Location and distance based reminders

• US 9,068,851 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Lerenc, Vedran
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/749,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20140207373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 701/465, 701/204, 701/117, 701/213, 701/527
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

Location information of each participant may be linked to a reminder system or application on the participant'"'"'s mobile computing device that reminds the participant of upcoming events, tasks, meetings, and so on. Instead of activating a reminder at a fixed reminder time, location information from location based services may be used to identify a current location of the mobile computing device. The identified current location may then be compared to a meeting, event, or other location and an estimated time to travel between the current location and the meeting location may be calculated. The estimated travel time may be used to identify a time to activate a reminder for the scheduled event so that the participant has sufficient time to travel and arrive on time and within a predetermined time window to the scheduled event.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic reminding a carpool meeting participant about a carpool meeting based on a current location of a mobile computing device of the carpool meeting participant comprising:

assessing whether the carpool meeting is scheduled;

responsive to the carpool meeting being scheduled, ascertaining a scheduled carpool time for the carpool meeting;

at regular time intervals before an estimated arrival time is within a time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

ascertaining the current location of the mobile computing device,

calculating a shortest route from the ascertained current location to a scheduled carpool meeting location,

selecting a travel speed depending on a length of the calculated shortest route,

calculating a travel time from the ascertained current location to the scheduled carpool meeting location at the selected travel speed,

estimating an arrival time at the scheduled carpool meeting location based on the calculated travel time, the arrival time being the calculated travel time added to a current time,

delaying activation of a reminder on the mobile computing device that reminds the carpool meeting participant of the carpool meeting until the estimated arrival time is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

when the estimated arrival time is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

activating the reminder on the mobile computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the regular time intervals based on a time difference between the estimated arrival time and a time that begins the time buffer prior to the scheduled carpool time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a scheduled reminder time from a scheduling object in an application associated with the carpool meeting;

selecting a first predetermined time that initiates the regular time intervals based on the scheduled reminder time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the reminder is scheduled for a time that is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time, cancelling the activation of any remaining reminders associated with the carpool meeting.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an estimated walking speed of the carpool meeting participant as the travel speed when the length of the calculated shortest route is within a predetermined walking distance; and

selecting an estimated vehicle speed of a vehicle of the carpool meeting participant as the travel speed when the length of the calculated shortest route exceeds the predetermined walking distance.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising calculating the shortest route using a route planning application that identifies a traversable route from the ascertained current location to the scheduled carpool meeting location.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising obtaining one of the estimated vehicle speed and the estimated walking speed from the route planning application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile computing device is ascertained using a location based service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the location of the mobile computing device is ascertained using location data obtained from a global positioning system (GPS) sensor included in the mobile computing device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the location of the mobile computing device is ascertained based on a known location of a wireless hotspot device or router communicating with the mobile computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the time buffer is selected by the carpool meeting participant before the scheduled carpool time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the carpool meeting participant with an option to select a transportation method from a plurality of modes of transportation; and

selecting the travel speed based on the transportation method selected by the carpool meeting participant.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the delayed activation of the reminder is adjusted to account for a location specific preparation time that is specified by the carpool meeting participant.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising stored instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

assess whether a carpool meeting is scheduled;

responsive to the carpool meeting being scheduled, ascertain a scheduled carpool time for the carpool meeting;

at regular time intervals before an estimated arrival time is within a time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

ascertaining a current location of a mobile computing device of a carpool participant,

calculating a shortest route from the ascertained current location to a scheduled carpool meeting location;

selecting a travel speed depending on a length of the calculated shortest route,

calculating a travel time from the ascertained current location to the scheduled carpool meeting location at the selected travel speed,

estimating an arrival time at the scheduled carpool meeting location based on the calculated travel time, the arrival time being the calculated travel time added to a current time,

delaying activation of a reminder on the mobile computing device that reminds the carpool participant of the carpool meeting until the estimated arrival time is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

when the estimated arrival time is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

activating the reminder on the mobile computing device.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the stored instructions, when executed, further cause the processing device to enter a learning mode in which the carpool meeting participant selects a set location function when the carpool meeting participant is at the scheduled carpool meeting location with the mobile computing device prior to a first predetermined time that initiates the regular time intervals before the scheduled carpool meeting and the processing device uses a location based service to ascertain the current location of the mobile computing device and set the current location as the scheduled carpool meeting location.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein in the learning mode the processing device associates a text recognition pattern selected by the carpool meeting participant with the current location and subsequently retrieves the current location when the text recognition pattern is present.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the current location of the mobile computing device is identified using location data obtained from a location based service sensor in the mobile computing device.

18. A mobile computing device comprising:

a receiver receiving location data of the mobile computing device of a carpool meeting participant from source external to the mobile computing device;

a processing device configured to;

assess whether a carpool meeting is scheduled;

responsive to the carpool meeting being scheduled, ascertain a scheduled carpool time for the carpool meeting;

at regular time intervals before an estimated arrival time is within a time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

ascertaining, from the receiver, a current location of the mobile computing device,

calculating a shortest route from the ascertained current location to a scheduled carpool meeting location;

selecting a travel speed depending on a length of the calculated shortest route,

calculating a travel time from the ascertained current location to a scheduled carpool meeting location at the selected travel speed,

estimating an arrival time at the scheduled carpool meeting location based on the calculated travel time, the arrival time being the calculated travel time added to a current time,

delaying activation of a reminder on the mobile computing device that reminds the carpool meeting participant of the carpool meeting until the estimated arrival time is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

when the estimated arrival time is within the time buffer of the scheduled carpool time;

activating the reminder on the mobile computing device.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the receiver receives location data from a global positioning system (GPS) satellite.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the receiver receives location data representing a known location of a wireless router or hotspot in communication with the mobile computing device.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the processing device is further configured to manage a request from a carpool meeting participant regarding at least one of the ascertained location and the estimated arrival time of an event participant, wherein the carpool participant is not the event participant.