TRACKING METHOD

• US 20090315765A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wintecronics Limited
• Original Assignee: Wintecronics Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chi-Ting
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A tracking method includes enabling a target device to obtain a location information thereof, and enabling the target device to generate a uniform resource locator (URL), which contains the location information obtained thereby and a location of an electronic map-containing webpage of a website. The electronic map-containing webpage contains an electronic map, and an indication of a location of the target device on the electronic map.

Claims

1. A tracking method, comprising:

A) enabling a target device to obtain a location information thereof, and

B) enabling the target device to generate a uniform resource locator (URL), which contains the location information obtained thereby in step A) and a location of an electronic map-containing webpage of a website.

2. The tracking method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

C) enabling the target device to send the URL generated thereby in step B) to a tracking device; and

D) enabling the tracking device to access the electronic map-containing webpage using the URL sent by the target device in step C), the electronic map-containing webpage containing an electronic map, and an indication of a location of the target device on the electronic map.

3. The tracking method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, in step C), the target device sends the URL to the tracking device via one of a short messaging service (SMS), a multimedia messaging service (MMS), and an electronic mail (e-mail).

4. The tracking method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, in step C), the target device sends the URL to the tracking device through a global system for mobile communications (GSM) telecommunication network.

5. The tracking method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the website is hosted by a server, and step D) further includes the sub-steps of:

d1) enabling the tracking device to access the electronic map-containing webpage using the URL; and

d2) enabling the server to create the electronic map-containing webpage based on the location information contained in the URL.

6. The tracking method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the server retrieves the electronic map from one of a database thereof and a database of another server.

7. The tracking method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

E) enabling the tracking device to issue a command to the target device prior to step A).

8. The tracking method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, in step E), the command is in the form of one of a missed call, a text message, and a dual-tone multi-frequency signal.

9. The tracking method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, in step E), the command contains a device identification (ID) of the tracking device, and in step A), the target device is enabled to verify the device ID of the tracking device such that the target device obtains the location information thereof only upon successful verification of the device ID of the tracking device.

10. The tracking method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the device ID of the tracking device is a phone number of the tracking device.

11. The tracking method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

C) enabling the target device to access the electronic map-containing webpage of the website using the URL generated thereby in step B), the electronic map-containing webpage containing an electronic map, and an indication of a location of the target device on the electronic map.

12. The tracking method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the website is hosted by a server, and step C) further includes the sub-steps of:

c1) enabling the target device to access the electronic map-containing webpage using the URL; and

c2) enabling the server to create the electronic map-containing webpage based on the location information in the URL.

13. The tracking method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the server retrieves the electronic map from one of a database thereof and a database of another server.

14. The tracking method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step B), the target device generates the URL as a hyperlink.

15. The tracking method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step A) includes the sub-step of enabling the target device to encrypt the location information obtained thereby, and in step B), the URL contains the encrypted location information.

16. The tracking method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step A), the target device obtains the location information thereof from a global positioning system (GPS) service provider.

17. The tracking method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location information obtained by the target device in step A) includes at least one of a latitude, a longitude, a speed, a direction, an orientation of the target device, and date and time at which the location information is obtained by the target device.