Scalable Secure Wireless Interaction enabling Methods, System and Framework

There is provided a methodology that gets two or more existing handheld mobile communication and computing devices having the necessary hardware and/or software functionalities especially a wireless transceiver supporting a communication interface of first type to take part in spontaneous collaboration among each other and the said methodology further employs an operating mode selection procedure to choose the appropriate operating mode out of three different modes enabling any spontaneous collaboration among two or more of the said handheld devices via the said communication interface of first type and the three different operating modes including:

• a) Fully distributed approach as in a pure MANET that allows little interactions with any existing infra-structure in priory or during any spontaneous collaboration;
• b) Semi-distributed approach that allows communication with any existing infra-structure (i.e., any centralised server and associated databases) mainly prior to any spontaneous collaboration;
• and,
• c) Centralised approach that allows intermittent communication with any existing infra-structure (i.e., any centralised server and associated databases) mainly during any spontaneous collaboration,
• for its operation in order to enable spontaneous collaboration among users of the said handheld devices mainly using a communication interface of first type both when intermittent communication with any infra-structure-based network is possible and when any reliance on any infra-structure-based network is ruled out and the said operating mode selection procedure prefers periodic synchronisation of the local database maintained in the handheld device by the said methodology with the said centralised database prior to any spontaneous collaboration attempt, if possible.

The said methodology according to preceding claims requires each of the said existing handheld devices to install/activate and run a client module, and the said client module incorporates a number of features comprising:

• 1) a mechanism to create one main or plurality of application specific user profiles;
• 2) a variety of novel peer user/device and service discovery mechanisms;
• 3) two-way authentication and non-repudiation mechanism;
• 4) on-the-fly task-centric network formation and novel self-configuration of the formed network;
• and,
• 5) novel session continuity mechanisms;
• wherein the full potential of the methodology is realised by getting each user of one of the said handheld devices:
• a) to maintain active profiles in a centralised database (referred to mainly as a profile database/repository), if possible, using either a different personal computer or the handheld device that is going to be used to aid spontaneous collaboration wherein such operation assigns user-specific credentials to ensure mutual authentication and non-repudiation at a global-scale among users who can be total strangers to each other in priory to any spontaneous collaboration;
• b) to install and to activate the said client module in any handheld device using the said user-specific credentials;
• and
• c) to install/run a novel applications and services suite consisting of application/services enabling spontaneous collaborations that the said client module can support;
• d) to synchronise the local database with the centralised one prior to any spontaneous collaboration, if possible,
• Wherein, activating the said client module locally in a handheld device specifies exactly the type of said application/services the user of the given handheld device is interested in and allows the said methodology to find/identify the appropriate peer users for spontaneous collaborations between users of handheld devices and other devices mainly using communication interface of first type as long as the devices are within each other's radio ranges of the short-range communication technologies providing the communication interface of first type preferably by forming and self-configuring on-demand task-centric networks which are:
• 1) pure standalone ad-hoc networks having no dependence on any infra-structure network and thus is of “anytime, anywhere, anyone” type by mainly employing the communication interface of first type;
• or
• 2) hybrid networks allowing intermittent interaction with any centralised server via the said communication interface of second type;
• with an ability to maintain session continuity by making proactive session handovers either from the formed on-demand network to any fixed cellular or wireless communication network or from any fixed cellular or wireless communication network to an on-demand task-centric network to be formed.

The said methodology or said secure spontaneous collaboration system employing the said novel applications and services suite that enables secure and scalable on-the-fly online multi-player gaming among total strangers according to preceding claims, and this comprising the steps of:

• 1) getting prospective players to activate the gaming specific profile in the centralised database specifying the games being interested in;
• 2) getting prospective players to first register their new game, if any, with the centralised server/database and getting a new game identifier assigned to the new game that can uniquely and globally identify the new addition;
• and,
• 3) subsequently getting prospective players' multiplayer online gaming application to synchronise their local database with the centralised database prior to any spontaneous collaboration;
• wherein once the said service/peer/device discovery protocol proactively has identified one or plurality of appropriate players within the radio-range while meeting the selection criteria as set out in the gaming profiles of each user in order to play secure smart multiplayer online gaming, the required task-centric network will be formed on-the-fly by the said self-configuration protocol and, if needed, the said session continuity procedure will make attempts to maintain session continuity even when the players move out of each other's radio range pertaining to the communication interface of first type as long as the players have the appropriate settings enabled.

