Location Information in a Communications System

• US 20170105097A1
• Filed: 12/20/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Babaian, Aram Nicholas, Raime, Veiko, McLaughlin, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,524,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Communicating location information for a first user of a first communication client from a first user terminal over a communications system to a second user terminal is described. A second communication client executed by the second user terminal displays a list of contacts associated with a second user of the second communication client that comprises a first contact representing the first user. The first user terminal determines a location of the first user and stores the determined location in a store of the first user terminal. The first communication client reads the stored location from the store. The first communication client further generates a message comprising a visual indication of the location read from the store and transmits the message to the second user terminal. The visual indication of the location is displayed on the second user terminal in the contact list in association with the first contact.

Claims

1. A method of receiving location information relating to a first user of a first communication client from a first user terminal over a communications system at a second user terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, by a second communication client of the second user terminal, a list of contacts associated with a second user of the second communication client, the list of contacts comprising a first contact representing the first user;

receiving a message from the first user terminal at the second user terminal, the message comprising a visual indication of a location of the first user that is configured for display from the message, the visual indication of the location determined at the first terminal and without interaction of the first user with the first terminal; and

displaying the visual indication of the location, taken from the message, on the second user terminal in association with the first contact.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the visual indication of the location comprises humanly readable text.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the visual indication of the location comprises a map.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the visual indication of the location comprises a link to a map.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first user terminal is a mobile user terminal associated with the first user.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the location of the first user is determined using a Global Positioning System.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the location of the first user is determined using an Internet Protocol address of the first user terminal.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the location defines a geographical region of variable size.

9. The method as described in claim 8, wherein a size of the geographical region is set by the first user.

12. The method as described in claim 8, wherein a size of the geographical region is set by the first user terminal.

13. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the size of the geographical region is dependent upon a distance between the location of the first user determined at the first user terminal and a home location of the first user.

14. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the message includes a time zone associated with the location of the first user determined at the first user terminal.

15. A device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory having stored thereon computer readable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to implement a communication client to perform operations comprising;

determining a location for a user of the device;

generating a message that includes a visual indication of the location, the message configured to include a map of the location as a visual indication of the location;

transmitting the message to a further device effective to cause the further device to display the visual indication of the location, as included in the message along with a name representing the user of the device; and

transmitting an updated message to the further device effective to cause the further device to display an updated visual indication of an updated location of the user of the device, the updated message transmitted automatically and independent of user interaction with the device.

16. The device as described in claim 15, further comprising location storage configured to store locations determined for the user of the device.

17. The device as described in claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise storing the determined location for the user of the device in the location storage and reading the determined location from the storage to generate the message.

18. The device as described in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, by the communication client, a list of contacts associated with the user of the device, the list of contacts comprising a contact representing a user of the further device;

receiving, by the device, a different message from the further device, the different message comprising a visual indication of a location of the user of the further device that is configured for display from the different message, the visual indication of the location of the user of the further device determined at the further device and without interaction of the user of the further device; and

displaying the visual indication of the location of the user of the further device, taken from the different message, on the device in association with the contact.

19. A method for transmitting location information relating to a user of a communication client from a user terminal over a communications system to a further user terminal, the method comprising:

determining a location of the user;

generating a message that includes a visual indication of the location;

transmitting the message to a further user terminal effective to cause the further user terminal to display the visual indication of the location, as included in the message along with a name representing the user of the user terminal; and

transmitting an updated message to the further user terminal effective to cause the further user terminal to display an updated visual indication of an updated location of the user of the user terminal, the updated message transmitted automatically and independent of user interaction with the user terminal.

20. The method as described in claim 19, wherein the visual indication and the updated visual indication each comprise at least one of:

humanly readable text;

a map;

or

a link to a map.