Method and apparatus for finding people via a mobile device

• US 8,340,688 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US12/628,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20110130155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455517-519, 455/457, 455/414.1, 455418-420, 455/459
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium and apparatus for finding at least one person are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a subscriber to find at least one person having at least one characteristic predefined by the subscriber, receives a location of the subscriber and finds, via a processor, the at least one person having the at least one characteristic predefined by the subscriber near the location of the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for finding a person, comprising:

receiving, via at least one processor, a request from a subscriber to find the person having a characteristic predefined by the subscriber;

receiving, via the at least one processor, a location of the subscriber;

finding, via the at least one processor, the person having the characteristic predefined by the subscriber within a range of the location of the subscriber if the subscriber is in a list of friends predefined by the person; and

notifying, via the at least one processor, the subscriber that the person was found only if the subscriber is in the list of friends predefined by the person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the subscriber is received via a global positioning system transmitter on a mobile endpoint device of the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is received on a periodic basis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the finding comprises:

identifying different subscribers within the range of the location;

receiving personal information from the different subscribers within the range of the location of the subscriber; and

matching the characteristic predefined by the subscriber with a characteristic in the personal information of one of the different subscribers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the finding is performed within a predefined location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the finding is performed continuously.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a visual display on a mobile endpoint device of the subscriber of where the person is located relative to the location of the subscriber.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for finding a person, comprising:

receiving a request from a subscriber to find the person having a characteristic predefined by the subscriber;

receiving a location of the subscriber;

finding the person having the characteristic predefined by the subscriber within a range of the location of the subscriber if the subscriber is in a list of friends predefined by the person; and

notifying the subscriber that the person was found only if the subscriber is in the list of friends predefined by the person.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the location of the subscriber is received via a global positioning system transmitter on a mobile endpoint device of the subscriber.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the location is received on a periodic basis.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the finding comprises:

identifying different subscribers within the range of the location;

receiving personal information from the different subscribers within the range of the location of the subscriber; and

matching the characteristic predefined by the subscriber with a characteristic in the personal information of one of the different subscribers.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the finding is performed within a predefined location.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the finding is performed continuously.

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

providing a visual display on a mobile endpoint device of the subscriber of where the person is located relative to the location of the subscriber.

15. An apparatus for finding a person, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium in communication with the processor, wherein the computer-readable medium has stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method, comprising

receiving a request from a subscriber to find the person having a characteristic predefined by the subscriber;

receiving a location of the subscriber;

finding the person having the characteristic predefined by the subscriber within a range of the location of the subscriber if the subscriber is in a list of friends predefined by the person; and

notifying the subscriber that the person was found only if the subscriber is in the list of friends predefined by the person.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the location of the subscriber is received via a global positioning system transmitter on a mobile endpoint device of the subscriber.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the location is received on a periodic basis.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the finding comprises:

identifying different subscribers within the range of the location;

receiving personal information from the different subscribers within the range of the location of the subscriber; and

matching the characteristic predefined by the subscriber with a characteristic in the personal information of one of the different subscribers.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the finding is performed within a predefined location.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

providing a visual display on a mobile endpoint device of the subscriber of where the person is located relative to the location of the subscriber.