Place-specific buddy list services
First Claim
1. In a data communications network having a plurality of mobile personal information devices, a computer-implemented method of providing a place-and-people based information service, the method comprising:
- receiving reports of locations of mobile personal information devices operated by a user and by people identified on a list for the user, wherein identifying information for each identified person on the list is accessible by the user prior to receiving the reports of locations, and wherein the presence of each identified person on the list indicates previous consent by the respective identified person to share information with the user via the place-and-people based information service;
determining based at least in part on the reported locations which of the identified people on the list are within a specified proximity of the user; and
transmitting information indicating which of the identified people are within the specified proximity of the user to the user'"'"'s mobile personal information device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An information service provides search and notifications to inform when certain people (e.g., friends, family, business contacts, etc.) are nearby so as to facilitate communications with those people. Users may define lists of people whose locations may be tracked by positioning equipment based on personal communications/computing devices carried by the people. The information service processes this people and place data to identify those of the listed people that are in the user'"'"'s vicinity, and provide notifications and user-initiated search results informing the user such as via the user'"'"'s personal communications/computing device.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a data communications network having a plurality of mobile personal information devices, a computer-implemented method of providing a place-and-people based information service, the method comprising:
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receiving reports of locations of mobile personal information devices operated by a user and by people identified on a list for the user, wherein identifying information for each identified person on the list is accessible by the user prior to receiving the reports of locations, and wherein the presence of each identified person on the list indicates previous consent by the respective identified person to share information with the user via the place-and-people based information service; determining based at least in part on the reported locations which of the identified people on the list are within a specified proximity of the user; and transmitting information indicating which of the identified people are within the specified proximity of the user to the user'"'"'s mobile personal information device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A place-specific buddy list service system operated on at least one server computer of a distributed data communications network for access from personal data communications computers, the system comprising:
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a database maintaining a people/place state for a user of the service, the people/place state enumerating at least one group of people also using the service and locations of such people, wherein identifying information for each person in the at least one group is accessible by the user prior to receiving reports of the locations of the people in the at least one group, and wherein the presence of each person in the at least one group indicates previous consent by the respective person to share information with the user; a people location tracker operating responsive to received reports of the locations of the people to update the people/place state; and a first engine operating to process the people/place state to determine which of the people in the at least one group are in the user'"'"'s proximity, and to generate a notification for the user having information identifying the people in the at least one group determined to be in the user'"'"'s proximity. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing place-and-people based information in a data communications network having a plurality of mobile personal information devices, the instructions, when executed on at least one server of the data communications network, causing the server to:
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receive reports of locations of mobile personal information devices operated by a user and by people identified on a list for the user, wherein identifying information for each identified person on the list is accessible by the user prior to receiving the reports of locations, and wherein the presence of each identified person on the list indicates previous consent by the respective identified person to share information with the user; determine based at least in part on the reported locations which of the identified people on the list are within a specified proximity of the user; and transmit information indicating which of the identified people are within the specified proximity of the user to the user'"'"'s mobile personal information device. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification