Patent Application
20140148130
The disclosed invention relates to the field of communications. It describes a Remote Subscriber Identification (RSID) system which comprises a remote database capable of seamlessly storing, linking, and transferring mobile data to a communication device.
Mobile wireless communication is advancing with capabilities of storing large amount data in smaller and faster electronic chips. The original communication devices stored mobile data on embedded memory chips. However, as the use of mobile devices increased, users utilized the devices as information storage source. Phonebook and calendar records went from being kept on paper to strictly being stored on mobile devices. This caused a problem through persistent introduction of new mobile phones and better subscription plans each year, while lucking in easy data transfer and guaranteed data security.
The versatility of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card provided the subscriber to be independent of any particular mobile phone. The SIM card allows the subscriber to change cellular telephones without having to completely re-program the new telephone. The SIM card carries all the subscriber-specification information needed by a mobile telephone or by a hybrid mobile telephone/PDA. A microprocessor and a memory package enable the SIM card to store information. The information typically consists of subscriber identity, recent location, messages received and sent, service profile, the user's phonebook, and the like. The information is initially entered to the SIM card by the service provider, which programs the SIM card with a subscriber identity and profile so that only the subscriber can access and use the SIM card. Afterward, the subscriber may enter his or her personal information such as his or her phonebook or calendar to be stored on the SIM card.
However, because of memory limitations, information such as call records, pictures, games and game records, downloaded ring tones, and such are typically stored directly on the cellular phone. This storage method typically prevents the user from transferring his or her complete set of desired information into a different cellular telephone. Additionally, when a subscriber loses his or her cellular phone, the SIM card is also lost. Even though the cellular telephone number can be readily transferred into a new SIM card, all the other information stored on the SIM card and on the cellular telephone is lost and needs to be re-entered.
Very basic solutions for data storage came with the introduction of a SIM saver, a small portable device capable of storing a copy of SIM card data by inserting the SIM card into the device and backing it up. Another solution uses a Bluetooth or infrared link device capable of uploading both phone data and SIM card data from a mobile telephone onto a computing device. Although useful, both solutions require additional devices and lengthy data transfer processes given that the data is transferred in bulk.
Over-the-air data transfer offers a better solution for mobile telephone data storage since the process can be made simple and reasonably rapid. Currently, various mobile telephone service providers along with other companies offer an on-line phonebook. The user can access the phonebook through the Internet; the phonebook can be modified and retrieved to the mobile device by means of electronic mail or SMS. For example, Verizon Wireless offers a Backup Assistant service which allows a subscriber to store an address book to a secure web site so that the contact information is readily available in case of the acquisition of a new telephone. The multiple addresses and telephone numbers can be imported to the Backup Assistant website and transferred back to the telephone with ease.
A more versatile phonebook data transfer system is capable of updating the changes made on the remote database or the mobile device phonebooks. This updating is achieved by cross-checking the changes and displaying them on both the remote database and the mobile device phonebooks. At the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 6-Jan. 9, 2005, Motorola displayed a system they term “MYBACKUP.” MYBACKUP is highly similar to Backup Assistant in that the method copies one's phonebook from a Motorola GSM telephone and stores it on a secure remote server. The presenter stated that Motorola also plans to provide the same service for backing up one's games and pictures. Although systems such as these assist the subscriber, the subscriber needs to follow a time-consuming process to accomplish the task. Moreover, such systems do not allow for the automatic storage of additional desired information, and they do not back up new entries until the user focuses on and actively implements the backup method.
Other systems are available which allow various types of data to be backed up using user-friendly software which is installed on the mobile device. Attix5 offers a product called Backup Professional—Mobile Edition (ME) which stores SIM and device data from communication devices such as cellular telephones and PDAs on its remote server. The Attix5 software, once installed, adapts to the particular telephone and uploads a “Backup ME” category or an icon to the preset mobile device menu. The user can select the type of information that will be backed up, such as contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, and photographs. The Software compresses and encrypts that data on the communication device, and the user commands that it be backed up. Subsequent backups involve only newly stored information. The user can select the frequency of backup, or else the system can be automated such that the phone can be set to backup automatically or the network can initiate backups. Although the Attix5 system comprises an improvement over previously described backup systems, the system is merely a backup assistant where the phone is the prior source of information and the database serves as information copy. As such, the system requires two copies of data and does not solve memory constrictions on the mobile phone.
What is needed is a system that provides remote mobile data which can be used by the user's communication device to perform typical tasks. Moreover, the system should enable the user to seamlessly use any communication device at any time. Only in this way can the user completely solve the problems related to loss of the communication device, damage to the device, robbery of the device, upgrading to another device, in addition to memory constrictions.
Because the system comprises a remote database capable of seamlessly storing, linking, and transferring mobile data to a communication device, it has many more applications than the remote storage and retrieval of data that can be used to operate a mobile device. Various kinds of subscriber specific and personal user information can be stored remotely and uploaded to a plurality of devices.
One object of the invention is to provide a system in which the communication device is independent of subscriber data.
Another object of the invention is to enable the subscriber to use any available communication device with all personal settings virtually immediately available.
Another object of the invention is to utilize the communication device provider database, the service provider database, a general system database, or a link to the user's personal remote database to store all of the information associated with the communication device subscriber.
Another object of the invention is to make immediately available at least one data packet comprising subscriber information via any wireless data link or network. Such data packets can include all of the subscriber-specification information required to set up the communication device plus the subscriber's personalized information. Generally speaking, the remote database would have all the information stored currently on a communication device.
Another object of the invention is the establishment of means of identification for enabling the mobile device to readily identify a user or subscriber to the service. The identification means has to be unique to an individual such as a password and/or any biometric system that is integrated into the mobile device.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seamless data transfer capabilities. That is, when the user provides an identification parameter, the processes of identification and data transfer are carried out automatically and seamlessly, such that the user experiences virtually no difference in usage between the present invention and the standard communication device, in which the subscriber data are stored on the communication device itself.
Another object of the invention is to enable the remote storage of the content of every communication, including visual and auditory information, as obtained from a device that transmits and receives audio and/or audiovisual messages.
In one embodiment, the communication device is initially set up to upload subscriber-specification information and linked to the user's personalized information on the remote database; that is, no personalized information resides on the memory of the communication device. As the user uses and makes changes to personalized information, the changes are updated and saved in the remote database. Moreover, as phone calls and other messages come in or go out, the call records are automatically transferred to the remote database.
In another embodiment, the communication device initially is set up to upload on its memory the subscriber-specification information and user's personalized information in a single data packet from the remote database. As the user makes changes to personalized information on the communication device, the remote database is updated accordingly. Moreover, as phone calls and other messages come in or go out, the call records are saved on the communication device and automatically transferred to the database.
In accordance with another embodiment, at least one portion of the personalized information stored in the remote database is made available to the subscriber upon inquiry or request. That is, when the user accesses his or her phonebook, the phonebook data is streamed from the remote database, saving memory space on the user's communication device.
In another embodiment, the user enters at least one identification parameter into his or her communication device. The communication device transfers the identification parameter to the remote database to identify the user. When the user is identified, the corresponding subscriber-specification information and the personalized information are uploaded to the communication device. As the user makes changes to the personalized information, the changes are stored both on the communication device and the remote database.
In a related embodiment, neither subscriber specification information or personalized information is needed to be stored on the communication device. User A can enter an identification parameter which is send to the database to be identified. The communication devices accesses or temporary uploads subscriber specification information and links to personalized information stored at a remote database. The link enables User A to use the communication device with User A's personalized settings and automatically arranging, if appropriate, for billing to User A's account. When the communication device is indicated that its usage is ended, its temporary memory is cleared. The communication device may then be used by User B, who enters his own identification parameter to access or temporarily upload his own subscriber-specification information and linked to personalized settings at a remote database. User B's link enables User B to use the communication device with User B's personalized settings and automatically arranging, if appropriate, for billing to User B's account.
