BOS, Gerard Hugo (liostraat 8 - 1 hoog, KG Amsterdam, NL-1077, NL)
BOS, Onno (Berkenlaan 12, BC Zeist, NL-3707, NL)
BOS, Gerard Hugo (liostraat 8 - 1 hoog, KG Amsterdam, NL-1077, NL)
CLAIMS
1. A system for establishing relationships between persons from a group of persons, the system comprising a number of badges, wherein each of the badges is configured to be worn by a person from the group and each of the badges comprises:
- a first badge part on which visual information about the identity of the wearer, such as the person's first name, is attached or can be attached so as to be visible for the other persons;
- a second badge part which can be detachably coupled to the first badge part and comprises an electronic control unit, the control unit comprising:
- an electronic storage unit on which personal profile data can be stored or are stored, which personal profile data comprise at least relationship data which are representative of the relationships to be established with other persons from the group;
- an electronic processing unit for processing data; - a first sender/receiver for sending and receiving data;
- a second sender/receiver for detecting the proximity of one or more other badges; and
- a warning unit for issuing an audio signal and/or visual signal; the system also comprising:
- transmission means for transmitting at least personal profile data to the respective first sender/receivers of the associated badges; and the control unit of each of the badges being configured for storing in the respective storage unit the data received via the first sender/receiver, having the second sender/receiver periodically detect the presence of one or more of the other badges within a predetermined distance, determining on detection of the presence of one or more badges within the predetermined distance, based on the stored data of the badges in question, whether there is an adequate match between the persons in order to establish a relationship and, if there is an adequate match between at least two badges, having the warning units of the badges in question issue a warning signal in order to indicate a potential relationship between the persons pertaining to the badges.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to store in the storage unit also identification data which are representative of the identity of the wearer.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to store in the storage unit also the identity of the wearer or wearers with whom a match was previously determined.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured not to issue a warning signal if, on detection of the presence of a badge within the predetermined distance, the identity data thereof correspond to identity data previously stored in the storage unit.
5. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to store control data on the storage unit and also is configured to determine, based on both the stored personal profile data and the stored control data, whether there is an adequate match.
6. The system as claimed in claim S, wherein the control data include a matching percentage.
7. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the first badge part contains an electric power supply and the badge parts are further embodied to provide, when the first and second badge parts are coupled, an electrical connection between the power supply and the control unit and to break the electrical connection on uncoupling of the badge parts.
8. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage unit is of a type which loses stored data when the supply of power is interrupted.
9. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein at least a part of the personal profile data, preferably also at least a part of the identity data, and/or preferably at least a part of the control data, is available as visual information, in particular in a bar code.
10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transmission means comprise: - a bar code scanner for reading the visual information, in particular the bar code;
- a converter for converting the read information into a signal suitable for dispatch;
- a sending unit for sending the signal to the sender/receiver of the second badge part.
1 1. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission means are configured for transmitting control data and/or identity data to the respective badges and the respective control units are configured to determine the match between personal profiles as a function of the received control data and/or identity data.
12. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the second badge part is reusable and the first badge part is intended for one-off use.
13. The system as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein a warning unit is suitable for issuing a number of different signals and the processing unit is configured to select as a function of the degree of match one warning signal from the number of possible warning signals and to have the warning unit issue said one warning signal.
14. A badge comprising the badge measures as defined in one of the prior claims.
15. Transmission means comprising the transmission means as defined in one of the preceding claims.
16. A use of the system as claimed in one of claims 1 — 13.
17. A method for establishing relationships between persons from a group of persons, wherein each of the persons wears a badge to which visual information about the identity of the person in question, such as the person's first name, is attached so as to be visible for the other persons from the group, and on which personal profile data are stored, which personal profile data are representative of the relationships to be established with other persons from the group, the method further including:
- transmitting at least the personal profile data to the accompanying badges;
- storing for each badge in a storage unit of the badge the received personal profile data, periodically having detected the presence of one or more of the other badges within a predetermined distance, determining, on detection of the presence of one or more badges within the predetermined distance, whether there is an adequate match between the persons in order to establish a relationship and, if there is an adequate match between at least two badges, having a warning signal issued in order to indicate a potential relationship between the persons pertaining to the badges.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the badge comprises a first badge part and a second badge part and wherein the method further includes coupling the first and second badge part to each other prior to use in order to connect an electric power supply provided on the first badge part to an electronic control unit of the second badge part.
