Wireless communication system and method for sending a notification of proximity of a first wireless communications device to a second wireless communication device

• US 8,290,506 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Thomas E. Coverstone
• Inventors: Coverstone, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US12/408,517
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/414.1, 455/418, 4554561-457, 370/310.2, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• 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: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Disclosed is a wireless communication system that is used with a wireless communication device and a position location system, the wireless communication device being capable of communicating with the position location system. The wireless communication system includes a memory device for storing position locations of the wireless communication device and for storing transactions made relating to the wireless communication device, a processor for determining trends by recalling stored information from the memory device and processing the recalled information, and a transmitter for transmitting targeted broadcasts to the wireless communication device based on the current location of the communication device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication system used with wireless communication devices and a position location system locating respective positions of the wireless communication devices, the wireless communication system communicating with the position location system, said method comprising:

storing, in a memory, a database of user selections and user demographics, wherein the user selections are used to set the stored user demographics, wherein the stored user demographics indicate that a second one of the wireless communication devices is to receive a notification that a first one of the wireless communication devices is in proximity to a particular location;

receiving position location data from the position location system as the wireless communication devices move, the position location data indicating the respective positions of the wireless communication devices;

processing, by one or more processors, the position location data to determine when the position location data indicates that the first one of the wireless communication devices is in proximity to the particular location and the stored user demographics indicate that the second one of the wireless communication devices is to receive the notification that the first one of the wireless communication devices is in proximity to the particular location;

sending the notification of proximity of the first one of the wireless communication devices to the particular location to the second one of the wireless communication devices in response to the processing of the position location data determining that the position location data indicates that the first one of the wireless communication devices is in proximity to the particular location and the stored user demographics indicate that the second one of the wireless communication devices is to receive the notification of proximity of the first one of the wireless communication devices to the particular location;

tracking usage, based upon the notification, of the second one of the wireless communication devices;

storing the usage;

updating the stored user demographics and the stored database based on the usage;

providing free wireless service to a first group of users having selections indicating an interest in not screening notifications; and

not providing free wireless service to a second group of users having selections indicating an interest in screening notifications,

wherein the wireless communication devices are mobile cellular devices, wherein the wireless communication devices are in communication with a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein transactions made relating to the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein position locations of the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored transactions to determine first trends, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored position locations to determine second trends.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular location is the position of the second one of the wireless communication devices as located by the position location system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one or the second one of the wireless communication devices is a cell phone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updated stored user demographics affect a future notification received by the second one of the wireless communication devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular location comprises a store or restaurant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user demographics indicate that a second one of the wireless communication devices is to receive a notification that a first one of the wireless communication devices is in a particular zip code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage comprises responses and nonresponses to the notification.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile cellular devices are cell phones.

9. A method of operating a wireless communication system used with wireless communication devices and a position location system locating respective positions of the wireless communication devices, the wireless communication system communicating with the position location system, said method comprising:

receiving position location data from the position location system as the wireless communication devices move, the position location data indicating the respective positions of the wireless communication devices;

processing, by one or more processors, the position location data to determine when the position location data indicates that two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other;

sending notifications to each of the two wireless communication devices in response to the processing of the position location data determining that the position location data indicates that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other, wherein user demographics of the two wireless communication devices stored in a database indicate that each of the two wireless communication devices is to receive notification that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other, wherein the stored user demographics are set by user selections stored in the database;

tracking usage, based upon the notifications, of the two of the wireless communication devices;

storing the usage;

updating the stored user demographics and the database based on the usage;

providing free wireless service to a first group of users having selections indicating an interest in not screening notifications; and

not providing the free wireless service to a second group of users having selections indicating an interest in screening notifications,

wherein the wireless communication devices are mobile cellular devices, wherein the wireless communication devices are in communication with a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein transactions made relating to the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein position locations of the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored transactions to determine first trends, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored position locations to determine second trends.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile cellular devices are cell phones.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising:

storing, in a memory, the database of user selections used to set the user demographics;

accessing the database of user selections to determine whether the database of stored user selections includes selections of each user of each of the two wireless communication devices indicating that each user of each of the two wireless communication devices is to be notified when the processing of the position location data determines that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other; and

sending the notifications to each of the two wireless communication devices only when the database of user selections includes selections of each user of each of the two wireless communication devices indicating that each user of each of the two wireless communication devices is to be notified when the processing of the position location data determines that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other.