In yet another related embodiment, User A enters at least one identification parameter into User B's communication device. The communication device transmits the identification parameter to the remote database to identify or authenticate User A. Upon identification or authentication of User A, User A can upload various kinds of information pertaining to User A to the communication device of User B, in which it can be stored. Alternatively, the uploaded information may be stored on a remote server, such that it can be accessed and retrieved by User B's communication device. The information can comprise social networking data, such as User A's contact information and/or elements of User A's profile. Contact information can comprise at least one of the group consisting of User A's name, cell phone number, home telephone number, email address, tweeting address, fax number, home mailing address, and business address. Elements of a social networking user profile can comprise at least one of the group consisting of demographic information, such as ethnicity, age, gender and religion; educational background; employment background; financial information; sexual orientation (for example, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgendered); relationship status, pets, hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, travel history and preferences, club memberships, and political attitudes. Upon User A's uploading his or her contact or social networking information onto User B's communication device, User B may reciprocate by uploading his or her contact or social networking information to User A's communication device, or by using information uploaded by User A to User B's device, such as phone number, email address, and the like, to contact User A.
User B has the opportunity to keep his or her contact and other information anonymous or private until he or she has had the opportunity to evaluate User A's data. In this example, there was presumably enough initial attraction so that User B was willing to allow User A to upload his or her data to User B's device, but User B may wish to study User A's social-networking user profile before deciding whether or not to contact User A and forward his or her own contact and/or social networking data to User A. It is also possible that User B may not be interested in User A, but allows User A to upload his or her data so that User B need not confront User A by saying “No” at the time of their meeting.
In the social-networking embodiment, User A may upload a standard data packet to User B's device, or a data packet that is selected at the time User A is using User B's device. For example, the users' firmware and/or software may be dedicated to the uploading of information selected from the group consisting of contact information, social-networking information, and any combination thereof. In such cases, all that is necessary is for User A to transmit authenticating information, such as fingerprint information, to the remote database. Upon receiving the authenticating information, the remote database will transmit the pre-identified data packet to User B's device. When the devices' firmware or software are not dedicated to a specific kind of data packet, User A, upon transmitting authenticating information to the remote database, may, in return, receive a menu of kinds of data packets to upload to User B's device. Data packets listed can be selected from the group consisting of subscriber specific information, personal information, contact information, social networking information, demographic information, ethnicity, age, gender, relationship status, religion, educational background, photographs, videos, audio files, phonebook information, employment background, job-application information, financial background, personal appearance, sexual orientation, hobbies, a location data, a phone setting, a message, a call record, a game, consumer profile information, medical information, a combination thereof, and the like. User A may then select at least one data packet from the menu, which will then be uploaded to User B's device.
In a related embodiment, User A accesses a web site of a service provider that houses or can access User A's profile. Upon accessing his or her user profile, User A may select particular information from the profile to be uploaded to User B's communication device. In some cases, an App on User A's communication device may be used to facilitate the selection of information to be uploaded and the process of uploading the information to User B's communication device. Logging into a user account on a website associated with a service provider can be seamless and automatic. User A, for example, can press the home button of the App key on User B's device, which automatically accesses User A's profile information and displays a range of options on User B's device that permit User A to select the information to be uploaded and to upload it to User B's device. In embodiments that are biometrically enabled, User A enters biometric identifying and/or authenticating information on User B's communication device, the service provider accepts the authenticating information, accesses User A's subscriber specific information and/or personal information, and uploads the information to User B's communication device. User A's information can be housed by the service provider or accessed by the service provider from a third party remote database.
