Searchable message board

• US 8,826,139 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SitNet LLC
• Original Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited
• Inventors: Wendkos, Eli L., Cona, Thomas, Longacre, Monisha
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/924,741
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/736, 715/741
• US Class Current: 715/736
• 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 accessing situation related information includes collecting information related to at least one situation from a plurality of participants connected via a situational network, where the situational network formed in response to the situation. An electronic message board for accessing a portion of the information related to the situation is established. Requests for the information is received from a plurality of visitors using the electronic message board, where the visitors are not connected to the situational network. The information is provided to the visitors using the electronic message board.

Claims

1. A method of accessing situation related information, the method comprising:

forming a situational network related to an occurrence of a situation by establishing connections among a plurality of participant devices determined to be geographically proximate to the situation, each of the participant devices corresponding to a participant in the situational network and being connected to the situational network in response to receipt of an acceptance of an invitation to connect to the situational network;

aggregating information related to the situation received at least in part from the plurality of participant devices connected via the situational network;

establishing an electronic message board for providing access to the information related to the situation for individuals not participating in the situational network;

searching the information related to the situation in response to receiving an information request, via the electronic message board, from a non-participant device associated with one of the individuals not participating in the situational network; and

providing a portion of the information determined from the searching to the non-participant device via the electronic message board.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message via the electronic message board from the non-participant device; and

causing the message to be displayed on the electronic message board based on user selection criteria.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message is viewable by the participants in the situational network accessing the electronic message board via the respective participant devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the situation includes at least one of an emergency event, a weather phenomenon, or a natural disaster.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is tagged with a geographic position identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information request includes an indication of a geographic position.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message board is capable of providing the information aggregated for a plurality of situational networks, each situational network formed in response to a different situation, wherein the information aggregated from each situational network is tagged with an identifier corresponding to the respective situation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the portion of the information is presented on the electronic message board according to a selection of the identifier of one of the situations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message board is accessed from the non-participant through a website on the Internet.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message board includes a function to access a check-in feature associated with the situational network, the check-in feature providing a check-in status of participants of the situational network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the participants of the situational network, using direct connections between the participant devices, exchange the information with each other and without the facilitation of a central host.

12. A method of accessing situation related information, the method comprising:

forming, for each of a plurality of situations, a situational network including a plurality of participant devices determined to be geographically proximate to the respective situation, each of the participant devices corresponding to a participant in the situational network and being connected to the situational network in response to receipt of an acceptance of an invitation to connect to the situational network;

aggregating information related to the plurality of situations obtained at least in part from the participant devices forming the situational networks corresponding to the respective situations, wherein the information is tagged with a first identifier corresponding to one of the situations and a second identifier corresponding to a geographic location proximate to the respective situation;

establishing an electronic message board for providing access to, according to the first and second identifiers, the information related to the plurality of situations for individuals not participating in the situational networks;

receiving an information request, via the electronic message board, from a non-participant device associated with one of the individuals not participating in the situational network the information request including a selection of the first identifier and second identifier;

searching the information related to the plurality of situations using received selections of the first identifier and second identifier; and

providing a portion of the information to the non-participant device via the electronic message board.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a message from the non-participant device via the electronic message board; and

causing the message to be displayed on the electronic message board based on user selection criteria.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of situations include at least one of an emergency event, a weather phenomenon, or a natural disaster.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic message board is accessed through a website on the Internet.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic message board includes a function to access a check-in feature associated with the situational networks, the check-in feature providing a check-in status of participants of the situational networks.

17. A method of accessing situation related information, the method comprising:

establishing by a situation authority a centralized service based on identification of at least one situation;

forming, for each of the at least one situation, a situational network including a plurality of participant devices determined to be geographically proximate to the respective situation, each of the participant devices corresponding to a participant in the situational network and being connected to the situational network in response to receipt of an acceptance of an invitation to connect to the situational network;

aggregating at the centralized service information related to the at least one situation from one or more sources, wherein the sources include the participant devices forming the situational networks corresponding to the at least one situation;

establishing by the situation authority an electronic message board for providing access to the information related to the at least one situation for individuals not participating in the situational network;

searching the information related to the at least one situation in response to receiving by the situational authority an information request, via the electronic message board, from a non-participant device associated with one of the individuals not participating in the situational networks; and

providing a portion of the information determined from the searching to the non-participant device via the electronic message board.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving by the situation authority a message from the non-participant device via the electronic message board; and

causing the message to be displayed on the electronic message board based on visitor selection criteria.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information related to the at least one situation is tagged with a first identifier corresponding to one of the situations and a second identifier corresponding to a geographic location proximate to the respective situation.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the electronic message board is accessed through a website on the Internet.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the information request includes an indication of a geographic position.

22. A system for accessing situation related information, the system comprising:

a central server, corresponding to a situation authority, configured to;

form, for each of a plurality of situations, a situational network including a plurality of participant devices determined to be geographically proximate to the respective situation, each of the participant devices corresponding to a participant in the situational network and being connected to the situational network in response to receipt of an acceptance of an invitation to connect to the situational network,

aggregate information related to the plurality of situations obtained at least in part from the participant devices forming the situational networks corresponding to the respective situations, wherein the information is tagged with a first identifier corresponding to one of the situations and a second identifier corresponding to a geographic location proximate to the respective situation,

establish an electronic message board for providing access to, according to the first and second identifiers, the information related to the plurality of situations for individuals not participating in the situational networks,

receive an information request, via the electronic message board, from a non-participant device associated with one of the individuals not participating in the situational network, the information request including a selection of the first identifier and second identifier,

search the information related to the plurality of situations using received selections of the first identifier and the second identifier, and

provide a portion of the information to the non-participant device via the electronic message board; and

a database associated with the central server configured to store the information related to at least one situation obtained from the plurality of participant devices.