System and method for direct communication between wireless communication devices
A wireless communication device includes conventional components to permit a network communication link to be established with a wireless communication network. In addition, the wireless communication device includes a non-network short-range transceiver that detects the presence of other similarly equipped devices. When two such equipped devices come within proximity of each other, a direct non-network wireless communication link is established. The two devices exchange portions of profile data and each analyzed the received profile data. If a match occurs, a contact notification is generated. This permits the wireless communication device to act as an auto-detecting social network device that detects the proximity of other devices whose owners have a profile that matches the stored user preference data. Subsequent communication may occur in a conventional manner using the wireless network communication channels and web applications may also be used to gain additional information.
1. A communication system comprising:
a plurality of wireless communication devices each having:
a first transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless communication network;
a second transceiver configured to communicate other than with the wireless communication network wherein the second transceiver is a short-range non-network transceiver to permit direct communication between first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device;
a controller configured to control operation of the second transceiver; and
a profile data storage area configured to store first and second portions of user profile data;
wherein the controller in a first of the plurality of wireless communication devices is configured to detect the presence of a second of the plurality of wireless communication devices in a location proximate the first wireless communication device, the controller in the first wireless communication device being further configured to analyze the second portion of the user profile data received from the second wireless communication device and the first portion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area of the first wireless communication device to determine if there is a match between the first portion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area of the first wireless communication device and the second portion of user profile data received from the second wireless communication device.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller in the second wireless communication device is configured to analyze the received second portion of the user profile data from the first wireless communication device and the first portion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area of the second wireless communication device to determine if there is a match between the first portion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area of the second wireless communication device and the second portion of user profile data received from the first wireless communication device.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller in the first wireless communication device is further configured to download a contact list from an external data source via the first transceiver in the first wireless communication device, and to store at least a portion of the downloaded contact list in the user profile data storage area in the first wireless communication device.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the external data source is a social network web page of a user of the first wireless communication device.
5. The system of claim 3 wherein the controller in the first wireless communication device is further configured to analyze the received portion of the user profile data from the user profile data storage area in the second wireless communication device and the stored portion of the downloaded contact list in the first portion of the user profile data storage area in the first wireless communication device to determine if there is a match.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the user profile storage area of the first wireless communication device is configured to store user-selectable profile data and the second portion of the user profile storage area of the first wireless communication device is configured to store user-selectable preference data associated with a user of the first wireless communication device and the second portion of the user profile data received from the second wireless communication device is user profile data associated with a user of the second wireless communication device, the analysis by the controller in the first wireless communication device comprising an analysis of the user profile data received from the second wireless communication device and the user-selectable preference data associated with the user of the first wireless communication device to determine if there is a match between the user-selectable preference data stored in the first portion of the profile storage area of the first wireless communication device and the user profile received from the second wireless communication device.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user-operable input device on the first wireless communication device wherein the first portion of the user profile storage area of the first wireless communication device is entered via the user-operable input device.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the user profile storage area of the first wireless communication device is transmitted to the first wireless communication device via the first network transceiver.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the second transceiver is configured for operation in accordance with IEEE standard 802.11.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the second transceiver is configured for operation in an ad-hoc operational mode.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first network transceiver is configured for operation using a physical layer operational mode selected from a group of operational modes comprising Direct Frequency Spread Spectrum (DSSS), Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), and infrared.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller in the first wireless communication device is further configured to provide a match indication if the controller in the first wireless communication device determines there is a match between the first portion of user profile data stored in the profile data storage area of the first wireless communication device and the second portion of user profile data received from the second wireless communication device.
13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user-operable input 20 device on the first wireless communication device to permit entry of the first and second portions of the user profile data via the user-operable input device.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein first transceiver in the first wireless communication device is configured to receive the first and second portions of the user 25 profile data from the wireless communication network.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the received portion of the user profile data in the user profile data storage area from the second wireless communication device includes a web-link indicating a network location associated with a user of the second wireless communication device, the controller in the first wireless communication device being further configured to pass the received web-link to the first transceiver in the first wireless communication device for transmission to the wireless communication network.
16. A communication system comprising:
a first wireless communication device having:
first communication means for establishing a communication link;
first control means for controlling operation of the first wireless communication device; and
first data storage means for storing first and second portions of user profile data for a user of the first wireless communication device;
a second wireless communication device having:
second communication means for establishing a communication link wherein the first and second means for establishing a communication link comprises a short-range transceiver in the first and second wireless communication devices, respectively, to establish a direct communication link between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device;
second control means for controlling operation of the second wireless communication device;
second data storage means for storing first and second portions of user profile data for a user of the second wireless communication device, wherein the first control means is configured to detect the presence of the second wireless communication device in a location proximate the first wireless communication device and to establish a communication link therewith; and
analyzer means for analyzing the second portion of the user profile data received from the second data storage means and the first portion of user profile data received from the first data storage means to determine if there is a match therebetween.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the first control means provides an indication to a user that the second wireless communication device is within range of the first wireless communication device when analyzer means determines there is a match between the first portion of user profile data received from the first data storage means and the second portion of the user profile data received from the second data storage means.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein the second wireless communication device is configured to transmit the second portion of the user profile stored in the second data storage means to the first wireless communication device using the second communication means.
19. The system of claim 16 wherein the first data storage means is configured to store user-selectable profile data and user-selectable preference data and the received second portion of the user profile data in the second data storage means is user profile data associated with the user of the second wireless communication device, the analysis by first control means comprising an analysis of the received second portion of the user profile data associated with the user of the second wireless communication device and the user-selectable preference data to determine if there is a match between the user-selectable preference data stored in the first data storage means and the received second portion of the user profile data.