System and method for dynamically monitoring status in location services

• US 8,755,823 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TechnoCom Corporation
• Inventors: Proietti, Mario, Moring, John Thomas, Schafer, Brenda C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US13/028,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20120208550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4565, 455/414.1, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• 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 method and system for reporting a location of an asset. The method includes: receiving a location tracking request for the asset; dynamically determining a status of the asset; and allowing acquisition of the location of the asset based on the determined status. The method further includes: obtaining the location of the asset responsive to the received request and said allowing; and reporting the obtained location of the asset. The system includes: a reporting module for receiving a location tracking request for the asset; a status module for dynamically determining a status of the asset; and a tracking module for obtaining the location of the asset responsive to the determined status. The reporting module reports the location of the asset responsive to the received location tracking request.

Claims

1. A method for reporting a location of a person, the method comprising:

electronically receiving, by a processor, a location tracking-request to obtain a current location of the person;

providing configuration information for the person;

electronically and dynamically determining a status of the person, responsive to the received request, and based on an action by the person and the configuration information for the person;

electronically providing permission for access to the current location of the person, based on the determined status of the person;

tracking the person with varying tracking precision depending on the determined status of the person, which is based on an action by the person and the configuration information for the person;

electronically obtaining the current location of the person, responsive to said permission; and

electronically generating a report for the obtained current location of the person, wherein a precision of said report for the obtained current location of the person is based on the determined status of the person, which is based on an action by the person and the configuration information for the person.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing said permission for access to the current location for a next tracking request of the location of said person.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically verifying the configuration information for the person and obtaining the location of the person based on the verified configuration information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the person is an employee, the location of the employee is reported to an employer based on the determined status, and the status of the employee is indicative of whether the employee is at work.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the status of the employee is determined by one or more of an electronic message, a phone call by the employee, a manual check-in by the employee, and a web-based check-in by the employee.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of an person name, a mobile device identification, and boundary areas for reporting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the person includes varying degrees of location accuracy to be reported based on the location of the person.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the person includes varying degrees of location accuracy to be reported based on the time of the location tracking request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the varying degrees of location accuracy are determined based on privacy or cost factors.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the status is assigned to one or more of the group consisting of the person or a vehicle entering a sensitive area, the person or a vehicle leaving a known area, an emergency vehicle with its lights/siren engaged, a vehicle traveling at an excessive speed, and a container loaded onto a ship.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information for the person includes person'"'"'s name, mobile device identification, times for the person to be tracked, and boundary areas for alerts.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information for the person includes entering or leaving a location.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information for the person includes person at work/on the clock for allowing the person to be tracked, and the person off work/off the clock for preventing the person from being tracked.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the varying tracking precision depends on one or more of the location of the person, the time of the tracking location request, privacy concerns, and cost of the tracking.

11. A system for reporting a location of a person comprising:

a reporting module including a first processor, which includes computer executable instructions for receiving a location tracking request to obtain a current location of the person;

a configuration module including a second processor, which includes computer executable instructions for providing configuration information for the person;

a status module including a third processor, which includes computer executable instructions for dynamically determining a status of the person, responsive to the received request, an action by the person and the configuration information;

an enablement module including a fourth processor, which includes computer executable instructions for providing permission for acquisition of the current location of the person, based on the determined status of the person; and

a tracking module including a fifth processor, which includes computer executable instructions for tracking location of the person with varying tracking precision depending on the determined status of the person, and obtaining the current location of the person with a precision determined by the status of the person, responsive to said permission, wherein the reporting module reports the obtained location of the person.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tracking module obtains the current location of the person after the determined status indicates that the tracking module is allowed to obtain said location.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration module is configured to verify the configuration information for the person, and wherein the tracking module obtains the current location of the person based on the verified configuration information.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the person is an employee, the location of the employee is reported to an employer based on the determined status and the status of the employee is indicative of whether the employee is at work.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the status module determines the status of the employee via one or more of an electronic message, a phone call by the employee, a manual check-in by the employee, and a web-based check-in by the employee.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the status of the person includes varying degrees of location accuracy to be reported by the reporting module, based on at least the time of the location tracking request, privacy or cost factors.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the status is assigned to one or more of the group consisting of the person or a vehicle entering a sensitive area, the person or a vehicle leaving a known area, an emergency vehicle with its lights/siren engaged, a vehicle traveling at an excessive speed, and a container loaded onto a ship.

18. A method for reporting a location of a person, the method comprising:

electronically receiving a first indication of a current state of the person, the current state of the person being one of a plurality of predefined states in a configuration information data record for the person, wherein the first indication is triggered by a first action of the person;

electronically determining information about the current state of the person based on the first indication triggered by said first action of the person and said configuration information;

electronically storing said information about the current state; and

electronically determining a first permission for reporting the location of the person, based on the information about the current state, the first permission indicating a precision level of tracking the person and allowed location reporting, wherein said level of tracking the person is based on an action by the person and the configuration information data record for the person.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising

electronically receiving a second indication of an updated current state of the person, the updated current state being one of the plurality of predefined states, wherein the second indication is triggered by a second action of the person;

electronically storing information about the updated current state; and

electronically determining a second permission for reporting the location of the person, based on the information about the updated current state, the second permission indicating a second level of allowed location reporting.