User A may download the service provider's App onto his or her communication device. Then when User A presses the service provider's App, or logs onto the service provider's web site from his or her desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, or another device, User A can establish an account or log on to his or her account. User A can then create or edit his or her profile information in various areas, such as contact information, photos for sharing, his or her phonebook, social networking data, business-related data, health-related data, a shopping-related user profile, and the like. Then, assuming that User B has the App on his or her communication device, User A may press the App on User B's device, log into the provider web site, select the information to upload, and upload it to User B's device. When the process is biometrically enabled, logging in can be seamless and automatic. User A, for example, can press the home button or App key on User B's device, automatically bringing him or her to the screen in which he or she selects the data to upload, and upload it to User B's device. When users launch the software on their own devices, they are given the opportunity to edit their data. When they launch the software on other users' devices, they are given the opportunity to select and upload data to the second user's device. Alternatively, in a social setting it may be expected and understood that when User A presses the App or home button on User B's device, User A's contact information and social networking information will be uploaded to User B's device. The process is exceptionally rapid and seamless. User B presents User A with his or her device, User A presses the service provider's App or the home button and the desired information is seamlessly uploaded to User B's device.
A related embodiment involves a romantic or “friending” context. User A may depress a key or icon on User B's communication device, whereupon information concerning the identity of the first user is transmitted to a service provider, and upon authentication of the identity of User A, User B's communication device displays an option to upload at least one of a plurality of pieces of information about User A that is housed in a database linked to the service provider. The information may be in the form of subscriber information, contact information, social networking information, and the like.
Yet another object of the invention is the establishment of at least one service provider. The service provider creates or makes available the software to operate the system. For example, the service provider may make “Apps” available at App stores and elsewhere. The service provider operates or arranges for the operation of the remote database, or back-ender server. The service provider enables the users of the system to complete questionnaires to create data packets that can be downloaded to other users' communication devices. The service provider enables users to scroll through their uploaded data packets to select the packet or packets to be downloaded to second users' devices.
User A's information can also comprise resume or vita (curriculum vitae) information, which can be uploaded to mobile communication devices or to desktop devices. Such resume information would comprise contact information, educational background, work background, professional activities and accomplishments, and such other information as considered relevant by the user of the system. If the user uploads data to another party's dedicated device—that is, a device that only provides commands to access and retrieve resume or vita information—retrieving this resume or vita information may be seamless in a biometric embodiment, occurring automatically as a result of the user's touching the appropriate button or key. At a job fair or convention, for example, User A can touch buttons on a series of potential employers' devices, within seconds or minutes.
The information to be uploaded can also comprise User A's library of photographs, videos, and audio files, or a selection thereof, which are stored on User A's device and, simultaneously, in the remote database; or only in the remote database, and streamed to User A's device, or User B's device, when User A wishes to use the material or transmit it to another party. The photographs, videos, and audio files may comprise part of the user's social-networking profile, a professional portfolio, and the like.
User A may also interact with a merchandising venue or commercial establishment, comprising a store, a retail store, a department store, a grocery store, a supermarket, an electronics store, an office supplies store, a convenience store, a bookstore, a wholesale distributor, a retail distributor, a theater, a stadium, a restaurant, a shopping mall, a museum, a gallery, a restaurant, a town or village commercial district, a street with a plurality of merchandising venues, and the like. In this embodiment, the merchandising venue is User B. User A first establishes an account and completes a registration process with an online service provider, and uploads personal information that is stored on a remote database associated with the service provider. This process can be easily completed by User A's employment of an App on his or her communication device, or by User A's provision of the necessary information via a desktop or other computer. Upon entering a merchandising venue, or navigating in the vicinity of the venue, User A may activate an App associated with the service provider or the venue itself—User B. Upon activating the venue's App (that is, User B's App), authenticating information is transmitted to the service provider that enables the venue (User B) to access user information from the same database, which may, in practice, comprise a plurality of interconnected databases. It is preferable, although not necessary, that the service provider provides for the registry of User A with the service, and that the service provider also provides the venue (User B) with communication information that will enable the venue to access data from the database and to transmit data to the database. In practice, these basic connections can be established by a plurality of service providers. Once these connection and conditions have been established, User A navigates to the vicinity of the venue (User B) or enters the venue. The user may key in identification and/or authentication information on a device made available by User B, the venue. That device may be a “button,” key, or icon in an entry area that preferably captures at least one biometric identifier of User A. User A's information, which we will term a consumer profile, is then uploaded to User B, the venue. If User A touches a button that captures images of fingerprints, for example, the device housing the button transmits a data packet to the remote database. The packet comprises encoded fingerprint information and a command sequence commanding the database to associate the fingerprint with User A's consumer profile and to upload the consumer profile to a processor (processing, memory, and communicating means) associated with the venue, User B. The venue—User B—can then return to User A product information, “rewards,” time-sensitive discounts, and the like that are tailored to User A's consumer profile. The system will likely be dedicated to the shopping experience, such that the information uploaded to the venue (User B) will comprise elements of the consumer profile and the information necessary to communicate with User A, which may comprise the contact information that the user is willing to share with the venue.
