Providing geographic location information on a telephone device

• US 8,374,628 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2010
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelissen, Marco, Tuttle, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bush, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US12/943,505
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• 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 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, from a first telephone device and at a second telephone device, a request to accept a telephone call. The method further includes obtaining information that indicates a first current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user based on the second telephone device or an associated second user being a member of a group of call recipients that are permitted to receive the information that indicates the first current geographic location. The method additionally includes, using the obtained information, providing a representation of the first current geographic location of the first telephone device on the second telephone device in association with the telephone call from the first telephone device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a first telephone device having an associated first user, and at a second telephone device having an associated second user, a request to accept a telephone call;

obtaining information that indicates a current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user based on the second telephone device or the associated second user being a member of a group of call recipients that are permitted to receive the information that indicates the current geographic location of the first telephone device;

obtaining information that indicates a current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user;

determining a distance between i) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user, and ii) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user;

determining, based on a comparison of the distance with a threshold distance, whether to display i) text to identify the current geographic location of the first telephone device in association with the telephone call or ii) a map to identify the current geographic location of the first telephone device in association with the telephone call, wherein the second telephone device is determined to display the map when the distance is a threshold distance or less, and the second telephone device is determined to display the text when the distance is greater than the threshold distance; and

displaying, based on the determining, the text or the map on the second telephone device in association with the telephone call from the first telephone device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the information comprises receiving the information from the first telephone device through a network in conjunction with the telephone call request.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the information comprises:

requesting, by the second telephone device, the information from a server system that is remote from the first and second telephone devices; and

receiving the information from the server system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the server system comprises a mobile telephone server system that is configured to maintain and provide information that indicates geographic locations of mobile telephone devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the server system hosts a social network that is configured to receive updates from users regarding activities;

wherein requesting the information from the server system includes providing, by the second telephone device, the server system with a social network identifier for a first user associated with the first telephone device; and

wherein the information that indicates the current geographic location of the first telephone device is identified from activity updates received by the server system in association with the first user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map depicts, at least, the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user, and is displayed on a display of the second telephone device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a level of zoom at which to display the map based on the distance between i) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user, and ii) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user;

wherein the map depicts the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user on the second telephone device using the determined level of zoom.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map is displayed on a display of the second telephone device with i) information that indicates an identity of the first telephone device or the associated first user and ii) information that comprises a prompt to accept or decline the telephone call request.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the group of callers is based on a telephone contact list stored by the second telephone device, or stored remotely in association with the second telephone device or the associated second user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the group of callers is based on information that identifies one or more acquaintances of the associated second user on a social network.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first telephone device or the associated first user is a member of a group of callers for whom the second telephone device is configured to display a geographic location;

wherein the information indicating the current geographic location is obtained in response to determining that the first telephone device or the associated first user is a member of the group of callers.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to determining that the first telephone device or the associated first user is not a member of the group of callers, identifying a geographic location associated with a telephone number from which the telephone call request is received by the second telephone device;

providing a representation of the identified geographic location on the second telephone device in association with the telephone call from the first telephone device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map depicts i) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user, ii) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user, and iii) a route for travelling between a) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user and b) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the text to describe the current location of the first telephone device with a level of detail that is determined based on the distance between i) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user and ii) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user; and

wherein the level of detail is determined to be greater for a first, shorter distance than for a second, longer distance.

15. A mobile computing device comprising:

an interface to receive, from a telephone device having an associated user, a telephone call request to accept a telephone call;

a caller information unit to obtain information that indicates a current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user based on the mobile computing device or a user of the mobile computing device being a member of a group of call recipients that are permitted to receive the information that indicates the current geographic location of the telephone device;

a geographic location module to;

obtain information that indicates a current geographic location of the mobile computing device or the user of the mobile computing device,

determine a distance between i) the current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user and ii) the current geographic location of the mobile computing device or the user of the mobile computing device, and

determine, based on a comparison of the distance with a threshold distance, whether to display i) text to identify the current geographic location of the first telephone device in association with the telephone call or ii) a map to identify the current geographic location of the first telephone device in association with the telephone call, wherein the second telephone device is determined to display the map when the distance is a threshold distance or less, and the second telephone device is determined to display the text when the distance is greater than the threshold distance; and

a display to display, based on the determination by the geographic location module, the text or the map on the mobile computing device in association with the telephone call from the telephone device.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the map is displayed on the display of the second telephone device with i) information that indicates an identity of the first telephone device or the associated first user and ii) information that comprises a prompt to accept or decline the telephone call request.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the map depicts i) the current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user, ii) the current geographic location of the mobile computing device or the user of the mobile computing device, and iii) a route for travelling between a) the current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user and b) the current geographic location of the mobile computing device or the user of the mobile computing device.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein

the text is generated to describe the current location of the telephone device with a level of detail that is determined based on the distance between i) the current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user and ii) the current geographic location of the mobile computing device or the user of the mobile computing device;

and

the level of detail is determined to be greater for a first, shorter distance than for a second, longer distance.

19. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first telephone device having an associated first user, and at a second telephone device having an associated second user, a request to accept a telephone call;

obtaining information that indicates a current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user based on the second telephone device or the associated second user being a member of a group of call recipients that are permitted to receive the information that indicates the current geographic location of the first telephone device;

obtaining information that indicates a current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user;

determining a distance between i) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user, and ii) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user;

determining, based on a comparison of the distance with a threshold distance, whether to display i) text to identify the current geographic location of the first telephone device in association with the telephone call or ii) a map to identify the current geographic location of the first telephone device in association with the telephone call, wherein the second telephone device is determined to display the map when the distance is a threshold distance or less, and the second telephone device is determined to display the text when the distance is greater than the threshold distance; and

displaying, based on the determining, the text or the map on the second telephone device in association with the telephone call from the first telephone device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating the text to describe the current location of the first telephone device with a level of detail that is determined based on the distance between i) the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user and ii) the current geographic location of the second telephone device or the associated second user; and

wherein the level of detail is determined to be greater for a first, shorter distance than for a second, longer distance.