19. The method as claimed in claim 17 or 18, including decoupling from each other after use the first and second badge part in order to detach the power supply provided on the first badge part from the control unit of the second badge part and automatically removing the stored data, in particular the personal profile data, from the control unit.
20. The method as claimed in one of claims 17 - 19, wherein the transmission of the data, in particular personal profile data, includes converting the data to be transmitted into visual information, in particular a bar code, attaching the visual information to the first badge part, reading the visual information, converting the visual information into a signal suitable for dispatch, and sending the signal to the second badge part.
21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the signal is sent to the badge wirelessly, preferably via a radio frequency connection.
22. The method as claimed in one of claims 17 - 21, also including transmitting identity data which are representative of the identity of the person in question to the badge and storing the identity data in the control unit.
22. The method as claimed in one of claims 17 - 21, also including transmitting control data to a control unit and storing the control data therein, wherein it is determined on the basis of the received control data whether there is an adequate match between the personal profiles.
23. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the control data include a percentage for the degree of match.
24. The method as claimed in one of claims 17 - 23, including reusing the second badge part for another person, wherein a new first badge part is coupled to the used second badge part.
25. The method as claimed in one of claims 17 - 24, wherein the issuing of a warning signal includes selecting as a function of the degree of match a warning signal from a number of possible warning signals and issuing the selected warning signal.
26. The method as claimed in one of claims 17 - 25, wherein a system as claimed in one of claims 1 - 13 is used. |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS
The present invention relates to a system and method for establishing relationships between persons from a group of persons.
The aim of many network meetings, such as conferences, congresses, workshops, gatherings and the like, is to establish suitable contacts between the individual participants. During the networking, participants approach one another in order to be able to establish mutual relationships which in one way or another benefit the participants in question. The success of meetings of this type often depends on the quantity and quality of the contacts established between the participants.
One way to stimulate the establishing of relationships is to provide each of the participants with a brooch with a name card, also referred to as a badge, on which name card the name of the participant and often also an indication of his position and his occupation can be seen. Although this makes networking easier, it remains difficult to be able to establish good contacts, especially when there are a large number of participants at the meeting.
Also known are systems in which each of the participants is provided with an electronic badge. The electronic badges are connected to a central processing unit which determines, when requested and based on predetermined matching criteria, whether there is an adequate match between two or more participants in order to be able to establish beneficial personal contact. However, electronic badges of this type are generally complex, costly, relatively heavy and difficult to operate, so that in practice the known systems have been found to enjoy little success. In addition, the known systems often raise privacy issues because after the meeting information about the participants is left behind in the electronic badges.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved system and an improved method allowing at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art to be overcome.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a system of the type mentioned
hereinbefore is provided, the system also comprising a number of badges, wherein each of the badges is configured to be worn by a person from the group and each of the badges comprises:
- a first badge part on which visual information about the identity of the wearer, such as the person's first name, is attached or can be attached so as to be visible for the other persons;
- a second badge part which can be detachably coupled to the first badge part and comprises an electronic control unit, the control unit comprising:
- an electronic storage unit on which personal profile data can be stored or are stored, which personal profile data comprise at least relationship data which are representative of the relationships to be established with other persons from the group;
- an electronic processing unit for processing data;
- a first sender/receiver for sending and receiving data;
- a second sender/receiver for detecting the proximity of one or more other badges; and - a warning unit for issuing an audio signal and/or visual signal; the system also comprising:
- transmission means for transmitting at least personal profile data to the respective first sender/receivers of the associated badges; and the control unit of each of the badges being configured for storing in the respective storage unit the data received via the first sender/receiver, having the second sender/receiver periodically detect the presence of one or more of the other badges within a predetermined distance, determining on detection of the presence of one or more badges within the predetermined distance, based on the stored data of the badges in question, whether there is an adequate match between the persons in order to establish a relationship and, if there is an adequate match between at least two badges, having the warning units of the badges in question issue a warning signal in order to indicate a potential relationship between the persons pertaining to the badges.