User A's consumer profile can comprise clothing preferences, including styles, colors and consumer sizes; furniture preferences; electronic device preferences; jewelry preferences; toiletry preferences; food preferences; decorating preferences; travel-related product preferences; medicinal preferences; pricing preferences and limitations; credit and debit card information; bank information, comprising routing information and account information; purchasing history; and the like. The information transmitted by User B, the venue, can be narrowly or broadly location-based; that is, it can refer to merchandise or services in User A's immediate vicinity or to the merchandising venue in general.
Alternatively, User A may upload contact information to the merchandising venue (User B), but not a consumer profile. Upon receipt of the contact information, the venue may transmit general venue information, general product information, and general promotional information to User A. The venue may also transmit a window to User A's communication device, into which User A may insert or key in a wish list of items or services for possible purchase. Upon receipt of the wish list, the merchandising venue would tailor further information to items on the list. Again, transmission of information from the venue to the user may be direct or indirect.
The user may also have a remotely stored medical profile that can be uploaded to a device in a medical office simply by touching a button or a key on a dedicated office device, or keying in identifying information to the device. Contact information identifying the device in the medical office may be stored in the user's communication device, or remotely, so that when the user updates his or her medical profile, all updates are automatically transmitted to devices in medical offices with which the user has been in contact. The user can also scroll through the stored list of medical office devices to prune those that are no longer of interest.
A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to preferred embodiments set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary of systems for carrying out the present invention, both the organization and method of operation of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.
Detailed illustrative embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, techniques, systems and operating structures in accordance with the present invention may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and modes, some of which may be quite different form those in the disclosed embodiments. Consequently, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative, yet in that regard, they are deemed to afford the best embodiments for purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein that define the scope of the present invention. The following presents a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention comprises a system in which communication device (hereinafter “CMD”) 100 can access and retrieve mobile information from remote database (hereinafter “DB”) 102 via network 101, as seen in
Since the mobile information resides on remote DB 102, the system provides a stable and secure source of information that is accessible from various CMDs and various kinds of CMDs. The mobile information is all the information associated with a communication service subscriber and could consist of, but is not limited to subscriber-specification information (hereinafter “SSI”) and personalized information (hereinafter “PRI). The SSI information includes, in some non-limiting embodiments, demographic information such as ethnicity, age, gender, relationship status, religion, educational background, vocational/employment background, financial solvency/background, personal appearance such as height, weight and photos, sexual orientation (for example, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgendered), hobbies, and dislikes. The SSI is necessary for the CMD to arrange phone communications since it stores a personal identification number of the subscriber, which identifies the subscriber to the network to which the subscriber belongs. The PRI could consist of settings and downloaded contents by the subscription service or by the user such as, but not limited to, subscriber identity, recent location data, music contents (ringtones, sound settings), picture contents, video contents, messages (SMS, picture, text, voice, etc.), call records (missed calls, incoming/outgoing, etc.), games and game records, and the like. The information could be accessed by CMD 100 without physically storing the information on the CMD 100 but simply scrolling through the information stored on remote DB 102. Information can be edited, deleted, and added onto DB 102 through the CMD 100 essentially using the CMD 100 as an interface between the user and the information.
