Cloud service for making social connections

• US 9,398,436 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Princen, John, Lo, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mathew, Max
• Application Number:
  US13/781,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A cloud service for making social connections includes a remote computer storing user accounts, each account including user information and an anonymous ID bound to the user information. A first mobile device transmits an anonymous ID using a limited range wireless signal module and a second mobile device receives the anonymous ID using a limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device. The second mobile device transmits the received anonymous ID to a remote computer using an Internet connection module and receives the user information bound to the anonymous ID from the remote computer.

Claims

1. A cloud service comprising:

a remote computer;

a first mobile device configured to transmit an anonymous ID corresponding to an account of the first mobile device using a limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device; and

a second mobile device configured to receive the anonymous ID transmitted by the first mobile device via a limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device, transmit the anonymous ID to the remote computer using an Internet connection module of the second mobile device, and receive a portion of user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device from the remote computer according to a privacy setting of the account of the first mobile device already set in the remote computer before the anonymous ID is transmitted by the second mobile device for an account of the second mobile device to access the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device after the remote computer receives the anonymous ID, the privacy setting being used to set an amount of the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device allowed to be accessed by the account of the second mobile;

wherein the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device is stored in the remote computer before the second mobile device transmits the received anonymous ID to the remote computer.

2. The cloud service of claim 1 wherein the first mobile device is configured to broadcast the anonymous ID using the limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device.

3. The cloud service of claim 1 wherein the first mobile device is further configured to transmit the anonymous ID using the limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device in response to a request from the second mobile device using the limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device for the anonymous ID.

4. The cloud service of claim 1 wherein the second mobile device is configured to receive the anonymous ID via the limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device only when within range of the limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device.

5. A method of making social connections, the method comprising:

a remote computer storing user information corresponding to an account of a first mobile device;

the first mobile device transmitting an anonymous ID of the account of the first mobile device using a limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device;

a second mobile device receiving the anonymous ID transmitted by the first mobile device via a limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device;

the second mobile device transmitting the received anonymous ID to the remote computer using an Internet connection module of the second mobile device; and

after the remote computer receives the anonymous ID, the remote computer transmitting a portion of the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device to the second mobile device according to a privacy setting of the account of the first mobile device already set in the remote computer before the anonymous ID is transmitted by the second mobile device for an account of the second mobile device to access the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device, the privacy setting being used to set an amount of the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device allowed to be accessed by the account of the second mobile;

wherein the user information corresponding to the account of the first mobile device is stored in the remote computer before the second mobile device transmits the received anonymous ID to the remote computer.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the first mobile device broadcasting the anonymous ID using the limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the first mobile device transmitting the anonymous ID using the limited range wireless signal module of the first mobile device in response to a request from the second mobile device sent via the limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device for the anonymous ID.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising the second mobile device receiving the anonymous ID via the limited range wireless signal module of the second mobile device only when within range of the limited range wireless signal of the first mobile device.