METHOD OF ESTABLISHING A CELL PHONE NETWORK OF PARTICIPANTS WITH A COMMON INTEREST

• US 20080076418A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGIS Software Development LLC (AGIS Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Ground Information Systems, Inc. (AGIS Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Beyer, Malcolm K. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• 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 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method, a combined cellular, PDA communication device and system having specialized software applications for allowing a plurality of combined cellular phone/PDA device users to monitor each others'"'"' locations and status, to initiate cellular phone calls by touching a symbol on the touch screen display with a stylus which can also include point to call conferencing calling. Each participant'"'"'s cellular phone/PDA device includes a GPS navigation receiver with application software for point to call cellular phone initiation to participants and geographical entities including vehicles, persons or events, conference calls and video transfers. The method, device and system also includes several features that allow each individual cell phone to poll the network participants to create a network of participants who have symbols displayed on each user'"'"'s PDA display screen and providing application software in each cell phone with a server to allow individual users to create, by polling the network, a group of network participants having a common interest, or a network of friends and family for a network of all active participants. The method, device and system employed herein can also be used to establish an anonymous dating service that allows individual participants using their cell phones to identify and contact others for dating or social interaction without giving away their actual name and phone number.

Claims

1. A method of communicating among a group of participants each having a PDA or Smart cell phone, an associated GPS and Advanced Communications Software (ACS) allowing all cell phone users to exchange data through a server for establishing a network of participants who exchange and display identity, location, status and, optionally, personal data.

2. The method as in claim 1, comprising:

establishing a polling network such that a network participant can command another member of the network whose phone numbers have been previously entered in a database on each phone or on the server to commence reporting on the network and to receive data from all active network participants on the network.

3. A method as in claim 1, including the step of:

providing an all report network where each network participant starts reporting on the network upon activation and commences to receive data from all active network participants on the network.

4. A method as in claim 1, including the step of:

providing a common interest network where each network participant reports to all others who have identified themselves as having a common interest or are members of a particular type of organization.

5. A method as in claim 1, including the step of:

providing a friends and family network such that each network participant only exchanges data with those whose phone numbers or IP addresses have been previously entered in a database on each phone or on the server.

6. A method establishing totally anonymous voice and data communications among a group of participants each desiring to establish a social contact with a heretofore unknown person for dating or other purposes that includes the use of a network of ACS enabled PDA or Smart cell phones having a GPS and 800 bridging application software and a server with ACS whose function is to establish a network of the cell phones comprising the steps of:

a. providing a network of participants each having a specific cell phone with the appropriate communication software for establishing dating contacts using the cell phone;

b. locating and communicating with other network participants who wish to be joined in the dating process using the cell phones;

c. providing in each cell phone a menu for entering personal data of the cell phone user including personality information such as but not limited to;

dating name (which need not be the person'"'"'s real name), age, sex, race, marital status and interest areas, each of which may have its own assigned symbol type and/or color;

d. providing each cell phone a menu for entering personal dating selection criteria of the type of person desired including but not limited to such information as age, sex, race, interest area, and marital status;

e. causing the operator'"'"'s symbol to appear geographically superimposed on the display map of the cell phone which is then sent to other participants in the network dating group;

f having members of the network participants transmit location and personal information to other network participants for display on each of the cell phone participant'"'"'s display screens;

g. providing a selection process whereby each user can choose to display only those symbols that meet his or her dating criteria;

h. providing a means to place totally anonymous voice calls or to anonymously send data between the two parties by touching their symbol on the screen and selecting the appropriate soft switch whereby the parties may converse either by cell phone, messages, photographs or video; and

i. providing a means to block messages, photographs, video or voice calls from designated parties.