METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SHARING POSITION DATA AND TRACING PATHS BETWEEN MOBILE-DEVICE USERS
First Claim
1. A method of sharing position data between first and second devices associated with respective first and second users, the position data including first position data indicating a first location of the first device and second position data indicating a second location of the second device, the method comprising:
- receiving, from the first device, a request to set up a position-sharing relationship between the first and second devices;
receiving the second position data from the second device;
calculating a path between the first position and the second position;
transmitting the path to the first device and the second device;
receiving updated position data from one of the first device and the second device;
recalculating the path based on the updated position data; and
transmitting the recalculated path to the first device and the second device.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for exchanging GPS or other position data between devices for purposes of group activities, child location monitoring, work group coordination, dispatching of employees etc. Cell phones and other wireless devices with GPS receivers have loaded therein a Buddy Watch application that communicates with a remote Buddy Watch Server. The server gets or maintains position data for the wireless devices. When the server receives a request from a first device to set up a position-sharing relationship between it and a second device, the server calculates a path between the devices and transmits the path to each device. One or both users can then approach the other along the path. During this process, the server can receive updated position data from one or both devices, and if necessary recalculate the path based on the updated data.
20 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method of sharing position data between first and second devices associated with respective first and second users, the position data including first position data indicating a first location of the first device and second position data indicating a second location of the second device, the method comprising:
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receiving, from the first device, a request to set up a position-sharing relationship between the first and second devices; receiving the second position data from the second device; calculating a path between the first position and the second position; transmitting the path to the first device and the second device; receiving updated position data from one of the first device and the second device; recalculating the path based on the updated position data; and transmitting the recalculated path to the first device and the second device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A server for sharing position data between first and second devices associated with respective first and second users, the position data including first position data indicating a first location of the first device and second position data indicating a second location of the second device, the server comprising
server-side storage storing a list of people, the list including the first and second users; -
an interface to communicate with the first and second devices, interface receiving the first and second position data; wherein the server; receives, via the interface, a request from the first device to set up a position-sharing relationship between the first and second devices; receives the second position data from the second device; calculates a path between the first position and the second position; transmits the path to the first device and the second device; receives updated position data from one of the first device and the second device; recalculates the path based on the updated position data; and transmits the recalculated path to the first device and the second device. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
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receiving, from a first device, first position data and a request to set up a position-sharing relationship between the first device and a second device; receiving second position data from the second device; calculating a path between the first position and the second position; transmitting the path to the first device and the second device; receiving updated position data from one of the first device and the second device; recalculating the path based on the updated position data; and transmitting the recalculated path to the first device and the second device. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification