(12) United States Patent
`(10) Patent N0.:
`US 6,618,593 B1
`
`Drutman et al.
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Sep. 9, 2003
`
`USOO6618593B1
`
`(54) LOCATION DEPENDENT USER MATCHING
`SYSTEM
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Charles Drutman, Lynnfield, MA
`(US); Darlene Drutman, Lynnfield,
`MA (US); Andrew Egendorf, Lincoln,
`MA (US); Norton Greenfeld, Wayland,
`MA (US); Eugene Pettinelli, Sudbury,
`MA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: RovingRadar, 1119-, Wayland, MA (US)
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`( * ) Notice:
`Subject. to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. NO‘: 09/658,671
`(22)
`Filed:
`Sep. 8, 2000
`
`5,754,939 A
`6,014,090 A
`6,049,711 A *
`
`5/1998 Herz et a1. ................... 455/4.2
`
`1/2000 Rosen et a1.
`.........
`340/905
`4/2000 Ben—Yehezkel et a1.
`..... 455/414
`
`.............. 455/414
`2/2002 Asaoka et a1.
`6,349,203 B1 *
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`International Search Report for PCT/USOl/28121.
`* cited b
`.
`y examiner
`Primary Examiner—Edward F. Urban
`Assistant Examiner—Sheila Smith
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Ira J. Schaefer, Esq.;
`Clifford Chance US LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A system and method for matching first and second mobile
`communications devices are provided. Preference or profile
`information associated With the first and second mobile
`communications devices is transmitted to a central server for
`
`Int. Cl.7 ................................................. H04M 3/42
`(51)
`(52) US. Cl.
`....................... 455/456; 455/414; 455/266;
`342/357.11
`
`matching the first and second devices. Location information
`and transmission statuses of the first and second mobile
`communications device are also transmitted to the central
`
`(58) Field of Search ................................. 455/456, 414,
`455/415, 457, 566, 418; 342/357.11
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`US. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`server. Data related to the location of either device is
`transmitted to the other device depending upon the matched
`statuses of the mobile communications devices and the
`
`location and transmission status information associated With
`the mobile communications devices.
`
`5,493,692 A
`
`2/1996 Theimer et a1.
`
`........... 455/26.1
`
`22 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
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`US. Patent
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`Sep. 9, 2003
`
`Sheet 3 0f 5
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`US. Patent
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`Sep. 9, 2003
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`US. Patent
`
`Sep. 9, 2003
`
`Sheet 5 0f5
`
`US 6,618,593 B1
`
`DOES THE
`PREFERENCEIPROFILE INFORMATION
`OF MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE #1
`MATCH THE PREFERENCE/PROFILE
`INFORMATION OF MOBILE
`COMMUNCATION
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`Page 6 0f 16
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`6
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`Page 6 of 16
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`

`

`US 6,618,593 B1
`
`1
`LOCATION DEPENDENT USER MATCHING
`SYSTEM
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates generally to telecommuni-
`cations. More particularly, the present invention relates to an
`apparatus and method for identifying mobile telecommuni-
`cations users and transmitting location-based data to them
`based upon preferences or matching requirements specified
`by the users.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Mobile telecommunications users often desire informa-
`
`In numerous
`tion related to their geographic location.
`applications, such as convenience shopping and determining
`an optimal automobile travel route, data related to the
`geographic location of the user is provided to the user. For
`example, the Vindigo system is an Internet-based “find-it”
`service in which a user of a Palm personal data assistant
`(“PDA”) having wireless connectivity to the Internet can
`request
`the location of the nearest restaurant or movie
`theater. The database of subscribing service locations, stored
`on a computer server connected to the Internet or World
`Wide Web, is queried when the request is received. Match-
`ing information, including location information, regarding
`the requested service based on the location of the PDA is
`transmitted to the Palm PDA device over the wireless
`
`network connection. This system has a drawback, however,
`in that the user must specify the location of the requesting
`PDA because its location is not automatically “tracked” by
`a position determining system like the Global Positioning
`System (GPS).
