Patent ID: 7974941
Filing Date: 2011-07-05
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for creating a virtual community, the method comprising: allocating for a first subscriber of a communication system a first unit having an identifier and a second unit having an identifier, the second unit to be distributed to a user of the communication system; storing information, unrelated to subscription of the first subscriber to the communication system, relating to the first subscriber in a database in association with the first subscriber; assigning the first and second unit to be one of a smart card and a user terminal; associating the identifier of the first unit as a primary identifier and the identifier of the second unit as a sibling identifier, prior to use of the second unit, to create an associated community; recognizing, in response to an initial use of the second unit with the sibling identifier by the user thereof after the identifier association, the community to which the user of the second unit with the sibling identifier belongs on the basis of the identifier association; and storing at least some of the stored information relating to the first subscriber in the database in association with the user of the second unit such that the stored information relating to the first subscriber is copied for the user of the second unit and the user of the second unit is thus associated initially with the same information as the first subscriber to thereby create the associated community including the first subscriber and the user of the second unit with the same information being associated therewith, wherein the information relating to the first subscriber that is stored in the database in association with the user of the second unit comprises a plurality of preferences of the first subscriber.