System and method for conveying object location information

• US 8,223,012 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PerdiemCo LLC
• Original Assignee: Geofence Data Access Controls LLC
• Inventors: Diem, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US13/437,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 106 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• 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: 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: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/022 : with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 : Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 : for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An improved system and method for defining an event based upon an object location and a user-defined zone and managing the conveyance of object location event information among computing devices where object location events are defined in terms of a condition based upon a relationship between user-defined zone information and object location information. One or more location information sources are associated with an object to provide the object location information. One or more user-defined zones are defined on a map and one or more object location events are defined. The occurrence of an object location event produces object location event information that is conveyed to users based on user identification codes. Accessibility to object location information, zone information, and object location event information is based upon an object location information access code, a zone information access code, and an object location event information access code, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for conveying user location information, comprising:

interfacing with an administrator that authorizes a first user associated with a first user identification code to access an object location information from a location information source associated with a second user identification code that is different from the first identification code; and

conveying the object location information to a third user based on an information access code specified by said first user, said information access code being associated with a third user identification code that is different from the first and second user identification codes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information access code comprises a plurality of user identification codes including the third user identification code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object location information is conveyed to computing device associated with the first user identification code.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the object location information is conveyed to a computing device associated with the second user identification code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user identification code is associated with a zone information comprising a coordinate on a map;

and wherein at least one of the object location information or zone information is conveyed to the third user based on the information access code.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second user identification code is associated with an object location event information that relates the object location information to the zone information;

and wherein at least one of the object location information or the zone information or the object location event information is conveyed to the third user based on the information access code.

7. An apparatus for conveying information related to groups of users, comprising:

an administrator system having access to object location information, zone information and object location event information associated with an information access code that specifies a user group associated with a plurality of user codes including

     1) a privileged user code that is different from the information access code and

     2) a second user code that is different from the first user code and information access code; and

a server configured to interface with a network comprising a plurality of mobile devices associated with corresponding user identification codes, wherein the second user code is associated with a location information source of one of the mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices based on the privileged user code; and

wherein an object location information provided by the location information source is conveyed based on the information access code.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one zone information comprising a coordinate on a map is associated with the second user based on the privileged user code, and wherein at least one of the object location information or zone information is conveyed based on the information access code.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one object location event information that relates the object location information to the zone information is associated with the second user based on the privileged user code, and wherein at least one of the object location information or zone information or object location event information is conveyed based on the information access code.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a contact list associated with the user group is accessed for conveying the object location information to a mobile device associated with a user identification code in the contact list.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the object location event information contains time information related to polling the object location information from the location source.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the object location event information contains the time of the occurrence of an event condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the event condition is associated with a schedule.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a privacy notice is conveyed to a mobile device associated with the second user identification code.

15. A mobile device associated with a user having a user identification code, comprising:

a camera;

a storage medium for an image; and

a processor for executing a location aware application that receives a map and has access to a contact list of a plurality of contacts of the user, each contact having a corresponding identification code, said location aware application providing a login interface for entry of the user identification code and an access code for associating the image with a user-defined zone on the map.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein said user defined zone is associated with an object location event information conveyed to a computing device associated with an identification code in the contact list along with the image associated with the user defined zone, wherein the image is conveyed to the computing device based on the access code.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein an identification code in the contact list is associated with a user defined image based on the access codes.

18. A method for conveying information among a plurality of computing devices associated with a plurality of users including a first user, a second user, and a third user, the method comprising:

providing an interface to a first computing device associated with the first user to define a relationship of an information package with at least one of a zone information, an object location information, or an object location event information and to define an information package access code;

conveying the information package to a second computing device associated with one of the second user or the third user based on said information package access code.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises a picture.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises a movie.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises an audio file.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises a document.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises a data file.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises sensor information.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein said sensor information corresponds to a measurement of one of temperature, humidity, or radioactivity.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein said sensor information corresponds to a measurement of one of a heart rate or a breathing rate.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein said information package comprises a time stamp.