Global positioning system (GPS)-based communication filter

• US 8,351,971 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Spjuth, Par
• Primary Examiner(s): BALAOING, ARIEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/540,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20110009127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/456.1, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A device includes a memory to store a plurality of instructions and a processor to execute instructions in the memory to determine a location of a mobile communication device, determine a direction of movement of the mobile communication device, identify other mobile communication devices within a particular distance of the mobile communication device, identify other mobile communication devices moving in a particular direction with respect to the mobile communication device, and store, in the memory, a list of the identified other mobile communication devices.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

processing logic configured to;

determine a location of a mobile communication device,

determine a direction of movement of the mobile communication device,

identify at least one other mobile communication device located within a particular distance of the mobile communication device and that is moving in a particular direction with respect to the mobile communication device,

receive a message from the mobile communication device,

receive information identifying a vehicle associated with the mobile communication device,

send the message from the mobile communication device to the at least one other mobile communication device, wherein the message includes the received information identifying the vehicle associated with the mobile communication device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is included within the mobile communication device.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and wherein the processing logic is further configured to determine the location of the mobile communication device using information obtained from the GPS receiver.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the processing logic is further configured to determine the direction of movement of the mobile communication device using information obtained from the GPS receiver.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the computing device includes a server device remote from the mobile communication device, and wherein the server device communicates with the mobile communication device via, a communications network.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the processing logic is further configured to determine the location of the mobile communication device using at least one of:

information received by a GPS receiver,

information received from a sensor located within the mobile communication device,

information received from a base station associated with the mobile communication device,

information inputted by a user of the mobile communication device,

information received from sensors associated with the location of mobile communication device, or

previously stored location information.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to send and receive messages to the at least one other mobile communication device.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device and the at least one other mobile communication device are associated with a same push to talk over cellular group.

9. A method performed by a device that includes a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

determining, by the processor, a location of a mobile communication device;

device;

determining, by the processor, a direction of movement of the mobile communication

identifying, by the processor, at least one other mobile communication device located within a particular distance of the determined location and associated with a particular direction of movement in relation to the determined direction of movement;

receiving, by the processor, a message from the mobile communication device;

receiving, by the processor, information identifying a vehicle associated with the mobile communication device; and

sending, by the processor, the message from the mobile communication device to the at least one other mobile communication device, wherein the message includes the received information identifying the vehicle associated with the mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a message from the at least one other mobile communication device; and

sending the message from the at least one other mobile communication device to the mobile communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a vehicle associated with the at least one other mobile communication device; and

providing the received information, via the message received from the at least one other mobile communication device, to the mobile communication device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the location of the mobile communication device is determined based on information obtained from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver associated with the mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the direction of movement of the mobile communication device includes a direction vector, and wherein the particular direction of movement is determined based on a difference in an angle between the direction vector of the mobile communication device and a direction vector associated with the at least one other mobile communication device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one other mobile communication device includes selecting all other mobile communication devices that are moving in substantially a same direction as the mobile communication device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one other mobile communication device includes selecting all other mobile communication devices that are moving in substantially an opposite direction from the mobile communication device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one other mobile communication device includes determining a location of the at least one other mobile communication device based on at least one of:

information received by a GPS receiver,

information received from a sensor located within the at least one other mobile communication device,

information received from a base station associated with the at least one other mobile communication device,

information inputted by a user of the at least one other mobile communication device,

information received from sensors associated with the location of at least one other mobile communication device, or

previously stored location information associated with the at least one other mobile communication device.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one other mobile communication device includes determining a direction associated with the at least one other mobile communication device based on at least one of:

location information received at two different points in time;

information received from a sensor located within the at least one other mobile communication device;

information inputted by a user of the at least one other mobile communication device;

information received from a sensor associated with a location of the at least one other mobile communication device;

or

previously stored direction of movement information associated with the at least one other mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one other mobile communication device includes:

selecting the at least one other mobile communication device based on the at least one other mobile communication device being associated with a same vehicle type as the mobile communication device.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the at least one other mobile communication device includes:

selecting the at least one other mobile communication device based on the at least one other mobile communication device being associated with a same road as the mobile communication device.

18. A system comprising:

means for determining a location of a mobile communication device based on information obtained by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver associated with the mobile communication device;

means for determining a direction of movement of the mobile communication device;

means for identifying other mobile communication devices that are within a particular distance of the mobile communication device;

means for selecting ones of the identified other mobile communication devices that are moving in substantially the same direction as the mobile communication device;

means for receiving a message from the mobile communication device;

means for receiving information identifying a vehicle associated with the mobile communication device; and

means for providing the message to the selected ones of the other mobile communication devices, wherein the message includes at least some of the received information identifying the vehicle associated with the mobile communication device.