GB2454638A - Establishing a communications network - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of establishing a communications network is provided, in which an operator distributes indicia, such as badges or printed clothing, to a number of individuals, each indicia indicating a unique identification code. Potential users may activate a user account by sending, preferably by SMS text message, an activation message comprising at least the identification code, an initial password and contact details to allow said individual to be contacted. On receiving a message from an individual, the operator forwards the communication to another individual without disclosing the personal contact details of the sender.

Description

Communication System

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to methods of establishing communications networks, primarily on an individual, i.e. "person-to-person", basis. The invention also relates to communications systems so established.

Background and Prior Art Known to the Applicant

There is an increasing desire in today's society for communication networks that provide person-to-person contact, and yet retain the option for user privacy, and to allow users to control the receipt of communications from others.

At its simplest level, a telephone directory or other such directory of contact details, provides means by which people previously unknown to each other can establish contact between themselves and thereby effectively create a communications network. For this to work, users must agree to the publication of their name and contact details (e.g. their telephone number) in a directory. A number of problems clearly exist in that users wishing to participate must disclose their contact details to all, and they are unable to retract those details quickly. To withdraw from the network, they must either change their contact details or request their removal from subsequent issues of the directory, and wait for the directory to go out of circulation. The increasing number of people who choose not to be listed in such directories is testament to the desire for increased privacy in today's modem world. Clearly, changing contact details requires a user to communicate their new details to their desired contacts; waiting for a directory to go out of circulation is slow, and only prevents new users obtaining their details: existing undesirable members of the network cannot easily be removed.

In the context of internet-enabled communications, a more recent phenomenon has been the great rise in internet "chat rooms". In these environments, potential users of the system register with the operator, giving either their real name or chosen, assumed identity. These details are then available for others to see, via the internet, and users may thenceforth communicate with each other either in private or within a more public forum, whilst having the opportunity of withdrawing their contact details at any stage. However, potential users of the system cannot be sure of another user's real identity and it is not unknown, for example, for adults to pose as children on such sites leading to the well-publicised highly undesirable problems that this may cause.

The need for person-to-person communication networks is often particularly heightened during relatively short duration events such as music festivals, parties, nightclubs and Street carnivals where attendees might wish to contact each other during the excitement of the event, but without intending to release their contact details on a permanent basis. In the business context, business networking events and conferences are other forums where short-duration communication networks would be desirable. Clearly, neither the phone directory approach nor the internet chat room solution would be appropriate in this context.

It is amongst the objects of the present invention to provide a solution to some of these problems.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the invention provides a method of establishing a coniniunications network comprising the steps of: distributing indicia to a plurality of individuals, each of said indicia indicating a unique identification code; receiving an activation message from more than one of said individuals, each said activation message comprising at least the identification code, an initial password and contact details to allow said individual to be contacted; creating a record in a database with information from said activation message; and subsequently: receiving a message from a first one of said individuals, said message comprising an identification code of a second one of said individuals and a communication; and using information in said database to forward said communication to said second one of said individuals.

Preferably, said activation message comprises a mobile telephone text message, and more preferably said contact details comprises the mobile telephone number of the individual.

In any aspect of the invention it is preferred that the initial password comprises the mobile telephone number of the individual.

Also in any aspect of the invention it is advantageous that said indicia is wearable by an individual (e.g. a badge or an item of clothing).

Also in any aspect of the invention, it is preferred that said database further comprises fields to store communications sent and/or received by a user.

Also in any aspect of the invention, it is preferred that said database further comprises

field to store additional text andlor graphics.

Also in any aspect of the invention, it is preferred that said database is configured to provide at least one feature of the group comprising: information in the database is viewable via the Internet; an individual, having previously sent an activation message, may amend the identification code and/or password; an individual may block the receipt of communications from other specified individuals; an individual may send text messages and/or emails to other regislered individuals via an Internet Website.

Also included within the scope of the invention is a method of establishing a communications network substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by any appropriate combination of the accompanying drawings.