`As another example, the OnStar automobile navigation
`system uses cellular phone technology and automatic GPS
`tracking to send information to the automobile or to services
`organizations that support
`the automobile. In particular,
`driving directions may be provided to a stranded motorist
`based on his GPS-determined location and a desired desti-
`
`nation. Also, remote services, such as contacting the nearest
`emergency services in the event of an airbag deployment or
`remotely unlocking the automobile in the event the keys are
`locked within the car, are also provided based on the
`GPS-determined location of the automobile. This system is
`limited, however, in that two such automobiles equipped
`with the OnStar system can not request information related
`to the position of each other.
`Other systems and methods for delivering local informa-
`tion to mobile travelers, such as those disclosed in US. Pat.
`No. 6,014,090, permit a data profile or specific set of
`preferred facilities to be specified by a mobile communica-
`tions device user. The mobile communications devices dis-
`
`closed in this patent contain a GPS transmitter. As the user’s
`telecommunications device moves from location to location,
`a central resource server provides data to the mobile user
`through the mobile communications device corresponding
`to the user’s selected preferences, for example a list of
`desired hotels, restaurants, or gas stations. Like the OnStar
`system, no provision is made for the simultaneous tracking
`and notification of a plurality of mobile users based on the
`positions of the other users.
`Thus, it is desirable for a telecommunications system to
`notify a first mobile communications user of a second
`mobile communications user, including providing informa-
`tion related to the location of the second mobile communi-
`
`cations device. Such user notification may be based on a
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`physical proximity to one another and/or notification pref-
`erences specified by the users. Further, it is often desirable
`to permit an “availability” status to other mobile commu-
`nications users to further qualify the transmission of the
`information related to a user’s location to other users, even
`when physical proximity and notification preference
`requirements are met.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`According to one aspect of the present invention, a system
`for matching users of mobile communications devices is
`provided comprising a first mobile communications device
`for transmitting information defining a location of the first
`mobile communications device and a user receiving status;
`a second mobile communications device for transmitting
`information defining a location of the second mobile com-
`munications device and a user receiving status; and a central
`unit having a processor coupled to a memory, the central unit
`capable of communicating with the first mobile communi-
`cations device over a first wireless communications link and
`with the second mobile communications device over a
`
`second wireless communications link, the memory storing a
`first user profile including information associated with a user
`of the first mobile communications device and a second user
`
`profile including information associated with a user of the
`second mobile communications device, wherein the central
`unit receives the user receiving statuses and the information
`defining the locations of the first and the second mobile
`communications devices and wherein the processor receives
`the first and the second user profiles to match information of
`the users and, if there is a match and depending upon the
`user receiving statuses, effects the transmission to the first
`mobile communications device of locating information for
`the second mobile communications device and effects the
`transmission to the second mobile communications device
`
`of locating information for the first mobile communications
`device,
`the locating information for each of the devices
`being based upon the information defining the locations of
`the first and the second mobile communications devices.
`
`In the above invention, it is also desirable to provide a
`system in which the first user profile and the second user
`profile each of which includes a location, area, or volume
`and the match of information of the users includes a match
`of the location, area, or volume contained in the first user
`profile with the location of the second mobile communica-
`tions device and a match of the location, area, or volume
`contained in the second user profile with the location of the
`first mobile communications device in the invention above.
`
`is desirable to
`it
`In another aspect of the invention,
`provide a system for matching users of mobile communi-
`cations devices comprising a first mobile communications
`device for transmitting information defining a location of the
`first mobile communications device and a user receiving
`status; a second mobile communications device for trans-
`mitting information defining a location of the second mobile
`communications device; and a central unit having a proces-
`sor coupled to a memory, the central unit capable of com-
`municating with the first mobile communications device
`over a first wireless communications link and with the
`second mobile communications device over a second wire-
`
`less communications link, the memory storing a first user
`profile including information associated with a user of the
`first mobile communications device and a second user
`
`profile including information associated with a user of the
`second mobile communications device, wherein the central
`unit receives the user receiving status from the first mobile
`communications device and the information defining the
`
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`

`US 6,618,593 B1
`
`3
`locations of the first and the second mobile communications
`devices and wherein the processor receives the first and the
`second user profiles to match information of the users and,
`if there is a match and depending upon the user receiving
`status, effects the transmission to the first mobile commu-
`nications device of locating information based upon the
`information defining the locations of the first and the second
`mobile communications devices.
