Contextually aware network announcements of people

• US 7,071,814 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reed, John D., Schorman, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/629,320
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.21, 340/7.22, 340/7.23, 340/825.52, 340/539.11, 370/313, 370/310, 370/312, 370/254, 700/11, 455/456, 455/515, 455/421, 455/414.1, 342/42, 398/127, 709/204
• US Class Current: 340/7.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A context sensitive data announcing device includes an ad hoc network interface configured to receive one or more announcements identifying one or more members of an ad hoc network. The device includes a database which contains information regarding the one or more members of the ad hoc network. A processor is configured to extract the information regarding the one or more members from the database using the identifying announcements. The device includes an output for displaying the information regarding the one or more members.

Claims

1. A context-sensitive data announcing device comprising

an ad hoc network interface configured to receive a plurality of announcements identifying a plurality of members of an ad hoc network;

a database comprising information regarding each of the plurality of members;

a processor configured to extract the information regarding the plurality of members from the database using the identifying plurality of announcements and to identify members within a certain proximity; and

a user output device for outputting the information regarding the members identified to be within the certain proximity, the outputted information including an identity and employment information of a person associated with each of the plurality of members.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the user output device outputs concurrently the information regarding the plurality of members in the order the announcements were received.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein

the information regarding an urgent member comprises an urgent designation;

and

the user output device outputs concurrently the information regarding the urgent member before information regarding at least some of the other members of the plurality of members.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to extract the information regarding the plurality of members that are proximate to the device.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the processor is configured to determine the proximity of the plurality of members using a signal strength provided by the network interface.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the processor is configured to determine the proximity of a member using the number of hops among members the announcement associated with the member made before being received by the ad hoc network interface.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the ad hoc network interface uses one of radio frequency communications, optical communications, or wired communications.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the user output device comprises one of a vibrating mechanism, an audio output, or a visual output.

26. The device of claim 1 wherein the user output device outputs concurrently the information regarding the plurality of members in order of proximity to the announcing device.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the employment information includes at least one of an entity name and a job title of the person associated with each of the plurality of members.

30. The device of claim 1, wherein the outputted information further includes at least one of scheduled meeting information and assignment information associated with at least two members of the plurality of members.

9. A method for an announcing member of an ad hoc network to announce the presence of one or more members of the ad hoc network, the method comprising

receiving an identifying announcement from a plurality of members of the ad hoc network;

accessing a database using the plurality of identifying announcements to retrieve information regarding each of the plurality of member of the ad hoc network from which an announcement was received;

identifying members within a certain proximity; and

outputting the information regarding the members identified to be within the certain proximity to a user output device, the outputted information including an identity and employment information of a person associated with each of the plurality of members.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein outputting concurrently the information includes outputting concurrently the information in the order received.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein outputting concurrently the information includes raising an urgent identifying announcement to output above information regarding at least one other member of the plurality of members.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising

determining the proximity to the announcing member of each of the members of the ad hoc network from which the announcing member received un announcement;

and

outputting comprises outputting only the identifying data for members of the ad hoc network that are proximate to the announcing member.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein

the announcements hop among members of the ad hoc network in order to reach the announcing member and wherein

determining the proximity comprises counting the hops an announcement made before reaching the announcing member.

14. The method claim 12 further comprising

measuring the signal strength of each received identifying announcement;

and wherein

determining the proximity comprises comparing the signal strength of each received identifying announcement to a threshold.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising building the database.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein building the database comprises

extracting new information from the plurality of identifying announcements;

and

storing the new information in the database.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein building the database comprises

retrieving new information from a database external to the announcing member;

and storing the new information in the database.

27. The method of claim 9 wherein outputting concurrently the information includes outputting concurrently the information in order of proximity to the announcing member.

31. The method of claim 9, wherein the employment information includes at least one of an entity name and a job title of the person associated with each of the plurality of members.

32. The method of claim 9, wherein the outputted information further includes at least one of scheduled meeting information and assignment information associated with at least two members of the plurality of members.

18. A system for identifying members of an ad hoc network, the system comprising

communicators, associated with a plurality of source members and a display member, for communicating announcements regarding the source members between the source members and the display member,

a database comprising information regarding the source members;

a processor configured to access the database using the announcements to produce accessed information and to identify members within a certain proximity; and

an output associated with the display member for outputting the accessed information regarding the source members identified to be within the certain proximity, the accessed information including an identity and employment information of a person associated with each source member.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor it configured to access the database for only those source members that are proximate to the display member.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein

an announcement passes through at least one communicators as it travels from the source members to the display member;

and

the processor is configured to determine the proximity of a source member to the display member based on the number of communicators the announcement passed through between the source member and the display member.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising

a plurality of signals for carrying the announcements between the source members and the display member;

a signal strength measurer associated with the display member, the signal strength measurer producing a signal strength for each signal received from a source member, and wherein

the processor is configured to determine the proximity of the source members to the display member using the respective signal strengths.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the output displays the accessed information for the source members in the order that the announcements were received from the respective source members.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein

the accessed information for each source member has an associated urgency, the urgency having an order;

and

the output displays the accessed information for the source members in the order of urgency.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor is associated with the display member.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein the database is associated with the display member.

28. The system of claim 18 wherein the output associated with the display member outputs concurrently the accessed information regarding the plurality of members in order of proximity to the display member.

33. The system of claim 18, wherein the employment information includes at least one of an entity name and a job title of the person associated with each of the plurality of members.

34. The system of claim 18, wherein the accessed information further includes at least one of scheduled meeting information and assignment information associated with at least two members of the plurality of members.