Method and system to determine and communicate the presence of a mobile device in a predefined zone

• US 7,586,877 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seavey, Dale James, Novice, David J., Gits, Peter Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US11/279,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20070243880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/347, 370/458, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.2
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method and system to provide a notification is described. The system may comprise a first mobile device including a positioning component to determine when the first mobile device is proximate at least one predefined zone (e.g., enters, remains within or leaves the predefined zone), and a location data compiler to compile location data which includes a zone identifier corresponding to the at least one predefined zone. The first mobile device may further comprise a device identifier and a transmitter to send the location data and the device identifier to at least one recipient associated with the at least one predefined zone. The system may include a second mobile device associated with the at least one recipient and including a receiver to receive the location data from the first mobile device, and a display to display the location data and the zone identifier on the second mobile device.

Claims

1. A method to communicate the presence of a mobile device in at least one predefined zone, the method comprising:

determining when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone;

compiling location data which includes a zone identifier corresponding to the at least one predefined zone and a device identifier corresponding to the mobile device;

identifying at least one predefined group of mobile devices associated with the at least one predefined zone; and

sending the location data and the device identifier to all mobile devices in the at least one predefined group of mobile devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and the compiling are performed by the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone includes at least one of determining when the mobile device enters the predefined zone and is located within the predefined zone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifier identifies a name of a person associated with the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, which comprises sending the zone identifier and the device identifier via an Instant Messaging (IM) client.

6. The method of claim 1, which comprises providing a plurality of predefined zones that are associated with the mobile device, each predefined zone having a corresponding identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, which comprises identifying:

a predefined label associated with each zone; and

sending the predefined label as zone identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, which comprises:

at each mobile device,

providing a user with a Graphical User Interface (GUI);

receiving location data and a device identifier associated with one or more mobile devices in the predefined group of mobile devices; and

displaying the location data and the device identifier received from the one or more other mobile devices on the GUI of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the GUI is configured to allow the user to group mobile devices into at least one recipient group and associate the recipient group with the at least one zone.

10. The method of claim 1, which comprises providing geographical coordinate data with the location data when the mobile device is outside of the at least one predefined zone.

11. The method of claim 1, which comprises providing a timestamp with the location data, the timestamp corresponding to when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone comprises:

determining current geographical coordinates of the mobile device using a Global Positioning System (GPS); and

comparing the current geographical coordinates with reference geographical coordinates associated with the zone.

13. The method of claim 1, which includes the prior operation of associating a plurality of predefined zones with respective predefined groups of mobile devices, so that each predefined zone is associated with one or more predefined groups of mobile devices.

14. A method of providing a notification to a user of a mobile device, the method comprising:

at a receiving mobile device,

providing a user with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to display a group of mobile devices associated with at least one predefined zone and to identify the mobile devices in the group;

receiving location data of one or more sending mobile devices in the group of mobile devices, the location data including;

a zone identifier corresponding to the at least one predefined zone; and

a device identifier corresponding to the sending mobile device, the location data identifying when an associated mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone;

displaying the received location data and the received zone identifier of the associated mobile device on the mobile device to the user; and

sending location data and a device identifier of the receiving device to all mobile devices in the at least one group of mobile devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone comprises at least one of determining when the mobile device enters the predefined zone and is located within the predefined zone.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the device identifier identifies a name of a person associated with the associated mobile device.

17. A mobile device comprising:

a positioning component to determine when the mobile device is proximate at least one predefined zone associated with a predefined group of mobile devices;

a location data compiler to compile location data which includes a zone identifier corresponding to the at least one predefined zone and a device identifier corresponding to the mobile device; and

a transmitter to send the location data and the device identifier to all mobile devices in the predefined group of mobile devices.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, which determines at least one of when the mobile device enters the predefined zone and is located within the predefined zone to identify when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone.

19. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the device identifier identifies a name of a person associated with the mobile device.

20. The mobile device of claim 17, which comprises an Instant Messaging (IM) client to send the zone identifier and the device identifier.

21. A mobile device comprising:

means for determining when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone;

means for identifying at least one predefined group of mobile devices associated with the at least one predefined zone;

means for compiling location data which includes a zone identifier corresponding to the at least one predefined zone and a device identifier corresponding to the mobile device; and

means for sending the location data and the device identifier to all mobile devices in the at least one predefined group of mobile devices.

22. A machine readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

determine when the mobile device is proximate the at least one predefined zone;

compile location data which includes a zone identifier corresponding to the at least one predefined zone and a device identifier corresponding to the mobile device; and

identify at least one predefined group of mobile devices associated with the at least one predefined zone; and

send the location data and the device identifier to all mobile devices in the at least one predefined group of mobile devices.