Personal profile sharing and management for short-range wireless terminals

Abstract

A mobile, wireless terminal contains apparatus for creating, editing and storing user personalized profiles for access by inquiring terminals in a short-range communication system. The mobile, wireless terminal contains databases for storing standardized format profiles containing user contact information, standardized format profiles of user interests and user or manufacturer defined profiles. The personalized profiles are stored in a single record of a Service Discovery Protocol database. Screen display apparatus in the mobile terminal displays indexes and contents of the profiles for user access in creating, editing and storing user profiles. The mobile terminal includes apparatus responsive to SDP inquires from inquiring terminals for access to and acquisition of the user defined personalized profiles.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates to short-range wireless communication systems, network and methods of operation. More particularly, the invention relates to personal profile sharing and management for ad hoc networks in short-range wireless communication systems using the Bluetooth Standard. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] An ad hoc network is a short-range wireless system composed primarily of mobile wireless devices which associate together for a relatively short time to carry out a common purpose. A temporary network such as this is called a “piconet” in the Bluetooth Standard, an “independent basic service set” (IBSS) in the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN Standard, a “subnet” in the HIPERLAN Standard, and generally a radio cell or a “micro-cell” in other wireless LAN technologies. Ad hoc networks have the common property of being an arbitrary collection of wireless devices which are physically close enough to be able to communicate and which are exchanging infor...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] In an alternate embodiment, to accommodate a limited screen size in the user's mobile terminal, the editing of the Personal profiles and message filters may be made easier by performing that operation on a desktop computer. The Personal profiles can be uploaded via the Web and stored at a centralized database, enabling editing on the user's desktop computer. The updated Personal profiles can then be downloaded to the user's mobile terminal. The Personal profile updates may then be synchronized with the terminal profiles.

[0022] In another alternate embodiment of the invention, a server can provide matchmaking services via Bluetooth links by registering users of devices. Registration can include checking user qualifications for matchmaking, such as being above a certain age. Then, when the two respective registered users try to exchange privacy sensitive information without having to actually engaged in a conversation with each other, they link to the server, which delivers the same PIN to both devices, thereby enabling the Bluetooth Authentication procedure to run automatically in the background for both devices.

Problems solved by technology

Currently, the sales representative cannot add or update the information in real time to his / her virtual business card.

Still further, the prior art does not describe or suggest uploading the personalized user profiles from the user's wireless, mobile terminal to a server operated by service provider, for access by the user to update the profiles, and then return them to the user's wireless device.

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