Also included within the scope of the invention is a communications network established by a method described herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the establishment of a communications network according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the use of a communications network according to the present invention

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a method of establishing a communications network between individuals, according to the present invention. In a first step, an operator distributes indicia and instructions to potential network users. For example, at an event such as a street carnival, the operator could distribute printed stickers, hats or t-shirts to participants in the carnival, each indicia carrying a unique identification code. In the context of a business or scientific conference, attendees' name badges might be printed with the unique identification codes. The instructions would explain that, to enter the network, the potential user should send a message (for example a text message using the SMS protocol) to a particular number, and include their unique identification code (ID Code) within the body of the text message. If a user decides to participate, they would send a text message to the operator with the ID Code, and await a reply.

Upon receipt of the text message, the operator creates a record in a database, storing the user's contact information and their identification code. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the user's mobile telephone number, which would be received as part of the process of receiving the text message, would be used as the user's contact details. As mobile telephone networks include the sender's telephone number as part of the SMS protocol, this saves the user the trouble of entering contact details, and ensures also that the details are correct. As part of the process of recording the information in the database, and again in particularly preferred embodiments, the operator would create records and a record structure that corresponded in structure to an email "inbox" and outbox". This allows for the storage of sent and received messages to create a user-accessible record of communications. Having created the records, the operator would send a return text message to the user explaining that their account had been successfully created. The user would then be able to display the indicia bearing their unique identification code and await messages form others.

In this way, and over a short period of time, individual users all based within the same general geographical location (i.e. all potentially being within eyesight of each other) would be connected together as part of a communications network.

For commercial operation of such a system, the user might be charged for the initial activation text message by their telephone provider, and would be charged, preferably by reverse-billing to their mobile phone account, by the communication network operator for setting up the account.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a method by which users can communicate with each other, afler having established such a communications network.

A registered user of the system (User I) may decide that they wish to contact another user (User 2). They would obtain User 2's identification code by reading it from User 2's indicia, e.g. by seeing the code printed on a sticker or on a t-shirt worn by the user. To send a message to User 2, User I would send a message (e.g. a mobile phone SMS message) to the operator including User 2's identification code and their message of choice. Instructions for carrying out this process would preferably be made evident to potential participants, e.g. by printing the instructions on the indicia itself, or by a display of instructions in the geographical locale by e.g. display of a poster, or instructions contained in conference pack.

Upon receipt of the message from User I, the operator forwards the message to User 2, together with User I s identification code. Thus, a private person-to-person io communication has been established between User I and User 2 but without divulging the personal contact details of either. Having forwarded the message from User I to User 2, the operator would then, by preference, confirm the message transmission to User I, again by use of a text message.

For commercial operation of the system, a User I might be charged for their sending the text message to the communication network operator by their telephone provider. User I would then be charged by the communication network operator by reverse-billing when sending the confirmation text message. Preferably, User 2 is not charged to receive the forwarded message, and would informed of this as part of the message. In other, alternative, configurations users establish an account with the communications network -operator and purchase "credits"; these credits may then by deducted from the account by the communications network operator each time a message is forwarded to the user.

In order to provide a record of the communications between users for the users to peruse later, the operator would also, in preferred embodiments of the invention, save a copy of the message in User I s outbox an in User 2's inbox.

Upon receipt of the message from User 1, User 2 would then be in a position to then be able -if they wished -to look around at the people present at the event, with a strong likelihood of being able to identify User 1. If they wished to return a message, they would then be able to communicate back to User I, via the operator, by using the messaging protocol as described above, and again without having to reveal their personal contact details, such as their mobile telephone number. If, for some reason, they did not wish to return the message, they could take no action. This communication protocol has particular advantages in a social contexts, in which individuals wish to make initial contact with either for "dating" purposes. It is easier for an individual to send an initial message to a potential partner via a text message; it is also easier for a recipient to decline contact, either by a text message, or by simple non-reply. The embarrassment often felt by individuals in these situations is thus avoided.

