EXCHANGE OF LOCATION INFORMATION USING A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20110165905A1
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: SHUMAN, MOHAMMED ATAUR
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• 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 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

Exemplary techniques for sending data packages that can include geographic information during group communication sessions between wireless telecommunication devices, such as push-to-talk communication sessions, are disclosed. In an embodiment the data packages are wirelessly transmitted by a communication device to a group communication server and then sent to other group members.

Claims

1. A system for communicating geographical location data to one or more wireless devices of members of a communication group on a wireless network, comprising:

at least one requesting wireless device that is a member of a communicating group of a plurality of wireless devices, the at least one requesting wireless communication device selectively in communication with a wireless network and configured to request the geographical location of at least one other wireless device of a member of a communication group; and

a group communication server that supports group communications between wireless devices of members of a communication group, the group communication configured to selectively receive at least the request for geographical location data from the requesting wireless communication device and obtain the geographical location data for at least one member of the communication group, and transmit the geographical location data to the requesting wireless device.

2. A group communication server method, comprising:

storing, in memory, geographic coordinate information for a first wireless devices;

receiving, from a second wireless device, a group communication channel setup request, the request including information that identifies the second wireless device; and

sending geographic coordinates information for the second wireless device to the first wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending geographic coordinate information for the second wireless device to the first wireless device further comprises:

sending the geographic coordinate information for the second wireless device to the first device in a floor grant message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the group communication channel setup request further comprises:

receiving a group communication channel setup request that includes a request for the location of the second wireless device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the group communication channel setup request further comprises:

receiving a group communication channel setup request that includes geographic coordinate information indicating the location of the first wireless device.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving geographic coordinate information indicating the location of the first wireless device via an established group communication channel; and

sending the geographic coordinate information indicating the location of the first wireless device to the second wireless device via the established group communication channel.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending a group communication channel setup request to the second wireless device, the group communication channel setup request including geographic coordinate information indicating the location of the first wireless device.

8. A group communication server, comprising:

circuitry for receiving a group communication channel setup request from an originating device;

circuitry for sending a group communication channel setup request to a target device, the group communication channel setup request including a request for geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device;

circuitry for receiving a group communication channel acknowledgement signal from the target device, the acknowledgment signal including the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device; and

circuitry for sending a signal indicating that a group communication channel has been established to the originating device, the signal indicating that the group communication channel has been established including the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device.

9. The group communication server of claim 8, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving, via a group communication channel, geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating device; and

circuitry for sending the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating device to the target device.

10. The group communication server of claim 8, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving, geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating device from the originating device during a floor request.

11. The group communication server of claim 8, wherein the circuitry for receiving the group communication channel setup request from an originating device further comprises:

circuitry for receiving the group communication channel setup request from an originating device, the group communication channel setup request including geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating device.

12. A compute readable storage medium including processor executable instructions, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for establishing a group communication channel between a target wireless device and an originating wireless device;

instructions for receiving geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device via the group communication channel; and

instructions for sending the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device to the originating wireless device via the group communication channel.

13. A group communication server, comprising:

means for establishing a group communication channel between a target wireless device and an originating wireless device;

means for receiving geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating wireless device via the group communication channel; and

means for sending the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device to the target wireless device via the group communication channel.

14. A wireless device, comprising:

circuitry for storing geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device;

circuitry for sending, via a wireless signal, a group communications channel setup request to a group communication server, the request including information that identifies a target device and the geographic coordinates; and

circuitry for receiving a signal indicating that the group communications channel has been established.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device; and

circuitry for displaying the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device.

16. The wireless device of claim 14, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving, via the group communications channel, geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device; and

circuitry for displaying the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device.

17. The wireless device of claim 14, further comprising:

circuitry for receiving a signal indicating that the target device has the floor, the signal indicating that the target device has the floor including geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target device.

18. A computer readable storage medium including processor executable instructions, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for sending a request for a group communications channel to a group communication server, the request including information that identifies a target wireless device; and

instructions for receiving, via an established group communications channel, geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the target wireless device from the group communication server.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising:

instructions for sending a request message for a floor to the group communication server, the request message including geographic coordinates indicative of the location of an originating wireless device.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising:

instructions for displaying a request for geographic coordinates indicative of the location of an originating wireless device;

instructions for receiving input authorizing the request for the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating wireless device; and

instructions for sending the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the originating wireless device to the group communication server.

21. A wireless device, comprising:

means for maintaining a group communications channel established between a wireless device and a remote wireless device;

means for receiving geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the remote wireless device; and

means for displaying the geographic coordinates.

22. The wireless device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving a signal indicating that the remote wireless device has the floor; and

means for modifying a displayed icon that represents the geographic coordinates.

23. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein the means for receiving the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the remote wireless device further comprise:

means for receiving the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the remote wireless device via the group communications channel.

24. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein the means for receiving the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the remote wireless device further comprise:

means for receiving the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the remote wireless device via a floor grant message.

25. The wireless device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for sending the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device via the group communication channel.

26. The wireless device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for sending a group communications channel setup request that includes geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device.

27. A computer readable storage medium including processor executable instructions, the computer readable storage medium, comprising:

instructions for sending, from a wireless device, geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device to a group communication server that is configured to selectively grant access to the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device during a group communication session; and

instructions for sending, by the wireless device, a signal that grants a specific remote wireless device access to the geographic coordinates indicative of the location of the wireless device via a group communication channel opened between the wireless device and the specific remote wireless device.