Live Location Sharing

• US 20150350140A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wood, Justin, Lopatin, Scott, Dellinger, Richard R., Garcia, Roberto, Bistolas, Eugene M., Yang, Lawrence Yuan
• Granted Patent: US 10,382,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area

Abstract

Techniques for live location sharing are described. A first mobile device and a second mobile device can communicate with one another using an IM program. The first mobile device can receive a user input to share a location of the first mobile device in the IM program. Sharing the location can include causing the second mobile device to display a location of the first mobile device in an IM program user interface on the second mobile device. Duration of sharing the location can be user-configurable. The second mobile device may or may not share a location of the second device for display in the IM program executing on the first mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

submitting a notification by a first mobile device, through an instant message program, and to a second mobile device, the notification indicating that the first mobile device shall provide a first location of the first mobile device for sharing with the second mobile device;

receiving, by the first mobile device, through the instant message program and from the second mobile device, a response that is triggered by the notification and that is approved by a user of the second mobile device, the response indicating that the second mobile device shall provide a second location of the second mobile device for sharing with the first mobile device;

obtaining, by the first mobile device and from a server, the second location; and

providing a marker representing the second location for display on a virtual map in the instant message program on the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, where in at time of submitting the notification, the first mobile device and the second mobile device are in communication through the instant message program, the communication being established based on a phone number of the first mobile device and a phone number of the second mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising providing a marker representing the first location of the first mobile device for display on a virtual map in an instant message program on the second mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

obtaining, by the first mobile device and from the server, one or more updates of the second location, the updates corresponding to a movement of the second mobile device; and

providing a representation of updated second location for display in the instant message program on the first mobile device, the representation of the updated second location indicating a path of the movement.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by an instant message program executing on a first mobile device, a notification from a second mobile device indicating that the second mobile device shares a location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device, the notification includes a phone number of the second mobile device and an account identifier of the second mobile device;

submitting, by the first mobile device and to a server, a packet including the phone number and the account identifier for retrieving the location of the second mobile device;

upon successful authentication by the server indicating that the second mobile device is logged in and that a location of the second mobile device is available, receiving the location by the first mobile device, from the server, and during a time period as specified by the second device for sharing the location; and

providing a marker representing the location for display on a virtual map in the instant message program on the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the time period is an hour, a day, or indefinite time period as specified by the second mobile device according to a user input in the instant message program.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising, during the time period, providing the marker representing the location of the second mobile device for display in one or more other programs for displaying locations.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a mapping packet by a first server and from an instant message program of a first mobile device, the mapping packet including a phone number of a second mobile device and an account identifier of the second mobile device, the mapping packet indicating that the second mobile device has shared a location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device in the instant message program;

submitting, by the first server, the phone number and the account identifier to an identity service for determining whether the second mobile device is logged into the account on a second server, the identity service operable to provide a token indicating that the second mobile device is logged into the account;

upon receiving the token from the identity service, submitting a request from the first server to the second server for retrieving a current location of the second mobile device, the request including the account identifier; and

upon receiving the current location from the second server, submitting the current location from the first server to the first mobile device for display in the instant message program.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first server is connected to the first mobile device by a communications network, and the second server is connected to the second mobile device by the communications network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the current location of the second mobile device is received by the second server and from the second mobile device in response to an input on the second mobile device indicating that the second mobile device shares location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

submitting a notification by a first mobile device, through an instant message program, and to a second mobile device, the notification indicating that the first mobile device shall provide a first location of the first mobile device for sharing with the second mobile device;

receiving, by the first mobile device, through the instant message program and from the second mobile device, a response that is triggered by the notification and that is approved by a user of the second mobile device, the response indicating that the second mobile device shall provide a second location of the second mobile device for sharing with the first mobile device;

obtaining, by the first mobile device and from a server, the second location; and

providing a marker representing the second location for display on a virtual map in the instant message program on the first mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, where in at time of submitting the notification, the first mobile device and the second mobile device are in communication through the instant message program, the communication being established based on a phone number of the first mobile device and a phone number of the second mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11, the operations comprising providing a marker representing the first location of the first mobile device for display on a virtual map in an instant message program on the second mobile device.

14. The system of claim 11, the operations comprising:

obtaining, by the first mobile device and from the server, one or more updates of the second location, the updates corresponding to a movement of the second mobile device; and

providing a representation of updated second location for display in the instant message program on the first mobile device, the representation of the updated second location indicating a path of the movement.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by an instant message program executing on a first mobile device, a notification from a second mobile device indicating that the second mobile device shares a location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device, the notification includes a phone number of the second mobile device and an account identifier of the second mobile device;

submitting, by the first mobile device and to a server, a packet including the phone number and the account identifier for retrieving the location of the second mobile device;

upon successful authentication by the server indicating that the second mobile device is logged in and that a location of the second mobile device is available, receiving the location by the first mobile device, from the server, and during a time period as specified by the second device for sharing the location; and

providing a marker representing the location for display on a virtual map in the instant message program on the first mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the time period is an hour, a day, or indefinite time period as specified by the second mobile device according to a user input in the instant message program.

