Geographic location notification based on identity linking

• US 7,237,201 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fish, Edmund J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pesin; Boris
• Application Number:
  US10/849,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20040248591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 463/40
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A user maintains notification setting information having temporal periods capable of controlling, at least in part, the dissemination of information describing the on-line presence of the user within an instant messaging system or the geographic location of one or more mobile communications devices used by the user. The user may use multiple identities to communicate within the instant messaging system and/or with the mobile communications device or devices. The user can maintain sets of temporal periods for each of the multiple identities. Only one identity may be used at a specific time to communicate to a specific other identity, but the multiple identities of the user may be linked such that on-line presence and/or geographic location associated with one of the identities is disseminated based on the temporal periods set for one or more of the multiple identities.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing notification information regarding geographical location of a communications identity, the method comprising:

accessing information stored in a computer storage medium indicating that a first communications identity associated with a first mobile device is associated with a second communications identity such that the first communications identity corresponds to a natural person and the second communications identity corresponds to the same natural person, wherein;

the first communications identity is a different communications identity than the second communications identity, and

the second communications identity is not associated with the first mobile device;

receiving geographical location information associated with the first mobile device;

associating the geographical location information with the second communications identity;

accessing a participant list in a messaging system, the participant list identifying communications identities designated by a user that are associated with the second communications identity and that correspond to natural persons; and

providing the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device to the communications identities of the participant list associated with the second communications identity such that the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device is displayed as geographical location information of the second communications identity to the communications identities of the participant list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the participant list comprises a contact list of a mobile device capable of transmitting and receiving voice communications.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the participant list comprises a participant list of an instant messaging system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the geographical location information comprises providing information by means of a text message sent to a mobile phone.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the geographical location information comprises providing information by means of an instant message.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein not associated with the first mobile device comprises the second communications identity not being logged into a presence-based system.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein presence is detected for the first communications identity based on the first mobile device.

6. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program configured to, when executed by a processor, provide notification information regarding geographical location of a communications identity, the medium comprising one or more code segments configured to:

access information indicating that a first communications identity associated with a first mobile device is associated with a second communications identity such that the first communications identity corresponds to a natural person and the second communications identity corresponds to the same natural person, wherein;

the first communications identity is a different communications identity than the second communications identity, and

the second communications identity is not associated with the first mobile device;

receive geographical location information associated with the first mobile device;

associating the geographical location information with the second communications identity;

access a participant list in a messaging system, the participant list identifying communications identities designated by a user that are associated with the second communications identity and that correspond to natural persons; and

provide the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device to the communications identities of the participant list associated with the second communications identity such that the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device is displayed as geographical location information of the second communications identity to the communications identities of the participant list.

7. The medium of claim 6 wherein the participant list comprises a contact list of a mobile device capable of transmitting and receiving voice communications.

8. The medium of claim 6 wherein the participant list comprises a participant list of an instant messaging system.

9. The medium of claim 6 wherein the one or more code segments configured to provide the geographical location information comprise one or more code segments configured to provide information by means of a text message sent to a mobile phone.

10. The medium of claim 6 wherein the one or more code segments configured to provide the geographical location information comprise one or more code segments configured to provide information by means of an instant message.

19. The medium of claim 6 wherein not associated with the first mobile device comprises the second communications identity not being logged into a presence-based system.

20. The medium of claim 6 wherein presence is detected for the first communications identity based on the first mobile device.

11. A computer-based system for providing notification information regarding geographical location of a communications identity, the system comprising a processor connected to a storage device and one or more input/output devices, wherein the processor is configured to:

access information stored in a computer storage medium indicating that a first communications identity associated with a first mobile device is associated with a second communications identity such that the first communications identity corresponds to a natural person and the second communications identity corresponds to the same natural person, wherein

the first communications identity is a different communications identity than the second communications identity, and

the second communications identity is not associated with the first mobile device;

receive geographical location information associated with the first mobile device;

associating the geographical location information with the second communications identity;

access a participant list in a messaging system, the participant list identifying communications identities designated by a user that are associated with the second communications identity and that correspond to natural persons; and

provide the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device to the communications identities of the participant list associated with the second communications identity such that the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device is displayed as geographical location information of the second communications identity to the communications identities of the participant list.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the participant list comprises a contact list of a mobile device capable of transmitting and receiving voice communications.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the participant list comprises a participant list of an instant messaging system.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to provide the geographical location information by means of a text message sent to a mobile phone.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to provide the geographical location information by means of an instant message.

21. The system of claim 11 wherein not associated with the first mobile device comprises the second communications identity not being logged into a presence-based system.

22. The system of claim 11 wherein presence is detected for the first communications identity based on the first mobile device.

16. A computer-based system for providing notification information regarding geographical location of a communications identity, the system comprising:

means for accessing information stored in a computer storage medium indicating that a first communications identity associated with a first mobile device is associated with a second communications identity such that the first communications identity corresponds to a natural person and the second communications identity corresponds to the same natural person, wherein;

the first communications identity is a different communications identity than the second communications identity, and

the second communications identity is not associated with the first mobile device;

means for receiving geographical location information associated with the first mobile device;

means for associating the geographical location information with the second communications identity;

means for accessing a participant list in a messaging system, the participant list identifying communications identities designated by a user that are associated with the second communications identity and that correspond to natural persons; and

means for providing the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device to the communications identities of the participant list associated with the second communications identity such that the geographical location information associated with the first mobile device is displayed as geographical location information of the second communications identity to the communications identities of the participant list.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein not associated with the first mobile device comprises the second communications identity not being logged into a presence-based system.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein presence is detected for the first communications identity based on the first mobile device.