file for the contact information for the particular user of the proximal communication device, responsive to a request from the mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the consent rules provide for a phased disclosure of actual identification of the particular user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the consent rules require that information identifying the user of the mobile communication device and contact information of the user of the mobile communication device be provided before the actual identification of the particular user is provided.

8. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request from a mobile communication device for an actual identification of a particular user of a proximal communication device correlated with a proximal pseudo identifier that is unique to the particular user of the proximal communication device, wherein the proximal pseudo identifier is received by the mobile communication device as a result of a broadcast by the proximal communication device;

determining whether consent rules for providing the actual identification of the particular user are met; and

responsive to determining that the consent rules are met, providing the actual identification of the particular user of the proximal communication device, correlated with the proximal pseudo identifier that is unique to the particular user of the proximal communication device, to the mobile communication device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the proximal pseudo identifier includes a hash, and the actual identification includes contact information for the particular user.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform:

logging information associated with an encounter between the mobile communication device and the proximal communication device into a personal encounter history log file, wherein the personal encounter history log file includes a history of encounters between the mobile communication device and the proximal communication device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein logging the information associated with the encounter includes logging a location of the encounter and environmental conditions associated with the encounter.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein logging the information associated with the encounter includes logging contact information for the particular user of the proximal communication device, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform searching the personal encounter history log file for the contact information for the particular user of the proximal communication device, responsive to a request from the mobile communication device.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the consent rules provide for a phased disclosure of the actual identification of the particular user.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the consent rules require that information identifying the user of the mobile communication device and contact information of the user of the mobile communication device be provided before the actual identification of the particular user is provided.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage device containing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request from a mobile communication device for an actual identification of a particular user of a proximal communication device correlated with a proximal pseudo identifier that is unique to the particular user of the proximal communication device, wherein the proximal pseudo identifier is received by the mobile communication device as a result of a broadcast by the proximal communication device;

determining whether consent rules for providing the actual identification of the particular user are met; and

responsive to determining that the consent rules are met, providing the actual identification of the particular user of the proximal communication device, correlated with the proximal pseudo identifier that is unique to the particular user of the proximal communication device, to the mobile communication device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the proximal pseudo identifier includes a hash, and the actual identification includes contact information for the particular user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform:

logging information associated with an encounter between the mobile communication device and the proximal communication device into a personal encounter history log file, wherein the personal encounter history log file includes a history of encounters between the mobile communication device and the proximal communication device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein logging the information associated with the encounter includes logging contact information for the particular user of the proximal communication device, and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform searching the personal encounter history log file for the contact information for the particular user of the proximal communication device, responsive to a request from the mobile communication device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the consent rules provide for a phased disclosure of the actual identification of the particular user.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the consent rules require that information identifying the user of the mobile communication device and contact information of the user of the mobile communication device be provided before the actual identification of the particular user is provided.