Patent ID: 8396490
Filing Date: 2013-03-12
Classification: G06Q,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of selectively communicating between devices when identification information used to contact a device is unknown, the method comprising: receiving, at a remote processing server (server), registration information (RegInf) from a first device (sending device) comprising a user name and optional password furnished by the sending device, where the device does not furnish to the server either: any contact information of the device or any of its users (e.g., email address; IM screen name; social media or Internet screen name, handle, alias, or avatar; phone number)(herein, contact information); or any network or Internet addressing protocol associated with the device (e.g., MAC address; IP address); obtaining at the server variable identification information of the sending device, where such identification information (‘Variable Identification Information’) consists of default, specified or random criteria, such as at least one of direction, location, unique device identification number or identifier, device serial number, software ID, firmware ID, user name or identifier code, one or more attributes of a user of the device, or any other data associated with the device or its user, that does not include either: contact information of such device or any of its users (e.g., email address; IM screen name; social network, media or Internet screen name, handle, alias, or avatar; phone number), or any network or Internet addressing protocol associated with the device (e.g., MAC address; IP address); creating and storing in the server database such Variable Identification Information for the sending device and associating such Variable Identification Information with the RegInf of the sending device; determining location information for the sending device and associating the location information in the server database with such Variable Identification Information of the sending device; receiving, at the server, at least one other registration consisting of RegInf from at least one other device; obtaining on the server Variable Identification Information from the at least one other device; creating on the server such Variable Identification Information for the at least one such other device and associating the Variable Identification Information of the at least one such other device with the RegInf for the at least one such other device; organizing the Variable Identification Information from the sending device and the at least one other device in a database on the server; determining location information for the at least one other device and associating it with the Variable Identification Information of the at least one other device in the server database; receiving a service message, at the remote processing server, from the sending device, wherein the service message comprises (i) content, (ii) Variable Identification Information of the sending device, and (iii) the location of one or more devices to which the sending device desires such content to be sent (herein, a ‘targeted device’); searching the server database to determine if any one or more of such targeted devices has RegInf, Variable Identification Information and location information stored in the server database (herein, a ‘qualifying targeted device’); device; processing the service message to send to the at least one such qualifying targeted device; and sending such service message from the sending device and delivering it to the at least one qualifying target device (herein, the ‘recipient device’) using the Variable Identification Information of such recipient device, where the delivery method to such recipient device does not comprise or use email, instant messaging (IM), text messaging, telephony or any other communications protocol or technique based on fixed endpoints where contact information (e.g., email address; IM screen name; social media or Internet screen name, handle, alias, or avatar; phone number; MAC address; IP address) of the recipient device is known to any of the sending device, any of its users, or any business, social or communications network of which the sending device or any of its users is a member.