METHOD AND APPARATUS USING LOCATION-BASED COMMUNICATION

• US 20110061080A1
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2009
• 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: HILL, NICHOLAS PETER, DUVA, ANTHONY
• Granted Patent: US 8,875,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box (STB) having a controller to communicate with a location server on an interactive TV network used by the STB to find a mobile communication device of a targeted party, receive information from the location server that monitors a communication network to find a location of the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device approaches or traverses a predetermined boundary or approaches a targeted location where the targeted party carries the mobile communication device operating on the communication network that has location determining functionality, and presents the location of the mobile communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A set top box (STB), comprising a controller to:

communicate with a location server, wherein the location server monitors a communication network to find a location of a mobile communication device of a targeted party relative to a predetermined boundary, wherein the targeted party carries the mobile communication device operating on the communication network that has location determining functionality;

receive at the STB location information from the location server describing the whereabouts of the mobile communication device relative to the predetermined boundary; and

present a map having a representation of the location of the mobile communication device relative to the predetermined boundary according to the location information.

2. The STB of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device includes a global positioning receiver and wherein the location information includes a latitude and longitude coordinate of the present location of the mobile communication device.

3. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller sets the predetermined boundary responsive to user input to the STB.

4. The STB of claim 3, wherein the controller presents the predetermined boundary on the map responsive to the user input to the STB and wherein the STB includes a video processor for presenting broadcast channels to media devices managed by a remote controller.

5. The STB of claim 3, wherein the controller transmits boundary information to the location server.

6. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller transmits a warning message to another communication device when the mobile communication device is detected traversing the predetermined boundary.

7. The STB of claim 6, wherein the controller transmits the warning message to the mobile communication device over a cellular network serving as the communication network.

8. The STB of claim 1, wherein the controller transmits a warning message to the STB and a cellular phone of a user of the STB when the targeted party is detected traversing the predetermined boundary.

9. The STB of claim 1, wherein the STB operates in an interactive TV (iTV) network, wherein the controller receives the location information via the iTV network from the location server when the targeted party traverses the predetermined boundary or approaches a targeted location, and wherein the iTV corresponds to at least one of an Internet Protocol TV (IPTV network, an interactive cable TV network, and an interactive satellite TV network.

10. The STB of claim 9, wherein the controller:

receives messages regarding tasks associated with the targeted location; and

transmits the messages to the mobile communication device responsive to user input and detection of a proximity to the targeted location.

11. A computer-readable storage medium at a set top box (STB), comprising computer instructions to:

communicate with a location server via an interactive TV (iTV) network to locate a mobile communication device of a targeted party to determine when said targeted party approaches or traverses a predetermined boundary, wherein the targeted party carries the mobile communication device operating on a communication network that has location determining functionality; and

receive location information from the iTV network responsive to the mobile communication device approaching or traversing the predetermined boundary.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the iTV network corresponds to an Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) network.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the mobile communication device includes a global positioning receiver and the location information includes a latitude and longitude coordinate of the present location of the mobile communication device and the computer-readable storage medium includes instructions to present the location of the mobile communication device according to the location information.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the communication network is a cellular network that uses triangulation to determine an approximate location of the mobile communication device and the STB receives the approximate location to determine a present location of the targeted party.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein responsive to user input to the STB the predetermined boundary is set, and transmitted to the location server.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein a warning message is sent to the STB and a short messaging service (SMS) message is sent to another communication device when the mobile communication device of the targeted party is detected traversing the predetermined boundary.

17. A method of location finding comprising:

communicating with a location server operating in an interactive TV (iTV) network to find a mobile communication device;

receiving information from the location server that monitors a wireless communication network to find a location of the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device approaches or traverses a predetermined boundary or approaches a targeted location, wherein the mobile communication device operating on the wireless communication network that has location determining functionality; and

presenting a location of the mobile communication device according to the received information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined boundary is set, presented to a Set-Top Box (STB) and transmitted to the location server responsive to user input to the STB.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the location of the mobile communication device is presented on a map further illustrating coordinates of the mobile communication device provided by the location server.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the STB sends a warning message in the form of a short messaging service (SMS) to another communication device when the mobile communication device is detected traversing the predetermined boundary or when the mobile communication device approaches a targeted location.

21. A location server, comprising a controller to:

communicate with a Set Top Box (STB) coupled to an interactive TV (iTV) network to find a mobile communication device;

monitor a cellular network to find a location of the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device approaches or traverses a predetermined boundary, wherein the mobile communication device operates on the cellular network that has location determining functionality; and

transmit location information to the STB, wherein the STB is used to present the location of the mobile communication device responsive to receiving the location information from the location server.

22. The location server of claim 21, wherein location server extracts global positioning satellite (GPS) service information from the mobile communication device having a GPS receiver and the location server transmits to the STB a latitude and a longitude coordinate of the present location of the mobile communication device, and wherein the latitude and a longitude coordinate is used to present a map having a representation of the location of the mobile communication device.

23. The location server of claim 21, wherein the controller receives the predetermined boundary responsive to provisioning the predetermined boundary information on the STB.

24. A mobile communication device, comprising a controller to:

transmit location information to a location server monitoring a present location of the mobile communication device in a cellular network to detect a location of the mobile communication device when it approaches or traverses a predetermined boundary, wherein the mobile communication has location determining functionality and the location server is coupled to a Set Top Box (STB) via an interactive TV (iTV) network for conveying the location of the mobile communication device to the STB.

25. The mobile communication device of claim 24, wherein the mobile communication device transmits location information to the STB through the location server and wherein the STB presents a map having a representation of the location of the mobile communication device responsive to receiving the location information from the location server and wherein the STB includes a video processor for presenting broadcast channels to media devices managed by a remote controller.