Notifications using a situational network

• US 8,769,013 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SitNet LLC
• Original Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited
• Inventors: Cona, Thomas, Igoe, Patrick T., Kravets, Leonid, Ehrlacher, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US13/274,734
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/404.1, 455/461, 340/286.06, 340/601, 705/1, 709/246, 709/204, 725/33, 725/9
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method of creating a projection of a situational network includes creating, by an event node server, an event node in a multi-dimensional personal information network, where the event node corresponds to a situation. A projection of nodes of the situational network is formed using geographic locations of a plurality of devices corresponding to nodes in the multi-dimensional personal information network. An invitation is transmitted to establish a link with the event node server to the devices corresponding to each node in the projection. A response is received from at least one of the devices accepting the invitation to establish a link with the event node server. A link with each device accepting the invitation is established.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of propagating information, the method comprising:

receiving a message with information related to a situation into a user'"'"'s device;

automatically creating subsets of individuals arranged according to the situation from a plurality of individuals connected to the user via a social network such that each subset of individuals will receive notifications relating to the situation;

receiving, by the user'"'"'s device, a message supplement particular to each of the subsets of individuals into the user'"'"'s device;

generating, by the user'"'"'s device, a notification for each of the subsets of individuals by appending the respective message supplement to the message; and

concurrently transmitting, via, a situational network, each notification corresponding to each subset of individuals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a reply to a sender of the message, wherein the reply is transmitted concurrently with the notifications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the situation is a weather phenomenon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is created by a situation authority in response to obtaining an indication of the occurrence of ht situation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is created by a first individual in response to obtaining an indication of the occurrence of the situation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifications are transmitted concurrently using a single action on the user'"'"'s device used to generate the notifications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifications are distributed using peer to peer connections between devices corresponding to the individuals.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a reply is transmitted to a sender of the message concurrently with the notifications.

8. A method of propagating information within a situational network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first device corresponding to a first user, a message with information related to a situation;

determining, by the first device, subsets of related devices arranged according to the situation, such that each subset will receive notifications corresponding to the situation, each of the related devices correspond to at least one other user, and the first user is connected to the at least one other user via a social network;

determining a message supplement particular to each subset of the related devices;

generating, by the first device, a notification for each of the subsets of related devices by appending the respective message supplement to the message; and

concurrently transmitting, by the first device via the situational network, each of the notifications to the respective subset of related devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the notifications are distributed using peer to peer connections between the first device and the related devices.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the message is created by a situation authority in response to obtaining an indication of the occurrence of the situation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the notifications are distributed from the first device to the related devices via a central server corresponding to the situation authority.

12. A system for propagating information within a situational network, the system comprising:

a first device corresponding to a user configured to receive a message with information related to a situation, automatically determine subsets of individuals to receive notifications corresponding to the situation, receive a message supplement particular to each of the subsets of individuals, generate a notification for each of the subsets of individuals by appending the respective message supplement to the message, and concurrently transmit, via the situational network, each of the notifications to a device corresponding to the respective subset of individuals, wherein the individuals are connected to the user via a social network and arranged into the subsets according to the situation; and

a plurality of second devices, each second device corresponding to one of the individuals, configured to receive, via the situational network, the respective notification from the first device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the notifications are distributed using peer to peer connections between the first device and the plurality of second devices.