Introduction - IP - Functionality

Introduction

The Swarm patent portfolio, prototypes and publications are the result of the PhD thesis conducted by Dr Christine Satchell.

The research was conducted in conjunction with the Australian Government funded organisation Smart Internet Technology Cooperative Research Centre (SITCRC). 

In 2014, Christine Satchell and Stephen V. Palmer formed the company 'Swarm Systems' which brought the Swarm patent portfolio.

The portfolio which relates to a System and Method for Communicating is managed by US patent attorneys Knobbe Martens. It continues to generate new patents and now numbers ten patents.
.
The Swarm has been covered extensively by the media including New Scientist, Wired and hundreds of Tech Blogs, and published in the most prestigious international journals and conferences such as CHI and Ubicomp
The Swarm IP is a system and method for signalling the status of a called party in a mobile communication network. 

Significantly, it acts as a permissioning system across any mobile presence system. 

Contextual rules determine which data sets such different groups of contacts can see.  

This allows the user to create, manage and control their digital identity in a way that ensures the privacy of personal information.

The earlier patents focus on controlling and customising outgoing data streams, while the more recent patents focus on incoming data streams.

Functionality

Potential Embodiments of the Design

The control over data permisioning rules, which is at the centre of the Swarm IP, has many potential embodiments. For example:
  1. Mobile Presence Management
  2. Incoming Data Screening
  3. Managing Multiple Networks

​Mobile Presence Management
  • The Swarm solves one of the main problems that face mobile phone users which is not knowing when is an appropriate time to call. 
  • Incoming phone calls that interrupt face to face conversations are one of the most disliked aspects of mobile phone ownership, while unanswered calls are a waste valuable time.
  • Users want connectivity not constant interruptions. By allowing users to display their current status to their contacts can see what the person is doing and draw on social and cultural etiquette to decide if it is appropriate to call. 
  • Users however, don't want to convey the same status, or share data such as pictures with all the people in their contact lists.  Users need to construct themselves according to the context of the situation  and the nature of their relationship with other people.
  • The Swarm IP allows the user to set their status so it simultaneously conveys different identity data sets to different people. For example, work colleagues can see the user's professional identity and its associated data while friends can see the user' social identity.

Incoming Data Screening 
  • The Swarm IP facilitates the control of incoming data flows. This provides the ability to control and customise the content you are exposed to. 
  • This is especially important as the increasing digitisation of everyday objects (The Internet of Things) exposes the user to an influx of incoming data trying to flag the user's attention. 
  • Swarm Screening is a way to allow the user to streamline the information they receive on their mobile device based on their personal preferences and avoiding a scenario where they are  bombarded with irrelevant and unwanted content.

Managing Multiple Networks
  • The look and feel of a user's presence will vary depending on the specific social network they are interacting with.
  • The Swarm IP would be of use allowing the user to set a specific user status and associated data that would be relevant to the conventions of each platform. 
  • For example, a social update and pictures from the weekend for Facebook, while a Linked In presence would feature related content.
  • In keeping with the Swarm's ability to manage incoming data streams, the user could also choose for example, to only accept Linked In notifications during business hours, to limit Facebook notifications to after hours and weekends, and not accept Skype call after 8pm. 
Business Name: Swarm Systems Pty Ltd

ABN/ ACN:  43 168052284 / 168052284

Company Directors:  Christine Satchell (PhD) and Mr Stephen V. Palmer

Date Established:  March 2014