PROXIMITY-BASED NOTIFICATIONS IN A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20130331127A1
• Filed: 06/08/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sabatelli, Alessandro F., Huang, Ronald K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems for proximity-based notifications are described. A proximity-based notification system can receive a request to be notified when a contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to a user'"'"'s mobile device, obtain permission to receive information associated with the contact, receive the information associated with the contact, detect that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the user'"'"'s mobile device based on the information associated with the contact, and notify the user that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request from a first mobile device to be notified when a contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device;

storing network information associated with the first mobile device that includes an identity of a transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device;

obtaining permission to receive information associated with the contact;

receiving network information associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device that includes an identity of a transceiver that is communicating with the contact'"'"'s mobile device;

comparing the network information associated with the first mobile device with the network information associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device;

based on a result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device; and

notifying the first mobile device that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the contact comprises at least one of location information, device information, or context information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, based on the result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

determining that the identity of the transceiver that is communicating with the contact'"'"'s mobile device matches the identity of the transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device is a cellular network base station transceiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device is a wireless network access point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, based on the result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

defining a geo-fence based on at least one of a current location of the first mobile device, movements of the first mobile device, a distance between the first mobile device and the contact'"'"'s mobile device, or a travel route of the first mobile device; and

detecting that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is within the geo-fence.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein defining the geo-fence based on the current location of the first mobile device comprises:

defining the geo-fence based on at least one of a population density associated with the current location of the first mobile device or property boundaries associated with the current location of the first mobile device current location.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein defining the geo-fence based on movements of the current location of the first mobile device comprises:

defining the geo-fence based on at least one of a speed of travel associated with the current location of the first mobile device or a direction of travel associated with the current location of the first mobile device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein notifying the current location of the first mobile device that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

presenting a map that displays an area defined by the geo-fence.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the current location of the first mobile device that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

presenting an indication of a travel route from a current location associated with the first mobile device to a current location associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a data processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to be notified when a contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to a first mobile device;

storing information associated with the first mobile device that includes an identity of a transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device;

obtaining permission to receive information associated with the contact;

receiving network information associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device that includes an identity of a transceiver that is communicating with the contact'"'"'s mobile device;

comparing the network information associated with the first mobile device with the network information associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device;

based on a result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device; and

providing a notification that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the contact comprises at least one of location information, device information, or context information.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein, based on the result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

determining that the identity of the transceiver that is communicating with the contact'"'"'s mobile device matches the identity of the transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein the transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device is a cellular network base station transceiver.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device is a wireless network access point.

16. The medium of claim 11, wherein, based on the result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

defining a geo-fence based on at least one of a current location of the first mobile device, movements of the first mobile device, a distance between the first mobile device and the contact'"'"'s mobile device, or a travel route of the first mobile device; and

detecting that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is within the geo-fence.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein defining the geo-fence based on the current location of the first mobile device comprises:

defining the geo-fence based on at least one of a population density associated with the current location of the first mobile device or property boundaries associated with the current location of the first mobile device current location.

18. The medium of claim 16, wherein defining the geo-fence based on movements of the current location of the first mobile device comprises:

defining the geo-fence based on at least one of a speed of travel associated with the first mobile device or a direction of travel associated with the first mobile device.

19. The medium of claim 16, wherein providing the notification that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

presenting a map that displays an area defined by the geo-fence.

20. The medium of claim 11, wherein providing the notification that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device comprises:

presenting an indication of a travel route from a current location associated with the first mobile device to a current location associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device.

21. A system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request from a first mobile device to be notified when a contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device;

storing network information associated with the first mobile device that includes an identity of a transceiver that is communicating with the first mobile device;

obtaining permission to receive information associated with the contact;

receiving network information associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device that includes an identity of a transceiver that is communicating with the contact'"'"'s mobile device;

comparing the network information associated with the first mobile device with the network information associated with the contact'"'"'s mobile device;

based on a result of the comparing, determining that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device; and

providing a notification that the contact'"'"'s mobile device is in proximity to the first mobile device.