Location-based status checking

• US 8,112,100 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frank, Scott, Starr, Robert, Zellner, Samuel, Tischer, Steven, Ruckart, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US11/747,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20070264969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.4, 455/414.2, 455/456.5, 705/7.19
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods of location-based status checking. Such a method comprises scheduling an event to occur at a scheduled time at a defined location; inviting an individual to attend the event; querying the individual as to whether the individual will attend the event; and tracking a physical location of the individual to determine whether the individual is on schedule to appear at the event by the scheduled time. Other methods and systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of location-based status checking, comprising:

scheduling an event to occur at a scheduled time at a defined location;

inviting a plurality of individuals to attend the event;

querying each of the plurality of individuals as to whether the individual will attend the event;

maintaining a database of tracking devices which are registered to the plurality of individuals that are invited to attend the event;

tracking a physical location of each of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event by a monitoring server to determine whether the individual is on schedule to appear at the event by the scheduled time, wherein a tracking device of each of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event provides its current location to the monitoring server, wherein a lead time is configured by each of the individuals as to when its current location is to be made available to the monitoring server with respect to the scheduled time of the event;

causing an organizer of the event to be notified of an estimate of whether one of the individuals invited to attend the event is expected to arrive at the event before the scheduled time; and

reporting by the monitoring server a number of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event who are at the defined location for the event before the scheduled time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a notification of a likelihood that one of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event will arrive at the scheduled event by the scheduled time based upon the physical location of the individual.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the organizer of the event to be notified of an estimate of time for which one of the individuals invited to attend the event is expected to arrive at the event.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

notifying one of the individuals invited to attend the event of a progress that the individual is making towards arriving at the event by the scheduled time.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

notifying the organizer of the event of the physical location of one of the individuals who is expected to attend the event.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program for location-based status checking, the program when executed by a computer processor, causes the processor to perform:

scheduling an event to occur at a scheduled time at a defined location;

inviting a plurality of individuals to attend the event;

querying each of the plurality of individuals as to whether the individual will attend the event;

maintaining a database of tracking devices which are registered to the plurality of individuals that are invited to attend the event;

tracking a physical location of each of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event to determine whether the individual is on schedule to appear at the event by the scheduled time, wherein a tracking device of each of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event provides its current location, wherein a lead time is configured by each of the individuals as to when its current location is to be made available to the monitoring server with respect to the scheduled time of the event;

causing an organizer of the event to be notified of an estimate of whether one of the individuals invited to attend the event is expected to arrive at the event before the scheduled time; and

reporting a number of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event who are at the defined location for the event before the scheduled time.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 further comprising:

providing a notification of a likelihood that one of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event will arrive at the scheduled event by the scheduled time based upon the physical location of the individual.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 further comprising:

causing the organizer of the event to be notified of an estimate of time for which an individual

invited to attend the event is expected to arrive at the event.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 further comprising:

notifying one of the individuals invited to attend the event of a progress that the individual is making towards arriving at the event by the scheduled time.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 further comprising:

causing the organizer of the event to be notified of a current location of an individual who is expected to attend the event.

11. A system for location-based status checking, comprising:

an event server configured to schedule an event to occur at a scheduled time at a defined location;

invite a plurality of individuals to attend the event;

query each of the plurality of individuals as to whether the individual will attend the event; and

track a physical location of each of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event to determine whether the individual is on schedule to appear at the event by the scheduled time, wherein a tracking device of each of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event provides its current location, wherein a lead time is configured by each of the individuals as to when its current location is to be made available to the monitoring server with respect to the scheduled time of the event; and

an interface server application reporting a number of the individuals that responded to the query as planning to attend the event who are at the defined location for the event before the scheduled time, wherein the interface server application notifies an organizer of the event of an estimate of whether an individual invited to attend the event is expected to arrive at the event before the scheduled time.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a location server configured to receive location information from a personal communications device of each of the individuals and relay the location information to the event server, wherein the tracking device comprises the personal communications device.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the event server sends a message to a personal communications device of an individual notifying an individual of a likelihood that the individual will arrive at the scheduled event by the scheduled time based upon a current location of the individual.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the event server sends a

message to an individual expecting to attend the event, the message notifying another individual invited to attend the event of a progress that the individual is making towards arriving at the event by the scheduled time.