As a result of the fact that the processing units are configured independently to determine the degree of match, the individual badges function in a decentral manner and a central controller, which is in many cases complex and costly, can be dispensed with. In addition, as a result of the fact that the electronics are provided on the second badge part and the visual information on the first badge part, i.e. separately from one
another, the second badge part comprising the electronics is easy to reuse and the first badge part can be embodied for one-off use. In addition, the potentially privacy- sensitive information stored in the second badge part can be kept separate from the name information on the first badge part.
In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is configured to store in the storage unit also identification data which are representative of the identity of the wearer. Examples of identity data include the name of the person in question or a reference (for example a number) to a name of the person in question in an external database.
In a further embodiment, the control unit is configured to store in the storage unit also the identity of the wearer or wearers with whom a match was previously determined. If at an earlier stage specific badges noted a match and the persons pertaining thereto did indeed make contact, it is often no longer necessary to bring the persons back into contact with one another. After all, the persons then already know one another. In a further embodiment, the control unit is therefore also configured not to issue a warning signal if, on detection of the presence of a badge within the predetermined distance, the identity data thereof correspond to identity data previously stored in the storage unit.
In embodiments of the invention, the control unit is configured to store control data on the storage unit and also configured to determine, based on both the stored personal profile data and the stored control data, whether there is an adequate match. If for example the control data include a matching percentage stored on the storage unit of a control unit, the control unit of a specific batch determines whether the personal profile data stored on the storage unit match the personal profile data of a neighboring badge for more than the matching percentage stored on the same (or a different) storage unit. If that is the case, the control unit determines that there is a sufficient degree of match and said control unit ensures that the warning signal is issued. In the opposite case, the control unit determines that there is not an adequate match, and a warning signal is not issued or, in another embodiment, a different warning signal is issued. The different warning signal then makes it immediately apparent to the persons in question that there is no match.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first badge part comprises an electric power supply and the badge parts are further embodied to provide, when the first and second badge parts are coupled, an electrical connection between the power supply and the control unit and to break the electrical connection on uncoupling of the badge parts. In use, the two badge parts are coupled to each other and the control unit is powered; after use, the badge parts are uncoupled from each other so that the control unit is no longer powered. In addition, if the storage unit is of a type that loses stored data when the supply of power is interrupted, this means that the data stored in the second badge part are also lost when the badge parts are uncoupled from each other. It is therefore not a problem that data might be regarded as privacy-sensitive, since they will after all be lost as soon as the two badge parts are detached from each other.
In embodiments of the invention, at least a part of the personal profile data is available as visual information. The personal profile data, which may or may not be encrypted and may or may not be in a storage format unknown to third parties, can in this case be converted into visual information and attached to the badge (either to a surface of the holder of the badge or to a carrier, such as a sticker or card, to be attached to the holder). The personal profile data can for example be converted into a bar code, which bar code is attached to the front of the badge so as to be visible for everyone. Instead of or in addition to the personal profile data, other data, such as the identity data and/or the control data, can also be converted in a similar manner into visual information and be displayed on the badge.
An advantage of the processing of the personal profile and if appropriate the identity information and/or control data, in one or more bar codes and the displaying thereof on the badge, for example by printing off the bar code together with the name of the user using a standard printer, is that use can be made of standard software and equipment available for similar meetings. Bar codes are internationally standardized and can contain, especially in the case of two-dimensional codes, a large amount of information on a relatively small area.
In further embodiments, the transmission means can comprise:
- a bar code scanner for reading the visual information, in particular the bar code;
- a converter, such as a bar code scanner, for converting the read information into a signal suitable for dispatch;
- a sending unit for sending the signal to the sender/receiver of the second badge part.
The transmission means can in this case be configured for transmitting control data and/or identity data to the respective badges. The data are stored in the respective storage units, so that the respective control units can determine the degree of match between personal profiles as a function of the received personal profile data, control data and/or identity data.
