Dynamic elements on a map within a mobile device, such as elements that facilitate communication between users

• US 8,750,906 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Winkler, David, Meyerson, Randy, Carrigan, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US12/390,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20100216491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455418-420, 4554561-457, 455/466, 455/518, 455/519, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/566, 701/200, 701/201, 701/211, 701/212, 340988-990, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.15
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance 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 system and method for providing information on a map displayed by a mobile device is described. In some examples, the system facilitates user control of map elements, such as dynamically changing map elements based on events that occur at a user'"'"'s mobile device or at locations associated with the map elements. In some examples, the system enables communication between users via map elements.

Claims

1. A system for displaying information on a map via a display screen of a mobile device, the system comprising:

a mobile device including a map application, wherein the map application is configured to;

display a map, a zone of color over a portion of the map, and one or more user selectable map elements via a screen of the mobile device based on instructions received from a server,

wherein the zone of color is indicative of a concentration of people within a geographic region who are associated with a user of the mobile device;

wherein at least one of the one or more user selectable map elements is associated with two or more people, and

wherein the mobile device has access to contact information for the two or more people;

display a communication interface featuring a communication option via a screen of the mobile device permitting the user to select the communication option upon user selection of the at least one map element associated with each of the two or more people; and

initiate a communication with each of the two or more people based upon user selection of the communication option,

wherein the communication with the two or more people is initiated upon user selection of the communication option, and using the contact information for the two or more people; and

a server accessible via a telecommunications network, wherein the server includes;

a location determination component, wherein the location determination component is configured to identify a location for the mobile device;

a mapping component, wherein the mapping component is configured to associate the location for the mobile device with the map, the zone of color over the portion of the map, and the one or more map elements; and

a communication component, wherein the communication component is configured to send instructions to present the map and the one or more map elements placed on the presented maps to the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication option includes one of:

a voice call option, a video call option, an e-mail option, an SMS message option, a MMS message option, an instant message option, a reply to a posting option, or a friend request option.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user selection of the map element includes touching an icon representing the map element on a touch sensitive display of the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further includes:

an event detection component, wherein the event detection component is configured to detect an occurrence of an event associated with an element and instruct the mapping component to provide instructions to the mobile device based on the event.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the occurrence of an event includes movement of the mobile device from a first location to a second location proximate to a map element.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to receive data from the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 6, where the received data includes location data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server includes two or more associated servers.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the contact information for the two or more people is stored in a network address book of the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more user selectable map elements includes a picture associated with at least one of the two or more people.

11. A method for providing communications between users of mobile devices, the method comprising:

receiving input, at a network server, from a map application running on a first mobile device and located within a network containing the network server, wherein the received input includes;

input identifying a desired location of a map element to be placed on a map displayed by the map application; and

input identifying content to be provided with the map element;

generating, at the network server, a map element based on the received input;

transmitting instructions to a second mobile device and a third mobile device to cause a map application running on each of the second mobile device and third mobile device to display a map and the map element;

receiving input, at the network server, from one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device, wherein the input is received at the displayed map element on the map and includes content to be added to the map element;

transmitting instructions to the third mobile device and whichever of the first mobile device and second mobile device the network server did not receive the input from to cause the map applications running on the third mobile device and whichever of the first mobile device and second mobile device the network server did not receive the input from to display the map element, wherein displaying the map element includes displaying the content received from the one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device,

wherein at least one of the map application running on the first mobile device, the map application running on the second mobile device, and the map application running on the third mobile device displays the map element within a zone of color over a portion of the map, and

wherein the zone of color is indicative of a concentration of people within a geographic region who are associated with a user of the first mobile device when the zone of color is displayed on the first mobile device, the zone of color is indicative of a concentration of people within a geographic region who are associated with a user of the second mobile device when the zone of color is displayed on the second mobile device, and the zone of color is indicative of a concentration of people within a geographic region who are associated with a user of the third mobile device when the zone of color is displayed on the third mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the map element includes:

generating an icon associated with the location on the map; and

generating a text balloon associated with the icon that receives the content to be added to the map element and presents the content to the first, second, and third mobile devices.