12. A wireless communication system for use with wireless communication devices and a position location system providing position location data indicating respective positions of the wireless communication devices, said wireless communication system comprising:

one or more processors configured to

receive the position location data from the position location system as the wireless communication devices move,

process the position location data to determine when the position location data indicates that two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other, and

track usage, based upon a notification, of the two of the wireless communications devices; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the notification to each of the two wireless communication devices in response to the processing of the position location data determining that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other, wherein user demographics of the two wireless communication devices stored in a database indicate that each of the two wireless communication devices is to receive the notification, wherein the notification indicates that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other, wherein the stored user demographics are set by the user selections stored in the database; and

a memory in which is stored the usage and updated user demographics based on the usage,

wherein free wireless service is provided to a first group of users having selections indicating an interest in not screening notifications,

wherein the free wireless service is not provided to a second group of users having selections indicating an interest in screening notifications,

wherein the wireless communication devices are mobile cellular devices, wherein the wireless communication devices are in communication with a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein transactions made relating to the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein position locations of the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored transactions to determine first trends, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored position locations to determine second trends.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the mobile cellular devices are cell phones.

14. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the memory stores the database of user selections to set the user demographics, wherein the one or more processors are coupled to the memory and are configured to access the database of stored user selections to determine whether the database of user selections includes selections of each user of each of the two wireless communication devices indicating that each user of each of the two wireless communication devices is to be notified when the processing of the position location data determines that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other, and wherein the transmitter transmits the notifications to each of the two wireless communication devices only when the database of user selections includes selections of each user of each of the two wireless communication devices indicating that each user of each of the two wireless communication devices is to be notified when the processing of the position location data determines that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other.

15. A method of operating a wireless communication system used with wireless communication devices and a position location system locating respective positions of the wireless communication devices, the wireless communication system communicating with the position location system, said method comprising:

storing, in a memory, a database of user selections and user demographics, wherein the user selections are used to set the stored user demographics, wherein the user demographics associated with the wireless communication devices and stored in the database indicate that each of two of the wireless communication devices is to receive a notification that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other;

receiving position location data from the position location system as the wireless communication devices move, the position location data indicating the respective positions of the wireless communication devices;

processing, by one or more processors, the position location data to determine when the position location data indicates that the two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other and the stored user demographics indicate that each user of each of the two of the wireless communication devices is to be notified that the two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other;

sending notifications to each of the two of the wireless communication devices in response to the processing of the position location data determining that the two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other and the stored user demographics indicate that each user of each of the two of the wireless communication devices is to be notified that the two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other;

tracking usage, based upon the notification, of the two of the wireless communications devices;

storing the usage;

updating the user demographics and the database based on the usage;

providing free wireless service to a first group of users having selections indicating an interest in not screening notifications; and

not providing the free wireless service to a second group of users having selections indicating an interest in screening notifications,

wherein the wireless communication devices are mobile cellular devices, wherein the wireless communication devices are in communication with a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein transactions made relating to the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein position locations of the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored transactions to determine first trends, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored position locations to determine second trends.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mobile cellular devices are cell phones.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the mobile cellular devices are cell phones.

18. A wireless communication system for use with wireless communication devices and a position location system providing position location data indicating respective positions of the wireless communication devices, said wireless communication system comprising:

a processor configured to

receive the position location data from the position location system as the wireless communication devices move,

process the position location data to determine when the position location data indicates that two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other and stored user demographics based on a database of stored user selections indicate that users of each of the two of the wireless communication devices are to be notified when the two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other,

track usage, based upon the notification, of the two of the wireless communications devices,

store the usage, and

update the database and the stored user demographics associated with the two of the wireless communication devices based on the usage; and

a transmitter configured to transmit notifications to each of the two wireless communication devices in response to the processing of the position location data determining that the two wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other and the stored user demographics based on the stored database of user selections indicate that the users of each of the two of the wireless communication devices are to be notified when the two of the wireless communication devices are in proximity to each other,

wherein free wireless service is provided to a first group of users having selections indicating an interest in not screening notifications,

wherein the free wireless service is not provided to a second group of users having selections indicating an interest in screening notifications,

wherein the wireless communication devices are mobile cellular devices, wherein the wireless communication devices are in communication with a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein transactions made relating to the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein position locations of the wireless communication devices are stored, wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored transactions to determine first trends, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to process the stored position locations to determine second trends.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein the mobile cellular devices are cell phones.