Location finder

• US 7,171,217 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2004
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Beuck, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/761,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20050164710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-444, 4554561-457, 370331-334, 701/207, 701213-214, 701/216, 340/988, 342/35.01, 342/0.06, 342/0.12, 342/450
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and a method for reporting a location are provided. A location finding device determines whether the location finding device is located within a first distance of a first location or area. When the location finding device determines that the location finding device is not located within the first distance of the first location, the location finding device determines whether a wireless access point is available. When a wireless access point is determined to be available, the location finding device reports information indicative of a location of the location finding device to a server via the wireless access point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining whether a location finding device is within a first distance of a first location; and

when the location finding device is not within the first distance of the first location;

determining whether a wireless access point is available, and transmitting information indicative of a location of the location finding device to a server via the wireless access point, when the wireless access point is determined to be available;

determining whether a designated locating party is located within a predefined distance of the location finding device; and

when the designated locating party is determined to be located within the predefined distance of the location finding device, conveying information associated with the location finding device to the designated locating party to enable the designated locating party to physically search for the location finding device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether a wireless access point is available comprises:

determining whether a preferred provider wireless access point is available, and

when the preferred provider wireless access point is determined not to be available, determining whether any wireless access point is available.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined distance is 0.5 miles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveying information associated with the location finding device comprises contacting the designated locating party via one of a voice telephone call, a facsimile message, or an e-mail message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveying information associated with the location finding device comprises transmitting the information associated with the location finding device to a database of the designated locating party.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the location of the location finding device based on received global positioning system satellite signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first distance is a distance at which the location finding device can receive a message from a device located at the first location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the message from the device at predetermined intervals; and

the determining whether the location finding device is within the first distance comprises determining whether the message was received within a predefined time interval.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the location finding device is determined to not be within the first distance and the wireless access point is determined to be available, the method further comprises:

determining the location of the location finding device based on received global positioning system satellite signals.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command for changing a rate at which information indicative of the location of the location finding device is reported to the server; and

changing the rate at which the information indicative of the location of the location finding device is reported to the server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the location finding device is within the first distance of the first location comprises:

collecting global positioning system satellite signals;

determining the location of the location finding device based on information included in the global positioning system satellite signals;

calculating a distance between the location of the location finding device and the first location; and

comparing the first distance to the calculated distance.

12. A location system comprising:

a server to store information identifying a party associated with a location finding device, an emergency service provider associated with a current location of the location finding device, and a locating party associated with the location system; and

a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless access device; and

a global positioning system receiver configured to receive global positioning system satellite signals, wherein

the location finding device is configured to determine the current location of the location finding device using the received global positioning system satellite signals and report the current location to at least two of the party associated with the location finding device, the emergency service provider, or the locating party using the stored information via the wireless access device when an absence of signals periodically transmitted from a device is detected by the location finding device; and

the location finding device is configured to receive an identifier from the wireless access device indicative of a preferred access provider.

13. The location system of claim 12, wherein the location finding device is configured to adjust a frequency of reporting the current information in response to receiving a command to adjust the frequency of reporting.

14. A system comprising:

means for determining whether a location finding device is within a first distance of a specific location or area;

means for determining whether a wireless access point is available to the location finding device;

means for receiving, at the location finding device, an identifier from the wireless access point indicative of a preferred access provider;

means for reporting information indicative of a location of the location finding device to a database server via the wireless access point;

means for storing, at the database server, contact information for a party associated with the location finding device; and

means for generating, at the database server, a notification reporting the location using the contact information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for receiving the identifier from the wireless access point comprises means for receiving a special service set identifier (SSID).

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for determining whether the location finding device is within the first distance comprises:

means for collecting global positioning system satellite signals;

means for determining the location of the location finding device based on information included in the global positioning system satellite signals;

means for calculating a distance between the location of the location finding device and the specific location or area; and

means for comparing the first distance to the calculated distance.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for determining whether the location finding device is within the first distance comprises:

means for receiving a message transmitted from a device at predetermined intervals; and

means for determining whether the message was received within a predetermined time interval.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for adjusting a rate at which the means for reporting reports information indicative of the location of the location finding device to the database server.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for adjusting the rate is configured to adjust the rate in response to the location finding device receiving a command for adjusting the rate.

20. A server comprising:

a database configured to store information associated with a plurality of users of locator devices, the information including contact information and a physical descriptor associated with each of the users, and information associated with a plurality of designated locating parties; and

a processing device configured to;

receive a signal from a locator device associated with a first one of the users,

identify contact information and a physical descriptor associated with the first user and stored in the database,

determine, using the stored information associated with the designated locating parties, a designated locating party that is nearest to a location of the locator device based on the received signal, and

convey the identified contact information and the identified physical descriptor associated with the first user to the nearest designated locating party.

21. The server of claim 20, wherein the processing device is further configured to contact the nearest designated locating party via at least one of a voice telephone call, a facsimile message, or an e-mail.

22. The server of claim 20, the processing device being further configured to transmit the physical descriptor for the first user to a database of the nearest designated locating party.

23. The server of claim 20, further comprising:

a network interface configured to connect the server to a network, wherein

the server is configured to send a command to the locator device to change a rate of reporting of the locator device to the database server.

24. The server of claim 20, wherein the processing device is further configured to transmit at least one of an e-mail, a pager message, or a facsimile message based on the contact information and in response to the received signal.

25. The server of claim 20, wherein the processing device is further configured to make a telephone call based on the contact information.

26. The server of claim 20, wherein the signal includes location information identifying a location of the locator device.

27. The server of claim 26, wherein the signal represents an emergency request message.