A personal profile is preferably constructed by having the participant (i.e. the person) answer a questionnaire. The questions can for example relate to the type and the number of relationships to be established with the participants. The responses to the questions are coded, encrypted if appropriate and afterwards transmitted to the respective badges. The transmission can take place with the aid of a wireless connection (radio frequency or infrared), although a galvanic connection is also possible. The coded responses form a signal, for example a binary string of characters which can jointly form (some of) the personal profile data. Apart from the responses to the questions, the signal preferably contains also information about the identity (identity data such as first name, company name, etc.) of the person and optionally control data, such as a matching percentage, with which the comparison process can be activated in the respective control unit. It should be noted that this identity information is not strictly necessary, since embodiments are also conceivable with just the personal profile. The same applies to the control data.
In some embodiments, the assembly comprises a first sender/receiver for sending and receiving data, such as personal profile data, identity data and/or control data, and also a second sender/receiver for detecting the proximity of one or more other badges. In other embodiments, the first sender/receiver and second sender/receiver of a badge are integrated with each other to form one single sender/receiver which can perform all the aforementioned functions.
As was stated hereinbefore, a control unit of a badge is embodied to determine wholly
independently whether its personal profile matches to a sufficient degree the personal profile of a neighboring badge in order to issue a warning signal. The manner in which the degree of matching is determined can be controlled by way of control data which are stored from the outset in the control unit, for example by permanently storing this information therein. In other embodiments of the invention, the transmission means are configured for transmitting control data to the respective badges and the respective control units are configured to determine the match between personal profiles as a function of the received control data. The control data are in this case sent to the respective badges just before use and/or during use.
According to another embodiment, the warning unit is embodied in such a way that a number of different signals can be issued. The processing unit can in this case select as a function of the degree of match one warning signal from the number of possible warning signals. If there is a small match between two participants, a different warning signal will for example be issued to that issued when the participants have an almost perfect match. In addition, in the case of a match between two participants, it must be made clear for the participants in question that only they, i.e. not one or more other participants, have a match. In a further embodiment, the processing units are therefore also configured to generate a unique warning signal for the participants in question (that is to say, only the participants who have a match with one another). If for example two pairs of participants have a match for each pair, one pair of badges must generate a different warning signal to that generated by the other pair of participants in order to prevent mutual confusion. In a further embodiment, the badges communicate with one another in order to ensure that a unique warning signal is issued when there is a good match.
The badge can, as a result of the construction thereof described in the present document, have relatively small dimensions, for example as small as a credit card (for example smaller than 54 mm x 86 mm).
According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for establishing relationships between persons from a group of persons, wherein each of the persons wears a badge to which visual information about the identity of the person in question,
such as the person's first name, is attached so as to be visible for the other persons from the group, and on which personal profile data are stored, which personal profile data are representative of the relationships to be established with other persons from the group, the method further including: - transmitting at least the personal profile data to the accompanying badges;
- storing for each badge in a storage unit of the badge the received personal profile data, periodically having detected the presence of one or more of the other badges within a predetermined distance, determining, on detection of the presence of one or more badges within the predetermined distance, whether there is an adequate match between the persons in order to establish a relationship and, if there is an adequate match between at least two badges, having a warning signal issued in order to indicate a potential relationship between the persons pertaining to the badges.
If the badge comprises a first badge part and a second badge part, the method can also include coupling the first and second badge part to each other prior to use in order to connect an electric power supply provided on the first badge part to an electronic control unit of the second badge part, thus activating the control unit, and the method after use can include decoupling from each other the first and second badge part in order to detach the power supply provided on the first badge part from the control unit of the second badge part and automatically removing the stored data, in particular the personal profile data, identity data and/or control data, from the control unit.
Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be illustrated based on the subsequent description of a preferred embodiment thereof. The description refers to the appended figures, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective front view of an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a front view of the embodiment, without a person-bound sticker on the front;
Figure 3 is a perspective rear view of the embodiment in Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the permanent part of the embodiment;
Figure 5 is a view of the disposable part of the embodiment, including batteries; and
Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the converter allowing a bar code to be read and to be converted.
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a plastics material badge 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The badge is handed out to all participants of a conference and is made up of a disposable badge holder 2, a permanent housing 3 and a suspension cord 4 with which the badge holder 2 and the housing 3 are fastened to a participant of a meeting. The badge holder 2 is formed from a flat plate 9, at the upper edge of which a bent-back part 8 is provided. A sticker 5, on which the name of the participant, optionally the name of the participant's position and the name of the congress are printed, can be stuck to the front of the flat plate 9. The plate and sticker thus function as a name card for the participant. A bar code 20, the function of which will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter, is also depicted on the sticker 5 of the disposable badge holder 2.
