Patent Application
20050259603
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and computer program product for automating wireless electronic introductions via portable data processing systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Wireless communication devices are becoming increasingly common peripheral features of mobile computing platforms. For example, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) communication cards compatible with local area network (LAN) protocols, such as 802.11a or 802.11b that use the Ethernet protocol, allow mobile computational devices, such as a notebook computer or another suitably equipped mobile data processing system, access to a high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN). WLAN is gaining acceptance as an alternative to wired LANs.
In many corporate environments, numerous attendees having WLAN enabled laptop computers will gather for a business meeting or other event within range of a WLAN. Applications for wirelessly exchanging electronic introductions, e.g., business or contact information, between attendees have previously been developed. However, such information exchanges require user interaction with the mobile platform to facilitate the information exchange.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a method and system for automating the exchange of user information of users associated with mobile data processing platforms in a wireless local area network.
The present invention provides a method, computer program product, and a data processing system for distributing attendee information for use in a physical encounter involving multiple attendees. An identifier assigned to a first data processing system associated with a first attendee is received by wireless transmission. A query including the identifier is formulated. The query is executed on an attendee database. A record of the database including an identity of the first attendee is wirelessly transmitted to a second data processing system associated with a second attendee responsive to execution of the query.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference now to the figures,
In the depicted example, server 104 is connected to network 102 along with storage unit 106. In addition, clients 108, 110, and 112 are connected to network 102. These clients 108, 110, and 112 may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. Clients 108, 110, and 112 have addresses, such as Ethernet addresses, Internet protocol address, media access control (MAC) addresses, or the like. In the depicted example, clients 108, 110, and 112 have respective MAC addresses of MAC—3, MAC—0, and MAC—4. Server 104 provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients 108-112. Clients 108, 110, and 112 are clients to server 104. Network data processing system 100 may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. In the depicted example, network data processing system 100 is the Internet with network 102 representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system 100 also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). Preferably, clients 108, 110, and 112 connect with server 104 via wireless access to network 102 and network 102 thus includes a wireless access point, such as a wireless access point router. For example, network 102 may provide a WiFi hotspot and is accordingly equipped with a wireless access point router. Accordingly, clients 108, 110, and 112 may access server 104 by wireless Internet mechanisms.
Referring to
Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge 214 connected to I/O bus 212 provides an interface to PCI local bus 216. A number of modems may be connected to PCI local bus 216. Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to clients 108-112 in
Additional PCI bus bridges 222 and 224 provide interfaces for additional PCI local buses 226 and 228, from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processing system 200 allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter 230 and hard disk 232 may also be connected to I/O bus 212 as depicted, either directly or indirectly.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in
The data processing system depicted in
With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to
With reference now to
In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter 412, audio adapter 416, keyboard and mouse adapter 420, modem 422, read only memory (ROM) 424, hard disk drive (HDD) 426, CD-ROM driver 430, universal serial bus (USB) ports and other communications ports 432, wireless mini PCI card 442, and PCI/PCIe devices 434 may be connected to ICH 410. PCI/PCIe devices may include, for example, Ethernet adapters, add-in cards, PC cards for notebook computers, etc. PCI uses a cardbus controller, while PCIe does not. Wireless mini PCI card 442 may be implemented as, for example, a Cisco Aironet Wireless 802.11b mini PCI card manufactured by International Business Machines of Armonk, N.J. ROM 424 may be, for example, a flash binary input/output system (BIOS). Hard disk drive 426 and CD-ROM drive 430 may use, for example, an integrated drive electronics (IDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface.
Docking interface 440 may also be connected to the ICH. Data processing system 400 may be a mobile computing device, such as a laptop computer or handheld computer. Docking interface 440 provides port replication to allow the data processing system to easily connect to a keyboard, pointing device, monitor, printer, speakers, etc. The docking interface allows the mobile computing device to operate as a desktop computer with the more immobile peripheral devices.
