Client in mobile device for sending and receiving navigational coordinates and notifications

• US 8,588,814 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Original Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Inventors: Jayanthi, Madhavi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERRERA, DIEGO D
• Application Number:
  US12/012,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20090197617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.2, 455/459
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

A first mobile device requests a second mobile device to navigate to a destination communicated to the second mobile device by the first mobile device, wherein at least the second mobile device, if not both the first and the second mobile devices, is GPS enabled and is capable of navigation. In one scenario, a first user of the first mobile device requests the second device (or the user of the second device) to send a notification when the second user has reached a certain destination or is in the vicinity of a certain location where the first user and the first mobile device are currently located.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

global positioning system (GPS) receiver circuitry that, during operation, determines a location of the mobile device;

client software that, during operation, interacts with the GPS receiver circuitry and activates navigation towards a destination;

the client software receiving, from a second mobile device, information identifying the location of the second mobile device as the destination and a request to the client software to navigate to the destination;

the client software accepting the request;

the client software, responsive to receiving the request, automatically navigating to the second mobile device and providing directions to the destination to the user of the mobile device;

the client software automatically sending at least one notification to the second mobile device when the client software determines that the mobile device has moved to within a certain distance of the second mobile device while traveling to the location of the second mobile device;

wherein the mobile device receives a challenge in response to the at least one notification, and in response to the challenge, sends security information and an associated GPS coordinate to the sender of the challenge to enable verification that the mobile device has successfully reached the destination; and

wherein the security information comprises one or more of a digital signature computed and sent, a passcode entered by a corresponding user, coupon information, and a membership identification.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the at least one notification comprises one or more of a proximity message, an arrival message, a failure message and/or a deferred message.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the mobile device and the second mobile device are handheld navigational devices.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the mobile device and the second mobile device are both GPS enabled cellular phone devices.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the request to navigate is accompanied by a specification of the destination, wherein the specification employs one of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, a landmark indicator, and enhanced observed time difference (E-OTD) based location information.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the at least one notification comprises one or more of a graphic image, a textual message and/or an audio message.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the at least one notification is provided by the user, and comprises one or more of a textual message input by a user, a canned textual message selected by the user, a graphic selected by a user and/or an audio input recorded by the user.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 further comprising:

the client software receiving and displaying a response provided by the user of the second mobile device as a reply to the at least one notification sent by the client software.

20. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the at least one notification comprises a message or graphic selected from a plurality of pre-defined messages or graphics according to a distance between the mobile device and the second mobile device.

9. A mobile web system, the mobile web system comprising:

a server communicatively coupled to a first mobile device and to a second mobile device;

the first mobile device and the second mobile device comprising client software that, during operation, interacts with the server;

wherein the client software in the first mobile device, during operation, communicates to the server, a request to navigate to a destination and destination information, wherein the destination information identifies a location;

the server communicating the request and the destination information to the second mobile device;

wherein the client software in the second mobile device, during operation, displays the request and receives a consent to navigate to the location from a user of the second mobile device;

wherein the client software in the second mobile device, during operation, responds to the request from the first mobile device by automatically navigating the user to the destination by providing directions guiding the user to the destination using the destination information;

wherein the client software in the second mobile device, during operation, automatically sends at least one notification to the first mobile device when the client software in the second mobile device determines that the second mobile device has traveled to within a certain distance of the destination;

wherein the server challenges the second mobile device when the server receives the at least one notification, and in response, receives security information and an associated GPS coordinate from the second mobile device and verifies that the second mobile device has successfully reached the destination; and

wherein the security information comprises one or more of a digital signature computed and sent, a passcode entered by a corresponding user, coupon information, and a membership identification.

10. The mobile web system of claim 9 wherein the client software in the second mobile device automatically sends a notification to the first mobile device when the second mobile device is approaching the destination, after the second mobile device has arrived at the destination, and selectively periodically during the navigation to the destination.

11. The mobile web system of claim 9 wherein the client software in the first mobile device and the second mobile device facilitates creation of a trip plan comprising a plurality of waypoints and wherein the server facilitates uploading the trip plan for storage and sharing.

12. The mobile web system of claim 11 wherein the trip plan further comprises digital pictures, audio inputs and textual content corresponding to at least one of the plurality of waypoints.

13. The mobile web system of claim 9 wherein the server is communicatively coupled to three or more mobile devices, the mobile web system further comprising:

the three or more mobile devices;

each of the three or more mobile devices receiving the destination information from the server;

each of the three or more mobile devices sending a notification to the server after navigating to the destination based on the destination information; and

the server verifying that each of the three or more mobile devices has successfully reached the destination.

14. A method of communicating between a first mobile device and a second mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the second mobile device from the first mobile device, a request for a notification and navigational coordinates for a destination;

accepting selectively the request from the first mobile device at the second mobile device and storing the navigational coordinates for the destination;

responsive to the request, automatically activating navigation at the second mobile device to the destination employing the navigational coordinates for the destination;

providing at least one notification to the first mobile device by the second mobile device, when the second mobile device determines that the second mobile device has moved to within a certain distance of the destination while traveling to the destination;

receiving a challenge, at the second mobile device, and in response, sending security information and an associated GPS coordinate from the second mobile device to the sender of the challenge, wherein the sender of the challenge verifies that the second mobile device has successfully reached the destination; and

wherein the security information comprises one or more of a digital signature computed and sent, a passcode entered by a corresponding user, coupon information, and a membership identification.

15. The method of communicating according to claim 14 wherein the at least one notification takes the form of one or more of a textual message, an audio message, and/or a graphic image, and wherein providing the at least one notification comprises one or more of:

offering a first notification when the second mobile device is within a preset distance from the destination;

transferring a second notification after reaching the destination; and

/or

conveying a third notification periodically while navigating towards the destination.

16. The method of communicating according to claim 14 wherein accepting further comprises:

displaying the request to a user and prompting the user to accept the request;

authenticating selectively the first mobile device or a user of the first mobile device; and

noting the user acceptance of the request and continuing with the storing of the navigational coordinates.

17. The method of communicating according to claim 14 wherein providing the at least one notification comprises:

periodically determining how far the second mobile device is from the first mobile device;

conveying a first message to the first mobile device when the second mobile device is within a default distance or a default time away from the first mobile device; and

transferring a second message when the second mobile device has arrived at a location where the first mobile device is also currently located.

18. The method of communicating according to claim 14 wherein:

the navigational coordinates, the request, and a reference to the second mobile device are delivered to a server by the first mobile device, the server communicatively coupled to both the first and second mobile devices;

wherein the navigational coordinates and the request are conveyed to the second mobile device by the server;

wherein the navigational coordinates are based on at least one of a latitude, longitude, and height system, earth centered Cartesian coordinates, earth centered earth fixed, earth centered inertial, and east north up; and

wherein the reference is one of an IP address, a phone number, an account information and a user name.

19. The method of claim 14, comprising:

receiving, at the second mobile device from the first mobile device, a response to the notification.