Identifying and locating users on a mobile network

The present disclosure relates to remote communication with mobile devices such as mobile phones and media players, and more particularly to causing mobile devices to perform functions through the transmission of one or more remote commands.

Mobile devices have been adapted for a variety of applications, including computing, communications, and entertainment. Due to recent improvements, mobile devices have their own geographic location by using a built-in GPS (global position system) antenna or by estimating their position from signals received through a fixed-position cellular antenna. Can be measured. Therefore, the user can use the mobile device to measure where he or she is.

Mobile device users may want to let their friends and family know where they are. Similarly, users may want to know where their friends and family are. Several known systems offer such services. However, one of the problems with such services is that they can consume a lot of power to measure their location. This problem is particularly noticeable when using GPS devices.

Balancing battery life and mobile device performance is an important concern for mobile device manufacturers, and location-aware programs are a major part of these concerns. In particular, applications that frequently request GPS devices consume a lot of power. Such applications include mapping programs and social applications that use location information such as FOURSQUARE and GOOGLE LATITUDE. Such social applications allow you to share your location with a server so that your authenticated friends can see it on your friend's mobile device. Many of these services require an application running on a user's mobile device to periodically activate a GPS device to locate the user and update the server. Repeated use of such GPS devices significantly reduces the battery life of mobile devices.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be explained by the following description, and some will be self-evident from the description or will be known by implementing the principles disclosed herein. The features and advantages of the invention are realized and available by the devices and combinations specifically indicated in the appended claims. These and other features of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following description and the appended claims, or will be known through the practice of the principles described herein.

Systems, methods, and permanent computer-readable storage media for measuring the location of one or more mobile devices connected to a communication network are disclosed. The present technology provides a system that enables a user to know the location of another user who is permitted to share location information. In one preferred embodiment, the user can launch an application that allows the user to request a friend to receive permission to receive information describing the location of the friend. The application can list friends who are allowed users to see their location.

If the user wants to see the location of one or more friends, the application can request location information from the system server to each friend or to multiple selected friends. The server receives and interprets the request to determine whether the application is requesting detailed location information or rough location information. For example, if the application requires location information for all friends, the request would be interpreted as a request for rough information only. The typical reason is that a rough position is sufficient to display all friends on the computer screen. However, if the application has recently received updated rough information about a particular friend, but is requesting additional location information for the same friend, the application needs detailed location information. There is a high possibility that it is.

The difference between the detailed location information and the rough location information is not only the threshold value of the allowable fluctuation of the location information, but also the elapsed time since the server received the updated location information and the accurate location information on the friend's device. It is also based on the power required to know. For example, detailed location information requires an accuracy of ± 3 m, and with current technology, such accuracy is most often achieved using GPS devices. In addition, detailed location information is only considered accurate for periods of 1 minute or less. Rough location information, on the other hand, requires only city-level accuracy (eg ± 1 km) and is considered useful for more than 15 minutes.

The friend's location request is processed by the central server. When the server receives the request, it forwards the request to a friend's device and waits for a response. Alternatively, the server may respond to the request without communicating with a friend's device. For example, the server may cache the location information of a friend's device. Because location information is only useful for a given accuracy and for a given period of time, the server requests and / or predetermines the cached information before sending the cached location information instead of sending the request to a friend's device. It may be compared with the restrictions.

In order to illustrate the above-mentioned advantages and features of the present invention and methods for obtaining other benefits and features, a more specific description of the briefly explained principles will be given with respect to the particular embodiments described in the accompanying drawings. .. Given that these drawings merely illustrate exemplary embodiments and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, the principles of the invention will be made more specific and detailed with reference to the accompanying drawings. Is described and explained.

<figref num="1">It is a figure which shows the embodiment of an exemplary system.</figref><figref num="2">It is a figure which shows an exemplary computing environment.</figref><figref num="3a">It is a flowchart explaining an exemplary procedure for position search of a mobile device.</figref><figref num="3b">It is a flowchart explaining an exemplary procedure for position search of a mobile device.</figref><figref num="4">It is a flowchart explaining the exemplary procedure for searching the position of a mobile device and updating the position information.</figref><figref num="5">It is a flowchart explaining an exemplary procedure for sending an invitation to share location information to a mobile device user.</figref><figref num="6">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="7">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="8">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="9">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="10">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="11">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="12">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can locate a friend.</figref><figref num="13">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can send an invitation to a location-searched friend.</figref><figref num="14">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can send an invitation to a location-searched friend.</figref><figref num="15">FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface diagram illustrating how a user can send an invitation to a location-searched friend.</figref><figref num="16">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface showing how a user can receive and respond to a location search invitation.</figref><figref num="17">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface showing how a user can receive and respond to a location search invitation.</figref><figref num="18">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how a user can change his or her location information.</figref><figref num="19">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how a user can change his or her location information.</figref><figref num="20">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how a user can change his or her location information.</figref><figref num="21">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how an invitation to share location information until the expiration date is generated and displayed.</figref><figref num="22">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how an invitation to share location information until the expiration date is generated and displayed.</figref><figref num="23">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how an invitation to share location information until the expiration date is generated and displayed.</figref><figref num="24">It is a diagram of an exemplary user interface illustrating how an invitation to share location information until the expiration date is generated and displayed.</figref>

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be examined in detail. We will consider a particular practice, but it should be understood that it is for explanatory purposes only. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other components and device configurations may be used without exceeding the spirit and scope of the invention.