`
`In the above invention, it is also desirable to provide a
`system in which the first user profile includes a location,
`area, or volume and the match of information of the users
`includes a match of the location, area, or volume with the
`location of the second mobile communications device.
`
`10
`
`Further, the system may include features in which the user
`receiving status is provided by a power-on state of the first
`mobile telecommunications device.
`
`15
`
`In yet another aspect, the present invention includes a
`system for matching users of mobile communications
`devices comprising a first mobile communications device
`for transmitting information defining a location of the first
`mobile communications device; a second mobile commu-
`nications device for transmitting information defining a
`location of the second mobile communications device and a
`
`user sending status; and a central unit having a processor
`coupled to a memory, the central unit capable of commu-
`nicating with the first mobile communications device over a
`first wireless communications link and with the second
`mobile communications device over a second wireless com-
`
`munications link, the memory storing a first user profile
`including information associated with a user of the first
`mobile communications device and a second user profile
`including information associated with a user of the second
`mobile communications device, wherein the central unit
`receives the user sending status from the second mobile
`communications device and the information defining the
`locations of the first and the second mobile communications
`
`devices and wherein the processor receives the first and the
`second user profiles to match information of the users and,
`if there is a match and depending upon the user sending
`status, effects the transmission to the first mobile commu-
`nications device of locating information based upon the
`information defining the locations of the first and the second
`mobile communications devices.
`
`In the above invention, it is also desirable to provide a
`system in which the first user profile includes a location,
`area, or volume and the match of information of the users
`includes a match of the location, area, or volume with the
`location of the second mobile communications device. It is
`
`also desirable to provide a system in which the user sending
`status is provided by a power on state of the second mobile
`telecommunications device or in which the locating infor-
`mation is locating information for the second mobile com-
`munications device. Systems are further contemplated in
`which the locating information includes a location other than
`the location of either the first mobile communications device
`or the second mobile communications device or in which at
`least one of the first and the second mobile communications
`
`devices includes an input device for inputting the profile
`information.
`
`In the above invention, it is also desirable to provide a
`system in which the user profile information includes char-
`acteristics of the user and preferences of the user, and the
`match of information of the users includes matching pref-
`erences of the first user with characteristics of the second
`
`user and preferences of the second user with characteristics
`of the first user. It is also desirable to provide a system in
`which at least one user and the preferences of at least one
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`4
`user is selected from the group consisting of a business
`relationship, a social relationship, a family relationship,
`physical characteristics,
`food, clothing, sports,
`entertainment, music, and video or in which at least one of
`the first and the second mobile communications devices is a
`cellular phone, a pager, a personal data assistant, a global
`positioning system receiver, a transponder, a radio, a walkie-
`talkie, or a wireless Internet access device. Further it is
`desirable to provide systems in which the information defin-
`ing the location of at least one of the first and the second
`mobile communications devices includes an address, an
`intersection, a landmark, a marker, co-ordinates, or a tele-
`phone number or in which the locating information includes
`a map, vectors, directions, and an address.
`In the above invention, it is also desirable to provide a
`system in which the locating information includes audio
`information, video information,
`textual
`information, or
`graphical information or in which the locating information is
`updated to track a movement of at least one of the first and
`the second mobile communications devices or in which the
`central unit transmits additional information to at least one
`of the first and second mobile communications devices with
`
`the locating information. It is also desirable to provide a
`system in which additional information is obtained from an
`Internet web site or in which the user profile of at least one
`of the first mobile communications device and the second
`mobile communications device includes information iden-
`
`tifying the user of the other mobile communications device.
