METHODS AND DEVICES FOR ATTRACTING GROUPS BASED UPON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE LOCATION

• US 20080182586A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

Individuals carrying a mobile communications device may send and/or receive attractor signals that specify where pre-defined groups are meeting at large gathering such as sporting events or concerts. The groups may be open to the public or may be private. The attractor signals are sent to those mobile communications devices of the group that are currently present at the event location rather than to all potential members of the group. The attractors may present information regarding where the meeting point is, who initiated the attractor signal, which individuals have responded to the attractor or are already at the meeting point, and so forth. The attractors maybe updated to with more current information including new guidance data as the user receiving the attractor changes location in an attempt to find the meeting point.

Claims

1. A method of attracting individuals together, comprising:

receiving a signal from a first mobile communications device that is indicative of a current location of the first mobile communications device;

finding an attractor of a first group defined for an area encompassing the current location of the mobile communications device; and

sending the attractor of the first group to the first mobile communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the current location at the mobile communications device and sending the location to a server that maintains the list of groups defined for the current location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the at least one attractor comprises sending the attractor from a server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the signal that is indicative of the current location of the first communications device comprises receiving the signal at the server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sending the attractor from the server to other mobile communications devices that are associated with the group and that are within the area defined for the first group.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending from the server to the first mobile communications device instructions for finding a mobile communications device that specified the attractor.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving at the server a response to the attractor from the first communications device; and

sending to a mobile communications device that has specified the attractor the response to the attractor that has been received from the first mobile communications device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the response is indicative of progress in finding the mobile communications device that specified the attractor.

9. A computer readable medium containing instructions that perform acts comprising:

receiving a signal at a mobile communications device that specifies a list of groups defined for a current location of the mobile communications device;

receiving at the mobile communications device a selection from the list of groups;

sending a signal specifying the selected group; and

in response to sending the signal specifying the selected group, receiving at the mobile communications device at least one attractor for the selected group.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the acts further comprise:

receiving at the mobile communications device user input providing a response to the at least one attractor; and

sending a signal carrying the response from the mobile communications device.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the response comprises an identity of a user of the mobile communications device.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving input at the mobile communications device to specify an attractor for the selected group; and

sending a signal carrying the specified attractor from the mobile communications device.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving information at the mobile communications device that specifies a location of the source of the at least one attractor.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

prompting a user of the mobile communications device for a password defined for the group that is associated with the received attractor; and

displaying information from the attractor upon a matching password being received.

15. A mobile communications device, comprising:

a transceiver that communicates with a mobile communications network;

a location device;

a user input device;

an output device; and

a processor that sends and receives signals via the transceiver, the signals including attractors for groups to which the mobile communications device is associated and including location signals indicative of the location of the mobile communications device based on an output of the location device, the processor further provides information including information of received attractors for the current location of the mobile communications device to a user via the output device and receives information including requests to send an attractor for group of the current location of the mobile communications device.

16. The mobile communications device of claim 15, wherein the user input device comprises a keypad.

17. The mobile communications device of claim 15, wherein the user input device comprises a microphone.

18. The mobile communications device of claim 15, wherein the output device comprises a display screen.

19. The mobile communications device of claim 15, wherein the output device comprises a speaker.

20. The mobile communications device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to receive user input via the user input device that specifies a responses to a received attractor.