The present invention solves the need for a mechanism in the present technology for transmitting location information of a user's mobile device and for locating friends and family through each mobile device owned by the friend and family. By sending a command to the mobile device to measure the current position and report to the requester, the system, method, and permanent computer-readable medium for locating the mobile device are disclosed. First, a general-purpose system or computer device shown in FIG. 1 that can be applied to carry out the concept of the present invention will be briefly described. Then, a more detailed description of the method and system will be given.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary system 100 including a general purpose computer device 100 may include a processing unit (CPU or processor) 120 and system memory 130 such as read-only memory (ROM) 140 and random access memory 150. It includes a system bus 110 that connects various system components to the processor 120. System 100 can include a cache 122 of fast memory that is directly connected, in close proximity, or integrated as part of processor 120. System 100 copies data from memory 130 and / or storage 160 to cache 122 for fast access by processor 120. In this way, the cache 122 avoids slowing down the operation of the processor 120 due to the data waiting time, and improves the performance. These and other modules may be capable of controlling the processor 120 or be configured to control the processor 120 so that the processor 120 performs various operations. Other system memories 130 may be available as well. The memory 130 may include a plurality of different types of memory having different performance characteristics. It will be appreciated that the present invention can also be implemented on a computer device 100 having a plurality of processors 120, or on a group or cluster of a plurality of networked computer devices to provide more powerful processing performance. Processor 120 is a module 1 162, module 2 164, and module 3 stored in any general purpose processor and a hardware module or storage device 160 configured to control the processor 120. It can include software modules such as the 166 and application-specific processors that integrate software instructions into the actual processor design. Processor 120 may essentially be a fully integrated computer system that includes multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, and the like. The multi-core processor may be symmetrical or asymmetric.

The system bus 110 may be of any type of bus configuration, including a memory bus or memory controller using any of the various bus architectures, a peripheral bus, and a local bus. A basic input / output (BIOS) stored in a ROM 140 or the like provides a basic routine that assists in transferring information between elements within a computer device 100, such as during boot. The computer device 100 further includes a storage device 160 such as a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, and a tape drive. The storage device 160 can include software modules 162,164,166 for controlling the processor 120. There may be other hardware or software modules. The storage device 160 is connected to the system bus 110 by a drive interface. Drives and associated computer-readable storage media provide non-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for computer equipment 100. At first glance, the hardware modules that perform a particular function are the software components stored on a permanent computer-readable medium and the hardware needed to perform the functions, such as the processor 120, bus 110, and output device 170. Includes hardware parts.

The basic components are known to those skilled in the art and appropriate variations depending on the type of device, such as whether the device 100 is a small handheld computer device, a desktop computer, or a computer server, are conceivable. Be done.

Although the exemplary embodiments described herein use storage device 160, other types of computer-readable, computer-accessible, data-storable, computer-readable media, as those skilled in the art will understand. It may be used in an exemplary operating environment. These other types of computer-readable media include magnetic cassettes, flash memory® cards, DVDs, cartridges, random access memory (RAM) 150, read-only memory (ROM) 140, bitstreams, and the like. There are wired or wireless signals. Permanent computer-readable media explicitly exclude energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and the signal itself.

To enable user interaction with the computer device 100, the input device 190 represents an arbitrary number of input mechanisms such as a microphone for voice input, a touch panel for gesture or graphical input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, and voice. ing. The output device 170 may be one or more of a plurality of output mechanisms known to those skilled in the art. In some forms, a multimodal system allows a user to provide multiple types of inputs to communicate with a computer device 100. Communication interface 180 generally controls and manages user inputs and system outputs. It can operate on any hardware configuration, so basic functionality can be easily replaced with better hardware or firmware configurations as progress is made.

For clarity of description, specific system embodiments have been described as including individual functional blocks, including functional blocks labeled "processor" or processor 120. The functionality represented by these blocks is shared or dedicated hardware, including, for example, hardware capable of running software and hardware such as processor 120 manufactured to run equivalent to software running on a general purpose processor. May be provided through the use of. For example, the functionality of one or more processors shown in FIG. 1 may be provided by one shared processor or multiple processors. (The use of the term "processor" should not be construed as referring only to hardware capable of running software.) An exemplary embodiment is a microprocessor and / or digital signal processor (DSP) hardware. It may include a read-only memory (ROM) 140 for storing software that performs the operations described below, and a random access memory (RAM) 150 for storing the results. Large scale integrated (VLSI) hardware embodiments and combinations of custom VLSI circuits with general purpose DSP circuits may also be provided.

The logical behavior of the various embodiments is implemented as: (1) A sequence of steps, actions, or procedures performed by a computer that runs on a programmable circuit in a general purpose computer, (2) Runs on a programmable circuit for a specific application, performed by a computer A sequence of steps, operations, or procedures, and / or (3) a machine module or program engine interconnected within a programmable circuit. System 100, shown in FIG. 1, is capable of performing at least some of the methods described, may be part of the system described, and / or according to instructions in a permanent computer-readable storage medium described. It is operational. Such logical operation can be performed as a module configured to control the processor 120 to perform a particular function according to the programming of the module. For example, Figure 1 shows three modules Mod1 162, Mod2 164, and Mod3 configured to control processor 120. It shows 166. These modules may be stored in storage 160 and loaded into RAM 150 or memory 130 at run time, or stored in other computer-readable memory locations known in the art.

Having described some of the components of a computer system, we move on to Figure 2. Figure 2 shows the general purpose mobile computing environment 200. The communication network 210 connects devices and applications provided within the computing environment 200. In this computing environment 200, various devices can communicate with each other and send commands in various ways. For example, the server 230 may function as an intermediary between two or more user devices such as the computer 220, the mobile device 240, and the mobile device 245. The server 230 may pass a message sent from one user device to another user device. For example, the server 230 may receive a request from device 240 (requested device) to locate another device 245 (requested device). In response to such a request (preferably after proper authentication and authorization procedures have been performed to ensure that the request was authorized by the user of the requested device), the server 230 makes the request. Can be sent to the requested device 245 and a response containing information about the location of the requested device 245 can be received. The requested device 245 can acquire this position information based on a signal received by itself from, for example, a GPS satellite 260. Upon receiving the response, the server 230 may send that information to the requesting device 240. Alternatively, the server 230 does not send the request to the requested device 245 because it has the most recent location information about the requested device 245 that has been cached. In such an embodiment, the server 230 may respond to the request by transmitting the cached location information to the requesting device 240 without communicating with the requested device 245.