An operating system runs on processor 402 and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system 400 in
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in
For example, data processing system 400 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), which is configured with flash memory to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data. The depicted example in
Table 500 comprises a plurality of records 520 and fields 530. Table 500 is stored by, or is otherwise communicatively couple with, a server, such as on hard disk 232 of data processing system 200, fetched therefrom by processor 202 or 204, and processed by data processing system 200 shown in
Table 500 has a label, or identifier, assigned thereto. In the present example, table 500 has a label of “PERSONNEL.” Fields 530a-530d have a respective label, or identifier, that facilitates insertion, deletion, querying, or other data operations or manipulations of table 500. In the illustrative example, fields 530a-530d have respective labels of “Identifier”, “Personnel”, “Department”, and “Title.” Data elements of a particular field 530a-530d typically share a common data type, e.g., string, integer, float, etc. A particular field, e.g., field 530a, may be designated as a key field and each respective data element, e.g., data-elements MAC—0-MAC_N, is unique within key field 530a. Assignment of unique values to data elements of key-field 530a provides an identifier for records 520a-520f and the collection of data elements of key field 530a is typically referred to as an index. Addressing a particular record 520a-520f via an associated data element, or key, of key field 530a is referred to as indexing of record 520a-520f. Alternatively, a key may be obtained by a function, e.g., a hashing function, that indexes a particular record 520a-520f. Unique identifier values stored in field 530a are respectively assigned to an asset such as a mobile computer and thus provide an association between an asset and a user identified in field 530b and corresponding user information stored in field 530c and 530d.
Table 500 provides a central database or store of personnel records that may be wirelessly accessed by a client, such as client 108. Each record 520a-520f provides an association between a unique client identifier stored in field 530a with a particular user having an identity stored in field 530b. For example, key values maintained in field 530a may comprise Internet protocol (IP) addresses, media access control (MAC) addresses, Ethernet addresses, or other identifiers that are uniquely assigned to respective mobile computers associated with a user identified in field 530b. In the illustrative example, field 530c maintains identifiers of a department in which a user identified in field 530b of a common record is employed. Field 530d maintains identifiers of personnel titles or job positions. Other fields may be included for storing personnel information such as business or home phone numbers, email addresses, photographs, or the like.
An instance of an automated introduction routine implemented as a computer executable instruction set is respectively maintained by clients that interact with each other and server 104 via wireless data exchanges conveyed over network 102. The automated introduction routine is preferably selectively executable by a user of a client mobile computer and provides a user with graphical output of personnel information of users associated with client computers within wireless range of a receiving client. Additionally, the automated introduction routine populates an attendee table or other data structure with personnel records of users associated with other mobile computers within wireless communication range of a client mobile computer running an instance of the automated introduction routine.
Upon invocation of the automated introduction routine, a client computer begins monitoring for receipt via a wireless network device, such as wireless mini PCI card 442, of wireless identifier messages transmitted from other clients, e.g., clients 110 and 112. An identifier message includes an identifier, e.g., a MAC address, associated with a client mobile computer and is used for interrogating table 500 by a client receiving the identifier message.
Various methods may be employed by a client for obtaining identifiers from other clients within wireless communication range of each other. For example, a client may inspect any wirelessly received packet, whether addressed to the receiving client or not, for an identifier, such as a network address, and subsequently obtain personnel information of a user determined to be associated with the identifier. Alternatively, a client may run an instance of the automated introduction routine adapted to periodically, for example at every 60 second interval, broadcast an identifier message. Other clients within reception range may interrogate a central database, such as table 500 maintained by server 104, for the personnel information of the user associated with the identifier upon receipt of a periodically transmitted identifier message.
