Method to provide ad hoc and password protected digital and voice networks

• US 10,299,100 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGIS Software Development LLC (AGIS Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AGIS Software Development LLC (AGIS Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Beyer, Jr., Malcolm K., Rice, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Obayanju, Omoniyi
• Application Number:
  US15/722,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20180027111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• 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 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• 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 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 : Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 : multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 : Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 : for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 : for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and system includes the ability for individuals to set up an ad hoc digital and voice network easily and rapidly to allow users to coordinate their activities by eliminating the need for pre-entry of data into a web or identifying others by name, phone numbers or email. This method is especially useful for police, fire fighters, military, first responders or other emergency situations for coordinating different organizations at the scene of a disaster to elevate conventional communication problems either up and down the chain of command or cross communication between different emergency units. The method and system provides that the users are only required to enter a specific Server IP address and an ad hoc event name, a password and perhaps the name of the particular unit.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile device having a display and one or more processors, the method comprising:

executing operations on the one or more processors of the mobile device, the operations comprising;

associating the mobile device with an identifier, wherein the identifier corresponds to a network participant;

determining a device location corresponding to a geographical location of the mobile device;

receiving, from a server, mapping data including a map and coordinate translation data correlating coordinates of positions on the map with corresponding coordinates of geographical locations;

receiving, from a server, location data indicating vehicle locations of one or more vehicles;

marking the map with a plurality of symbols comprising;

a participant symbol corresponding to the device location, one or more facility symbols corresponding to respective facility locations of one or more facilities, and one or more vehicle symbols corresponding to the respective vehicle locations of the one or more vehicles, wherein marking the map comprises;

determining, based at least in part on the vehicle locations and the coordinate translation data, positions on the map corresponding to the vehicle locations,

displaying the map on the display of the mobile device, and

placing the vehicle symbols on the map at the determined positions corresponding to the vehicle locations;

responsive to user selection of a portion of the display corresponding to a position on the map, identifying a selected facility symbol based on the selected position, comprising;

initiating a search of a set of symbols including the facility symbols for a symbol located nearest to the selected position and, based on a result of the search, identifying the selected facility symbol as the symbol located nearest to the selected position;

responsive to user input, transmitting first information to a first vehicle of the one or more vehicles; and

receiving second information corresponding to the first vehicle and displaying the received second information on the display of the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device does not have access to a phone number associated with a computing device corresponding to the first vehicle, an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle, and an e-mail address associated with the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the device location comprises obtaining geographical coordinates representing the geographical location of the mobile device from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver located within the mobile device; and

marking the map further comprises placing the participant symbol at a position on the map corresponding to the geographical coordinates representing the geographical location of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first information to the first vehicle comprises sending data comprising at least one of the identifier and the device location to a server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the map by updating at least one item selected from the group consisting of:

a position of the participant symbol, positions of the one or more vehicle symbols, and a portion of the map displayed on the display of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a server, updated respective vehicle locations of the one or more vehicles; and

updating, based on the received updated vehicle locations and the coordinate translation data, positions of the one or more vehicle symbols on the map.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a GPS receiver, updated device locations; and

updating, based on the received device locations and the coordinate translation data, a position of the participant symbol on the map.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received second information is sent by the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle based on at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of:

(1) passage of time, and (2) movement of the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received second information comprises one or more messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more messages comprise data to facilitate the mobile device transmitting the first information to the first vehicle without the mobile device using the phone number, IP address, and e-mail address associated with the first vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the identifier to a server; and

joining a communication network after the communication of the identifier to the server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication network comprises one or more communication devices corresponding, respectively, to the one or more vehicles, and wherein each of the one or more communication devices is associated with a respective identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location-reporting status of the mobile device, wherein the location-reporting status is one of a reporting state and a non-reporting state, and wherein transmitting the first information to the first vehicle comprises sending the device location to a server only when the location-reporting status is in the reporting state.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first information to the first vehicle comprises transmitting data including the first information to a server using an Internet Protocol, wherein the second information corresponding to the first vehicle is transmitted by the server to the mobile device using the Internet Protocol, and wherein an IP address of the server is accessible to the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data transmitted to the server further includes a second identifier corresponding to a second network participant associated with the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the server stores an IP address of the computing device associated with the second network participant identified by the second identifier; and

the server transmits the first information to the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle in a message addressed to the stored IP address of the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining coordinates of the selected position on the map,

wherein data associated with the set of symbols include coordinates of positions on the map of the symbols in the set,

wherein the search of the set of symbols includes a search of the coordinates of the positions of the symbols in the set for coordinates located nearest to the coordinates of the selected position, and

wherein the selected facility symbol is identified as the symbol located nearest to the selected position based on a result of the search of the coordinates of the positions on the map of the symbols.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining coordinates of the selected portion of the display,

wherein data associated with the set of symbols include coordinates of portions of the display corresponding to the symbols in the set,

wherein the search of the set of symbols includes a search of the coordinates of the portions of the display corresponding to the symbols in the set for coordinates located nearest to the coordinates of the selected portion of the display, and

wherein the selected facility symbol is identified as the symbol located nearest to the selected position based on a result of the search of the coordinates of the portions of the display corresponding to the symbols.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining coordinates of a location represented by the selected position on the map,