The devices 220, 240, and 245 preferably have one or more location-based applications running on them. Some of these applications have the ability to send requests to other user devices so that the requesting user can locate a friend's device. Upon receiving the location search approval, the requesting device can send the location request to the requested device and then receive a response including the location of the requested device. Approval is preferably managed at the server level, but may, or instead, be managed at the device level as well.

Returning to FIG. 2, the communication network 210 may be any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) such as an intranet, a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combination thereof. Further, the communication network 210 may be a public network, a private network, or a combination thereof. Communication networks may also be implemented through the use of any one or more types of physical media. The physical medium includes wired and wireless communication paths associated with one or more service providers. In addition, the communication network 210 may be configured to assist in the transmission of messages formatted using various protocols.

A user device such as the user station 220 may be configured to operate in a computer environment 200. The user station 220 may be any general purpose computing device that can be configured to communicate with a web-handling application, such as a web browser. For example, the user station 220 may be a personal computer device such as a desktop computer, workstation, laptop computer, or a portable computer device such as a smartphone or post PC device. The user station 220 may include some or all of the functions, components and peripherals of the computer device 100 of FIG.

The user station 220 may further include a network connection to the communication network 210. The network connection can be achieved through a wired or wireless interface and can support bidirectional communication through a communication network between the user station 220 and one or more other computer devices.

The application server 230 may also be configured to operate in the computing environment 200. The application server 230 may be any computer device that can be configured to provide one or more applications. For example, the application server 230 may be a server, workstation, or personal computer. The application server 230 may be configured as, for example, a group of a plurality of computer devices installed in one or more places, for example, a plurality of servers. The application server 230 may include some or all of the functions, components and peripherals of the computer device 100 of FIG.

The application server 230 may further include a network connection to the communication network 210. The network connection can be achieved through a wired or wireless interface and can support bidirectional communication through a communication network between the application server 230 and one or more other computer devices. In addition, the application server 230 can be configured to serve one or more applications. For example, the application server 230 may be configured to provide a remote management application that facilitates communication with one or more mobile devices connected to the network. Mobile devices 240, 245 and application server 230 may operate within a remote management framework to perform remote management functions. The application server 230 may be configured to provide a notification service configured to support two-way communication over the network 210 between a plurality of communication devices included in the computing system 200. For example, a notification service application can allow multiple computer devices to send and receive various messages.

The notification service can include a defined namespace in which a unique command collection topic may be generated for each of the subscribed mobile devices. Unique identifiers, such as assigned numbers and addresses, can be used to associate a subscriber mobile device with the corresponding command collection topic. The unique identifier may also be embedded within the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with the subscribed command collection topic. In addition, one or more command nodes may be spawned under the command collection topic so that each command node corresponds to a particular mode command type. For example, a command collection topic can include individual command nodes for location search commands.

Through the use of individual command nodes, it is possible to send multiple commands to one or more mobile devices at virtually the same time. If multiple commands are received in a command collection topic, the server timestamps may be compared to determine the order of execution.

Through notification services, publishers such as remote management applications can issue remote command messages to command collection topics associated with a particular mobile device. When a remote command message is issued to a command collection topic, you can send a notification message to one or more subscribed mobile devices. The mobile device then accesses the topic it subscribes to and reads one or more issued messages. This communication between the issuer and the mobile device may be separated. In addition, remote command messages may be issued to the appropriate command node in the command collection topic. In addition, the mobile device that receives the remote command message can issue a response to the result topic provided by the notification service. Publishers such as remote management applications can subscribe to result topics and receive published response messages.

Further, the computing environment 200 may include one or more mobile devices such as mobile device 240 and mobile device 245. These mobile devices are preferably smartphones such as the Apple iPhone® or post PC devices such as the Apple iPad®. Each of the mobile devices included in the computing environment 200 may include a network interface configured to establish a connection to the communication network 210. For example, the mobile device 240 is a cellular device (eg, GSM, EDGE, etc.) that provides data access to the communication network 210. 3G, or 4G) Network connection can be established. One or more base stations 250, located within the range of mobile devices 240 and 245 and connected to network 210, can facilitate the establishment of such a connection. In addition, the mobile device 245 can establish an IEE 802.11 (ie WiFi or WLAN) network connection to the communication network 210. One or more wireless network routers 255 provided within the range of mobile devices 240 and 245 and connected to network 210 can facilitate the establishment of such a connection. In addition, any of these mobile devices 240,245 or other devices may connect to network 210 based on the IEEE 802.16 (ie, wireless broadband or WiBB) standard. Again, mobile devices 240,245 may connect to the communication network 210 with the help of base station 250 and wireless router 255.

Further, each of the mobile devices 240 and 245 may be configured to communicate with a notification service application provided by the application server 230 in order to issue and receive messages. In addition, each of the mobile devices 240 and 245 may be configured to execute a remote management application or a remote management function in response to a remote command received through the notification service application. In some embodiments, the remote management application may be incorporated into the operating system of the mobile device.

Mobile devices perform one or more associated functions, so they can execute remote commands. For example, remote commands may include location search commands, notification commands, and message commands. Message commands can be used to present text-based messages on the display of mobile devices. The location search command can be used to cause the mobile device to send a message indicating the position of the mobile device when the location search command is executed. The location search command may further instruct the mobile device to use a predetermined resource, such as a built-in GPS system, to measure its position.

