Patent ID: 8442503

Claim:
A method for enabling proximity-triggered messaging in certain coverage areas for social networks and communities-based services, the method comprising: broadcasting, in a licensed spectrum of at least one mobile network operator and from at least one local unit, where each local unit is located within a corresponding coverage area, a Location Area Code (LAC) different from any other LAC broadcast by another element that is different from the local unit of radio cells of a mobile network of the at least one mobile operator in a surrounding area of the local unit; establishing at each local unit, a Location Update dialog with each mobile phone answering to the LAC broadcast from each local unit; obtaining, from each answering mobile phone for each local unit, at the local unit, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number of the mobile phone; sending, from each local unit, a Location Updating Reject message to each answering mobile phone for which the local unit has obtained the IMSI number, the Location Updating Reject message including information that causes each answering mobile phone to ignore the local unit for a specified amount of time; sending, from each local unit, the IMSI number of each answering mobile phone to a central unit; obtaining, for each IMSI number sent to the central unit from the at least one local unit, at least one valid identity for a community-based service for each answering mobile phone; and providing to at least one social network server associated with the community-based service the corresponding valid identity for each answering mobile phone along with an event composed of the valid identity plus a location and a time where and when the valid identity was obtained.