Automatically Populating a Database of Wireless Access Point Locations

• US 20110136505A1
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Behemoth Development Company LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Stewart, Brett B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus and software have been discovered for use by individual users to monitor the geographic location of other people or assets with some relationship to the user. Once some manner of location information is determined, users have the ability to describe that location in various ways and control how that information is shared with other users.

Claims

1. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for determining and providing location information, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive information regarding an identity of a wireless access point;

receive location information of a communication device in communication with the wireless access point,

store an association of the location information of the communication device with the identity of the wireless access point;

wherein the stored association is used to determine a location of other communication devices in communication with the wireless access point.

2. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises an address where the wireless access point is located.

3. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises GPS coordinates of the communication device.

4. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises a label identifying a location of the communication device.

5. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable to store a label corresponding to the location information with the association.

6. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 5, wherein the label comprises a business name where the wireless access point is located.

7. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are executable to store the association in a management information base (MIB).

8. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the program instructions are executable to store the association in a database, wherein the database stores location information for a plurality of wireless access points.

9. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

provide the location information of the user to a service over a network, wherein the service is configured to provide the location information of the user to a plurality of other users associated with the user via the service.

10. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the service is a social networking website, wherein the user is a member of the social networking website, wherein the plurality of other users are also members of the social networking website, wherein the plurality of other users are associated with the user on the social networking website.

11. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the service is configured to select the plurality of other users based on one or more rules.

12. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the service is configured to select the plurality of other users based on information provided by the user.

13. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive user input configuring one or more parameters regarding when, to whom, and to what degree the location information is provided.

14. A method for determining and providing location information, the method comprising:

receiving information regarding an identity of a wireless access point;

receiving location information of a communication device in communication with the wireless access point,

storing an association of the location information of the communication device with the identity of the wireless access point;

wherein the stored association is used to infer a location of other communication devices in communication with the wireless access point.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the location information comprises an address where the wireless access point is located.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the location information comprises GPS coordinates of the communication device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the location information comprises a label identifying a location of the communication device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing a label corresponding to the location information with the association.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the label comprises a business name where the wireless access point is located.

20. The method of claim 14,

wherein said storing the association comprises storing the association in a management information base (MIB).

21. The method of claim 14,

wherein said storing the association comprises storing the association in a database, wherein the database stores location information for a plurality of wireless access points.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing the location information of the user to a service over a network, wherein the service is configured to provide the location information of the user to a plurality of other users associated with the user via the service.

23. A method for determining and providing location information, the method comprising:

receiving information regarding an identity of a wireless access point;

receiving location information of a communication device in communication with the wireless access point,

creating an association of the location information of the communication device with the identity of the wireless access point;

storing the association in a database;

wherein the database is used to infer a location of other communication devices in communication with the wireless access point.