In addition, each of the mobile devices 240 and 245 may include an input interface capable of receiving one or more inputs. For example, the input interface may include one or more of a keyboard, mouse, joystick, trackball, touchpad, keypad, touchscreen, scroll wheel, general purpose and purposeful buttons, stylus, video camera, and microphone. Each of the mobile devices 240 and 245 can include an output interface capable of presenting output, including one or more displays, one or more speakers, and a tactile interface. In addition, GPS (Global Positioning) is used to receive and process signals transmitted by GPS satellites 260 to obtain position information (eg, display of current position). A location-finding interface, such as a System) processor, may be included in one or more of mobile devices 240 and 245. A general purpose or special purpose processor included in one or more of mobile devices 240 and 245 may be configured to perform position estimation, such as through base station triangulation or recognition of fixed ground objects through a video interface.

The basic system components and their concepts have been described. Next, embodiments 300a and 300b of the exemplary methods shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b will be described. For brevity, the method is described for the exemplary system shown in Figure 1 and the operating environment shown in Figure 2 configured to implement the method. The steps outlined herein are exemplary and can be performed in any combination of steps, including combinations that exclude, add, or change a predetermined step.

FIG. 3a requests for the location of one or more mobile devices (requested devices) such as mobile devices 240 and 245 in FIG. 2 connected to a communication network such as communication network 210 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the exemplary processing performed by the server which processes a request by a device. This process can be performed by a server such as the application server 230 in FIG.

In a preferred embodiment, the server 230 maintains data about members of one or more services. The data retained chooses to allow, for example, the member's username and other personally identifiable information, the uniquely identifiable information about the member's phone, and the member to share their location information. Predetermined identification information about each member, such as identification information of other members, may be included. This information may also include recent location information for each member. This location information may be updated by a given application / process on the member's mobile device and / or at the request of the requesting device. For example, in order to measure the position of a mobile device, the user may request an application on the mobile device such as a map service or other location-based application. Then, each time such a measurement is made, the mobile device can provide the information to the application server. The server can then retain this information in the storage device 335a for a period of time that is considered to represent the location of the mobile device (eg, 15 minutes or less).

In a preferred embodiment, the user / requester is an application on his or her computer or mobile device that, at runtime, agrees to share his or her location with the requester (the requester's "friends"). ) May have an application that initiates one or more location search requests for all devices. In such an embodiment, the application can first present the location of all friends on a map or in a list to the user / requester. The location search request 310a may be received for processing by a server such as the application server 230 in FIG.

Upon receiving the location search request from the requesting user's mobile device 301a, the server may first respond with the location data cached in 335a. As mentioned above, in a preferred embodiment, the application server can maintain and / or cache information about members of the service, including recent location information. The update of the location information is preferably an overwriting of the old location information. Therefore, the server first determines in step 315a whether it has the most recent location information. As mentioned above, the server may have a "time of life" set for the location information it maintains. If it is determined that the location information it has is recent, the server reads the latest known location from the storage device 335a in step 330a. Again, when a person is out, only the most recent location information will be significant. Therefore, in some embodiments, the location of the device has recently changed. The age of the information may be adjusted based on activity). For example, the owner of the device may specify a position of self-confidence, such as home or work, where the owner would normally stay for several hours each day. Therefore, if the location information that the server has for the requested mobile device is considered to be recent, it will provide that information to the requesting device in step 360a.

The server also preferably maintains this location information at a relatively low level of accuracy. The reason is similar to the reason why the position is considered significant only for a short time. The more accurate the location information, the more likely it is that a person is moving from that particular location, resulting in an inaccurate location. Therefore, by holding the recent position information at a lower accuracy level, it is possible to increase the possibility that the position is still correct, and it is not necessary to communicate with the user device.

Alternatively, in step 315a, the server determines that it does not have recent location information about the requested device. In that case, in step 320a, the server sends a location search request to one or more requested devices (ie, devices associated with friends). In this step, the server sends a location search request message to each of the requested devices. What if the message sent by the server has the effect of instructing the requested device to acquire its own current location information and return the acquired current location information to the server in the form of a response message? Format may be used. In another embodiment, the server sends a location search request message only to a cellular network system that continuously holds recent location information about the requested device. Such location information may include, for example, the coordinates of the cell site that appears to be closest to the requested device.

Shortly after sending the request in step 320a, the server receives the response in step 340a. Depending on the location of the requested device and network traffic, for example, the responses can arrive in any order and the time required for the response varies. The response message from the device preferably includes information about the location of the response device and the time the position was measured.

This position information may be measured by any of the methods described above, but may be measured by another method. Location information may also be obtained indirectly (ie, not directly from the requested device), such as from the cellular communication network with which the device is communicating. For example, location information may be acquired from a base station identified as being closest to a mobile device. This option may be less accurate, but often results in faster response and can extend the battery life of the requested device. Therefore, the accuracy level of the position information can change. Therefore, the position information may further include accuracy information.

In some embodiments, the owner of the responding device may be able to enter a unique location identifier or label associated with the location. For example, the user may assign labels such as "home," "work," or "school" to such locations. The user's mobile device preferably associates such a label with predetermined geographic coordinates.

Upon receiving this information, in step 350a the server preferably updates the stored information 335a with information that holds the known up-to-date location of the device, making it available to the next requester.

Upon receiving the response from the requested device, in step 360a the server sends the location information to the requesting device. This step may be performed for each of the responses received by the server from various requested devices. Location information about some devices may have been obtained from cache 335a in step 330a, but the server may make further requests and send updated information to the requesting devices. In some embodiments, the server first sends "known location information" to the requesting device and receives it from the requested device in order to determine if there is a difference in transmitting the recently received location information. It may further have a step (not shown) to compare with just the location information. That is, in one embodiment, the position information will be transmitted to the requesting device only when the position of the requested device changes. In such an embodiment, the amount of data required for communication can be reduced.

In addition to time accuracy, the server may have logic circuits that determine how to handle location search requests with a given geographic location accuracy. FIG. 3b is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 300b performed by a server processing a request by a requesting device to locate one or more mobile devices within a predetermined accuracy level.

