Exchanging Personal Information to Determine a Common Interest

Abstract

A user agent of a user selects another user having a user agent. The user agents exchange personal information about the user and personal information about the other user. The user agent determines whether a common interest exists between the two users based on the exchange of personal information. The other user is added to a social networking webpage of the user when the user agent determines that a common interest exists.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method executed by user agents executing on smartphones that exchange personal information about two people to determine whether common interests exist between the two people without disclosing the personal information to the two people when no common interests exist, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a first smartphone and from a first person, a selection of a second person with a second smartphone that is within a proximity of one hundred feet of the first person;   transmitting, in response to receiving the selection and by a first user agent executing on the first smartphone, a request to a second user agent executing on the second smartphone to exchange personal information about the first person and personal information about the second person between the first and second user agents;   determining, by the second user agent and on behalf of the second user, whether to deny the request;   determining, by the second user agent and on behalf of the second user, whether to accept the request;   transmitting, by the second smartphone and in response to the second user agent accepting the request, the personal information about the second person to the first user agent;   transmitting, by the first smartphone and in response to the second user agent accepting the request, the personal information about the first person to the second user agent;   analyzing, by the second user agent, the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent to determine if a common interest exists between the first person and the second person without disclosing the personal information received from the first user agent to the second person;   analyzing, by the first user agent, the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent to determine if the common interest exists between the first person and the second person without disclosing the personal information received from the second user agent to the first person;   maintaining, by the second user agent, the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent private and not disclosing the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent to the second person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person;   maintaining, by the first user agent, the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent private and not disclosing the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent to the first person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person;   disclosing, by the second user agent and to the second person, the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and   disclosing, by the first user agent and to the first person, the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 displaying, by the second user agent and to the second person on a display of the second smartphone, the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and 
 displaying, by the first user agent and to the first person on a display of the first smartphone, the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 adding, by the second user agent and without knowledge of the second person, the first person as a friend to the second person on a social networking webpage of the second person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; 
 informing, by the second user agent, the second person that the first person was added to the social networking webpage of the second person after the first person was already added to the social networking webpage of the second person; 
 adding, by the first user agent and without knowledge of the first person, the second person as a friend to the first person on a social networking webpage of the first person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and 
 informing, by the first user agent, the first person that the second person was added to the social networking webpage of the first person after the second person was already added to the social networking webpage of the first person. 
 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 disclosing, by the second user agent and to the second person on a display on the second smartphone, a location of the first person on a map in response to the first and second user agents determining that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and 
 disclosing, by the first user agent and to the first person on a display on the first smartphone, a location of the second person on a map in response to the first and second user agents determining that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person. 
 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 deleting, by the second user agent, the personal information received from the first user agent about the first person in response to the first and second user agents determining that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person; and 
 deleting, by the first user agent, the personal information received from the second user agent about the second person in response to the first and second user agents determining that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person. 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 receiving, by the first user agent and from the second user agent, a location and an identity of the second person; 
 maintaining, by the first user agent, the location and the identity of the second person private and not disclosing the location and the identity of the second person to the first person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person; 
 receiving, by the second user agent and from the first user agent, a location and an identity of the first person; and 
 maintaining, by the second user agent, the location and the identity of the first person private and not disclosing the location and the identity of the first person to the second person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person. 
 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 transmitting, from the first user agent and to the second user agent, a friend request for the second person to join a social networking webpage of the first person; 
 analyzing, by the second user agent, profile information of the first person posted at the social networking webpage of the first person; 
 deciding, based the analyzing of the profile information by the second user agent and without knowledge of the second person, to join the second person to the social networking webpage of the first person; and 
 informing, by the second user agent and after the second user agent already joined the social networking webpage of the first person, the second person that the second user agent joined the second person to the social networking webpage of the first person. 
 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising:
 broadcasting, by the first user agent and to other user agents within the proximity of one hundred feet, requests that include a description of an expertise in services that the first person desires to hire in a person. 
 
     
     
