Location based proximity alert

• US 8,878,681 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Gehrke, Todd, Wang, Chih, Kasad, Farhad
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/014,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20140002262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.23, 340/686.6, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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

Abstract

A method of location based proximity alert retrieves, from a location based proximity alert physical server, a current location of wireless client devices and determines if it is within a given area. The method accesses, from the location based proximity alert physical server, a physical law enforcement database comprising a restraining order target identifier and a restraining order limit identifier. A geo-proximity alert message is transmitted if the current location of the restraining order target identifier matches the restraining order limit identifier.

Claims

1. A method of providing location-based proximity alert services, comprising:

retrieving, by a location-based proximity alert physical server, a current location of a given wireless device, said current location being based on call-routing information which is retrieved from a location device servicing said given wireless device;

retrieving, from a prohibited area database comprising a plurality of target identifiers, each target identifier being associated with a respective wireless device, a given target identifier being associated with said given wireless device; and

generating a geo-proximity alert message when a current location of said given wireless device is within a prohibited geographic area associated with said given target identifier.

2. The method of providing location-based proximity alert services according to claim 1, wherein:

said given target identifier is a mobile identification number (MIN).

3. The method of providing location-based proximity alert services according to claim 1, wherein:

said given target identifier is a mobile telephone number.

4. The method of providing location-based proximity alert services according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance between said wireless device associated with said given target identifier, and a requesting wireless device requesting said geo-proximity alert message.

5. The method of providing location-based proximity alert services according to claim 1, wherein:

said prohibited geographic area associated with said given target identifier is defined by a perimeter around a given school.

6. The method of providing location-based proximity alert services according to claim 1, wherein:

said prohibited geographic area associated with said given target identifier is defined by a perimeter around a given park.

7. The method of providing location-based proximity alert services according to claim 1, wherein:

said geo-proximity alert message is an email message.

8. A location-based proximity alert physical server, comprising:

a location-based proximity alert physical server retriever to retrieve a current location of a given wireless device, said current location being based on call-routing information which is retrieved from a location device servicing said given wireless device, and to retrieve a particular target identifier associated with said given wireless device from a prohibited area database comprising a plurality of target identifiers; and

a violation module to generate a geo-proximity alert message when a current location of said given wireless device is within a prohibited geographic area associated with said particular target identifier.

9. The location-based proximity alert physical server according to claim 8, wherein:

said particular target identifier is a mobile identification number (MIN).

10. The location-based proximity alert physical server according to claim 8, wherein:

said violation module generates said geo-proximity alert message when said given wireless device associated with said particular target identifier is less than a preconfigured minimum distance from another wireless device requesting said geo-proximity alert message.

11. The location-based proximity alert physical server according to claim 8, wherein:

said prohibited geographic area associated with said particular target identifier is defined by a perimeter around a given school.

12. The location-based proximity alert physical server according to claim 8, wherein:

said prohibited geographic area associated with said particular target identifier is defined by a perimeter around a given park.

13. The location-based proximity alert physical server according to claim 8, wherein:

said geo-proximity alert message is an email message.