Method and System for Obtaining Location of a Mobile Device

• US 20080268870A1
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Holding, Inc. (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mexens Intellectual Property Holding LLC
• Inventors: Houri, Cyril
• Granted Patent: US 8,565,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02529 not involving signal parameters, i.e. only involving identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system

Abstract

Method and platform for providing the location of a first mobile device to a second device in which the second device generates a query for the location of the first device which is in the form of an SMS or push e-mail message and which is directed to the first device. Upon receipt of the query, the first device initiates a determination of its location, either by itself or by providing information to a central server, and the determined location of the first device is then directed to the second device, either directly from the central server or via the first device. The central server may direct a transmission of the location of the first device to the second device in an SMS message.

Claims

1. A method for providing the location of a first mobile device to a second device, comprising:

generating a query at the second device for the location of the first device;

directing the query to the first device;

determining the location of the first device upon receipt of the query at the first device; and

directing the determined location of the first device to the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a query at the second device for the location of the first device comprises enabling a user of the second device to create an SMS message or push e-mail message requesting the location of the first device by input of data about the first device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data about the first device is a phone number associated with the first device or an e-mail address associated with the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising avoiding notifying a user of the first device of the query from the second device for the location of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the location of the first device upon receipt of the query at the first device comprises transmitting a request from the first device to a central server for the location of the first device and determining, at the central server, the location of the first device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is transmitted by the first device to the central server via an SMS message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is transmitted by the first device to the central server via Internet protocol.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of directing the determined location of the first device to the second device comprises transmitting the determination of the location of the first device to the second device from the central server without transmitting the location of the first device from the central server to the first device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determination of the location of the first device is transmitted to the second device from the central server via an SMS message.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of directing the determined location of the first device to the second device comprises transmitting the determination of the location of the first device to the second device from the central server, further comprising transmitting the location of the first device from the central server to the first device.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of directing the determined location of the first device to the second device comprises transmitting the determination of the location of the first device from the central server to the first device using Internet protocol and then transmitting the location of the first device from the first device to the second device using Internet protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the query comprises incorporating a predetermined code or term with the query, the query being directed to the first device in the form of a message, further comprising monitoring incoming messages at the first device for a query with the predetermined code or term to enable any messages with the predetermined code or term to be automatically detected, the determination of the location of the first device being initiated upon detection of a query with the predetermined code or term.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising removing queries from a queue of incoming messages at the first device before indicating receipt of such queries on or by the first device.

14. A platform for providing the location of a mobile device, comprising:

a first mobile device;

a second device including a computer program embodied on computer-readable media, said computer program being arranged to generate a query for the location of said first device and direct the query to said first device;

said first device including a computer program embodied on computer-readable media, said computer program being arranged to detect receipt of the query from said second device and initiate a determination of the location of said first device upon detection of the receipt of the query; and

a central server including a computer program embodied on computer-readable media and arranged to direct the determined location of said first device to said second device.

15. The platform of claim 14, wherein said computer program in said first device is arranged to avoid notifying a user of said first device of the detection of the query from said second device for the location of said first device.

16. The platform of claim 14, wherein said computer program in said central server is arranged to determine the location of said first device which provides signals thereto, said computer program in said first device being arranged to initiate the determination of the location of said first device by transmitting a request to said central server for the location of said first device.

17. The platform of claim 16, wherein said computer program in said first device is arranged to transmit the request to said central server via an SMS message.

18. The platform of claim 16, wherein said computer program in said first device is arranged to transmit the request to said central server via Internet protocol.

19. The platform of claim 16, wherein said computer program in said central server is arranged to transmit the location of said first device to said second device without transmitting the location of said first device to said first device.

20. The platform of claim 19, wherein said computer program in said central server is arranged to transmit the location of said first device to said second device via an SMS message.

21. The platform of claim 16, wherein said computer program in said central server is arranged to transmit the location of said first device to both said first and second devices.

22. The platform of claim 16, wherein said computer program in said central server is arranged to transmit the location of said first device to said first devices using Internet protocol and said computer program in said first device is arranged to transmit the location of said first device to said second device using Internet protocol.

23. The platform of claim 14, wherein said computer program in said second device is arranged to enable a user of said second device to generate the query for the location of said first device by creating an SMS message or a push e-mail upon input of data about said first device, the data about said first device being a phone number associated with said first device or an e-mail address associated with said first device.

24. The platform of claim 14, wherein said computer program in said second device is arranged to incorporate a predetermined code or term when generating the query, said computer program in said first device being arranged to monitor incoming messages for a query with the predetermined code or term to enable any query messages with the predetermined code or term to be automatically detected, the determination of the location of the first device being initiated upon detection of a query with the predetermined code or term.

25. The platform of claim 24, wherein said computer program in said first device is arranged to remove a query with the predetermined code or term from a queue of incoming messages before indicating receipt of such messages on or by said first device.

26. A computer program embodied on computer-readable media in a first mobile device and arranged to:

enable a query application in which it generates a query for the location of another mobile device, directs the query to the other device, and receives and displays a response indicating the location of the other device; and

enable a location notification application in which it detects receipt of a query from another device for a location of the first device and initiates a determination of this location upon detection of the receipt of the query.

27. The computer program of claim 26, wherein said computer program is further arranged to initiate the location determination by obtaining information about reception of signals from wireless beacons by the first device and providing the information to a central server which determines the location of the first device via an SMS message or using Internet protocol.

28. The computer program of claim 26, wherein said computer program is further arranged to avoid indicating receipt of the query from another device.

29. The computer program of claim 26, wherein said computer program is further arranged, in the query application, to enable the query to be generated by creating an SMS message or a push e-mail upon input of data about the other device, the data about the other device being a phone number or e-mail address associated with the other device.

30. The computer program of claim 26, wherein said computer program is further arranged, in the query application to incorporate a predetermined code or term when generating the query, and in the location notification application, to monitor incoming messages for a query with the predetermined code or term to enable any query messages with the predetermined code or term to be automatically detected, the determination of the location of the first device being initiated upon detection of a query with the predetermined code or term.

31. The computer program of claim 31, wherein said computer program is further arranged in the location notification application, to remove a query with the predetermined code or term from a queue of incoming messages before indicating receipt of such messages on or by the first device.