Personal profile sharing and management for short-range wireless terminals

A mobile terminal containing personal profiles for access by other terminals in a short-range wireless communication system, comprising:

• a) a database in the terminal containing user defined profiles;
• b) database-managing apparatus to edit the user defined personal profiles based upon user input;
• c) screen display apparatus which displays the personal profiles for user access contained in service discovery protocol (SDP) database records;
• d) terminal apparatus responsive to inquires from other terminals for access to the user defined profiles;
• and
• e) matching apparatus in the wireless device which shares general information in the user's personal profile with the inquiring wireless terminal, if their respective user profiles have a first level of close matching wherein the user's wireless device shares more detailed, private information in the user's personal profile with the inquiring wireless terminal, if their respective user profiles are determined to have a second level of close matching, which is closer than the first level.

A system for sharing a user's personal profile with an inquiring wireless terminal in a short-range wireless network, comprising:

• a wireless device including a database containing a user's personal profile;
• an inquiring wireless terminal capable of connecting to the wireless device via a short-range wireless network;
• personalization apparatus which sets the wireless device in a personalization state to permit access by inquiring wireless terminals in a transaction wherein the user's personal profile is contained in the service discovery protocol (SDP) database records;
• and
• matching apparatus in the wireless device which shares general information in the user's personal profile with the inquiring wireless terminal, if their respective user profiles have a first level of close matching wherein the user's wireless device shares more detailed, private information in the user's personal profile with the inquiring wireless terminal, if their respective user profiles are determined to have a second level of close matching, which is closer than the first level.

A method in a wireless terminal, comprising:

• entering personal profile of a user of the wireless terminal in a database of the wireless terminal in response to the user's input, wherein the personal profile includes general information and more detailed private information of the user;
• conducting service discovery with a proximate wireless terminal by transmitting the general information of the user's personal profile to the proximate wireless terminal as service discovery protocol (SDP) database records and receiving corresponding personal profile information regarding a user of the proximate wireless terminal;
• and
• transmitting the more detailed private information of the user's personal profile to the proximate wireless in response to determining that there is a close match between the SDP database records and the received corresponding personal profile information of a user of the proximate wireless terminal.

A wireless terminal, comprising:

• a memory configured for storing a personal profile of a user of the wireless terminal entered in a database of the wireless terminal in response to the user's input, wherein the personal profile includes general information and more detailed private information of the user;
• and
• a transmitter configured for conducting a service discovery protocol (SDP) with a proximate wireless terminal by transmitting the general information of the user's personal profile to the proximate wireless terminal as service discovery protocol (SDP) database records and receiving corresponding personal profile information regarding a user of the proximate wireless terminal, wherein
• the transmitter is further configured for transmitting the more detailed private information of the user's personal profile to the proximate wireless in response to determining by the wireless terminal that there is a close match between the more detailed private information and the received corresponding personal profile information of a user of the proximate wireless terminal.

A computer program product, executable in a computer system, for sharing a user's personal profile with an inquiring wireless terminal in a short-range wireless network, comprising:

• a computer readable medium including programming instructions for performing the following operations:
• (i) entering a personal profile of a user of the wireless terminal in a service discovery protocol (SDP) database of the wireless terminal in response to the user's input, wherein the personal profile includes general information and more detailed private information of the user;
• (ii) conducting service discovery with a proximate wireless terminal by transmitting the general information of the user's personal profile to the proximate wireless terminal as service discovery protocol (SDP) database records and receiving corresponding personal profile information regarding a user of the proximate wireless terminal;
• and
• (iii) transmitting the more detailed private information of the user's personal profile to the proximate wireless in response to determining that there is a close match between the SDP database records and the received corresponding personal profile information of a user of the proximate wireless terminal.

A method in a short-range wireless terminal, comprising

• installing a user's personal profile into a service discovery protocol (SDP) database divided into a phone book section containing the user's personal profile and a more detailed data section for detailed personal information;
• editing the personal profile installed in service discovery protocol (SDP) database records in response to the user's input;
• and
• transmitting the user's personal profile from the user's short-range wireless terminal to an inquiring wireless terminal including user profiles wherein the user's short-range wireless terminal shares general information in the user's personal profile with the inquiring wireless terminal, if their respective user profiles have a first level of close matching, and the user's short-range wireless terminal shares detailed, private information in the user's profile with the inquiring wireless terminal, if their respective user profiles are determined to have a second level of close matching, which is closer than the first level.