The housing 3 is illustrated in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4. The housing 3 is made up substantially of an upright part 10 and horizontal part 11. Both parts 10, 11 jointly form a component in the shape of a T. The housing 3 contains a number of electronic circuits, including the entire control unit with which the method according to the invention can be implemented, as will be discussed hereinafter. The upright part 10 of the housing 3 is furthermore also provided with a clip 14 with which, as an alternative to the aforementioned suspension cord 4, the badge 1 can be fastened to the participant.
Figure 5 shows the back of the badge holder 2. Upright walls 14, 15, 16, which enclose an elongated space in which the power supply of the housing 3 can be attached, are shown on the back of the plate 9. hi the illustrated example, the power supply is formed by two (penlite) batteries 7, T which are slid from above into the aforementioned space. One of the walls (in the example of Figure 5 this is wall 14) is provided with a bent- over part 17 in order to ensure that the batteries remain enclosed in the space. The walls
also define an elongated opening 18 along which the respective battery 7, T can be grasped in order to be able to slide said battery out of the aforementioned space. As was stated hereinbefore, the two parts 10, 11 of the badge holder 2 form a T-shaped component. This component is designed in such a way that the upright part thereof can be slid between the aforementioned walls 1 S of the badge holder 2 (as is indicated by arrow 25 in Figure 5). The ends of the horizontal part 1 1 , or at least the underside thereof, contain electrical contacts 12 which, when the housing is slid in, form guiding contact with the top ends 18 of each battery 7, 7'. In this way, the electronic circuits in the badge holder 2 are provided with supply voltage.
Figure 6 again shows the disposable part of the badge I. This figure also shows a converter 21 which is intended to convert the aforementioned bar code on the disposable badge part into an electronic form and to send the information from the bar code to the control unit of the permanent badge part. The converter 21 comprises inter alia a bar code scanner 22. The bar code scanner can be of any desired type. The scanner can for example be a laser scanner which writes lines of laser light over the bar code and which detects the light reflected from the bar code. The detected light is converted into digital data, for example a serial digital code, which are suitable to be transmitted to the control unit. The scanner can also comprise a camera, in particular a CCD camera, with which an image of the bar code is produced. Based on the image, the scanner can determine the data defined in the bar code and make these data suitable to be transferred to the control unit. The digital data can be transmitted to the control unit in the housing 3 by means of a radiographic sender 23 in the converter 21 and a corresponding sender/receiver 26 of the control unit 24 in the housing 3. Other ways of transmitting the code from the converter 21 to the housing 3 are of course also conceivable. The converter 21 can for example contain an electric connector (not shown) with which a direct, galvanic coupling can be produced to a connector which is provided in the wall of the housing 3 and connected to the control unit.
In addition to the sender/receiver 26, the control unit 24 comprises a microcontroller 28, a storage unit such as an electronic memory 27, a number of RGB LEDs 30, 31 (of differing color, for example green and red/green) and, if appropriate, one or more elements (not shown) for issuing an audio signal and/or one or more vibrating
elements. The code received by the sender/receiver 26 is processed by the microcontroller 28 and stored in the memory 27, the function of which will be discussed hereinafter. In fact, in the illustrated embodiment, the sender/receiver 26 is suitable not only for receiving signals from the converter 21, but rather also for receiving any signals originating from other badges. In addition, the sender/receiver is suitable for sending signals to the remaining badges, so that mutual two-way communication can be established between the badges.
The badge 1 functions as follows. When a user, for example a participant at a conference, checks in, he or she is invited to fill in a questionnaire. This questionnaire contains a number of questions relating to the way in which the participant wishes to establish contact with other participants and with what sort of other participants he or she wishes to establish contact. On the basis of the responses to the questionnaire, a profile is constructed for each participant. The profile can be constructed manually, for example by the receptionists at the venue where the participant has checked in, or automatically in a computer. AU that matters is that a matching profile can be coupled to each participant, which profile is indicative of the relationships to be established between the persons. More particularly, the profile can be indicative of the manner in which a specific participant wishes to establish his relationship with the other participants.