17. The system of claim 15, the operations comprising, during the time period, providing the marker representing the location of the second mobile device for display in one or more other programs for displaying locations.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a mapping packet by a first server and from an instant message program of a first mobile device, the mapping packet including a phone number of a second mobile device and an account identifier of the second mobile device, the mapping packet indicating that the second mobile device has shared a location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device in the instant message program;

submitting, by the first server, the phone number and the account identifier to an identity service for determining whether the second mobile device is logged into the account on a second server, the identity service operable to provide a token indicating that the second mobile device is logged into the account;

upon receiving the token from the identity service, submitting a request from the first server to the second server for retrieving a current location of the second mobile device, the request including the account identifier; and

upon receiving the current location from the second server, submitting the current location from the first server to the first mobile device for display in the instant message program.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first server is connected to the first mobile device by a communications network, and the second server is connected to the second mobile device by the communications network.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the current location of the second mobile device is received by the second server and from the second mobile device in response to an input on the second mobile device indicating that the second mobile device shares location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device.

21. A non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

submitting a notification by a first mobile device, through an instant message program, and to a second mobile device, the notification indicating that the first mobile device shall provide a first location of the first mobile device for sharing with the second mobile device;

receiving, by the first mobile device, through the instant message program and from the second mobile device, a response that is triggered by the notification and that is approved by a user of the second mobile device, the response indicating that the second mobile device shall provide a second location of the second mobile device for sharing with the first mobile device;

obtaining, by the first mobile device and from a server, the second location; and

providing a marker representing the second location for display on a virtual map in the instant message program on the first mobile device.

22. The non-transitory storage device of claim 21, where in at time of submitting the notification, the first mobile device and the second mobile device are in communication through the instant message program, the communication being established based on a phone number of the first mobile device and a phone number of the second mobile device.

23. The non-transitory storage device of claim 21, the operations comprising providing a marker representing the first location of the first mobile device for display on a virtual map in an instant message program on the second mobile device.

24. The non-transitory storage device of claim 21, the operations comprising:

obtaining, by the first mobile device and from the server, one or more updates of the second location, the updates corresponding to a movement of the second mobile device; and

providing a representation of updated second location for display in the instant message program on the first mobile device, the representation of the updated second location indicating a path of the movement.

25. A non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by an instant message program executing on a first mobile device, a notification from a second mobile device indicating that the second mobile device shares a location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device, the notification includes a phone number of the second mobile device and an account identifier of the second mobile device;

submitting, by the first mobile device and to a server, a packet including the phone number and the account identifier for retrieving the location of the second mobile device;

upon successful authentication by the server indicating that the second mobile device is logged in and that a location of the second mobile device is available, receiving the location by the first mobile device, from the server, and during a time period as specified by the second device for sharing the location; and

providing a marker representing the location for display on a virtual map in the instant message program on the first mobile device.

26. The non-transitory storage device of claim 25, wherein the time period is an hour, a day, or indefinite time period as specified by the second mobile device according to a user input in the instant message program.

27. The non-transitory storage device of claim 25, the operations comprising, during the time period, providing the marker representing the location of the second mobile device for display in one or more other programs for displaying locations.

28. A non-transitory storage device storing computer instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a mapping packet by a first server and from an instant message program of a first mobile device, the mapping packet including a phone number of a second mobile device and an account identifier of the second mobile device, the mapping packet indicating that the second mobile device has shared a location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device in the instant message program;

submitting, by the first server, the phone number and the account identifier to an identity service for determining whether the second mobile device is logged into the account on a second server, the identity service operable to provide a token indicating that the second mobile device is logged into the account;

upon receiving the token from the identity service, submitting a request from the first server to the second server for retrieving a current location of the second mobile device, the request including the account identifier; and

upon receiving the current location from the second server, submitting the current location from the first server to the first mobile device for display in the instant message program.

29. The non-transitory storage device of claim 28, wherein the first server is connected to the first mobile device by a communications network, and the second server is connected to the second mobile device by the communications network.

30. The non-transitory storage device of claim 28, wherein the current location of the second mobile device is received by the second server and from the second mobile device in response to an input on the second mobile device indicating that the second mobile device shares location of the second mobile device with the first mobile device.