Method and apparatus of modifying a device according to acquaintance information

• US 9,924,317 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• 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 H
• Application Number:
  US14/630,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 455418, 455517, 709204, 715707, 701208, 386285, 705 1458
• 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:

determining that an acquaintance of a user is within a predetermined distance of a mobile station of the user, the acquaintance being designated by an application on the mobile station; and

modifying a state of the mobile station differently based on which relationship type is indicated by the application, from among a plurality of relationship types, between the user of the mobile station and the acquaintance,

wherein the modifying comprises at least one of a change in audio and a change in video of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a presence of the mobile station in a predefined area associated with the acquaintance, wherein the presence of the mobile station is detected as being in the predefined area when the mobile station enters a predefined distance radius of a user device associated with the acquaintance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying further comprises at least one of a change in scent and a change in temperature of the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing an intensity of the modification to the state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves closer to a user device associated with the acquaintance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising decreasing an intensity of the modification to the state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves further from a user device associated with the acquaintance.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an acquaintance level of the association between the user and the acquaintance from among a plurality of acquaintance levels included in the application.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising modifying the state of the mobile station based on a user defined modification that is associated with the determined acquaintance level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship type between the user of the mobile station and the acquaintance comprises a personal relationship type, from among a plurality of personal relationship types, which is determined from a social networking application running on the mobile station.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory configured to store acquaintance information; and

a processor configured to determine that an acquaintance of a user is within a predetermined distance of a mobile station of the user, the acquaintance being designated by an application on the mobile station, and to modify a state of the mobile station differently based on which relationship type is indicated by the application, from among a plurality of relationship types, between the user of the mobile station and the acquaintance,

wherein the modifying comprises at least one of a change in audio and a change in video of the mobile station.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to detect a presence of the mobile station in a predefined area associated with the acquaintance, wherein the presence of the mobile station is detected as being in the predefined area when the mobile station enters a predefined distance radius of a user device associated with the acquaintance.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the modifying further comprises at least one of a change in scent and a change in temperature of the mobile station.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to increase an intensity of the modification to the state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves closer to a user device associated with the acquaintance.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to decrease an intensity of the modification to the state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves further from a user device associated with the acquaintance.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an acquaintance level of the association between the user and the ene acquaintance from among a plurality of acquaintance levels included in the application.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the modification to the state of the mobile station based on a user defined modification that is associated with the determined acquaintance level.

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

determining that an acquaintance of a user is within a predetermined distance of a mobile station of the user, the acquaintance being designated by an application on the mobile station; and

modifying a state of the mobile station differently based on which relationship type is indicated by the application, from among a plurality of relationship types, between the user of the mobile station and the acquaintance,

wherein the modifying comprises at least one of a change in audio and a change in video of the mobile station.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform detecting a presence of a mobile station in a predefined area associated with the acquaintance, wherein the presence of the mobile station is detected as being in the predefined area when the mobile station enters a predefined distance radius of a user device associated with the acquaintance.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the modifying further comprises at least one of a change in scent and a change in temperature of the mobile station.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform increasing an intensity of the modification to the state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves closer to a user device associated with the acquaintance.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform decreasing an intensity of the modification to the state of the mobile station as the mobile station moves further from a user device associated with the acquaintance.

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

determining an acquaintance level of the association between the user and the acquaintance from among a plurality of acquaintance levels included in the application; and

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