         29 . A method executed by user agents executing on hand held portable electronic devices (HPEDs) that exchange private information about two people to determine whether common interests exist between the two people without disclosing the private information to the two people when no common interests exist, the method comprising:
 locating, with a first HPED of a first person, a second HPED of a second person that is within a proximity of one hundred feet of the first person;   sending, by the first HPED and to the second HPED, a request to exchange private information about the first person and private information about the second person to determine if the first and second persons have a common interest with each other;   sending, by a user agent executing on the second HPED and in response to the request, the private information about the second person to a user agent executing on the first HPED;   sending, by the user agent executing on the first HPED, the private information about the first person to the user agent executing on the second HPED;   analyzing, by the user agent executing on the second HPED, the private information about the first person received from the user agent executing on the first HPED to determine if the common interest exists between the first person and the second person without disclosing to the second person the private information received from the user agent executing on the first HPED;   analyzing, by the user agent executing on the first HPED, the private information about the second person received from the user agent executing on the second HPED to determine if the common interest exists between the first person and the second person without disclosing to the first person the private information received from the user agent executing on the second HPED;   keeping, by the user agent executing on the second HPED, the private information about the first person received from the user agent executing on the first HPED restricted and not sharing with the second person the private information about the first person received from the user agent executing on the first HPED when the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person such that the second person cannot access the private information about the first person received from the user agent executing on the first HPED;   keeping, by the user agent executing on the first HPED, the private information about the second person received from the user agent executing on the second HPED restricted and not sharing with the first person the private information about the second person received from the user agent executing on the second HPED when the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person such that the first person cannot access the private information about the second person received from the user agent executing on the second HPED;   disclosing, by the user agent executing on the second HPED and to the second person, the private information about the first person received from the user agent executing on the first HPED when the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and   disclosing, by the user agent executing on the first HPED and to the first person, the private information about the second person received from the user agent executing on the second HPED when the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29  further comprising:
 sending, by the user agent executing on the first HPED and to the user agent executing on the second HPED, a friend request asking the second person to be added to a networking webpage of the first person; 
 visiting, in response to receiving the friend request and by the user agent executing on the second HPED, the networking webpage of the first person to view profile information about the first person; 
 determining, by the user agent executing on the second HPED and based on analysis of the profile information by the user agent executing on the second HPED, whether to accept or to deny the friend request; and 
 informing the second person, by the user agent executing on the second HPED, whether the user agent executing on the second HPED accepted the friend request or denied the friend request on behalf of the second person, wherein the user agent executing on the second HPED is authorized to act on behalf of the second user and accept friend requests and deny friend requests. 
 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29  further comprising:
 searching, by the user agent executing on the first HPED that is acting on behalf of the first person to assist the first person in finding employment, for other HPEDs within a radius of one kilometer of the first HPED; and 
 sending, by the user agent executing on the first HPED and to user agents executing on the HPEDs within the radius of one kilometer, solicitations for employment opportunities for the first person, wherein the solicitations include education and professional experiences of the first person. 
 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29  further comprising:
 disclosing, by the user agent executing on the second HPED and to the second person and in response to the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED determining that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person, the private information about the first person that includes a picture of the first person, a location of the first person, and contact information about the first person; and 
 disclosing, by the user agent executing on the first HPED and to the first person and in response to the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED determining that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person, the private information about the second person that includes a picture of the second person, a location of the second person, and contact information about the second person. 
 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 29  further comprising:
 displaying, on a display of the first HPED and from the user agent executing on the first HPED, a message to the first person that instructs the first person that the user agent executing on the first HPED added the second person to a social networking webpage of the first person; and 
 displaying, on a display of the second HPED and from the user agent executing on the second HPED, a message to the second person that instructs the second person that the user agent executing on the second HPED added the first person to a social networking webpage of the second person. 
 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the user agent executing on the first HPED is authorized to act on behalf of the first person and has authorization to accept friend requests to a social networking webpage of the first person and deny the friend requests to the social networking webpage of the first person, and the first person is not informed that the user agent executing on the first HPED accepted the friend requests until after a person is already added to the social networking webpage. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29  further comprising:
 exchanging, between the user agent executing on the first HPED and the user agent executing on the second HPED, the private information about the first person and the private information about the second person while maintaining an anonymity of the first and the second person. 
 
     
     
         36 . A method executed by user agents executing on hand held portable electronic devices (HPEDs) that exchange personal information about two people to determine whether common interests exist between the two people without disclosing the personal information to the two people when no common interests exist, the method comprising:
 sending, by a first user agent executing on a first HPED of a first person and to a second user agent executing on a second HPED of a second person, a request to exchange personal information about the first person and personal information about the second person so the first and second user agents can determine if the first and second persons have a common interest with each other;   sending, by the second user agent executing on the second HPED and in response to the request, the personal information about the second person to the first user agent executing on the first HPED;   sending, by the first user agent executing on the first HPED, the personal information about the first person to the second user agent executing on the second HPED;   determining, by the first user agent executing on the first HPED and based on the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent executing on the second HPED, if the common interest exists between the first person and the second person without disclosing to the first person the personal information received from the second user agent executing on the second HPED;   determining, by the second user agent executing on the second HPED and based on the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent executing on the first HPED, if the common interest exists between the first person and the second person without disclosing to the second person the personal information received from the first user agent executing on the first HPED;   maintaining, by the first user agent executing on the first HPED, the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent executing on the second HPED private by not sharing with the first person the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent executing on the second HPED when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person such that the first person cannot read the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent executing on the second HPED;   maintaining, by the second user agent executing on the second HPED, the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent executing on the first HPED private by not sharing with the second person the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent executing on the first HPED when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first person and the second person such that the second person cannot read the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent executing on the first HPED;   displaying, on a display of the first HPED by the first user agent executing on the first HPED and to the first person, the personal information about the second person received from the second user agent executing on the second HPED when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and   displaying, on a display of the second HPED by the second user agent executing on the second HPED and to the second person, the personal information about the first person received from the first user agent executing on the first HPED when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  further comprising:
 sending, from the first user agent executing on the first HPED to the second user agent executing on the second HPED, a friend request to add the second person to a social network of the first person; and 
 determining, by the second user agent executing on the second HPED, whether to accept the friend request or to deny the friend request, wherein the second user agent executing on the second HPED is authorized to act on behalf of the second person to accept the friend request and to deny the friend request. 
 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the personal information about the first person includes a picture of the first person, an age of the first person, a gender of the first person, a marital status of the first person but does not include a last name of the first person and a home address of the first person, and wherein the personal information about the second person includes a picture of the second person, an age of the second person, a gender of the second person, a marital status of the second person but does not include a last name of the second person and a home address of the second person. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36  further comprising:
 deleting, by the first user agent, the personal information about the second person that was received from the second user agent when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first and the second person; and 
 deleting, by the second user agent, the personal information about the first person that was received from the first user agent when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest does not exist between the first and the second person. 
 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36  further comprising:
 transmitting, from the first user agent to the second user agent, a global positioning system (GPS) location of the first person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person; and 
 transmitting, from the second user agent to the first user agent, a GPS location of the second person when the first and second user agents determine that the common interest exists between the first person and the second person.