`In yet another aspect, the present invention includes a
`system for notifying a first user and a second user of mobile
`communications devices of each other’s presence compris-
`ing a first mobile communications device for the first user,
`the first mobile communications device transmitting a loca-
`tion of the first user and a first user receiving status; a second
`mobile communications device for the second user,
`the
`second mobile communications device transmitting a loca-
`tion of the second user and a second user receiving status;
`and a central unit having a processor coupled to a memory,
`the central unit capable of communicating with the first
`mobile communications device over a first wireless com-
`munications link and with the second mobile communica-
`tions device over a second wireless communications link,
`the memory storing a profile for each of the first user and the
`second user, wherein the central unit matches the first user
`and the second user if the first user profile contains a
`preference for the second user and the second user profile
`contains a preference for the first user and the location of the
`first user and the location of the second user are within a
`
`specified distance of one another, the central unit transmit-
`ting the location of the first user to the second user and the
`location of the second user to the first user upon making the
`match and depending upon the first and second user receiv-
`ing statuses.
`In a final aspect, the present invention includes a child
`location system for notifying a parent comprising a mobile
`communications device for a parent; a mobile communica-
`tions device for a child, the mobile communications device
`for the child capable of transmitting a location of the child
`and a status indicator for the mobile communications device
`
`of the child; and a central unit coupled to a memory, the
`central unit coupled to the mobile communications device
`for the parent over a first mobile communications link and
`coupled to the mobile communications device for the child
`over a second mobile communications link, the memory
`storing a parent profile including information identifying the
`mobile communications device of the child and a child
`
`profile including information identifying the mobile com-
`
`Page 8 0f 16
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`Page 8 of 16
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`

`US 6,618,593 B1
`
`5
`munications device of the parent, the central unit receiving
`the status indicator and the location of the child from the
`
`second mobile communications device and making a match
`between the mobile communications device of the parent
`and the mobile communications device of the child based on
`
`the central unit
`the parent profile and the child profile,
`transmitting information related to the location of the child
`to the mobile communications device of the parent over the
`first mobile communications link upon making said match
`when the location of the child is outside a predefined
`boundary.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a diagram of a mobile telecommunications
`network according to one embodiment of the present inven-
`tion.
`
`FIG. 2 is a logical diagram of two mobile communications
`devices and associated data according to one embodiment of
`the present invention.
`FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a process for determining
`the delivery of information to mobile communications
`devices according to one embodiment of the present inven-
`tion.
`
`FIG. 4 is another logical diagram of two mobile commu-
`nications devices and associated data according to another
`embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a process for determining
`the delivery of information to mobile communications
`devices according to another embodiment of the present
`invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile telecommunications system
`10 according to a particular embodiment of the present
`invention is shown. Mobile telecommunications system 10
`consists of a mobile telecommunications network 15 that
`connects a first mobile communications device 17 with a
`second mobile communications device 19 over first and
`
`second wireless communications links 18 and 20 respec-
`tively. Mobile telecommunications network 15 may consist
`of a cellular telephone network using one of the cellular
`telecommunications protocols, such as Code Division Mul-
`tiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Commu-
`nications (GSM) or Time Division Multiple Access
`(TDMA). Further, mobile telecommunications network 15
`may be a pager network, a wireless web network employing,
`for example, any of the wireless protocols such as WAP,
`i-mode or 3G, or any other such wireless data or voice
`transmission network. Likewise, first and second mobile
`communications devices 17 and 19 may be cellular
`telephones, pagers, PDAs or other mobile communications
`or computing devices compatible with mobile telecommu-
`nications network 15. Further, the mobile communications
`devices may be associated with a user, e.g., a human being,
`pet,
`livestock, or a particular physical entity, e.g., an
`automobile, a house, a retail shop, or heavy equipment.