CMD 100 needed to be downloaded with software capable of implementing such system. The software is made to connect to DB 102 and have capabilities to scroll such DB 102. It is important for the software to provide a user with a virtually seamless data streaming, as if the information were stored on CMD 100, while the information is actually stored on remote DB 102. Also, the provided software should be capable of converting the personalized data and settings stored on the DB 102 to the appropriate format supported by the CMD 100, such that data can be correctly displayed. The software could be downloaded by the user, such as accessing a website through CMD 100 and choosing a download function. Alternatively, CMD 100 could be preset with such software from either the manufacturer or the service provider.
Given current typical service arrangements, it may be most likely that remote DB 102 will be operated by the service provider. The service provider could use such information to keep calling records which could be used for billing. It is also possible that the database could belong to and/or be operated by the provider of CMD 100, the user of CMD 100, or another party. When it is desirable for the DB 102 to support more than one user, the operator of the DB 102 can index the stored information according to an appropriate user identifier, for instance an SSI, phone number, serial number, PIN, image, biometric identifier, or the like, such that only an authorized user can access the SSI and/or PRI stored on remote DB 102.
In a common implementation of
In an alternate embodiment, the biometric information may be received through a CMD 200, either free of charge or a nominal fee, which is provided by a service provider, for usage of service provider's network. In an alternate embodiment, the CMD 200 may be provided by a third-party vendor for usage of a particular service provider network associated with the CMD 200. The subscriber who utilizes the CMD 200 may be billed by service provider for usage of the service provider's network, and a percentage of the billing may be provided to the third-party vendor who distributed the CMD 200. The CMD 200 includes a biometric system, so that another subscriber who finds the lost CMD 200 may utilize the phone to access his/her account at service provider upon finding it, although, the original subscriber who loses the CMD 200 would not be charged for the other subscribers use. Alternatively, the original subscriber of CMD 200 may discard the phone intentionally after using the CMD 200. Also, if the original subscriber loses a predefined number of CMD 200, he or she may be prevented from accessing his or her user account at the service provider until payment is received to compensate the service provider or third-party vendor for these multiple losses.
For example, it can be seen from
Even though all information (e.g. PRI A 300, PRI B 301, and SSI 205) resides on remote DB 204, a portion of information, such as PRI B 301 could be saved on at least one memory means in CMD 200 as shown in
It is also possible for the system to be implemented such that all the information (e.g. SSI 205 and PRI 206) on remote DB 204 is uploaded to CMD 400, in this case a hybrid device, in single data packet, as shown in
In a preferred embodiment, as shown in
It is desirable that as a user finishes using the CMD 500 in process 514, it could clear its memory functions of all or a portion of the information associated with the user as desired, as shown in process 515. However, some information, such as the SSI 205, could remain stored on CMD 500 if the user uses CMD 500 frequently or chooses to do so. Various indicators could terminate the session by CMD 500 and/or the processing means at remote DB 204 as hanging up, pressing an END key, closing the top of a flip phone, issuing a vocal command, or the like.
