Method and system for determining location of mobile device

• US 10,034,139 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Woo, Geoffrey Hubert, Zhang, Jonathan R., Chang, Jonathan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US15/452,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Provided herein are system, methods and computer readable storage media in facilitating the determination of a location of at least one mobile device. In providing such functionality, the system may be configured to, for example, receive contextual data corresponding to a contextual state of a mobile device, determine the location of a mobile device, and transmit the location of the mobile device to at least one other mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a location of at least one mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a mobile device contextual data set associated with a first mobile device, wherein the mobile device contextual data set comprises ambient audio data recorded by the first mobile device, wherein the mobile device contextual data set is received via an open socket connection between the first mobile device and a mobile device locating system, and wherein the first mobile device is configured to maintain the open socket connection between the first mobile device and the mobile device locating system with a VoIP protocol while the first mobile device is in a low powered state;

determining a velocity and an acceleration of the first mobile device;

predicting, based at least in part on the mobile device contextual data set, the determined velocity of the first mobile device, and the determined acceleration of the first mobile device, a future location of the first mobile device;

receiving, from a second mobile device via an open socket connection between the second mobile device and the mobile device locating system, a request for the predicted future location of the first mobile device; and

causing data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device to be transmitted to the second mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device to be transmitted to the second mobile device comprises determining whether the second mobile device is permitted to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the second mobile device is permitted to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device comprises determining whether a user of the first mobile device has permitted the second mobile device to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the future location of the first mobile device comprises comparing the future location of the first mobile device to an accuracy threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device contextual data set further comprises video data recorded by the first mobile device.

6. A mobile device locating apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, the memory including computer program instructions which, when executed, in conjunction with the at least one processor, are configured to cause the apparatus to;

receive a mobile device contextual data set associated with a first mobile device, wherein the mobile device contextual data set comprises ambient audio data recorded by the first mobile device, wherein the mobile device contextual data set is received via an open socket connection with the first mobile device, and wherein the first mobile device is configured to maintain the open socket connection with a VoIP protocol while the first mobile device is in a low powered state;

determine a velocity and an acceleration of the first mobile device;

predict, based at least in part on the mobile device contextual data set, the determined velocity of the first mobile device, and the determined acceleration of the first mobile device, a future location of the first mobile device;

receive, from a second mobile device via an open socket connection with the second mobile device, a request for the predicted future location of the first mobile device; and

cause data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device to be transmitted to the second mobile device.

7. The mobile device locating apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computer program instructions configured to cause the mobile device locating apparatus to cause data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device to be transmitted to the second mobile device further comprise computer program instructions configured to cause the mobile device locating apparatus to determine whether the second mobile device is permitted to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device.

8. The mobile device locating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the computer program instructions configured to cause the mobile device locating apparatus to determine whether the second mobile device is permitted to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device further comprise computer program instructions configured to cause the mobile device locating apparatus to determine whether a user of the first mobile device has permitted the second mobile device to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device.

9. The mobile device locating apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computer program instructions configured to cause the mobile device locating apparatus to predict the future location of the first mobile device further comprise computer program instructions configured to cause the mobile device locating apparatus to compare the future location of the first mobile device to an accuracy threshold.

10. The mobile device locating apparatus of claim 6, wherein the mobile device contextual data set further comprises video data recorded by the first mobile device.

11. A computer program product comprising:

at least one computer readable non-transitory memory medium having program code instructions stored thereon, the program code instruction which when executed by an apparatus cause the apparatus to at least;

receive a mobile device contextual data set associated with a first mobile device, wherein the mobile device contextual data set comprises ambient audio data recorded by the first mobile device, wherein the mobile device contextual data set is received via an open socket connection with the first mobile device, and wherein the first mobile device is configured to maintain the open socket connection with a VoIP protocol while the first mobile device is in a low powered state;

determine a velocity and an acceleration of the first mobile device;

predict, based at least in part on the mobile device contextual data set, the determined velocity of the first mobile device, and the determined acceleration of the first mobile device, a future location of the first mobile device;

receive, from a second mobile device via an open socket connection with the second mobile device, a request for the predicted future location of the first mobile device; and

cause data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device to be transmitted to the second mobile device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code instructions configured to cause the apparatus to cause data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device to be transmitted to the second mobile device further comprise program code instructions configured to cause the apparatus to determine whether the second mobile device is permitted to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the program code instructions configured to cause the apparatus to determine whether the second mobile device is permitted to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device further comprise program code instructions configured to cause the apparatus to determine whether a user of the first mobile device has permitted the second mobile device to receive the data corresponding to the future location of the first mobile device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code instructions configured to cause the apparatus to predict the future location of the first mobile device further comprise program code instructions configured to cause the apparatus to compare the future location of the first mobile device to an accuracy threshold.