On receipt of an identifier message by a client, the automated introduction routine running on the client formulates a query, such as a structured query language (SQL)-formatted query, and interrogates table 500 with the query. Assume that after invocation of an instance of the automated introduction routine by client 108, an identifier message containing the identifier MAC—0 is received by client 108. A query is formulated by the automated introduction routine instance running on the receiving client 108 that uses the received identifier as an operand for querying table 500. For example, the query may comprise an SQL query such as the following:
The query is then transmitted to server 104. The query transmitted to server 104 may be encapsulated in one or more frames formatted for wireless transmission over network 102. For example, the SQL query may be encapsulated in one or more 802.11a or 802.11b frames and transmitted by wireless mini PCI card 402 to server 104 via wireless network infrastructure of network 102. On receipt of the query, server 104 parses the SQL query from the received frame and executes the query on table 500. A return data set obtained from execution of the query is then encapsulated and transmitted to client 108 in a query response message. Client 108 parses the return data set from the query response message upon receipt of the query response message.
In the present example, the following return data set is returned to client 108 by server 104 responsive to execution of the above SQL query on table 500:
The automated introduction routine then parses the user identity and associated personal information from the query response message, formats the parsed data as visualization output, and conveys the visualization output to a display device, such as video display terminal 304.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the automated introduction routine may create a table upon invocation of the routine, or a suitable command input provided thereto, by the user of client 108. For example, the automated introduction routine may execute the following SQL command to create a table used for storing personnel records of users associated with mobile computers or other computational devices within communication range of client 108 running an instance of the automated introduction routine:
Preferably, the automated introduction routine may format the data of table 600 for display on a display device of client 108, such as video display terminal 304. Thus, in addition to displaying the personnel information of users associated with mobile computers within wireless communication range of client 108, records of the users are recorded in table 600 maintained by client 108 thereby providing a record or roster as a graphical visualization output of all attendees of a meeting or other event. In the event that personnel photographs are maintained in records of table 500, inclusion of attendee photographs in table 600 and suitable display thereof by the automated introduction routine provides a mechanism for visually verifying an attendee's identification at a physical encounter of multiple attendees.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a first client may transmit a return request for personnel information of the user associated with an identifier of a second client responsive to the first client receiving the identifier assigned to the second client. For example, each client 108, 110, and 112 may store personnel information of a user associated with client 108, 110, and 112, respectively. On receipt of a request for personnel information, the client receiving the request may transmit the personnel information of the user that is stored in the client. Accordingly, personnel information may be exchanged between clients without deployment of a central personnel data repository.
The automated introduction routine may additionally evaluate whether any requests for personnel information of a user associated with the client has been requested by another client (step 712). In the event that no request for personnel information has been received by another client, the routine proceeds to evaluate whether the application is to continue running (step 714). The client broadcasts the personnel information of a user associated with the client running the automated introduction routine if a corresponding request has been received (step 716), and the routine then proceeds to step 714 to determine if the routine is to continue running. The automated introduction routine resets the broadcast timer to the predefined interval (step 718) and returns to decrementing the broadcast time according to step 706 if an evaluation is made to continue processing at step 714. Alternatively, the routine exits (step 720).
The automated introduction routine displays the personnel information of the user associated with the identifier when a valid response to the query is received (step 816). Additionally, the automated introduction routine may insert a record into a local table maintained by the client running the automated introduction routine (step 818), and processing then returns to step 814 to determine whether processing is to continue. The automated introduction routine returns to step 804 to await receipt of an additional identifier message, or alternatively the automated introduction routine terminates (step 820). Preferably, the user of the client may selectively direct the automated introduction routine to produce a graphic visualization of all records in the Attendees database. Thus, a visual indication of all users with suitably equipped mobile computers running respective instances of the automated introduction routine that are in communication range of the user's client is provided.
Accordingly, the automated introduction routine provides a mechanism for obtaining information associated with users having a mobile computer within wireless communication range of each other. Additionally, the automated introduction routine provides a mechanism of populating a table or other data structure with information of users having respective mobile computers within communication range of each other. The table generated on a client running the automated introduction routine of the present invention advantageously provides information of users that may be commonly attending a business or social event to a user of the introduction routine.
It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a RAM, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and transmission-type media, such as digital and analog communications links, wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms, such as, for example, radio frequency and light wave transmissions. The computer readable media may take the form of coded formats that are decoded for actual use in a particular data processing system.
The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
