Operating Geographic Location Systems

• US 20160142979A1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mayor, Robert, MacGougan, Glenn Donald, Bruins, Jay N., Huang, Ronald Keryuan, Rhee, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,440,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, a method includes receiving, on a mobile device, an indication that an application executing on the mobile device has entered a background state, determining, based on data received from a location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has remained within a geographic area during a time interval, the geographic area being defined by a radius determined according to an application type of the application, and disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A method comprising:

receiving, on a mobile device, an indication that an application executing on the mobile device has entered a background state;

receiving data representing a type of the application executing on the mobile device;

selecting a boundary specific to the type of application;

determining, based on data received from a location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has remained within a geographic area during a time interval, the geographic area being defined by the boundary; and

disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the boundary is defined by a radius stored in association with the data representing the type of application.

36. The method of claim 34, comprising determining that the application executing on the mobile device is not assigned an application type applicable to determining the boundary defining the geographic area;

and

determining an application type of the application executing on the mobile device based on second data received from the location system of the mobile device.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the second data received from the location system of the mobile device comprises data indicative of acceleration of the mobile device.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the second data received from the location system of the mobile device comprises data indicative of speed of the mobile device.

39. The method of claim 34, comprising

determining, based on data received from the location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has exited a second geographic area, the second geographic area being defined by a second boundary determined according to an application type of the application;

and

enabling the portion of the location system of the mobile device.

40. The method of claim 34, comprising

receiving, on the mobile device, an indication that the application executing on the mobile device has entered a foreground state;

and

enabling the portion of the location system of the mobile device.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein the mobile device is a wireless mobile device.

42. The method of claim 34, comprising

determining, based on an absence of data received by the location system, that the mobile device is in a location of a type other than a type of location associated with the application executing on the mobile device, and

disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device comprises determining an activity of a user of the mobile device based on data indicative of movement patterns of the mobile device.

44. The method of claim 34, wherein the location system of the mobile device comprises an accelerometer, and the data received from the accelerometer indicates that the device has remained stationary during the time interval.

45. A system comprising:

a mobile device configured to

receive an indication that an application executing on the mobile device has entered a background state;

receive data representing a type of the application executing on the mobile device;

select a boundary specific to the type of application;

determine, based on data received from a location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has remained within a geographic area during a time interval, the geographic area being defined by the boundary; and

disable at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the mobile device is configured to define the boundary based on a radius stored in association with the data representing the type of application.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the mobile device is configured to

determine that the application executing on the mobile device is not assigned an application type applicable to determining the boundary defining the geographic area;

and

determine an application type of the application executing on the mobile device based on second data received from the location system of the mobile device.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the second data received from the location system of the mobile device comprises data indicative of acceleration of the mobile device.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the second data received from the location system of the mobile device comprises data indicative of speed of the mobile device.

50. The system of claim 45, wherein the mobile device is configured to

determine, based on data received from the location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has exited a second geographic area, the second geographic area being defined by a second boundary determined according to an application type of the application;

and

enable the portion of the location system of the mobile device.

51. The system of claim 45, wherein the mobile device is configured to

receive an indication that the application executing on the mobile device has entered a foreground state;

and

enable the portion of the location system of the mobile device.

52. The system of claim 45, wherein the mobile device is a wireless mobile device.

53. The system of claim 45, wherein the mobile device is configured to

determine, based on an absence of data received by the location system, that the mobile device is in a location of a type other than a type of location associated with the application executing on the mobile device, and

disable at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

54. The system of claim 45, wherein disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device comprises determining an activity of a user of the mobile device based on data indicative of movement patterns of the mobile device.

55. The system of claim 45, wherein the location system of the mobile device comprises an accelerometer, and the data received from the accelerometer indicates that the device has remained stationary during the time interval.

56. A computer program product stored on a storage device and configured to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, on a mobile device, an indication that an application executing on the mobile device has entered a background state;

receiving data representing a type of the application executing on the mobile device;

selecting a boundary specific to the type of application;

determining, based on data received from a location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has remained within a geographic area during a time interval, the geographic area being defined by the boundary; and

disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

57. The computer program product of claim 56, wherein the boundary is defined by a radius stored in association with the data representing the type of application.

58. The computer program product of claim 56, the operations comprising

determining that the application executing on the mobile device is not assigned an application type applicable to determining the boundary defining the geographic area;

and

determining an application type of the application executing on the mobile device based on second data received from the location system of the mobile device.

59. The computer program product of claim 58, wherein the second data received from the location system of the mobile device comprises data indicative of acceleration of the mobile device.

60. The computer program product of claim 58, wherein the second data received from the location system of the mobile device comprises data indicative of speed of the mobile device.

61. The computer program product of claim 56, the operations comprising

determining, based on data received from the location system of the mobile device, that the mobile device has exited a second geographic area, the second geographic area being defined by a second boundary determined according to an application type of the application;

and

enabling the portion of the location system of the mobile device.

62. The computer program product of claim 56, the operations comprising

receiving, on the mobile device, an indication that the application executing on the mobile device has entered a foreground state;

and

enabling the portion of the location system of the mobile device.

63. The computer program product of claim 56, wherein the mobile device is a wireless mobile device.

64. The computer program product of claim 56, the operations comprising

determining, based on an absence of data received by the location system, that the mobile device is in a location of a type other than a type of location associated with the application executing on the mobile device, and

disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device.

65. The computer program product of claim 56, wherein disabling at least a portion of the location system of the mobile device comprises determining an activity of a user of the mobile device based on data indicative of movement patterns of the mobile device.

66. The computer program product of claim 56, wherein the location system of the mobile device comprises an accelerometer, and the data received from the accelerometer indicates that the device has remained stationary during the time interval.

67. A method comprising:

executing, on a mobile device, an application having an application type associated with one or more features of the application, the application being capable of entering a background state in which at least some functionality of the application is disabled, the application configured to carry out steps comprising

entering a background state,

while the application is in the background state, refraining from accessing location data that would otherwise be used by the at least some functionality of the application, and

exiting the background state in response to a signal indicative that at least a portion of a location system of the mobile device has been reactivated and that the application can access location data of the kind used by the at least some functionality of the application,

the location system having been deactivated, while the application was in the background state, based on a determination that the mobile device remained within a geographic area during a time interval, the geographic area being defined by a boundary specific to the application type.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the boundary is defined by a radius stored in association with the data representing the type of application.

69. The method of claim 67, wherein data representing the application type is stored in association with the application.

70. The method of claim 67, wherein the application type is determined by the mobile device based on data other than data stored in association with the application.

71. The method of claim 67, wherein the signal comprises an indication to the application to enter a foreground state.

72. The method of claim 67, wherein the functionality of the application includes functionality associated with processing location data to determine a location of the mobile device.

73. The method of claim 67, wherein the one or more features of the application include features associated with navigation.

74. The method of claim 67, wherein the signal is indicative of a determination that, based on data received from the location system of the mobile device, the mobile device has exited a second geographic area, the second geographic area being defined by a second boundary determined according to the application type of the application.

75. The method of claim 67, wherein the determination that the mobile device remained within the geographic area includes a determination that the mobile device was in motion within the geographic area during at least some of the time in which the application was in the background state.

76. The method of claim 67, wherein the application type represents an activity associated with the application.