Dynamic user-defined check-in points

• US 10,080,100 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Li, Xiaolin, Liu, Kaikai
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US15/311,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554563, 455457
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Techniques and systems are disclosed for enhancing the flexibility and resiliency of mobile social networking platforms. Techniques enable dynamic, user-defined check-in points with mobile devices so that users may define ad hoc, location-based communities. Techniques may also selectively determine an appropriate location-sensing mechanism to improve location accuracy or privacy, or to compensate for unavailable location-sensing capabilities. The techniques may assist social networking platforms to have a greater range of check-in options and to enable communication that may not rely on traditional network connectivity. In some cases, devices belonging to participators outside the member group may be used to locate a member who has moved outside the detection zone of a check-in point. In some cases, the participators'"'"' devices might not be directly connected to the lost member device but instead are connected via one or more “hops” of indirect communication with other participator devices.

Claims

1. A method of enabling user-defined check-in points, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first group member device, a designation of the first group member device as a check-in point for a group having a plurality of members;

selecting, at the first group member device, a location-sensing capability;

detecting, at the first group member device by using the selected location-sensing capability, any group member devices having an identifier corresponding to another group member within a detection zone of the check-in point; and

tracking, at the first group member device, a detected member group device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying one or more group member devices that the detected group member device is within the detection zone of the check-in point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, prior to notifying:

sending a tracking request to the detected device; and

receiving from the detected device an indication of assent to tracking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected location-sensing capability is determined by one or more of availability and granularity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected location-sensing capability is determined by using a hierarchy of two or more location-sensing options to determine an available location-sensing option.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-sensing capability is selected based on a user or group privacy setting or is based on a device-to-device communication modality.

7. One or more storage media having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processing system direct the processing system to:

turn on a check-in point broadcast at a first group member device;

select a location-sensing capability at the first group member device;

identify, at the first group member device, group members as being present within a detection zone of the first group member device by receiving indications from any devices that are within the detection zone of the first group member device and that have an identifier corresponding to a member of a group having a plurality of members including a first group member associated with the first group member device; and

track, at the first group member device, an identified group member.

8. The one or more storage media of claim 7, further having instructions stored thereon that when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to identify any group members that are not present within the detection zone.

9. The one or more storage media of claim 7, further having instructions stored thereon that when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system, prior to identifying a group member as being present within the detection zone, to send a tracking request to a detected device and receive from the detected device an indication of assent to tracking.

10. The one or more storage media of claim 7, wherein the receiving indications from any devices is performed using a location-sensing capability determined by one or more of availability and granularity.

11. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage media that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to;

in response to receiving a designation as a check-in point for a group having a plurality of members, select a location-sensing capability at the check-in point, detect, at the check-in point by using the selected location-sensing capability, any group member devices having an identifier corresponding to another group member within a detection zone of the check-in point, and track, at the check-in point, a detected member group device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system, further direct the processing system to notify one or more group member devices that a detected device is within the detection zone of the check-in point.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processing system, further direct the processing system, prior to notifying, to:

send a tracking request to the detected device; and

receive from the detected device an indication of assent to tracking.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selected location-sensing capability is determined by one or more of availability and granularity.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the location-sensing capability is selected based on a user or group privacy setting or is based on a device-to-device communication modality.

16. A method of locating a lost group member from a lost group member device, the method comprising:

designating a group leader device as a check-in point for a group having a plurality of members;

determining, when a received signal strength between the group leader device and a group member device is below a threshold value, that the group member device is an out-of-zone group member device; and

locating the out-of-zone group member device, using a set of participators'"'"' devices, wherein the set comprises one or more direct participator devices within a direct device-to-device communication range of the out-of-zone group member device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the set comprises at least three direct participator devices, each direct participator device having an absolute location-sensing capability.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein locating the out-of-zone group member device uses trilateration of absolute locations of the at least three direct participator devices.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein fewer than three of the one or more direct participator devices in the set have an absolute location-sensing capability, wherein the set further comprises one or more one-hop indirect participator devices, wherein each one-hop indirect participator device connects to the out-of-zone group member device via at least one direct participator device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the set further comprises one or more multi-hop indirect participator devices, wherein each multi-hop indirect participator device connects to another one-hop or multi-hop indirect participator device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein locating the out-of-zone group member device uses absolute locations of one or more one-hop or multi-hop indirect participator device.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the out-of-zone group member device does not have an absolute location-sensing capability.