Providing geographic location information on a telephone device

• US 8,644,847 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• 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): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bush, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US13/249,127
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/457, 4554561-4566, 455/415
• 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 telephone call request to accept a telephone call;

identifying, by the second telephone device and in response to receiving the telephone call request, a social network identifier for the associated first user based on a telephone number for the first telephone device that was received with the telephone call request;

providing, by the second telephone device, a geographic location request to a server system that is distinct from the first and second telephone devices for information that identifies a current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user, wherein the geographic location request includes the social network identifier for the associated first user, wherein the server system is associated with a social network and is configured to provide location information based on received status updates for users including location-based updates for users of the social network;

receiving, at the second telephone device, the information that identifies the current geographic location of the first telephone device or the associated first user from the server system, wherein the information was identified based on one or more recent location-based updates that were received in association with the social network and the first user; and

after receiving the information, using the obtained information to provide a representation of the current geographic location of the first telephone device 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 providing the representation of the current geographic location of the first telephone device comprises displaying a map that depicts, at least, the current geographic location of the first telephone device on a display of the second telephone device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a current geographic location of the second telephone device or a second user associated with the second telephone device; and

determining a level of zoom at which to display the map based on a distance between the current geographic location of the first telephone device and the current geographic location of the second telephone device;

wherein the representation of the current geographic location of the first telephone device is provided on the second telephone device using the determined level of zoom.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the map is displayed on the display of the second telephone device with information that indicates an identity of the first telephone device or the associated first user and with information that prompts the associated second user to accept the telephone call request.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the geographic location request further includes an identifier for the second telephone device or the second user;

the information is received by the second telephone device 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; and

the group of call recipients 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.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the geographic location request further includes an identifier for the second telephone device or the second user;

the information is received by the second telephone device 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; and

the group of call recipients is based on information that identifies one or more acquaintances of the associated second user on a social network.

7. 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.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, 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.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the social network identifier for the first user is identified from information that is stored locally on the second telephone device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

the telephone call request includes information that identifies a telephone number for the first telephone device;

and

the identifying comprises converting the telephone number into the social network identifier for the associated first user based on the telephone number and a telephone contact list that is stored locally on the second telephone device.

11. 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;

identify, in response to receiving the telephone call request, a social network identifier for the associated user based on a telephone number for the telephone device that was received with the telephone call request,

provide a geographic location request to a server system that is distinct from the mobile computing device and telephone device for information that identifies a current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user, wherein the geographic location request includes the social network identifier for the associated user, wherein the server system is associated with a social network and is configured to provide location information based on received status updates for users including location-based updates for users of the social network, and

receive the information that identifies the current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user from the server system, wherein the information was identified based on one or more recent location-based updates that were received in association with the social network and the first user; and

a display to, after receiving the information, use the obtained information to display a representation of the current geographic location of the telephone device on the mobile computing device in association with the telephone call from the telephone device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the social network identifier for the associated user is identified from information that is stored locally on the mobile computing device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the display is further configured to display a map that depicts, at least, the current geographic location of the telephone device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a geographic location module of the mobile computing device to;

identify a current geographic location of the mobile computing device or a user associated with the mobile computing device; and

determine a level of zoom at which to display the map on the display of the mobile computing device based on a distance between the current geographic location of the telephone device and the current geographic location of the mobile computing device;

wherein the representation of the current geographic location of the telephone device is displayed on the display of the mobile computing device using the determined level of zoom.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the map is displayed on the display of the mobile computing device with i) information that indicates an identity of the telephone device or the associated user and ii) information that prompts a user who is associated with the mobile computing device to accept the telephone call request.

16. 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 telephone device having an associated user, a telephone call request to accept a telephone call;

identifying, in response to receiving the telephone call request, a social network identifier for the associated user based on a telephone number for the telephone device that was received with the telephone call request;

providing a geographic location request to a server system for information that identifies a current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user, wherein the geographic location request includes the social network identifier for the associated user, wherein the server system is associated with a social network and is configured to provide location information based on received status updates for users including location-based updates for users of the social network;

receiving the information that identifies the current geographic location of the telephone device or the associated user from the server system, wherein the information was identified based on one or more recent location-based updates that were received in association with the social network and the first user; and

after receiving the information, using the obtained information to provide a representation of the current geographic location of the telephone device in association with the telephone call from the telephone device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the social network identifier for the associated user is identified from information that is locally stored and accessible by the one or more processors.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein providing the representation of the current geographic location of the telephone device comprises displaying a map that depicts, at least, the current geographic location of the telephone device on a display.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the map is displayed on the display with i) information that indicates an identity of the telephone device or the associated user and ii) information that prompts a user who is associated with a computing device that is comprised of the one or more processors to accept the telephone call request.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a current geographic location of a computing device comprised of the one or more processors or a user that is associated with the computing device; and

determining a level of zoom at which to display the map based on a distance between the current geographic location of the telephone device and the current geographic location of the computing device,

wherein the representation of the current geographic location of the telephone device is provided on the display using the determined level of zoom.