System and method for monitoring and disseminating mobile device location information

• US 8,504,077 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wavemarket Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Hodges, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US12/960,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20120142369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 976 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.5, 455/456.1, 342/357.28
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A computer-implemented mobile device locating method is provided. The method includes monitoring a location indication of a mobile device and an indication of precision or accuracy of the location indication. A change in the precision or accuracy of the location indication is identified, and a position of the mobile device is estimated based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified change. A mobile device configured for implementing a mobile device locating method is further provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented mobile device locating method comprising:

monitoring a location indication of a mobile device and an indication of at least one of precision and accuracy of the location indication;

identifying a change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication;

collecting venue dimensional attributes of a plurality of venues; and

estimating a position of the mobile device based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified change, wherein the mobile device position is estimated as within an area defined by the dimensional attributes of at least one of the plurality of venues in response to the at least one of the plurality of venues being positioned a predetermined distance from a coordinate corresponding to the location indication prior to the identified change.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering the estimated position accessible to at least one of a user of the mobile device, an application executed on the mobile device, and a system in communication with the mobile device via a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the change comprises identifying a decrease in a level of the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a direction of travel of the mobile device based on the location indication prior to the identified change; and

estimating the mobile device position as within an area defined by the dimensional attributes of the at least one of the plurality of venues in response to the at least one of the plurality of venues being positioned substantially in the determined direction of travel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an average velocity of the mobile device based on the location indication prior to the identified change; and

determining the predetermined distance from the coordinate corresponding to the location indication prior to the identified change based on the determined average velocity.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering accessible to at least one of a user, an application and a system the estimated position.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the location indication of a mobile device comprises monitoring at least one of a GPS location indication and a location indication based on base transceiver station signals.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an absence of the location indication; and

estimating the position of the mobile device based on the location indication monitored prior to the identified absence.

8. A computer-implemented mobile device locating method comprising:

monitoring a location indication of a mobile device and an indication of at least one of precision and accuracy of the location indication;

identifying a first change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication;

estimating the position of the mobile device in response to the first change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication, wherein the position of the mobile device is estimated based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified first change;

identifying a second change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication;

rendering accessible to at least one of a user, an application and a system at least a portion of the location indication which corresponds to a time period before the first change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy and at least a portion of the location indication which corresponds to a time period after the second change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy; and

rendering accessible to the at least one of the user, the application, and the system the estimated position, wherein the estimated position corresponds to a time period after the first change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy and before the second change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the first change comprises identifying a decrease in a level of the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication, and wherein identifying the second change comprises identifying an increase in the level of the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication.

10. A computer-implemented mobile device locating method comprising:

monitoring a location indication of a mobile device by collecting over a period of time a plurality of location coordinates of the mobile device corresponding to levels of at least one of precision and accuracy;

identifying a change in at least one of precision and accuracy of the location indication by identifying at least one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy different than that of at least a prior in time one of the plurality of coordinates; and

estimating a position of the mobile device based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified change.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying at least one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy less than a defined threshold value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising defining the threshold value based on the level of at least one of precision and accuracy of the at least the prior in time one of the plurality of coordinates.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

estimating the position of the mobile device based on at least a first one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to a first time period prior to the identified change, wherein a second time period after the identified change corresponds to at least a second one of the plurality of coordinates comprising a level of at least one of precision and accuracy less than that of the at least the first one of the plurality of coordinates;

correlating the estimated position with the second time period; and

rendering accessible to at least one of a user, an application, and a system the at least the first one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to the first time period and the estimated position correlated with the second time period.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising estimating the position of the mobile device based on a direction of travel determined from at least two of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to the first time period prior to the identified change.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a first change and a second change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the plurality of coordinates;

estimating the position of the mobile device based on at least a first one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to a first time period prior to the first identified change, wherein a second time period after the first identified change corresponds to at least a second one of the plurality of coordinates comprising a level of at least one of precision and accuracy less than that of the at least the first one of the plurality of coordinates, and wherein a third time period after the second identified change corresponds to at least a third one of the plurality of coordinates comprising a level of at least one of precision and accuracy greater than that of the at least the second one of the plurality of coordinates;

correlating the estimated mobile device position with the second time period; and

rendering accessible to at least one of a user, an application, and a system the at least the first one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to the first time period, the estimated mobile device position correlated with the second time period, and the at least the third one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to the third time period.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying an area in which at least one of;

the plurality of coordinates correspond to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy less than a predetermined threshold value; and

none of the plurality of coordinates are present; and

estimating the position of the mobile device as within the identified area.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying an absence of the location indication; and

estimating the position of the mobile device based on the location indication monitored prior to the identified absence.

18. A computer-implemented mobile device locating method comprising:

collecting over a period of time a plurality of location coordinates of a mobile device corresponding to levels of at least one of precision and accuracy;

identifying a time instance at which at least one of the plurality of coordinates corresponds to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy less than a defined threshold value or at which a location coordinate is unavailable;

collecting venue dimensional attributes of at least one venue;

estimating the mobile device position as within an area defined by the dimensional attributes of the at least one venue in response to at least one of the plurality of location coordinates corresponding to a time period prior to the identified time instance being positioned a predetermined distance from the at least one venue; and

rendering the estimated mobile device position accessible to at least one of a user of the mobile device, an application executed on the mobile device, and a system in communication with the mobile device via a network.

20. A computer-implemented mobile device locating method comprising:

monitoring a location indication of a mobile device by collecting a plurality of location coordinates corresponding to levels of at least one of precision and accuracy greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value;

identifying a change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication to a value less than the predetermined threshold value;

estimating a position of the mobile device based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified change; and

providing instructions to a user of the mobile device indicating a direction of travel to at least one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to the level of at least one of precision and accuracy greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value in response to identifying a change in the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication to a value less than the predetermined threshold value.

21. A computer-implemented mobile device locating method comprising:

monitoring location indications of a plurality of mobile devices and at least one of precision and accuracy of the location indications of the plurality of mobile devices;

identifying an area in which at least one of;

the location indications of the plurality of mobile devices correspond to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy less than a predetermined threshold value; and

location indications are absent;

identifying at least one of a decrease in a level of the at least one of the precision and the accuracy of the location indication and an absence of the location indication of a particular mobile device; and

estimating the position of the particular mobile device as within the identified area based on the location indication of the particular mobile device as monitored prior to at the least one of the identified decrease and identified absence.

22. A mobile device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising instructions operable to enable the at least one processor to perform a procedure comprising:

monitoring a location indication of a mobile device by collecting over a period of time a plurality of location coordinates of the mobile device corresponding to levels of at least one of precision and accuracy;

identifying a change in at least one of precision and accuracy of the location indication by identifying at least one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy different than that of at least a prior in time one of the plurality of coordinates; and

estimating a position of the mobile device based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified change.

23. Non-transitory computer-readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computing device to implement a method, the computing device being capable of interfacing with a communications network, the method comprising:

monitoring a location indication of a mobile device by collecting over a period of time a plurality of location coordinates of the mobile device corresponding to levels of at least one of precision and accuracy;

identifying a change in at least one of precision and accuracy of the location indication by identifying at least one of the plurality of coordinates corresponding to a level of at least one of precision and accuracy different than that of at least a prior in time one of the plurality of coordinates; and

estimating a position of the mobile device based on the location indication as monitored prior to the identified change.