Again in particularly preferred embodiments of the invention, a user's records in the operator's database would be accessible to the user through a communications system such as the internet. To protect the privacy of the individuals, access to the information would be protected by a user password. This user password could be chosen by a user when they first set up their account by mobile telephone communication or, alternatively, the user's mobile telephone number could be used as a temporary password to the system.

To allow users to personalise and configure their account with the operator, processes would be provided by the operator to allow a user to log on to their account using their user identification code and their password. Once authorised by the system, a user would be able to view the messages they had sent and received and that had been forwarded by the system.

To personalise the account, the system would, by preference, be configured to allow users to change their identification code from the temporary code with which they were issued initially, to a more personal identification such as their own name, their nickname, or a combination of a name and other characters. The system would also allow them to amend their user password.

Following such a change of user details, the operator could offer the service of sending such a user a new set of indicia (such as printed clothing, badges, key rings and the like) to display their new identity. Also, the system would preferably be configured to transmit the change of user code to other individuals who had already contacted the user.

Depending on the context of use, the system can also be configured to require the selection of a password when a user account is initially configured. Such a password could either be chosen by a user on account activation, or could be provided to a potential user, along with the uniquely-coded indicia. In this way, in contexts where the various participants in the network might already know each other's mobile telephone numbers, the problem of one user accessing the communications records of another can be avoided.

In yet further preferred embodiments of the invention, the operator's database and system may be configured to allow a user to send a message (and preferably a mobile SMS message or the like) to another user via their Internet website. In this way, users could send messages to another user's mobile telephone without having to use their own telephone.

Should one user wish to block to receipt of communications from another user, then the operator can provide means to allow a user to create a list of "blocked" User Identification Codes. When a message destined for the user is received by the Operator, the Sender's Identification Code can be cross-checked with the list of blocked users; if the sender appears on the list, the message is not forwarded to the intended recipient.

In yet further preferred embodiments of the invention, the operator database would be configured to allow users to upload text, photographs and other information to the operator's database for display, e.g. on an Internet Website. In variously preferred embodiments, the information would be available to all, or only available to those selected individuals chosen by the user. Such accumulation and display of user-derived information is commonly referred to as a blog page.

In further, and particularly preferred, embodiments of the invention, the communications network so established would be of short duration, for example 1 day, a weekend, or a week, corresponding to the duration of an allied event (such as a music festival or business conference). In this way, potentially unwanted communications from others after the event had finished would be avoided. Depending on the configuration of the operator's system, would be able, however, to review the messages sent and received during the event.

Claims (10)

1. I. A method of establishing a communications network comprising the steps of: distributing indicia to a plurality of individuals, each of said indicia indicating a unique identification code; receiving an activation message from more than one of said individuals, each said activation message comprising at least the identification code, an initial password and contact details to allow said individual to be contacted; creating a record in a database with information from said activation message; and subsequently: receiving a message from a first one of said individuals, said message comprising an identification code of a second one of said individuals and a communication; and using information in said database to forward said communication to said second one of said individuals.
2. 2. A method according to claim I wherein said activation message comprises a mobile telephone text message.
3. 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein said contact details comprises the mobile telephone number of the individual.
4. 4. A method according to either of claims 2 or 3 wherein the initial password comprises the mobile telephone number of the individual.
5. 5. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the said indicia is wearable by an individual (e.g. a badge or an item of clothing).
6. 6. A method according to any preceding claim wherein said database further comprises fields to store communications sent and/or received by a user. I]
7. 7. A method according to any preceding claim wherein said database further comprises

   field to store additional text and/or graphics.
8. 8. A method according to any preceding claim wherein said database is configured to provide at least one feature of the group comprising: information in the database is viewable via the Internet; an individual, having previously sent an activation message, may amend the identification code and/or password; an individual may block the receipt of communications from other specified individuals; an individual may send text messages and/or emails to other registered individuals via an Internet Website.
9. 9. A method of establishing a communications network substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by any appropriate combination of the accompanying drawings.
10. 10. A communications network established by a method according to any preceding claim.