The said methodology or the said secure spontaneous collaboration system employing the said novel applications and services suite that enables secure and scalable on-the-fly real-time dating among sporadic-strangers according to preceding claims, and this comprising the steps of:

• 1) getting each user to set up and activate his/her smart dating profile in the centralised database;
• and,
• 2) subsequently getting dating users' smart dating application to synchronise their local database with the centralised database prior to any spontaneous collaboration;
• wherein once the said service/peer/device discovery protocol proactively has identified the appropriate one or plurality of matching soul-mates within the radio-range pertaining to the communication interface of first type while meeting the selection criteria as set out in the dating profiles of each user, the said methodology/system will require the said client module of any handheld device to pop up message along with a beep in order to draw the attention of the user and at the user's discretion and based on the users' privacy settings, this message may contain the photographs and other important contact details of the matching profile for immediate identification in the local neighbourhood.

The said methodology or the said secure spontaneous collaboration system employing the said novel applications and services suite that enables secure and scalable on-the-fly inter-vehicle interaction facility between the first user and the second user who can be a total stranger to each other according to preceding, and this comprising the steps of:

• 1) getting both users to set up and activate the respective profiles specific to inter-vehicle interaction mechanism in the centralised database indicating the user preference and privacy settings for the inter-vehicle interaction facility after having registered the users' respective vehicle registration numbers;
• 2) subsequently getting both users inter-vehicle interaction application to synchronise their local database with the centralised database prior to any spontaneous collaboration;
• and,
• wherein whenever the first user wants to interact with the unknown second user who currently travels/stays in his/her vehicle and the vehicle is currently located within the radio-range of the first user pertaining to the communication interface of first type, the first user can initiate any type of interaction with the second user by entering the vehicle registration number belonging to the second user in the appropriate UI provided by the said application as long as the privacy settings of the second user allows the first user to interact in the chosen way, and the said methodology/system hides the underlying communication set up without divulging the personal Profile-IDs to each other and such interaction is possible by binding each user's Profile-ID with his/her vehicle registration number, and, if needed, the said session continuity procedure will make attempts to maintain session continuity even when the users move out of each other's radio range as long as the users have the appropriate settings enabled.

The said methodology or the said secure spontaneous collaboration system employing the said novel applications and services suite that enables sporadic strangers to identify peers having the same professional, religious, political, racial interests or the like according to preceding claims, and this comprising the steps of:

• 1) getting each user to set up and activate his/her profile required for the ad-hoc friend finder application in the centralised database;
• and,
• 2) subsequently getting both users of the ad-hoc friend finder application to synchronise their local database with the centralised database prior to any spontaneous collaboration;
• wherein once the said service/peer/device discovery protocol has identified one or plurality of people having similar professional, religious, political, racial interests or the like within the radio-range while meeting the selection criteria as set out in the profile specific to the ad-hoc friend finder of each user, the said client module will pop up message along with a beep in the handheld device to draw the attention of the user in a large public gathering and at the user's discretion and based on the users' privacy settings, this message may contain the photographs and other important contact details of the matching profile for immediate further direct/multicast communications using the handheld device of each user.

A hybrid network comprising:

• 1) a plurality of infra-structure-base networks;
• and
• 2) one or more handsets having the said client module and application and services suite installed, activated and run locally according to preceding claims;
• Wherein, a user handheld device running the said client module, and the said applications and services suite can connect to any fixed device connected to the infra-structure-based network in order enable one or plurality of user-to-device collaborations comprising:
• 1) getting directions to the nearest police post, security point, toilets, restaurants, favourite departmental stores/shops, taxi/bus stand, telephone booth and the like in a shopping mall, public place and the like;
• 2) getting bus, train and/or flight information;
• 3) getting the direction details and services of local photo-printer and the like in a shopping mall.