`Mobile telecommunications network 15 is connected to a
`
`central computer server 25. Central server 25 minimally
`includes a processor with associated memory. Central server
`25 may be a personal computer, Internet or World Wide Web
`(hereinafter used interchangeably) server, mainframe
`computer, or other computing device capable of connecting
`to mobile telecommunications network 15. Central server 25
`
`may be connected to mobile telecommunications network 15
`
`6
`via wireless link 26. Central server 25 is also connected to
`
`computer network 30 which, in turn, is connected to other
`computers 27 and 28. Computer network 30 is further
`connected to mass storage devices 40 for storing large
`amounts of data related to the mobile communications
`
`devices 17 and 19 and their respective users. It should be
`understood that mass storage devices 40, as well as all other
`computer memories resident on computer network 30, are
`accessible by central server 25 and are considered to be
`“associated” memory for the purpose of storing and retriev-
`ing the data and information described in this invention.
`In addition to wireless link 26, central server 25 may be
`connected to mobile telecommunications network 15 via
`
`other connections 29, e.g. a hardwired link. Central server
`25 may be co-located with mobile telecommunication net-
`work 15. For example, computer network 30 may be con-
`nected to the Internet 60 via dedicated landline services 50
`
`through network hubs, bridges and routers 35. Dedicated,
`landline telecommunications services 50 may include Tl,
`ATM, DSL, frame relay, or other services provided by the
`telecommunications companies for connection to the Inter-
`net in general. Network connection 65 connecting Internet
`60 and mobile telecommunications network 15 exists
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`through any of the present or heretofore developed services
`that connect these two networks.
`
`FIG. 2 is a logical diagram showing the physical locations
`of the first and second mobile communications devices 17
`and 19 and some of the data associated with those devices.
`
`30
`
`In particular, first telecommunications device 17 is situated
`at first location 100 and second telecommunications device
`
`19 is positioned at second location 200. First and second
`locations 100 and 200 are preferably determined by GPS
`transceivers within the mobile communications devices. The
`GPS data indicative of first and second locations 100 and
`
`200 may be stored within a memory inside the mobile
`communications devices for later transmission over wireless
`links 18 and 20, shown in FIG. 1, to the central server 25.
`Alternatively, the GPS data reflecting the locations of the
`communications devices may be transmitted continuously to
`the central server 25 so as to accurately reflect the positions
`of those devices on a real-time basis.
`Associated with each of the mobile communications
`
`devices 17 and 19 are data structures 210 and 220 respec-
`tively. The data within data structures 210 and 220 may be
`stored on the mobile communications devices themselves,
`on central server 25, or on the mass storage elements 40
`within mobile telecommunications system 10. Regardless of
`the storage location, each mobile communications device
`has a data structure associated with it
`that contains a
`
`plurality of types of data.
`The first data associated with the mobile communications
`devices are the above-mentioned GPS determined location
`data 211 and 221 indicative of first and second locations 100
`
`and 200 respectively. As previously mentioned, this data is
`preferably generated by a GPS transceiver within the mobile
`communications devices and may be stored in memory
`within those devices prior to transmission to the central
`server 25.
`The second data associated with the mobile communica-
`tions devices are the receive/transmit statuses 212 and 222
`for the mobile communications devices. As an example, the
`receive status data consists of a toggle bit within the wireless
`data stream transmitted over the wireless communications
`links that indicates whether the associated mobile commu-
`
`nications device is accepting data or requests from other
`mobile communications devices or the central server 25. The
`
`35
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`40
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`45
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`50
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`55
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`60
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`65
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`US 6,618,593 B1
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`7
`transmit status data works similarly in that it indicates to the
`mobile communications device itself, whether requests or
`data should be sent to other mobile communications devices
`or to the central server. In one embodiment, the receive/
`transmit status may simply default to “available” according
`to the “power-on” or “ready status” condition of the mobile
`communications device. In that case, the data type 212, 222
`would allow transmitting the data structures 210, 220 and
`receiving and accordingly would not
`require those
`datatypes. The same applies to the other embodiments.
