Cell Phone Dating Using Bluetooth

[Category: Inventions. If you are new to my blog please read the “About itimes3” page first]

Observation one: Have you ever had your cell phone’s Bluetooth on when entering a bus or a train, and looked at the Bluetooth devices list? Every time I do this, a whole list of devices pops up on my screen: many people have Bluetooth, and they keep it on at all times.

Observation two: Dating and generally meeting people can be a difficult game. In many cultures, particularly the Western ones (as opposed to Latin and some other cultures), people can easily be lonely because they cannot seem to find the right way to approach others and fear of rejection is culturally more emphasized. In addition, many old people are lonely because they may lose their partner and then do not know how to find new friends. Other examples can easily be added.

Observation three: Almost everyone has a cell phone these days, and almost all cell phones have Bluetooth.

So: what if someone wrote an application that would compare a set of “flags” (software switches that can be set to either “yes” or “no”) in a cell phone with a set of flags in another cell phone.

If a pre-set number of flags match, the owners of both sets (or only one, depending on setup of the system by each user) would be notified.

It would work like this: When I set up the system, a large number of questions is asked and answered (for easier use, the questions could perhaps be answered online or at least on a computer, with the answers transferred to the cell phone, to avoid having to type it all on the small keypad of the phone). The questions could include (first) name, sex, age, area where living, many questions on a wide range of interests (based on drop-down menus, to ensure exact keyword matching), type of relationship wanted (friendship, one-night-stand, serious relationship, or even business relationship, etc.), plus various user-determinable settings.

The system would allow for active or passive “trawling” (for example, I could set my phone to only “listen” on Bluetooth and alert only me to a nearby “match” with my flags, or I could set the phone to also “broadcast” so the other user would also be alerted to a match happening).

Additionally, users could be flagged as “registered” (e.g. identity verified) by for example the cell phone company, which would add a layer of security for a matching user.

This system could be used as an additional layer of convenience for dating in nightclubs and bars, but also in the bus or the supermarket, for example.

Additionally, people could find potential friends with the same interest. This would also be beneficial for older people, who often are alone.

Finally, an adaptation of a system like this could be used for identification and security purposes, with a “locked” set of flags in the phone, in combination with a picture and perhaps other identifying and/or security data, allowing the phone to be used as an access tool (to confirm someone’s eligibility to enter or be somewhere, for example).

NOTE (added 28 August): I just found out that apparently there are already services like this in existence. Don’t have time to check it out right now but you might be able to google for details… As I mention in the “About itimes3” page, I don’t usually check for details and at times an invention or idea I publish may already exist, which is apparently the case with this one.

If you like this idea and you work in a type of industry where this is relevant, I would be happy to discuss in more detail, answer questions or assist in other ways. For details and contact information please see the “About itimes3” page.

George Spark

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