Method and system for locating and communicating with a user of a wireless communication device

• US 8,368,546 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: TV - Tether LLC
• Inventors: Fong, Gordon D., Sullivan, C. Bart, Perez, Cuauhtemoc
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/083,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20110269480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 668 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.4, 340/539.13, 340/539.15, 340/539.21, 340/539.23, 340/573.1, 340/573.3, 455/421, 455/134, 455/457
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0266 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact distance between parent and child or surveyor and item
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

Users are located to determine if the user is within, or has departed from, at least one bounded area established about a geographic location. The bounded area may be defined by setting one or more distance boundaries from the geographic location. A base station may monitor the location of a wireless device in proximity of the user. If the wireless device departs from a bounded area, a message containing information configured to be understandable and convey meaning to the user and/or a third-party is sent to the wireless device and/or the third-party. For example, the message may be configured to communicate to the user and/or third-party information pertaining to the departure from the bounded area, location information, navigation directions, instructions, etc. The message sent may include text and/or other symbols.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a wireless boundary, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless communication channel between a wireless communication device and a wireless communication network, wherein the wireless communication channel is used to transmit messages to a user of the wireless communication device;

receiving data defining a region having a boundary, wherein the region and the boundary thereof are associated with the wireless communication device;

receiving at least one message parameter associated with the wireless communication device and the region;

receiving data pertaining to the location of the wireless communication device;

analyzing the data to determine the location of the wireless communication device with respect to the region and the boundary; and

in response to the location of the wireless communication device being outside the geographic region and beyond the boundary, transmitting a message containing at least the message parameter to the wireless communication device and transmitting a second message containing at least the message parameter to at least one other person connected to the communication network, wherein the message is configured to enable the user and the at least one other person to determine from the message that the user has left the geographic region and how to respond.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication network comprises a wireless cellular network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location comprises determining the location of the wireless communication device in response to a time schedule.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message parameter comprises instructions from the at least one other person to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the instructions comprises navigation directions.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the instructions comprises information on responding to leaving the geographic region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises at least one boundary alert.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message parameter comprises information conveyed using images, symbols, sound, vibration, light, and combinations thereof.

9. A method of establishing at least one wireless boundary about a geographic location, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection over a cellular network between a messaging system connected to the cellular network, and a cellular telephone associated with a user, wherein the cellular telephone is configured to facilitate communication between the user of the cellular phone, the messaging system, and at least one other user of the cellular network;

receiving data pertaining to the geographic location of the cellular telephone;

receiving data having informational content pertaining to a geographic region associated with the user;

analyzing the data to determine whether the cellular telephone phone is within a geographic region; and

in response to the cellular telephone and user departing from the geographic region, transmitting an alert from the messaging system to the user through the cellular telephone and to at least the one other user, wherein the alert contains at least some information pertaining to the user departing from the geographic region, wherein the alert is configured to convey a message interpretable by the user in a manner that enables the user to understand that the user has left the geographic region and how to respond.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the alert comprises intellectually meaningful instructions understandable by both the user and the at least one other user such that user and the at least one other user can interpret from the alert that the user has departed from the geographic region and how to respond.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the alert comprises instructions that explicitly informs the user on how to respond to the user departing from the geographic region.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the alert comprises information that implicitly informs the user on how to respond to the user departing from the geographic region.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the alert comprises a text message.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the alert comprises instructions conveyed using at least one of symbols, sound, vibration, light, and combinations thereof.

15. A computer-readable medium storing a set of code modules which when executed by a processor of a computer system cause the processor to establish a wireless boundary, the computer-readable medium comprising:

code for establishing a wireless connection over a cellular network between a messaging system connected to the cellular network, and a cellular telephone associated with a user, wherein the cellular telephone is configured to facilitate communication between the user of the cellular phone, the messaging system, and at least one other user of the cellular network;

code for receiving data pertaining to the geographic location of the cellular telephone;

code for receiving data having informational content pertaining to a geographic region associated with the user;

code for analyzing the data to determine whether the cellular telephone phone is within a geographic region; and

in response to the cellular telephone departing from the geographic region, code for transmitting an alert from the messaging system to the user through the cellular telephone and to at least the one other user, wherein the alert contains at least some information pertaining to the user departing from the geographic region, wherein the alert is configured to convey a message interpretable by the user in a manner that enables the user to understand that the user has left the geographic region and how to respond.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the alert comprises intellectually meaningful instructions understandable by both the user and the at least one other user such that user can interpret from the alert that the user has departed from the geographic region and how to respond.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the alert comprises information that explicitly informs the user on how to respond to the user departing from the geographic region.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the alert comprises information that implicitly informs the user on how to respond to the user departing from the geographic region.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising after a predetermined time has elapsed after departing from the geographic region, code for providing further instructions to the user.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the alert comprises instructions conveyed using at least one of symbols, sound, vibration, light, and combinations thereof.