`Alternatively, a user of the mobile communications device
`may toggle either of the above-described status conditions
`using data input means on the mobile communications
`device such as the keypad of a cell phone or a handwriting
`tablet portion of a PDA.
`The third data associated with the mobile communications
`
`devices are the profile/preference data 213 and 223 for the
`mobile communications device or the user thereof. The
`
`invention are
`the present
`commercial applications for
`numerous and varied. Consequently, as provided in more
`detail below, the contents of the profile/preference data are
`likewise numerous and varied. At a fundamental
`level,
`however, the profile/preference data contain elements that
`uniquely identify the particular mobile communications
`device with which it is associated. Further, the profile data
`may reflect the particular preferences of the mobile com-
`munications device or its user. As with the status data, this
`data may be entered directly into the mobile communica-
`tions device using input means on the device or may be
`integrated as part of the device, for example, embedded in
`the device firmware.
`
`The profile/preference data held by the server for each
`user or mobile communications device may be generally
`divided into two parts. First, each user’s or mobile commu-
`nications device’s profile data contains data related to the
`characteristics of the user or the device. As an example, the
`user’s characteristic data may include that the user is a
`manager level employee who works in the Networking
`group at Xerox Corp. Second, the profile data may contain
`preference data for the user or device to be used by the
`central server in making the match. In the example above,
`the preference data may include other managers who also
`work at Xerox and who are in the same city (within
`approximately 20 miles). Thus the profiles may contain both
`specific information related to the users/device and the
`preference data for the user/device that is being sought.
`Further,
`the above-mentioned receive/transmit status 212
`and 222 may actually be a data element within the
`preference/profile data 213 and 223. For example, the user
`may only wish to receive a matching notification from the
`central server after 5:00 PM. on weekdays and sets his
`communications device availability accordingly.
`The data contained within data structures 210 and 220
`associated with first and second mobile communications
`
`devices 17 and 19 respectively may be entered and trans-
`mitted to one another and to the central server 25 in a
`
`number of ways. As previously mentioned, location data 211
`and 221 may be transmitted directly to the other mobile
`communications device via a mobile telecommunications
`network 15 and/or transmitted to the central server 25 via
`any of its network connections shown in FIG. 1. The
`receive/transmit status 212 and 222 are typically entered on
`the mobile communications device to either activate or
`
`inactivate the receive and/or transmit status for that particu-
`lar device. In this regard, the status may be either maintained
`within the memory associated with the mobile communica-
`tions device, or may be transmitted directly to the other
`
`8
`mobile communications devices or the central server. If the
`receive/transmit status 212 and 222 of the first and second
`mobile communications devices is stored within the memory
`of those devices, then the central server 25 may poll each of
`the mobile communications device on the mobile telecom-
`munications network 15 in order to determine the appropri-
`ate status of those devices. Although such continuous poll-
`ing is possible, a particularly preferred embodiment
`transmits the status of the mobile communications device to
`
`the central server 25 for storage within the memory associ-
`ated with the central server so as to reduce the required
`transmission bandwidth for the mobile telecommunications
`network. Thus, mobile telecommunications data structures
`210 and 220 may be stored within first and second mobile
`communications devices 17 and 19 respectively either in
`whole, or in part. Any portion of the data within those data
`structures not stored within the memory of the telecommu-
`nications devices themselves may be transmitted to the
`central server 25 for storage or to the other mobile commu-
`nications devices within the network.
`
`It should be appreciated that at least the preference/profile
`data 213 and 223 may be supplied to central server 25 via
`means other than the first and second mobile communica-
`
`10
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`15
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`20
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`25
`
`tions devices themselves. In particular, a personal computer
`80, shown in FIG. 1, may be employed by a user of first
`mobile communications device 17 to transmit
`the
`
`preference/profile data 213 associated with that device to
`central server 25 or to the other mobile communications
`
`30
`
`35
`
`devices on the mobile commun