System and program for providing user location information with a personal information management program

• US 8,086,246 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quartz Auto Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US12/020,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20080113673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 4554142-4144, 4554561-4566, 455/457, 709/217, 709/203, 709/207
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Provided are a system, program, and data structures for providing user location information with a personal information manager program. Position coordinates of a wireless device associated with a user are generated, along with time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated. The position coordinates and time information are processed to determine geographic locations and associated time periods. For each determined geographical location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the geographical location for the associated time period. A request is received for information on the user for a selected time interval. A determination is then made of time periods associated with geographic locations that are within the selected time interval. Information is then generated on the geographic locations and associated time periods that are within the selected time interval.

Claims

1. A system adapted to communicate with a wireless device and for providing user location information to a personal information management (PIM) client within the wireless device, comprising:

a PIM server that receives and responds to requests from the wireless device;

a PIM database accessible by the PIM server, wherein the PIM database generates;

multiple measured position records associated with a specified user of the wireless device, wherein each of the measured position records includes a time field, a position coordinate field, and a location description field; and

at least one filtered position record associated with the specified user, wherein the at least one filtered position record includes a time range, a geographic location field, and a description field;

said PIM database generating each of the measured position records by;

receiving a time and a position coordinate from the wireless device;

processing the position coordinate to identify an associated location description; and

entering the received time and position and the identified location description into a measured position record; and

said PIM database generating the at least one filtered position record by;

processing a sequence of the multiple measured position records generated consecutively to;

identify a sequence of measured position records having the same location description, and in response thereto, generate a filtered position record including a time range corresponding to the first and last time contained in the sequence of measured position records having the same location description, a geographic location specifying an area boundary associated with the location description, and a location description; and

identify a sequence of measure position records for which a location description was not identified, and in response thereto;

processing the position coordinates and time information for the measured position records for which a location description was not identified to determine whether a rate of change in position per unit of time in a series of position coordinates at times indicates a predefined user activity occurring during an activity time period during which the position coordinates and the time information were generated; and

responsive to determining that a rate of change in position per unit of time in a series of position coordinates at times indicates a predefined user activity, generating a filtered position record including a time range corresponding to the first and last time for contained in the sequence of measured position records for which a location description was not identified, a geographic location, and an activity description corresponding to the indicated user activity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the measured position records further includes a date field, wherein upon generating each of the measured position records, the PIM database enters a date into the date field, and wherein upon generating a filtered position record, the PIM database includes a date range corresponding to the first and last date contained in the sequence of measured position records having the same location description.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein responsive to receiving a schedule update request, the PIM server sends to the PIM client a filtered position record containing a location description in the filtered position record description field and a filtered position record containing a user activity description in the filtered position record description field.

4. A method for communicating with a wireless device and for providing user location information to a personal information management (PIM) client within the wireless device, comprising:

a PIM server receiving and responding to requests from the wireless device;

a PIM database accessible by the PIM server and generating;

multiple measured position records associated with a specified user of the wireless device, wherein each of the measured position records includes a time field, a position coordinate field, and a location description field; and

at least one filtered position record associated with the specified user, wherein the at least one filtered position record includes a time range, a geographic location field, and a description field;

said PIM database generating each of the measured position records by;

receiving a time and a position coordinate from the wireless device;

processing the position coordinate to identify an associated location description; and

entering the received time and position and the identified location description into a measured position record; and

said PIM database generating the at least one filtered position record by;

processing a sequence of the multiple measured position records generated consecutively to;

identify a sequence of measured position records having the same location description, and in response thereto, generate a filtered position record including a time range corresponding to the first and last time contained in the sequence of measured position records having the same location description, a geographic location specifying an area boundary associated with the location description, and a location description; and

identify a sequence of measure position records for which a location description was not identified, and in response thereto;

processing the position coordinates and time information for the measured position records for which a location description was not identified to determine whether a rate of change in position per unit of time in a series of position coordinates at times indicates a predefined user activity occurring during an activity time period during which the position coordinates and the time information were generated; and

responsive to determining that a rate of change in position per unit of time in a series of position coordinates at times indicates a predefined user activity, generating a filtered position record including a time range corresponding to the first and last time for contained in the sequence of measured position records for which a location description was not identified, a geographic location, and an activity description corresponding to the indicated user activity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the measured position records further includes a date field, wherein upon generating each of the measured position records, the PIM database enters a date into the date field, and wherein upon generating a filtered position record, the PIM database includes a date range corresponding to the first and last date contained in the sequence of measured position records having the same location description.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein responsive to receiving a schedule update request, the PIM server sends to the PIM client a filtered position record containing a location description in the filtered position record description field and a filtered position record containing a user activity description in the filtered position record description field.

7. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable media containing computer-executable code for communicating with a wireless device and for providing user location information to a personal information management (PIM) client within the wireless device, said computer-executable code performing a method comprising:

a PIM server receiving and responding to requests from the wireless device;

a PIM database accessible by the PIM server and generating;

multiple measured position records associated with a specified user of the wireless device, wherein each of the measured position records includes a time field, a position coordinate field, and a location description field; and

at least one filtered position record associated with the specified user, wherein the at least one filtered position record includes a time range, a geographic location field, and a description field;

said PIM database generating each of the measured position records by;

receiving a time and a position coordinate from the wireless device;

processing the position coordinate to identify an associated location description; and

entering the received time and position and the identified location description into a measured position record; and

said PIM database generating the at least one filtered position record by;

processing a sequence of the multiple measured position records generated consecutively to;

identify a sequence of measured position records having the same location description, and in response thereto, generate a filtered position record including a time range corresponding to the first and last time contained in the sequence of measured position records having the same location description, a geographic location specifying an area boundary associated with the location description, and a location description; and

identify a sequence of measure position records for which a location description was not identified, and in response thereto;

processing the position coordinates and time information for the measured position records for which a location description was not identified to determine whether a rate of change in position per unit of time in a series of position coordinates at times indicates a predefined user activity occurring during an activity time period during which the position coordinates and the time information were generated; and

responsive to determining that a rate of change in position per unit of time in a series of position coordinates at times indicates a predefined user activity, generating a filtered position record including a time range corresponding to the first and last time for contained in the sequence of measured position records for which a location description was not identified, a geographic location, and an activity description corresponding to the indicated user activity.

8. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein each of the measured position records further includes a date field, wherein upon generating each of the measured position records, the PIM database enters a date into the date field, and wherein upon generating a filtered position record, the PIM database includes a date range corresponding to the first and last date contained in the sequence of measured position records having the same location description.

9. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein responsive to receiving a schedule update request, the PIM server sends to the PIM client a filtered position record containing a location description in the filtered position record description field and a filtered position record containing a user activity description in the filtered position record description field.