13. A method for providing communications between users of mobile devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server associated with a first mobile device, user input selecting a location and map element to be placed at the selected location from the first mobile device;

transmitting instructions to cause a second mobile device and a third mobile device to generate and display a map element on a map presented by the second mobile device and a map presented by the third mobile device, respectively, along with an icon associated with a synchronous communication session between the first mobile device, the second mobile device, and the third mobile device,

wherein a zone of color is displayed over a portion of the map presented by the second mobile device,

wherein the zone of color is indicative of a concentration of people within a geographic region who are associated with a user of the second mobile device; and

upon receiving, at the server, an indication of a selection of the icon from the second mobile device or third mobile device, initiating a synchronous communication session associated with the icon, wherein the communication session is between the first mobile device, the second mobile device, and the third mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the icon is associated with communications using one of an instant messaging application, a voice conference application, a video conference application, or a text messaging application.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein information associated with the first mobile device, information associated with the second mobile device, and information associated with the third mobile device are stored with a network address book stored at the server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein information associated with the first mobile device and information associated with the third mobile device is stored in a contact list associated with the second mobile device.

17. A method for displaying a map element on a display screen of a first mobile device, the method comprising:

displaying a map via a screen on a first mobile device associated with a telecommunications network;

displaying a map element at a location on the displayed map; and

modifying the displayed map element based on an occurrence of an event at a second mobile device associated with the telecommunications network,

wherein a selection of the map element may initiate a communication session among the first mobile device, the second mobile device, and a third mobile device,

wherein a user of the third mobile device and a user of the first mobile device have a connection with one another,

wherein the user of the second mobile device and the user of the first mobile device have a connection with one another, and

wherein the first mobile device has access, via a network address book, to contact information associated with the second mobile device and the third mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the displayed map element includes changing a color of the map element when one of the second mobile device or the third mobile device arrives at a location associated with the displayed map element.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the displayed map element includes changing an icon associated with the map element when two or more mobile devices arrive at a location associated with the displayed map element.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the displayed map element includes changing content displayed by the map element when input is received at the second mobile device or third mobile device via a display of the map element at the first mobile device.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the displayed map element includes displaying a zone of color over a portion of the map based on a number of map elements within the portion of the map.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the displayed map element includes displaying a detailed view of a portion of a map based on input received at the first mobile device.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the displayed map element includes displaying a detailed view of a portion of a map based on a detected location of the first mobile device with respect to the map element.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein an occurrence of an event at the second mobile device includes a detection of a location of the second mobile device.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein an occurrence of an event at the second mobile device includes a detection of input associated with one of the map elements received at the second mobile device.

26. A system for displaying a map element to a user via a display screen of a mobile device, the system comprising:

means for receiving input from a first user via a map application running on a first mobile device associated with the first user, wherein the received input includes;

input identifying a desired location of a map element to be placed on a map displayed by the map application; and

input identifying content to be provided with the map element;

means for generating a map element based on the received input;

means for displaying the map element to a second user on a map via a map application running on a second mobile device associated with the second user;

means for displaying the map element to a third user on a map via a map application running on a third mobile device associated with the third user;

means for receiving input at the displayed map element on the map via the map application running on the second mobile device;

wherein the received input includes content to be added to the map element; and

means for displaying the map element to the first user on the map via the map application running on the first mobile device and to the third user on the map via the map application running on the third mobile device;

wherein displaying the map element includes displaying the content received from the first mobile device along with the content received from the second mobile device,

wherein a zone of color is displayed over a portion of the map, and

wherein the zone of color is indicative of a concentration of people within a geographic region who are associated with the first user.

27. A system for displaying information on a map via a display screen of a mobile device, the system comprising:

three or more mobile devices located within a user-selected, private group of mobile devices within a telecommunications network, wherein the three or more mobile devices each include a map application, wherein the map application is configured to;

display a map via a screen within the mobile devices;

display map elements at locations on the displayed maps;

modify the displayed elements based on instructions received from a server located within the telecommunications network;

receive a selection of a map element; and

initiate, upon the selection of the map element, a communication session among at least three of the three or more members of the private group of mobile devices; and

a content server located within the telecommunications network, wherein the content server includes;

a mapping component, wherein the mapping component is configured to provide instructions to the three or more mobile devices located within the telecommunications network to cause the three or more mobile devices to present maps and one or more map elements placed on the presented maps;

a location determination component, wherein the location determination component is configured to identify a location for the two-three or more mobile devices located within the telecommunications network;

a communication component, wherein the communication component is configured to receive and send information among the three or more members of the private group of mobile devices located within the telecommunications network; and

an event detection component, wherein the event detection component is configured to detect an occurrence of an event associated with one of the three or more mobile devices and instruct the mapping component to provide instructions to the other mobile devices of the private group based on the event.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the event detection component is configured to detect movement of one of the one or more mobile devices from a first location to a second location proximate to a map element displayed on one of the one or more mobile devices.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the event detection component is configured to detect input provided to a map element located on a map displayed by the one or more mobile devices.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the event detection component is configured to detect a temporal position of a map element in relation to other map elements located on a map displayed by the one or more mobile devices.