wherein data associated with the set of symbols include coordinates of locations of entities represented by the symbols in the set,

wherein the search of the set of symbols includes a search of the coordinates of the locations of the entities represented by the symbols in the set for coordinates located nearest to the coordinates of the location represented by the selected position on the map, and

wherein the selected facility symbol is identified as the symbol located nearest to the selected position based on a result of the search of the coordinates of the locations of the entities represented by the symbols.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after identifying the selected facility symbol, displaying an address of the facility represented by the facility symbol.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a first mobile device, wherein the map is a first map, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving second user input via user interaction with a second portion of the display of the first mobile device, the second user input specifying a position on the first map of an event symbol representing an event; and

based on the second user input;

determining coordinates of a location of the event based on coordinates of the specified position on the first map and the coordinate translation data;

associating the location of the event with the event symbol;

displaying the event symbol at the specified position on the first map; and

transmitting the location of the event to a second mobile device corresponding to the first vehicle, wherein the second mobile device is operable to display a second map and to place the event symbol on the second map.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the coordinates of the location of the event are determined based on coordinates of the position of the event symbol on the map and the coordinate translation data.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the coordinates of the location of the event are determined based on coordinates of the second portion of the display and the coordinate translation data.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the map is first map, wherein the coordinate translation data are first coordinate translation data, wherein an area depicted in the first map represents a first portion of an area depicted in a second map, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from a server, a third map representing a second portion of the area depicted in the second map and second coordinate translation data correlating coordinates of positions on the second map with corresponding coordinates of geographical locations.

24. A system comprising a mobile device contained in a portable housing, the mobile device comprising:

a touch screen display, non-transitory computer-readable media, and a central processing unit (CPU);

a mobile device transmitter communicatively coupled to the CPU;

a mobile device receiver communicatively coupled to the CPU;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, communicatively coupled to the CPU, configured to obtain geographical coordinates corresponding to a geographical location of the mobile device;

the CPU configured to execute instructions to perform operations comprising;

associating the mobile device with an identifier, wherein the identifier corresponds to a network participant;

determining, by the CPU, a device location corresponding to the geographical location of the mobile device based on the geographical coordinates obtained by the GPS receiver located within the mobile device;

receiving, from a server, mapping data including a map and coordinate translation data correlating coordinates of positions on the map with corresponding coordinates of geographical locations;

receiving, from a server, location data indicating vehicle locations of one or more vehicles;

marking the map with a plurality of symbols comprising;

a participant symbol corresponding to the device location, one or more facility symbols corresponding to respective facility locations of one or more facilities, and one or more vehicle symbols corresponding to respective vehicle locations of the one or more vehicles, wherein marking the map comprises;

determining, based at least in part on the vehicle locations and the coordinate translation data, positions on the map corresponding to the vehicle locations,

displaying the map on the display of the mobile device, and

placing the vehicle symbols on the map at the determined positions corresponding to the vehicle locations;

responsive to user selection of a portion of the display corresponding to a position on the map, identifying a selected facility symbol based on the selected position, comprising;

initiating a search of a set of symbols including the facility symbols for a symbol located nearest to the selected position and, based on a result of the search, identifying the selected facility symbol as the symbol located nearest to the selected position;

after receiving user input on the touch screen display, transmitting, by the mobile device transmitter, first information to a first vehicle of the one or more vehicles; and

after transmitting the first information to the first vehicle, receiving, at the mobile device receiver, second information corresponding to the first vehicle and displaying the received second information on the touch screen display of the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device does not have access to a phone number associated with a computing device corresponding to the first vehicle, an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle, and an e-mail address associated with the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a server, at the mobile device receiver, updated respective vehicle locations of the one or more vehicles; and

updating, based on the received updated vehicle locations and the coordinate translation data, positions of the one or more vehicle symbols on the map displayed on the touch screen display.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

communicating, by the mobile device transmitter, the identifier to a server; and

joining a communication network after the communication of the first identifier to the server.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the identifier is a first identifier, and wherein the communication network comprises one or more communication devices corresponding, respectively, to one or more second vehicles, and wherein each of the one or more communication devices is associated with a respective second identifier.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the mobile device receiver, the second identifiers corresponding to one or more communication devices; and

displaying, on the map displayed on the touch screen display, one or more second vehicle symbols corresponding to the second identifiers corresponding to the second vehicles.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein:

the operations further comprise determining, by the CPU, a location-reporting status of the mobile device, wherein the location-reporting status is one of a reporting state and a non-reporting state; and

transmitting, by the mobile device transmitter, the first information to the first vehicle further comprises sending the device location to a server only when the location-reporting status is in the reporting state.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein:

transmitting the first information to the first vehicle comprises transmitting data to a server using an Internet Protocol;

the data transmitted to the server includes the first information and a second identifier corresponding to a second network participant associated with the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle;

the second information corresponding to the first vehicle is transmitted by the server to the mobile device using the Internet Protocol; and

an IP address of the server is accessible to the mobile device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein:

the server stores an IP address of the computing device associated with the second network participant identified by the second identifier; and

the server transmits the first information to the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle in a message addressed to the stored IP address of the computing device corresponding to the first vehicle.