Subsequently, the name of the participant, optionally supplemented with his or her company name, and also the aforementioned bar code 20 are printed on the sticker 5. The bar code 20 is the result of the filled-in questionnaire, the identity code of the user, that is to say the unique code which is coupled to the participant, and if appropriate what are known as control data, such as a matching percentage and/or other control data, such as for example logon/logoff data, registration data which are representative of the occurrence of a good match, data with which the type of warning signal is determined, such as the period of time for which the badges light up in the event of a good match, or else no warning signal in the event of a good match and/or mismatch, the color(s) of the warning signal, the number of warning signals, etc. The bar code can be a one-dimensional (ID) bar code or a two-dimensional (2D) data matrix code, depending on the amount of information to be transmitted.
The result of the fϋled-in questionnaire is available in the form of a string of characters (digits and/or letters). The same applies to the identity code of the participant and any matching percentage. The bar code 20 therefore has merely to represent a string of characters, for example in the form of a binary string. The bar code can be coded in accordance with a public standard, but preferably the manner in which the bar code is coded remains confidential, so that a third party who reads the bar code 20 will have no knowledge of the underlying meaning of the code. Once the sticker 5 has thus been printed, for example on a standard printer or another printing means, the sticker 5 is placed along the bent-over part 8 of the badge 2 and fastened to the front of the flat plate 9. The entity formed by the flat plate 9 and sticker 5 belongs to the wearer and is thrown away after the conference. The only information provided on these components is therefore the name of the wearer and/or the name of the company and a bar code 20 which is unintelligible to third parties.
The disposable badge holder 2 is subsequently mounted on the housing 3, to be slid through the housing 3, in the aforementioned manner, between the walls 15 of the badge holder 2 and said walls are to be secured to the badge holder.
In the mounted state, the housing 3 is attached in such a way that the contacts 12 on the underside of the horizontal part 11 thereof are connected to the batteries 7, T which are attached to the badge holder 2. In this way, the electronic circuits of the control unit 24 in the housing 3 are powered. The entity formed by the badge holder 2 and housing 3 can now be worn by the wearer, for example via a suspension cord 4 or the clip 14.
In order to ensure that the information contained in the bar code 20 enters the control unit, the converter 21 reads out the bar code 20 with the aid of the scanner 22, converts this bar code into a code suitable for dispatch and sends this code to the sender/receiver 26 of the control unit 24 with the aid of a sender 23. The microcontroller 28 of the control unit 24 processes the received code and stores (a part of) the processed code in the memory 27. The badge 1 is now ready for use and networking can now commence.
With the aid of a sender/receiver 26 (or a separate second sender/receiver 29 provided
for this purpose), the control unit 24 scans periodically (for example every few seconds) its environment in a search for other badges. The range within which the searches are conducted is adjustable but will for conventional applications be at most between 6 and 8 meters. This means that all persons within a radius of 6 to 8 meters can be detected by a badge 1. If another badge is detected, both badges will exchange data via their respective sender/receiver 26 and the respective processing units determine whether, on the basis of the stored results of the questionnaire and if appropriate also on the basis of permanent control data and/or control data transmitted via the converter 21, such as a matching percentage, there is a sufficient degree of match between the two wearers. If there is no or too little match, nothing happens. The participants then know that there is no point in proceeding to establish personal contact and continue their search for other participants who may be of interest to them. However, when there is a match, each of the control elements 24 of the badges in question switches on one or more of the LEDs 30, 31. Instead of or in addition to switching on or off the LEDs 30, 31, a sound signal can be issued by the audio means (not shown), such as a loudspeaker, buzzer or the like. The wearers in question are thus warned that they match one another at least to a certain degree. Contact is thus rapidly established.
