Anonymous Proximity Interest Matching via Intermediary Identifier
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing social media systems lack effective methods for users to anonymously discover and interact with nearby individuals sharing common interests while maintaining privacy.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for a mobile device to receive and share user interest information, automatically detect nearby users with common interests, and initiate anonymous communication or interaction, using proximity-based notifications and user-preference settings for privacy control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users share their interest information with nearby devices, then they can discover common interests and interact, but their privacy and identity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary anonymous identifier system that mediates between users who want to discover common interests and those who want to protect their identity. The anonymous identifier acts as a mediator that allows interest-based matching without revealing personal information, thus resolving the contradiction between discoverability and privacy protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the identifying information from the user profile and separates it from the interest information. Users can share their interests anonymously by removing the connection between personal identity and interest preferences, allowing interest-based interactions without compromising privacy.
2Loss of information
If the system provides detailed notifications about common interests, then users can make informed interaction decisions, but the complexity of notification management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of notification detail based on user preferences and context. Users can choose to receive notifications with varying degrees of information about common interests, allowing them to balance informed decision-making with simplified notification management according to their needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If users can select multiple interaction types (chat, game, etc.), then the system becomes more versatile, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring interaction options and user preferences before actual interactions occur. Users can set their preferred interaction types and notification preferences in advance, which simplifies the interface during actual use while maintaining versatility through pre-selected options.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for a mobile device to select interest information to automatically share with other nearby users, who are also sharing interest information, and detect any nearby users with common interests. In one embodiment, a method at a mobile device comprises receiving on the first mobile device a first set of movie interests associated with a first user; providing a notification on the first mobile device that a second mobile device associated with a second user has an interest in common with the first set of movie interests, and the second mobile device is within a specified proximity to the first mobile device; and initiating a request to communicate with the second mobile device without revealing an identity of the first user.