In a preferred embodiment, in step 310b, the server receives a request to acquire location information about the requested device at a predetermined permissible accuracy level (accuracy y). In a preferred embodiment, the server typically holds location information about the device in storage device 335b at only one accuracy level (accuracy x). After receiving the request, in step 315b the server determines whether the accuracy of the location information held in the storage device 335b is greater than or equal to the accuracy required by the requesting device (ie, whether accuracy x accuracy y). If so, the accuracy level is considered acceptable and in step 330b the server reads the retained location information and sends it to the requesting device in step 360b.

However, when the server receives the request for the location information of the requested device, the requested accuracy (accuracy y) is higher than the accuracy (accuracy x) of the information stored in 355b (that is, accuracy y&gt; accuracy x). Would be more common. If it is determined in step 315b that accuracy y&gt; accuracy x, the server sends a request to the requested device in step 320b. This request can take several different forms. For example, the server simply sends the content of the request, including the request accuracy information, to the requested device and decides how to respond to the request (through the hardware, operating system and application of the requested device). You may leave it to the required equipment. Alternatively, the server has sufficient information about the capabilities of the requested device (such as the requested device having a GPS antenna of a given accuracy), and the transmitted message is that the requested device has its own GPS antenna. It is a command to measure the position using and send the information to the server. Then, in step 340b, the server receives the location information from the requested device. Again, this information can take several different forms depending on the device information known to the server. For example, the response may include accuracy information provided by the requested device, or may simply include position and means of obtaining the position. In the latter form, a server that preferably knows the model feature of the requested device may determine the accuracy provided by the requested device. Further, in response to a request sent by the server, the means information is not provided in the response and may be implied by the server as well as what was requested. When the location information is received by the server, in step 350b, the server updates the location information 335b stored by itself, and in step 360b, sends the location information to the requesting device.

In general, the accuracy of the location information handled is low, at the city level or within a few miles. As described above, such information may be obtained indirectly by the server, for example, by knowing the geographical location of the base station or ISP with which the requested device is communicating. It is generally known that a mobile phone communicating with a cellular communication network periodically searches for the cell site having the strongest signal strength. Often, the strongest signal is measured by the shortest distance cell. Therefore, for example, in an area where a base station exists every 4 miles, it can be estimated that the position of the mobile device is within 2 miles from the nearest base station. One of the more accurate mobile device location search methods may be by measuring the arrival time difference (TDOA). The TDOA method works on the basis of trilateration by measuring the arrival time difference of a mobile radio signal at three or more individual cell sites. Such a method is based on the availability of certain devices supplied by the cellular network and is not always available, so it remains an alternative embodiment. In either case, the location / accuracy determination can be performed on the communication network rather than on the mobile device. Such low-precision information is preferably first transmitted from the server to the requesting device so that the user of the requesting device can skim through the whereabouts of the friend. The operation related to the acquisition of such low-precision information is referred to as "shallow position search" here.

A low-precision (ie, low-precision) location request, which is only an approximation, can be executed first because it provides the fastest response and requires less resources on the requested device. preferable. On the other hand, the "deep position search request" may be requested by the user of the requesting device in order to acquire the position information with relatively high accuracy (higher accuracy) from the requested device. For example, a "deep location search request" uses its GPS location search resource on the requested device to obtain location information that would have a higher level of accuracy than some of the other location search methods described above. You may order to do so. The accuracy will be improved by using the functions of devices such as GPS, but the time and resources required to obtain signals from a sufficient number of GPS satellites and calculate the position will be longer and more. Will require energy. Therefore, the "deep location request" option is preferably reserved for a particular request by the user of the requesting device.

This concept of "shallow position search request" and "deep position search request" will be further described by the exemplary method 400 of FIG. 4 from the perspective of a requesting device such as a mobile device. In a preferred embodiment, method 400 starts at step 410 when the application is started on the mobile device. First, in step 420, the device requests the location information of all the friends associated with the user. This initial request is preferably a "shallow location request" sent to all "friend" devices (ie, the device of the owner who allows the requester to obtain location information). This request is sent to the server, and as described above, the request is passed from the server to the requested device, processed by the server, or both. Then, in step 430, the requesting device receives a response including the shallow position of its user's friend. Since the response has been received, the requesting device can display the location of the user's friends in step 440.

Since individuals are often moving around, it is valuable for requesting users to have their friends' location updated from time to time. The location information update or refresh performed in step 450 may be performed automatically at predetermined intervals such as every 15 seconds or every 15 minutes, or at the request of the user, or both. There may be. These predetermined time intervals may be applied in common to all users, the observed frequency of movement of individual users (moment frequency), and the observed movements of general users. It may be applied differently for individual users based on a combination of data guesses (eg, for users who appear to be traveling on the highway, while determining shorter time intervals, such as restaurants. Determine a longer time interval for users who are "checking in" to the location). As shown in method 400, refresh step 450 operates to iterate over requests for shallow location information for all of the user's friends.

In addition to requesting and retrieving shallow location information for all of the user's friends, the user may request more detailed or "deep" location information for one or more friends in the procedure starting at step 460. In a preferred embodiment, the "deep position search request" can be executed by the user selecting a friend presented after the shallow position search request. In this preferred embodiment, the deep location request is sent to the server, which sends a command to the requested device to provide more detailed location information. This request may include instructing the device to obtain accurate location information from its own GPS system. Upon receiving the response in step 470, the requesting device can display the deep position of the friend in step 480. Deep position accuracy may also be displayed to the requesting user.

Method 500 in FIG. 5 shows one way for a user to obtain approval to obtain location information for a device associated with a friend. In most embodiments, the user must send an approval request to the friend so that the user can locate the friend. The user can do this in step 510 by selecting a friend requesting approval. In a preferred embodiment, the location search application can refer to and use other applications on the user's device to maintain information about the user's friends. An example is an address book application that stores contact information for people known to the user of the device. These individuals may include friends, family, business acquaintances, and other individuals for whom the user has obtained contact information. If a particular person does not exist in the user's address book, the user may be able to enter that person's contact information directly into a running application. When the person to be located is selected / input, the approval request is prepared and transmitted from the user's device in step 520.