In a specific embodiment of the invention, a specific badge (say, badge 1) emits its own profile at a synchronized point in time. A sort of dynamic synchronization then takes place between the badges which are within range of one another. Other badges in the environment of badge 1 listen at that moment for any information in the ether, receive and decode the received code (data) from badge 1. In the event of a match, the relevant badge returns in its (synchronized) timeslot specific information to badge 1, i.e. the badge with which it has a match. The control units of the relevant badge and of the original badge 1 can then issue warning signals. The sort of warning signal can be dependent on the degree, determined by the control units, of match between both badges. If there is a high degree of match, a different color and/or a different light intensity can for example be used to signal the match. In other embodiments, the relevant badge sends supplementary data, for example "color code" data, to the original badge 1. On the basis of this supplementary data, the respective control units can determine which warning signal must be issued. If the supplementary data include the aforementioned color code data, the control units of the badges in question can
determine in what color (and/or at what flashing frequency, brightness, etc.) the light signals from the badges have to start to flash. The color and frequency of the original badge 1 may or may not match the color and frequency of the other badge. This may or may not result in two identically signaling badges. In other embodiments, the badges intercept pitches also of color codes, which have already been used in the region, from other badges and take account thereof when determining the manner in which the match must be signaled, as a result of which the chance of various pairs of badges starting to signal in the same way is particularly small.
When the wearers wish to end their contact, they can move away from one another again. If for example both wearers have moved out of each other's range, the respective control element 30 detects this. On the basis of the identity number, which is also sent, of the carrier, the control unit 30 now determines that no further contact subsequently needs to be made with this specific wearer and that a search can be conducted for other matching contacts.
After the meeting, the participant removes the badge holder 2 from the housing 3. As a result of the fact that the housing 3 is no longer in contact with the batteries 7, 7', the control element 30 is no longer powered. If a memory has been selected that loses its contents when the supply of power is interrupted, all information stored on the housing 3 will also be lost at the end of the conference. This is particularly important for privacy-sensitive information. Thus, said information is no longer left behind in the housing 3. The only information which the badge 1 then still possesses is the information stated on the sticker 5. The sticker 5 is thrown away together with the plate 9. Before throwing away the holder 2, said holder can still be broken in two, for example if the flat plate 9 is provided with a preformed breaking line (not shown). In this way, the wearer can be sure that the information on the sticker 5 is also lost and cannot end up in unauthorized hands. His privacy is therefore ensured.
It will be clear that it is important for a control unit to determine the limit or threshold value at which a decision can be made that there is a sufficient degree of match between various participants. On the one hand, the threshold for the establishing of contacts should not be set too high, because otherwise too few contacts will be
established. After all, establishing contacts is an important aim of a conference. However, if the threshold is set too low and the badges indicate too quickly that there is a match between wearers, the quality of the contacts decreases. This is of course just as undesirable, since what matters is not just the quantity of contacts, but rather also the quality thereof. In order to find a good balance between too many and too few contacts, the limit or threshold value must be determined as well as possible in advance.
This limit can for example be made dependent on a predetermined percentage. This percentage can for example be calculated by counting up the number of matching responses and dividing this figure by the total number of responses. There are however numerous other ways of determining this limit. All that matters is that the processing units each determine this limit based on control data (of which the matching percentage is just an example). The control data can be stored in advance on the storage units, for example just before the meeting or even in the factory in the case of a storage unit comprising (partially) a permanent memory, although it is also possible to transmit from the badge during use, as discussed hereinbefore.
There are numerous examples of other ways of determining the limit or threshold values. The individual responses on the questionnaire can be coded and an assessment provided for each answer (which assessment can vary), but it is also possible to pile up all responses and provide a joint assessment of the results. In a further embodiment, all responses are ultimately returned to yes/no responses, as a result of which the entire questionnaire results in an x byte code (for example 10 bytes = 80 bits = 80 yes/no responses) to which the identity of the user (e.g. No. 1016: to be found in the system as Mr Y with company data, address, telephone number and the like) and the matching percentage are later added. The entire code then consists for example of 10 bytes of information, 2 bytes of identity data and 1 byte of matching percentage.
Nor is it the case that all participants have to have the same threshold. The threshold can be set individually. If for example the participant has specified in advance that he wishes to make as many contacts as possible, the threshold is set lower, whereas if the participant indicates that the quality of the contacts is more important to him, a higher threshold is set.
The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described in the present document. The rights applied for are defined by the subsequent claims, within the scope of which a large number of modifications are conceivable.
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