Apparatus and method for aggregating and accessing data according to user information

• US 20080195641A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Starr, Robert J., Tischer, Steven, Zellner, Samuel N., Roach, Peter O.
• Application Number:
  US11/323,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195641A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

An apparatus and method for aggregating and accessing data according to user information are provided. According to one aspect, an interface device for providing data between a first device and a second device comprises an input, an output, logic, and a repository for storing personal data and data associated with one or more users. The input of the interface device receives data in a first format from the first device. The logic receives a data request, identifies a second device for receiving the data, identifies a second format for the second device, and translates the data to the second format. The translated data is then transmitted to the second device via the output. The logic may further collect, aggregate, and transmit the aggregated data to a requesting device. The input may be a product identification input device. The second device may be billed for the data services.

Claims

1. An interface device for providing data between a first device and a second device, comprising:

an input for receiving data in at least a first format from at least the first device;

a repository for storing the data;

logic configured for

receiving a request for accessing the data stored in the repository,

identifying the second device for receiving the requested data,

identifying a second format compatible with the second device, and

translating the data to the second format; and

an output for transmitting the translated data to the second device.

2. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a cellular telephone.

3. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the request for accessing the data comprises a request for aggregating data from a plurality of devices, and wherein the logic is further configured for aggregating the data stored in the repository.

4. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the input comprises a product identification input device.

5. The interface device of claim 4, wherein the product identification input device is one of a Radio Frequency IDentity (RFID) proximity reader or an optical bar code reader.

6. The interface device of claim 4, wherein the at least the first device comprises a plurality of products having identification means and wherein the data comprises product identification information associated with the identification means.

7. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the data comprises financial information associated with a user and wherein the interface device further comprises a security agent operative to restrict access to the financial information.

8. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to receive the request for accessing data upon detection that the first device is located within a predefined proximity of the interface device.

9. The interface device of claim 8, wherein the request for accessing data comprises a request for synchronizing data stored in the repository with data stored in the first device.

10. An interface device for providing personal data between a first device and a second device, comprising:

a repository for storing personal data associated with at least one user;

an input for receiving personal data in a first format from the first device;

logic configured for

receiving a request for accessing the personal data,

identifying the second device for receiving the personal data,

identifying a second format compatible with the second device,

translating the personal data to the second format, and

determining whether the second device is authorized to receive the personal data prior to transmitting the translated data to the second device; and

an output for transmitting the translated personal data to the second device if the second device is authorized to receive the data.

11. The interface device of claim 10, wherein determining whether the second device is authorized to receive the data comprises receiving a device identification, comparing the received device identification with a stored device identification to determine whether the device identifications match, and if the device identifications match, authorizing the second device to receive the data.

12. The interface device of claim 10, wherein determining whether the second device is authorized to receive the data comprises receiving a user identification and password associated with the at least one user, comparing the received user identification and password with a stored user identification and password to determine if the user identifications and passwords match, and if the user identifications and passwords match, authorizing the second device to receive the data.

13. The interface device of claim 10, wherein the personal data comprises financial data.

14. The interface device of claim 13, wherein the financial data comprises a credit card number.

15. The interface device of claim 10, wherein the logic is further configured for transmitting the personal data to a third device for storage and for transmitting the request to access the personal data to the third device.

16. A method for providing data between a first device and a second device, comprising:

receiving a request for the data from the second device via a second input of an interface device;

retrieving billing information corresponding to the request for the data from the second device;

receiving the requested data in a first format from the first device via a first input of the interface device;

identifying a second format compatible with the second device;

translating the data to the second format;

transmitting the translated data to the second device; and

billing the second device for the data according to the billing information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the billing information corresponding to the request for the data from the second device comprises a billing amount based on the characteristics of the data requested.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the billing information corresponding to the request for the data from the second device comprises a billing amount based on a subscription associated with the second device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining whether the second device is authorized to receive the requested data based on a subscriber account associated with the second device.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing information associated with the transmission of data between the first and second devices in a log.