System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitating distributed locational applications

• US 20090233623A1
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BillJCo LLC
• Original Assignee: William J. Johnson
• Inventors: Johnson, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Provided is a distributed system and method for enabling new and useful location dependent features and functionality to mobile data processing systems. Mobile data processing systems (MSs) interact with each other as peers in communications and interoperability. Indirectly located mobile data processing systems are located relative other mobile data processing systems, and are automatically located using whereabouts data of directly located mobile data processing systems and/or whereabouts data of other indirectly located mobile data processing systems. A mobile data processing system may dynamically take on roles of being directly located or indirectly located, depending on the environment and capabilities available at a particular time. Data is shared between mobile data processing systems to carry out novel Location Based eXchanges (LBX) of data for new mobile applications. Information which is transmitted inbound to, transmitted outbound from, or is in process at, a mobile data processing system, is used to trigger processing of actions in accordance with user configured permissions, charters, and other configurations. In a preferred embodiment, a user configurable platform is provided for quickly building well behaving LBX applications at MSs and across a plurality of interoperating MSs.

Claims

1. A method for automatic location based exchange processing at a mobile data processing system, said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a user configured permission at said mobile data processing system, said permission granting at least one privilege from a grantor identity to a grantee identity;

recognizing an event for processing whereabouts data at said mobile data processing system;

determining relevance of said permission to said whereabouts data; and

performing an action at said mobile data processing system, said action privileged by said permission and a result of said processing whereabouts data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said mobile data processing system is a first mobile data processing system, said grantor identity matches an identity associated to a second mobile data processing system, and said grantee identity matches an identity associated to said first mobile data processing system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said whereabouts data is received from said second mobile data processing system.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said whereabouts data describes said first mobile data processing system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said mobile data processing system is a first mobile data processing system, said grantee identity matches an identity associated to a second mobile data processing system, and said grantor identity matches an identity associated to said first mobile data processing system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said whereabouts data is received from said second mobile data processing system.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said whereabouts data describes said first mobile data processing system.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

maintaining a user configured charter at said mobile data processing system, said charter having a conditional expression and an associated action depending on evaluation of said expression;

determining relevance of said charter to said whereabouts data; and

performing said associated action at said mobile data processing system when said expression evaluates to an actionable condition.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said charter is configured by a user of an other mobile data processing system.

10. The method or claim 8 wherein said step of maintaining a user configured charter at said mobile data processing system includes maintaining a user specified textual syntax.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said mobile data processing system is a first mobile data processing system, and wherein said step of recognizing an event for processing whereabouts data at said mobile data processing system includes recognizing an event for processing whereabouts data upon receiving whereabouts data from a second mobile data processing system within wireless range of said first mobile data processing system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of recognizing an event for processing whereabouts data at said mobile data processing system includes recognizing an event for processing whereabouts data upon receiving whereabouts data from a second mobile data processing system by way of at least one physical communications path.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of performing an action at said mobile data processing system includes performing an action in accordance with a time specification.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of performing an action at said mobile data processing system includes performing an action at a data processing system remote to said mobile data processing system.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of performing an action at said mobile data processing system includes invoking processing for sending an sms message.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of performing an action at said mobile data processing system includes invoking processing for sending an electronic mail.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of performing an action at said mobile data processing system includes invoking processing for automatically making a phone call from said mobile data processing system.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said data processing system remote to said mobile data processing system invokes processing for automatically establishing a phone call with said mobile data processing system.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of performing an action at said mobile data processing system includes invoking processing for presenting an indicator to a user interface.

20. A method for automatic location based exchange processing at a mobile data processing system, said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining user configured permissions at said first mobile data processing system, said permissions granting at least one privilege from a grantor identity to a grantee identity;

determining which of said permissions are relevant to newly processed whereabouts data describing said first mobile data processing system;

determining which of said permissions are relevant to newly processed other whereabouts data received from other mobile data processing systems in the vicinity of said mobile data processing system; and

performing at least one action at said mobile data processing system in accordance with said permissions determined to be relevant.