Further, the DB 204 could keep the subscriber's information indexed according to IDP 501. As seen in block diagram in
Different configurations could be implemented in implementing the IDP capture by the CMDs as shown in
Alternatively, a variety of biometric systems could be implemented using the CMDs such as, but not limited to, DNA pattern recognition, body geometry feature recognition (ear, hand, finger, etc.), skin recognition (fingerprints, palmprints, etc.), facial recognition, optical recognition (retinal scan, iris scan, etc.), voice recognition, signature recognition, keystroke recognition, vascular pattern recognition, infrared identification (face, hand, hand vein, etc.), or the like. Also, such identification can be “invisible” or apparent to the user. Assume that CMD 610, in this case a hybrid device, is fitted with fingerprint scanner 613 capable of obtaining fingerprint sample 612 from the user. If the system is invisible, it could be that any key on CMD 610, preferably one which has to be pressed in order to use the device, can register fingerprint 612. In such case, the user presses the key without knowledge that his or her fingerprint is being scanned. Alternatively, the user may be aware that pressing a key on CMD 610 can register fingerprint 612, which, again, is preferably a key that must be pressed to use the device. Since the key is preferably one that must be pressed in order to use the device, it may be a key that turns on or “wakes up” the CMD, that is, a power button or a home button. It may also be a key that takes the user, or returns the user, to the initial screen, or “home screen.” Such keys may comprise a physical key or button. In another embodiment, the user may touch the touch screen for fingerprint authentication. In these embodiments, the fingerprint scanner 613 is embedded in the touch screen or the key for capturing the fingerprint. The database receives the fingerprint and the user can then use the device. If the system is apparent to the user, the user may be instructed to take a picture of finger 611 with a camera of a camera-enabled device. It could also be that the process is made apparent to the user by connecting a dedicated fingerprint scanner to CMD 610.
Given that a function of CMD 620, in this case a cell phone, is to transmit audio information, it would also be appropriate to integrate voice recognition into the identification process. Voiceprint 621 could be captured automatically when user 622 speaks into CMD 620, rendering the identification process invisible to user 622. The voice recognition system could also require user 622 to speak into CMD 620 to capture voiceprint index 621 as a way of providing identifying information such as his or her name or a password. In such a case, user's voiceprint 621 could also be analyzed by the processing means of the remote DB. It could be that voiceprint 621 is the only datum that is actually required to identify user 622, or else it could be that voiceprint 621 is another means, along with, say, a password or PIN, of verifying the identity of user 622. If voiceprint 622 is a secondary means of identification, the parameters for recognition of voiceprint 622 could be set more widely.
The recognition means of CMD 630, in this case a camera enabled PDA/Phone, could be of a face recognition system. Camera 632 attached or removably attached to CMD 630, could capture image 631 of user 622. Image 631 could be transmitted to the DB where they are compared with stored images of the users and matched to an appropriate user.
Such system is implemented with an ease if there is one DB associated with all possible subscribers since the user can offer an IDP and directly connect to the DB. Alternatively, there could be a database used which only functions to identify various users. The database can store SSI with a link to the information DB and the user's corresponding identification data. When a user enters identification data to the CMD, the data is sent to the database where the user is identified and the SSI and linking information is uploaded to the CMD. The user can then enter the DB to use his or her corresponding information.
However, when each subscriber maintains a personal DB, there needs to be a means for the user to specify the subscriber upon use. With a username/password protected CMD, the user might have to enter characters with the username which indicate the associated subscriber. For example the username could be “username@subscriber” or the user's phone number which could enable the CMD to associate the username with the correct DB. However, when biometric recognition is used, the system could either search through all the available DB's or require the user to specify the subscriber before entering the biometric data. Alternatively, each CMD could be registered to a particular subscriber such that user can only use phones associated with the service they subscribe. In such a way, when a user inputs an IDP only the DB associated with the phone's subscriber is searched.
To better serve the user's needs, the system can be implemented such that the user can access and make changes to his or her mobile information (e.g. SSI 205 and 206) on a personal computer 700 as shown in
This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Serial No. 14/083,837, filed Nov. 19, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Serial No. 14/062,658, filed Oct. 24, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/089,337, filed Apr. 19, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/135,939, filed May 24, 2005, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,929,946 on Apr. 19, 2011, the entire contents of the entire chain of applications is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13089337 | Apr 2011 | US |
| Child | 14062658 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14083837 | Nov 2013 | US |
| Child | 14167032 | US | |
| Parent | 14062658 | Oct 2013 | US |
| Child | 14083837 | US | |
| Parent | 11135939 | May 2005 | US |
| Child | 13089337 | US |
