Mobile device alert generation system and method

• US 8,725,174 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wavemarket Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Grossman, Joel, Bernstein, Jacqueline Allison, Ozer, Mitchell Scott, Hodges, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US13/087,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20120100866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for providing an alert regarding mobile device location is provided. The method includes obtaining location data corresponding to locations of a mobile device over a period of time. A location pattern is determined based on the location data. The current location of the mobile device is detected at a time based on the determined pattern, and an alert is provided regarding the current location of the mobile device. A system for providing alerts regarding mobile device location is also provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing an alert regarding mobile device location, the method comprising:

obtaining location data corresponding to locations of a plurality of mobile device users over a period of time;

obtaining identifying information corresponding to the plurality of mobile device users and a particular mobile device user;

comparing the identifying information of the plurality of mobile device users with the identifying information of the particular mobile device user;

determining a location pattern of the plurality of mobile device users based on the location data in response to the identifying information of the plurality of mobile device users corresponding to the identifying information of the particular user;

detecting a current location of the particular mobile device user; and

providing an alert based on the current location of the particular mobile device user and the determined location pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular mobile device user corresponds to a first user, and wherein providing the alert comprises rendering the current location accessible to a second user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a suggestion that an alert be generated;

obtaining an acceptance of the suggestion; and

detecting the current location and alerting the user to the current location in response to obtaining the acceptance of the suggestion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the alert to at least one of a local application and a remote application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining via a network the identifying information from a system executing a social networking application configured to retrieve the identifying information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location pattern comprises determining the plurality of users are at a particular location during a particular time period of a day for a predetermined number of days.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the alert in response to the current location of the particular mobile device being at the particular location during the particular time period of the day.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the alert in response to the current location of the particular mobile device being a predetermined distance from the particular location during the particular time period of the day for a predetermined number of days.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

suggesting the particular mobile device user receive the alert;

obtaining an acceptance of the suggestion from the particular mobile device user; and

detecting the current location and providing the alert in response to obtaining the acceptance of the suggestion.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the alert to another user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a suggestion to another user to provide the alert to the another user;

obtaining an acceptance of the suggestion from the other user; and

detecting the current location and providing the alert to the other user in response to obtaining the acceptance of the suggestion.

12. A computer-implemented method for providing an alert regarding mobile device location, the method comprising:

obtaining location data corresponding to locations of a plurality of mobile device users over a period of time;

obtaining identifying information corresponding to the plurality of mobile device users and a particular mobile device user;

comparing the identifying information of the plurality of mobile device users with the identifying information of the particular mobile device user;

determining a location pattern of the plurality of mobile device users based on the location data in response to the identifying information of the plurality of mobile device users not corresponding to the identifying information of the particular user;

detecting a current location of the particular mobile device user; and

providing an alert based on the current location of the particular mobile device user and the determined location pattern.

13. A computer-implemented method for providing an alert regarding mobile device location, the method comprising:

obtaining location data corresponding to locations of a plurality of mobile device users over time;

obtaining location data corresponding to locations of a particular mobile device user over time;

determining a location pattern of the plurality of mobile device users based on the location data;

obtaining an event schedule specifying types of events corresponding to at least one venue;

determining event preferences of the plurality of mobile device users and the particular mobile device user by determining types of events attended by the plurality of mobile device users and the types of events attended by the particular mobile device user based on the location data and the event schedule;

comparing an event preference of the plurality of mobile device users with an event preference of the particular mobile device user;

detecting a current location of the particular mobile device user; and

providing an alert based on the current location of the particular mobile device user, the determined location pattern, and the comparison.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the alert as a recommendation that the particular mobile device user be present at a particular location corresponding to or a predetermined distance from the current location in response to the event preference of the particular mobile device user substantially matching the event preference of the plurality of mobile device users.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the alert as a recommendation that the particular mobile device user not be present at a particular location corresponding to or a predetermined distance from the current location in response to the event preference of the particular mobile device user substantially not matching the event preference of the plurality of mobile device users.

16. A system for providing an alert regarding mobile device location comprising at least one computing device including at least one memory comprising instructions operable to enable the at least one computing device to perform a procedure comprising:

obtaining location data corresponding to locations of a plurality of mobile device users over a period of time;

obtaining identifying information corresponding to the plurality of mobile device users and a particular mobile device user;

comparing the identifying information of the plurality of mobile device users with the identifying information of the particular mobile device user;

determining a location pattern of the plurality of mobile device users based on the location data in response to the identifying information of the plurality of mobile device users corresponding to the identifying information of the particular user;

detecting a current location of the particular mobile device user; and

providing an alert based on the current location of the particular mobile device user and the determined location pattern.