Upon receiving a request from a user, it is preferred that the requested person (eg, a "friend") be presented with a message describing the content of the request and whether to accept or reject the request. If the friend accepts the request in step 530, the approval response is sent from the friend's device in step 540. Upon receiving the approval response, the server updates the information it holds about at least one of the requesting user and the accepted friend so that when the user sends a location request, the server processes the request in step 550. In addition, the server may send a notification to the requesting user to indicate to the user and / or the user's equipment that the request has been approved. In this way, the user can obtain location information about the friend. In a preferred embodiment, the friend can revoke the approval given to the user at any time. Thereby, the friend can maintain control of the privacy of his / her location information.

On the other hand, the location information about the friend who received the authentication request for location search from the user but rejected or ignored the request in step 560 cannot be obtained. Therefore, if the user subsequently attempts to locate the friend in step 570, neither the device nor the server will process the request. From the point of view of the requesting user and device, such friends are shown as having the status of "waiting for response", "unable to locate", or simply not listed. Of course, in some embodiments, the user may still be able to send other requests to his friends.

Figures 6-20 show a series of "screenshots" of preferred embodiments of the invention as if viewed on a mobile device such as Apple's iPhone® or iPad®. .. Although preferred embodiments are described as displayed on Apple products, location-finding applications can be used on any type of mobile device, smartphone, post-PC device, laptop computer, desktop computer. Those skilled in the art will understand that it is good.

FIG. 6 shows the interface window 600 that is presented when the user first runs the location search application. In this window, the user is prompted to enter his user ID 610 and password 620 for an account that the user has probably already registered for the location search service. After entering the user ID and password, the user can select the "Sign In" button 630 to authenticate and run the program. If the user has not yet registered an account, the user can do so by selecting button 640.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the user logs in for the first time, a screen 700 is presented that prompts the user to invite friends to share the location information. To invite friends to share a location, users can tap the "+" button 710 to open a screen where they can select friends to invite. A more detailed description of this operation will be given below with reference to FIGS. 11-16.

On the other hand, FIG. 8 shows typical content that is displayed immediately after login after some friends approve the user's invitation to share the location. A list of friends 800 is shown to the user, as shown in Figure 8. Next to the friend information 810, there is a location search status indicator 820. In FIG. 8, the device has sent the position search request to all of the friend's devices and is waiting for a response from each device.

After some time has passed, when the device receives location information about the user's friends, it is presented to the user on the display interface 900. As can be seen from FIG. 9, at this point, the friend information 910 includes the position of the friend 920, the accuracy of the position information 930, and the acquisition time 940 of the position information. Position 920 can be presented in a variety of ways. For example, location information 920 includes a label selected by the user. Alternatively, as shown in 950, the location information may include the name or address of the city in which the user is located. In addition, the display 900 may present a message such as 960 if the location request fails.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the friend's location information display. As shown in FIG. 10, the map interface 100 is presented. In a preferred embodiment, the initial scale of the map interface 1000 is determined by the location specified for each of the user's friends so that all of the user's friends can be seen on one screen. Thus, if the user's friends are located a few miles away from each other, the scale of the map interface 1000 is scaled up to show a few miles (ie, city level). On the other hand, if the user's friends are all over the country or abroad, the map scale will be reduced to hundreds or thousands of miles (ie, state level) on the map interface 1000.

With reference to FIG. 10 again, the user is presented with the location of his friend on Map 1000. In a preferred embodiment, friend positions are indicated by dots 1010 and 1020. However, any other icon or other rational method for indicating the location of a person on an interactive map can be used. When the user selects one of the dots, information about the friend at that location is displayed as shown by the dot 1010. In addition, accuracy information may be presented graphically on the map in the form of a shaded circle with a radius equal to the level of accuracy surrounding the friend's dots, as shown by dot 1010.

11 and 12 show another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is suitable for use in devices with larger screens, such as iPads, laptop computers, desktop computers. In FIG. 11, interface 1100 displays a list of the user's friends in table format 1110 and displays the geographical location of the friends on map 1120. In interface 1100, when the user selects one of his friends 1130 on map 1120, details about the friend's location appear at the bottom 1140 of the map. Similarly, in FIG. 12, which provides interfaces with different aspect ratios, interface 1200 presents the user with a map 1220 showing the geographical location 1225 of the user's friends. Table 1220, superimposed on the map, shows a list of the user's friends. Similar to Interface 1100, when the user selects one of his friends in Table 1210, the details of that friend are displayed at the bottom 1240 of the display.

If the user wants to send an invitation to a friend to share location information, he or she can use the "add friend" interface 1300 as shown in FIG. Interface 1300 allows users to enter contact information for friends / invitees into 1310. In addition, you can enter an optional personal message on the 1320. As mentioned above, and as shown in the contact list 1400 of FIG. 14, contact information can also be obtained from other services or applications on user equipment.

Figure 15 shows the completed form of the Add Friend Request Form 1500 with the contact's name (preferably the contact's email address, phone number or other related contact information) embedded link in 1510. .. A short personal message 1520 is also shown.

Figure 16 shows one way to notify a friend in window 1600 that they have received an invitation to share their location with the requesting user. As shown to friends in window 1600, the user can choose to select button 1610 to see the invitation immediately or button 1620 to see the invitation later. It should be noted that this notification preferably has the form of a system-based message that provides the notification no matter what application is currently running.

If the friend chooses to view the invitation, request message 1700 is presented to the friend as shown in Figure 17. In request message 1700, the invitation preferably includes the invitee's name 1710 and a short personal message 1720. In addition, the invitation can include an approve button 1730 and a decline button 1740.

With reference to FIG. 18, mobile device users can hold certain items related to their account on interface 1800. At interface 1800, the user can set the label 1810 at the current position in, for example, field 1820. Users can also review the list of followers 1830, including all friends who have accepted follow-up invitations. Users can also choose to hide from their followers by flipping Switch 1840.

