Apparatus, method and system for subsequently connecting people

• US 9,992,648 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S. Sejo Pan
• Original Assignee: S. Sejo Pan
• Inventors: Pan, S. Sejo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Justin S
• Application Number:
  US12/739,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,494 Days
• Field of Search: 715780, 709224, 709204, 707 102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method and system is provided for personally encountered users to subsequently identify one another and safely interact. Information of the encounter location description, or wirelessly obtained ID'"'"'s in the encounter, along with a user'"'"'s self-description that contains enough information for that user to be identified by other encountered users are transmitted to a system. The system displays to a user a collection of self-descriptions of other encountered users. From among the encountered users, a user can choose his target for further interactions in an unobtrusive and private way, including mutual intention inquiry, specific connection intention matching and unilateral interest expression.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a mobile communications device user to gracefully inquire mutual desire to interact with one or more other users encountered in proximity, the method comprising:

obtaining an encounter inquiry from each user, wherein the encounter inquiry from a particular user represents an inquiry about other encountered users that are either overlapped or neighboring in spacetime with said particular user, said encounter inquiry comprises;

(1) a profile of said particular user, wherein said profile comprises descriptive information of and supplied by said particular user or an identifier based on which said descriptive information can be separately retrieved such that said particular user can be identified through said profile by other encountered users; and

(2) encounter information comprising at least one of the following;

(a) a geographical description of the location of the encounter;

(b) an ID uniquely associated with another user in the encounter, said ID wirelessly obtained by said particular user'"'"'s mobile device scanning said another user'"'"'s mobile device;

or

(c) an ID uniquely associated with a wireless device in the proximity that can serve as a location reference of the encounter;

using the encounter information from said encounter inquiry of said particular user, calculating and displaying a discovery result to said particular user, said discovery result comprising the profiles of other encountered users;

receiving a connection request from a first user deeming to connect to a second user with a profile chosen by the first user from among the discovery result displayed to the first user;

and either

(1) discarding or blocking said connection request from the first user deeming to connect to the second user so that the second user is not aware of said connection request if the connection request from the second user deeming to connect to the first user is not received;

or

(2) notifying the first user and the second user that there is a mutual desire to connect if and only if the connection request from the first user deeming to connect to the second user and the connection request from the second user deeming to connect to the first user are received.

2. An encounter matching system for facilitating a mobile communications device user to gracefully inquire mutual desire to interact with one or more other users encountered in proximity, said system comprising:

a computer system;

means for the encounter matching system obtaining an encounter inquiry from each user, wherein the encounter inquiry from a particular user represents an inquiry about other encountered users that are either overlapped or neighboring in spacetime with said particular user, said encounter inquiry comprises;

(1) a profile of said particular user, wherein said profile comprises descriptive information of and supplied by said particular user or an identifier based on which said descriptive information can be separately retrieved such that said particular user can be identified through said profile by other encountered users; and

(2) encounter information comprising at least one of the following;

(a) a geographical description of the location of the encounter;

(b) an ID uniquely associated with another user in the encounter, said ID wirelessly obtained by said particular user'"'"'s mobile device scanning said another user'"'"'s mobile device;

or

(c) an ID uniquely associated with a wireless device in the proximity that can serve as a location reference of the encounter;

means for the encounter matching system, using the encounter information from said encounter inquiry of said particular user, calculating and displaying a discovery result to said particular user, said discovery result comprising the profiles of other encountered users;

means for the encounter matching system receiving a connection request from a first user deeming to connect to a second user with a profile chosen by the first user from among the discovery result displayed to the first user; and

means for the encounter matching system either

(1) discarding or blocking said connection request from the first user deeming to connect to the second user such that the second user is not aware of said connection request if the connection request from the second user deeming to connect to the first user is not received;

or

(2) notifying the first user and the second user that there is a mutual desire to connect if and only if the connection request from the first user deeming to connect to the second user and the connection request from the second user deeming to connect to the first user are received.

3. A wireless mobile device (WMD) for facilitating its user to gracefully inquire mutual desire to interact with one or more other WMD users encountered in proximity through an encounter matching system, said WMD comprising:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals;

means for the WMD transmitting an encounter inquiry to said encounter matching system, said encounter inquiry represents an inquiry about other encountered users that are either overlapped or neighboring in spacetime with its user, and said encounter inquiry comprises;

(1) a profile of its user, wherein said profile comprises descriptive information of and supplied by its user or an identifier based on which said descriptive information can be separately retrieved such that its user can be identified through said profile by other encountered users; and

(2) encounter information comprising at least one of the following;

(a) a geographical description of the location of the encounter;

(b) an ID uniquely associated with another user in the encounter, said ID wirelessly obtained by the WMD scanning said another user'"'"'s WMD;

or

(c) an ID uniquely associated with a wireless device in the proximity that can serve as a location reference of the encounter;

means for the WMD obtaining, as a response from the encounter matching system to said encounter inquiry, a discovery result comprising the profiles of other encountered users;

means for the WMD transmitting a connection request to the encounter matching system indicating a desire to connect to a second user, said second user chosen by the user of the WMD from among said discovery result; and

means for the WMD either

(1) blocking connection requests from all users relayed by the encounter matching system from reaching the user of said WMD except from one with whom the user of said WMD is also trying to connect;

or

(2) receiving connection requests from other users relayed by the encounter matching system and notifying its user of a certain connection request from a certain other user only when its user has made the connection request indicating a desire to connect to said certain other user.

4. A method for a wireless mobile device (WMD) to facilitate its user to gracefully inquire mutual desire to interact with one or more other WMD users encountered in proximity through an encounter matching system, said method comprises:

transmitting an encounter inquiry to the encounter matching system, said encounter inquiry represents an inquiry about other encountered users that are either overlapped or neighboring in spacetime with its user, and said encounter inquiry comprises;

(1) a profile of its user, wherein said profile comprises descriptive information of and supplied by its user or an identifier based on which said descriptive information can be separately retrieved such that its user can he identified through said profile by other encountered users; and

(2) encounter information comprising at least one of the following;

(a) a geographical description of the location of the encounter;

(b) an ID uniquely associated with another user in the encounter, said ID wirelessly obtained by the WMD scanning said another user'"'"'s WMD;

or

(c) an ID uniquely associated with a wireless device in the proximity that can serve as a location reference of the encounter;

obtaining, as a response from said encounter matching system to said encounter inquiry, a discovery result comprising the profiles of other encountered users;

transmitting a connection request to the encounter matching system indicating a desire to connect to a second user, said second user chosen by the user of the WMD from among said discovery result; and

either

(1) blocking connection requests from all users relayed by the encounter matching system from reaching its user except from a user with whom its user is also trying to connect;

or

(2) receiving connection requests from other users relayed by the encounter matching system and notifying its user of a certain connection request from a certain other user only when its user has made the connection request indicating a desire to connect to said certain other user.