Method, apparatus and system for notifying a user of a portable wireless device
First Claim
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1. A method for notifying a first user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:
- determining whether a location of a second portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device;
notifying, with a first notification message, the first user of the first portable communication device of a presence of a second user of the second portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device, wherein the notification is automatically provided via the first portable communication device on the basis of previous selections made by the first user of the first portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the second user, wherein the previous selections specifically identify the second user according to an identification value unique to the second user stored in the first portable communication device;
determining whether a location of a third portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device;
determining whether the first user has permission to locate a third user of the third portable communication device, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to locate the third user comprises;
(i) determining whether the first user is in a group of a plurality of users, wherein the group is accessed from a data structure having the group stored thereon; and
(ii) determining whether the group has predefined permission to locate the third user by accessing a permission setting that is selectively settable to a first setting permitting the location to be determined by the users of the group and a second setting restricting the location from being determined by the users of the group; and
upon determining that the first user has permission to locate the third user, notifying, with a second notification message, the first user of the location of the third portable communication device.
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Abstract
A method, apparatus and system for notifying a user of a portable communication device. In one embodiment, a location of a first portable communication device is determined for a first user and the location of a second portable communication device is determined for a second user. A determination is made as to whether the location of the second portable communication device is within a same region containing the first portable communication device. If the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device, then the first user is notified of the presence of the second user.
42 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for notifying a first user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:
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determining whether a location of a second portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device; notifying, with a first notification message, the first user of the first portable communication device of a presence of a second user of the second portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device, wherein the notification is automatically provided via the first portable communication device on the basis of previous selections made by the first user of the first portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the second user, wherein the previous selections specifically identify the second user according to an identification value unique to the second user stored in the first portable communication device; determining whether a location of a third portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device; determining whether the first user has permission to locate a third user of the third portable communication device, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to locate the third user comprises; (i) determining whether the first user is in a group of a plurality of users, wherein the group is accessed from a data structure having the group stored thereon; and (ii) determining whether the group has predefined permission to locate the third user by accessing a permission setting that is selectively settable to a first setting permitting the location to be determined by the users of the group and a second setting restricting the location from being determined by the users of the group; and upon determining that the first user has permission to locate the third user, notifying, with a second notification message, the first user of the location of the third portable communication device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for notifying a user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:
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receiving a location of a first portable communication device of a first user; determining whether a location of a second portable communication device of a second user is within a threshold distance of the first portable communication device; determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user wherein determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user comprises; (i) determining whether the first user is in a group of a plurality of users, wherein the group is accessed from a data structure having the group stored thereon; and (ii) determining whether the group has predefined permission to locate the second user by accessing a permission setting that is selectively settable to a first setting permitting the location to be determined by the users of the group and a second setting restricting the location from being determined by the users of the group; and notifying the first user of a presence of the second user if the location of the second portable communication device is within the threshold distance of the first portable communication device and if the first user has permission to locate the second user;
wherein the notification is automatically provided via the first portable communication device on the basis of previous selections made by the first user of the first portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the second user, wherein the previous selections specifically identify the second user according to an identification value unique to the second user stored in the first portable communication device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for notifying a user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:
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determining whether a first user is in a group of a plurality of users, the group being predefined and stored in a storage device; if so, determining whether the second user has permission to locate the first user, wherein determining whether the second user has permission to locate the first user comprises; (i) determining whether the group has predefined permission to locate the second user by accessing a permission setting that is selectively settable to a first setting permitting the location to be determined by the users of the group and a second setting restricting the location from being determined by the users of the group; if the second user has permission to locate the first user, determining an approximate geographical location of a first portable communication device of the first user; and notifying the second user of the approximate geographical location of the first user if the approximate geographical location of the first portable communication device is within a threshold distance of the second user;
wherein the notification is automatically provided via a second portable communication device of the second user on the basis of previous selections made by the second user on the second portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the first user, wherein the previous selections specifically identify the first user according to an identification value unique to the first user stored in the second portable communication device.
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19. A method for notifying a group of users of portable communication devices, the method comprising:
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receiving a location of a portable communication device of a primary user; for each secondary user in a group of a plurality of users; determining a location of a portable communication device of the secondary user in the group, the group being stored in a data structure on a computer readable storage medium; determining whether the location of the portable communication device of the secondary user in the group is within a threshold distance of the portable communication device of the primary user; determining whether primary user has granted permission to the group to locate the primary user, comprising; (i) determining whether the group has predefined permission to locate the primary user by accessing a permission setting that is selectively settable to a first setting permitting the location to be determined by the users of the group and a second setting restricting the location from being determined by the users of the group; and notifying the secondary user in the group of a presence of the primary user if the location of the portable communication device of the secondary user in the group is within the threshold distance of the portable communication device of the primary user and if the primary user has granted permission to the group to locate the primary user;
wherein the notification is automatically provided via the portable communication device of the secondary user on the basis of previous selections made by the secondary user on the portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the primary user, wherein the previous selections specifically identify the primary user according to an identification value unique to the primary user stored in the portable communication device of the primary user.
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20. A method for notifying a first user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:
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determining a location of a second portable communication device by determining a rate of travel and a direction of travel of the second portable communication device of a second user; determining whether the location of a second portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device; notifying the first user of the first portable communication device of a presence of a second user of the second portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device, wherein the notification is provided via the first portable communication device on the basis of previous selections made by the first user of the first portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the second user; determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user comprises determining whether the first user is in a group of a plurality of users, the group having predefined permission to locate the second user; upon determining that the first user has permission to locate the second user, notifying the first user of the location of the second portable communication device of the second user; determining, if the location of the second portable communication device is outside the same region containing the first portable communication device, whether the second portable communication device is about to approach the same region containing the first portable communication device; and notifying the first user of the impending presence of the second user in the same region if the second portable communication device is about to approach the same region containing the first portable communication device.
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21. A method for notifying a first user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:
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determining whether a location of a second portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device; notifying the first user of the first portable communication device of a presence of a second user of the second portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device, wherein the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is less than a threshold distance from the location of the first portable communication device; and
wherein the notification is provided via the first portable communication device on the basis of previous selections made by the first user of the first portable communication device to be notified of the presence of the second user;determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user, wherein determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user comprises determining whether the first user is in a group of a plurality of users, the group having predefined permission to locate the second user; upon determining that the first user has permission to locate the second user, notifying the first user of the location of the second portable communication device of the second user; determining, if the location of the second portable communication device is outside the same region containing the first portable communication device, whether the second portable communication device is about to approach the same region containing the first portable communication device; and notifying the first user of the impending presence of the second user in the same region if the second portable communication device is about to approach the same region containing the first portable communication device.
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Specification