Interface 1900 of FIG. 19 may be presented to the user with respect to assigning labels in place. In interface 1900, the user can add a custom label by selecting one of the provided labels 1910 or by entering text in the field 1930. The label currently in use is shown in field 1920. In addition to the label 1910 provided on interface 1900, additional location-specific label options may be added automatically, as shown in interface 2000 in FIG. As shown in Figure 20, location label 2010 has been added to the list of prepared location labels. Such a label 2010 may be added, for example, when the user is found to be near Starbucks®.

To further illustrate certain embodiments of the invention, the following describes how a given user of a mobile device can use one or more embodiments of the invention to obtain a friend's position. Use the scenario shown.

The first scenario could correspond if a mobile device user is somewhere in the daytime, for example downtown Palo Alto, and wants to know if there are friends nearby who can invite him for a quick lunch. The user may be able to use embodiments of the invention to locate friends, identify nearby friends, and contact them.

The second scenario corresponds to the case where multiple mobile device users need or want to allow others to know where they are at a given time. This is the case when a mobile device user is training, for example, a marathon and runs a few miles outside every day. The user wants to let his partner know his location during training hours so that he can always be informed if something goes wrong. In such cases, embodiments of the present invention may be useful. Also, if this person is actually in a marathon, a friend will want to know how much he ran the course so that he could go to the right place to encourage him during the race. In such a scenario, a map with the race course superimposed on the street map of the area, where the user can know the location of the runner and have some indication of where the runner is heading next. An embodiment of the invention that provides a map will be useful.

The third scenario applies when multiple mobile device users want to receive notification that someone has reached a given position. Such a scenario applies when one mobile device user is traveling, for example, by car and another person wants to be notified when this user arrives. Such a scenario would also apply to parents who allowed their teenage sons to use their home car to meet their cousins who live hours away on weekend holidays. Parents tell their sons to contact them as soon as they arrive, but they often forget to contact them. In such cases, the parent or son will be able to enjoy the benefits of the embodiments of the present invention by setting an alarm to automatically notify the parent when the son arrives at the destination. .. In the meantime, the parent can also use another embodiment to manually locate the son's mobile device to ensure that the son is not lost.

The fourth scenario applies when multiple mobile device users want to receive notification that someone has entered a given geographic location. For example, a person who commute to a city by public transport but does not live within walking distance to a train station or bus stop. He wants his spouse or partner to pick him up at night or when the weather is stormy, rather than driving and parking himself. Some buses and railroads have rules and etiquette that prohibit cell phone calls, so this commuter must refrain from calling his spouse or partner until he arrives, for example. I have to wait in the rain. Such users will be notified by the commuter's mobile device to the partner's device when the commuter enters a given geographical area (ie, near the desired bus stop or train station) without the commuter having to make a call. You will be able to enjoy the benefits of the embodiments of the present invention that make this possible. Therefore, commuters and their partners will be able to arrive at stations and bus stops at the same time.

Similarly, the fifth scenario applies to a user with a given home appliance connected to a network who can perform a given action when a person receives a notification when he / she enters a given range. For example, while a person is traveling to a villa in the mountains, when this person enters a given geographical area (that is, approaches the villa), certain household appliances in the villa, such as heating and front door lighting, are turned on. To do. Embodiments of the present invention allow the user to make such settings and enjoy the benefits of such settings.

The sixth scenario applies when someone wants to receive a notification that someone has left a given geographic location. For example, a parent who advises his daughter not to go out on weekends because his homework is due next Monday. Parents are notified when their daughter goes out to the neighborhood with a mobile device. The technology disclosed herein allows parents to receive such notifications.

The seventh scenario is when some mobile device users want their location to be known for a short period of time. For example, a person who is on a business trip to a city and wants to meet an old friend who lives there for dinner. This person doesn't live in the city and doesn't keep in touch with his old friends so much that he doesn't want his old friends to always know where he is. In this case, an embodiment in which the person sends an old friend a "one-day pass" for allowing the old friend to know his / her position for only 24 hours is effective. After 24 hours, the 1-day pass expires and old friends can no longer know the person's location.

In the eighth scenario, the user selects multiple people from the contact list to share location information among them for a limited period of time. For example, users are in town to attend meetings like Apple's WWDC. Users know that some of the people they know are attending the same meeting and want to know where they are during the event. One embodiment of the present invention allows this user to send an invitation to a plurality of people who want to know their location during the meeting. When the user's acquaintance approves the invitation, the user and the acquaintance can know each other's position. However, for features that allow mutual location, even if some restrictions are set by the user, such as a specific time of day (such as during a meeting) or until the expiration date. Good.

21 to 24 show the configuration of a predetermined interface that can be used to share location information until the expiration date, or can be used, for example, between scenarios as described in the eighth scenario. FIG. 21 shows an embodiment of an invitation interface screen for a user to set and send an invitation to send to a friend to share a location with each other. Similar to the one described in Figure 7, the user can add friends to the invitation by tapping the "+" button 2110. Friends added to the invitation will be displayed on screen 2110, similar to the "To:" field in the created email, to indicate that they have been added. Figure 21 shows the user adding two friends to the invitation, so the friends' names "Jared Gosler" and "Susan Adams" are displayed.

In the exemplary interface shown in FIG. 21, the user can further enter a particular event 2130, set an expiration date 2140, and associate it with, for example, an invitation. However, other configuration options may be provided, such as setting applicable geographic ranges and other time limits. In FIG. 21, the user associates the invitation with the "WWDC" meeting and sets the expiration date to "June 10 (Friday) 10:00 am". In some embodiments, associating an invitation with a particular event can provide a given map provided by that particular event and, for example, more accurate non-GPS location information (ie, a particular conference room). Allow users access to the access port. The expiration date sets a limit on how long users and invited friends can share location information.

