System and method for determining locations to be stored in a location database

• US 8,655,375 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Service Corporation (Curtiss-Wright Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Service Corporation (Curtiss-Wright Corporation)
• Inventors: Aceves, Ralph, Fernandez, Sergio A., Figueroa, Carolina Tamayo
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bush, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US13/360,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20120122481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 340/431, 340/432, 340/433, 340/444, 340/463, 340/988, 340/989, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 342/116, 342/200, 342/207, 342/113, 342/114, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 702/149, 702/150
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A present location of a user is periodically determined. The present location of the user is compared to a previous location of the user. A determination is made as to whether the present location is within a specified distance of the previous location. If the present location is within the specified distance of the previous location, a determination is made as to whether the user has been at the present location for a specified time period. If the user has been at the present location for the specified time period, the present location is stored in a location database.

Claims

1. A method for determining locations to be stored in a location database, comprising:

at a mobile device,

periodically determining a present location of a user, the present location being one of an interesting location and an uninteresting location;

comparing the present location of the user to a previous location of the user;

determining whether the present location is within a specified distance of the previous location;

in accordance with a determination that the present location is within the specified distance of the previous location;

determining whether the user has been at the present location for a specified time period; and

in accordance with a determination that the user has been at the present location for the specified time period, storing the present location in a location database;

in accordance with a determination that the present location is beyond the specified distance of the previous location;

determining whether the previous location that the user is leaving is an interesting location, wherein an interesting location includes locations that have been visited by one or more users of a plurality of users a specified number of times, wherein the plurality of users includes the user of the mobile device;

in accordance with a determination that the previous location that the user is leaving is an interesting location, recording a route that the user travels from the previous location that the user is leaving to another interesting location; and

in accordance with a determination that the previous location is an uninteresting location, not recording a route that the user travels from the previous location until an interesting location is reached.

2. The method of claim 1, including storing the times during which the user is at the present location.

3. The method of claim 2, including inferring, based on locations of the user and the times of the day that the user was at each location, one selected from the group consisting of:

a home of the user;

a workplace of the user; and

any combination of the aforementioned locations.

4. The method of claim 3, including inferring a commute route based on the route the user travels between the home and the workplace.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the present location is not within the specified distance of the previous location, the method includes determining that the user has left the previous location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified distance dynamically varies based on one selected from the group consisting of:

the speed at which the user is moving;

the type of location; and

any combination of the aforementioned factors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified time period dynamically varies based on one selected from the group consisting of:

the day of week;

the remaining power of the mobile device;

whether the present location exists in the location database; and

any combination of the aforementioned factors.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically determining the present location of the user includes periodically determining the present location of the user using one selected from the group consisting of:

a satellite positioning system (GPS);

a cellular tower positioning system;

a Wi-Fi positioning system; and

any combination of the aforementioned positioning systems.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the present location of the user is determined at a period that is determined based on one selected from the group consisting of:

the remaining power of the mobile device;

the speed at which the user is moving;

the type of location; and

any combination of the aforementioned factors.

10. The method of claim 1, including:

determining the number of times that the user has visited the present location;

determining whether the number of times that the user has visited the present location exceeds a threshold; and

if the number of times that the user has visited the present location exceeds the threshold, determining a type of the present location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a type of the present location includes one selected from the group consisting of:

querying a database that includes a plurality of locations associated with types;

querying the user to provide a type of the present location;

querying a service operator to provide a type of the present location; and

any combination of the aforementioned operations.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the route that the user travels from the previous location that the user is leaving to another interesting location includes:

determining whether the user has stopped moving;

if the user has stopped moving,

determining whether the user has stopped at an interesting location; and

if the user has stopped at an interesting location, recording the route that the user traveled from the previous location to the interesting location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether the user has stopped moving includes determining whether the user has stopped moving for a specified time period.

14. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions to;

periodically determine a present location of a user, the present location being one of an interesting location and an uninteresting location;

compare the present location of the user to a previous location of the user;

determine whether the present location is within a specified distance of the previous location;

in accordance with a determination that the present location is within the specified distance of the previous location;

determine whether the user has been at the present location for a specified time period; and

in accordance with a determination that the user has been at the present location for the specified time period, store the present location in a location database;

in accordance with a determination that the present location is beyond the specified distance of the previous location,

determine whether the previous location that the user is leaving is an interesting location, wherein an interesting location includes locations that have been visited by one or more users of a plurality of users a specified number of times, wherein the plurality of users includes the user of the mobile device;

in accordance with a determination that the previous location that the user is leaving is an interesting location, record a route that the user travels from the previous location that the user is leaving to another interesting location; and

in accordance with a determination that the previous location is an uninteresting location, not recording a route that the user travels from the previous location until an interesting location is reached.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a computer, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:

periodically determine a present location of a user, the present location being one of an interesting location and an uninteresting location;

compare the present location of the user to a previous location of the user;

determine whether the present location is within a specified distance of the previous location;

in accordance with a determination that the present location is within the specified distance of the previous location;

determine whether the user has been at the present location for a specified time period; and

in accordance with a determination that the user has been at the present location for the specified time period, store the present location in a location database;

in accordance with a determination that the present location is beyond the specified distance of the previous location,

determine whether the previous location that the user is leaving is an interesting location, wherein an interesting location includes locations that have been visited by one or more users of a plurality of users a specified number of times, wherein the plurality of users includes the user of the mobile device;

in accordance with a determination that the previous location that the user is leaving is an interesting location, record a route that the user travels from the previous location that the user is leaving to another interesting location; and

in accordance with a determination that the previous location is an uninteresting location, not recording a route that the user travels from the previous location until an interesting location is reached.