US 6,618,593 · Granted 2003-09-09

The 2003 Patent That Pioneered Location-Based Mobile Matching

Imagine your phone automatically finding other phones nearby that match your interests and letting you know about each other. This patent describes a central server that takes profile info from two phones, checks where they both are, and decides whether to share location data between them — the earliest blueprint for location-aware social matching.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system where two mobile devices send their profile information, location, and transmission status to a central server; the server matches the devices based on those profiles; and then selectively transmits location data from one device to the other depending on the match result and current location status. What's protected here is the specific architecture of receiving dual-device profiles at a central point, performing a matching decision, and gating location disclosure based on that decision outcome.

Why it matters

This patent from 2003 captures an early technical approach to what would become a core feature of modern dating, social, and proximity-based apps. At the time, GPS-enabled phones were rare and mobile data expensive, so the idea of a server mediating location sharing between matched users was a novel way to enable serendipitous encounters without broadcasting everyone's location publicly. The patent establishes priority for this specific architecture of profile-matching preceding location disclosure.

Real-world use

When you open a dating or social app and it shows you profiles of people nearby who match your interests, a location matching system similar to this one is working behind the scenes to decide what location data gets shared.

Original USPTO abstract

A system and method for matching first and second mobile communications devices are provided. Preference or profile information associated with the first and second mobile communications devices is transmitted to a central server for matching the first and second devices. Location information and transmission statuses of the first and second mobile communications device are also transmitted to the central server. Data related to the location of either device is transmitted to the other device depending upon the matched statuses of the mobile communications devices and the location and transmission status information associated with the mobile communications devices.

Patent details

Publication number: US 6,618,593
Filing date: 2000-09-08
Grant date: 2003-09-09
Assignee: Rovingradar, Inc.
Inventor(s): DRUTMAN CHARLES, DRUTMAN DARLENE, EGENDORF ANDREW, GREENFELD NORTON, PETTINELLI EUGENE
CPC class: H04W4/029

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