FIG. 22 shows an example of a warning received by an invited friend when receiving a user-sent invitation to share location information. A message box 2210 appears that provides notification of requests to friends. The request text 2220 explains that the friend is invited to share their location with the user and others (Susan Adams) until the set expiration date. In this embodiment, the message box 2210 includes a button that allows the user of the device to close the message box or view the invitation. In other embodiments, the message box has an additional / separate button for approving, ignoring, or rejecting the invitation.

FIG. 23 shows an exemplary embodiment of the display of invitations. This invitation contains the associated event 2310 and text 2320 detailing the location sharing request, including the set expiration date. In addition, the names of all the people invited to the location sharing invitation and the corresponding response status 2330, 2340, 2350 are further displayed. As shown, the checkmark next to the person's name indicates that the person has approved the invitation. Similarly, a question mark next to a person's name indicates that the person has not responded to the invitation and it is uncertain whether the invitation will be approved. If a person declines an invitation, an X appears next to their name to indicate their decision not to share their location. The display of X may also indicate that the person is not within the geographic range of the meeting and / or, in some cases, has not yet checked in. Upon receiving the invitation, the device user can choose to reject or approve one of the available options 2360 and 2370.

Figure 24 is likely to be visible to the user when the user chooses to view the temporary friend 2460 after the friend invited to share the location for a limited period of time approves the user's invitation. An embodiment showing a state is shown. As shown in Figure 24, there is event 2410 (WWDC) associated with this location sharing. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, certain additional features such as connecting to a geocoded access port and receiving notifications from the event organizer are available when a location is associated with a particular event. Alternatively, or in addition, the event name input and location association with the event may be autofill information such as the end time of a meeting or event. Here, the end time 2420 of the location search permission is indicated as 10:00 am on June 10. Information about friends who have approved the temporary location request can be found at 2430a, 2430b on this display. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the friend information can include, among other things, the friend's name, the known latest location and the time of acquisition thereof. When associating a request with a particular event, it is preferable to allow the user to contact all other users on the list by clicking the button for sending group message 2440. When selected, this button allows the user to compose a single message that will be sent to each friend who approves the invitation to share their location. The user can also select button 2450 to view the map. When this button is selected, an overhead view showing the location of each friend is displayed. As mentioned above, this map can be a regular location map or a customized and associated event-related map (ie, a map showing rooms in the Moscone Center or Yerba Buena Center).

As described above, one aspect of the present invention is to collect and use data available from the user's mobile device. The present invention states that, in some embodiments thereof, the collected data may include personal information data capable of identifying a specific person, contacting a specific person, or searching for a location. I'm assuming. Such personal information data includes hardware information about the user's equipment, location-related data, phone numbers, email addresses, social media IDs such as Twitter IDs, work and home addresses, friends, or any other personal identification. May contain information. Users typically enter this data when registering for an account and / or while using the application.

The present invention recognizes that the use of such personal information in the techniques shown herein can be used to provide convenience to the user. Not only is it necessary to provide the core functionality of the technology disclosed here (ie, the user's location search), but personal information data also provides a better understanding of user behavior, promotes efficient application and It can also be used for measurement. Furthermore, other uses of personal information data that benefit the user are also envisioned by the present invention.

The present invention further meets or exceeds the industry or government's desire for the entity responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage and other uses of such personal information data to keep the personal information data private and secure. It is assumed that privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as should be implemented and used consistently. For example, personal information from users should be collected for the legitimate and rational use of the entertainment and should not be shared or sold beyond the legitimate use. In addition, such collection should only be done after explaining to the user and obtaining their consent. These entities also protect and secure access to personal information data and ensure that third parties who have access to personal information data comply with personal privacy and security policies and procedures. Will take any necessary steps. In addition, such enthusiasts may be subject to a third party assessment of compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices.

Although not described so far, an embodiment in which the user selectively blocks the use or access of personal information data is also conceivable. That is, hardware and / or software for preventing or blocking access to personal information data is also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention may be configured so that the user can select "opt-in" or "opt-out" of participation in the transmission of personal information data in a service according to location information. Other methods or techniques for blocking access to a user's personal information data are also envisioned by the present invention.

Embodiments within the scope of the invention may also include tangible and / or permanent computer-readable storage media that store computer-executable instructions or data structures. Such a permanent computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a general purpose or special purpose computer, including the functional design of the special purpose processor described above. As a non-limiting example, such permanent computer readable media can be RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage device, magnetic disk storage device or other magnetic storage device, or desired program code. The means can include any other medium that can be used to hold or store computer-executable instructions, data structures or in the form of processor chip designs. When information is transferred or provided to a computer through a network or other communication connection (either wired, wireless, or a combination thereof), the computer considers the connection to be a computer-readable medium. Therefore, such a connection is also included in the computer-readable medium. Combinations of those mentioned above are also included in the scope of computer readable media.

Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data that cause a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a special-purpose processing device to execute a predetermined function or group of functions. Instructions that can be executed by a computer also include program modules that the computer executes alone or in a network environment. Program modules typically include routines, programs, parts, data structures, objects, and features specific to the design of a purpose-built processor that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules are examples of program code means for performing the steps of the methods disclosed herein. Specific sequences of such executable instructions or associated data structures provide examples of corresponding activities for performing the functions described in such steps.

Those skilled in the art will find that other embodiments of the invention include personal computers, handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable appliances, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers. You will understand that it can be implemented in network computing environments that use many forms of computer systems, such as. The embodiment may also be implemented in a distributed computing environment in which tasks are performed on local and remote processing devices connected through a communication network (either a wired link, a wireless link, or a combination thereof). In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and remote memory storage.

The various embodiments described above are for illustration purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. One of ordinary skill in the art can perform various actions against the basic principles described herein without following the exemplary embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein and without leaving the spirit and scope of the invention. You will easily understand the corrections and changes.