Software-based mobile tracking service with video streaming when events occur

• US 10,021,198 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2018
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PerdiemCo LLC
• Original Assignee: Prediemco LLC
• Inventors: Diem, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US15/915,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20180198874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 124 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 : with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 : Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 : for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An improved system and method for defining an event based upon an object location and a user-defined zone and managing the conveyance of object location event information among computing devices where object location events are defined in terms of a condition based upon a relationship between user-defined zone information and object location information. One or more location information sources are associated with an object to provide the object location information. One or more user-defined zones are defined on a map and one or more object location events are defined. The occurrence of an object location event produces object location event information that is conveyed to users based on user identification codes. Accessibility to object location information, zone information, and object location event information is based upon an object location information access code, a zone information access code, and an object location event information access code, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for controlling conveyance of location and tracking information provided as an Internet service, comprising:

providing a computer server connected to the Internet, said computer server executing first database management system software that maintains a database of location and tracking information about a first information sharing environment used by a plurality of authorized users;

providing one or more first administrative privileges used by a first administrator to maintain said first information sharing environment, said one or more first administrative privileges being used to;

a) define a plurality of second information sharing environments corresponding to a plurality of purchasers of said Internet service, b) provide each authorized user of said plurality of authorized users a respective user account name and password to use as part of a login process, and c) assign each authorized user of said plurality of authorized users to only one of said second information sharing environments of said plurality of second information sharing environments, said plurality of second information environments coexisting independent of each other within said first information sharing environment;

providing second administrative privileges used to maintain said plurality of second information sharing environments to a plurality of second administrators, said second administrative privileges being used to;

a) define one or more groups within a respective second information sharing environment, and b) assign each authorized user of the respective second information sharing environment to one or more of said groups;

providing a plurality of second database management system software that executes on a plurality of computing devices of said plurality of authorized users, said plurality of second database management system software interfacing with said first database management system software, each second database management system software of said plurality of second database management system software enabling a first authorized user of said plurality of authorized users to;

a) define an event condition based on an object location information corresponding to a location of an object and a zone information corresponding to a zone, and b) define an event information access code that is a first access list that specifies one or more authorized users of said plurality of users to be provided an event information comprising an alert when said event condition has been met, said object location being a coordinate within a coordinate system provided by a location information source, said zone having a boundary defined by a plurality of coordinates within said coordinate system;

monitoring by said first database management system software said object location information;

determining by said first database management system software said event condition has been met; and

conveying by said first database management system software said alert to said second database management software of only those authorized users included on said first access list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said object location information specifies the location of a second authorized user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first access list specifies a third authorized user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first authorized user can define zone information that specifies a user-defined zone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said first authorized user can define a zone information access code that is a second access list that specifies one or more authorized users of said plurality of users to be provided access to said zone information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said first database management system software conveys said zone information to said second database management software of only those authorized users included on said second access list.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first authorized user can associate an information location source with an object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said first authorized user can define an object location information access code that is a third access list that specifies one or more authorized users of said plurality of users to be provided access to said object location information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said first database management system software conveys said object location information to said second database management software of only those authorized users included on said third access list.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first database management system software conveys said object location information to said second database management software of only those authorized users included on said first access list.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the event condition relates to a period of movement or a period of non-movement of the object within the zone during a time interval.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises a video transmitted to a computing device based on the event information access code after the event condition is met.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a computing device at a premise of an authorized user is remotely connected to one or more central or distributed application services of a third administrator different form the first and second administrators having a third level of administrative privileges to a third database management system software of a third database management system software, wherein a logical application service interface of the third database management system software delivers a location tracking application service to the object.

14. The method of claim 13, the third database management system software causes transmission of a video by the object to a computing device based on the event information access code.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second database management system software provides a logical application service interface for configuring a location tracking application executed at the object.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second database management system software provides a logical application service interface for configuring the object over a wireless connection to track sensor measures of physical characteristics.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second database management system software provides a logical application service interface for 1) setting a rate at the object, 2) controlling a tracking function at the object over the wireless connection;

3) tuning on or off a function at the object,

     4) entering a log file name;

     5) ending execution of the location tracking application;

     6) logging on and off from the location tracking application on the object;

     7) managing characteristics of a displayed map on the object;

     8) grouping contacts by adding and removing users;

     9) controlling a motion sensor, temperature sensor, garage door, camera or light;

     10) simultaneously viewing multiple zones on the same screen of the object;

     11) remotely adjust camera disposed in the object via a mobile phone or fixed computer;

or

     12) scheduling a function for activity within the zone;

     13) presenting locations of a plurality of zones in proximity of the object;

or

     14) sending a message containing a file when the object is in the proximity of another fixed or mobile object;

or

     15) logging locations of a user of the object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second database management system software triggers actions based on real-time data.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes:

a transmitter that causes transmission of the location information to the second database management system software applications to manage location information;

a receiver that receives a request from a server and sends the request to a location tracking application executed at the object remote from the server to allow configuring information packages comprising image, audio or accessible by the location tracking application based on the event information access code.

20. A method executed in one ore central or distributed computer servers having an administrator that serves software application programs as tracking services to computing devices of a plurality of authorized users of a tracking Internet service provider (ISP) who use the computing devices to track measures of physical characteristics sensed by sensor devices within zones that provide corresponding wireless links for conveyance of commands to the sensor devices and receive of sensor information packages from the sensor devices, comprising:

providing a computer server connected to the Internet, said computer server executing a database management system software that maintains one or more central or distributed databases of first information about a first software application used by the plurality of authorized users;

providing one or more first administrative privileges used by the administrator to maintain said first software application, said first administrative privileges being used to manage a plurality of second tracking applications purchased by a plurality of purchasers of said ISP, b) provide each authorized user a respective user account name and password to use as part of a login process, and c) assign each authorized user to a second tracking application, said plurality of second tracking applications executing independent of each other and the first application;

providing second administrative privileges used to maintain said plurality of second tracking applications to a plurality of second administrators other than the administrator, said second administrative privileges being used to;

a) define a group within a respective second tracking application, and b) assign an authorized user of the group;

providing a plurality of second database management system software to said plurality of authorized users, said plurality of second database management system software interfacing with said first database management system software, each second database management system software of said plurality of second database management system software enabling a first authorized user of said plurality of authorized users to;

a) define an event condition based on a sensor information within an identified zone, and b) define an event information access code that is an access list that specifies one or more authorized users of said plurality of authorized users to be provided an event information comprising an alert when said event condition has been met,

monitoring said sensor information to determine whether said event condition has been met; and

conveying said alert only to those authorized users included on said access list.