Managing user location information in a social network

• US 9,092,827 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Behemoth Development Company LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Stewart, Brett B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang, Karen C
• Application Number:
  US13/029,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus and software have been discovered for use by individual users to monitor the geographic location of other people or assets with some relationship to the user. Once some manner of location information is determined, users have the ability to describe that location in various ways and control how that information is shared with other users.

Claims

1. A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

determining a location of a first user, wherein the first user is a member of a group of wireless device users, and wherein the group comprises a second user as a further member distinct from the first user;

identifying a label directly corresponding to the determined location of the first user based on a designation of the label by one or more users, wherein the one or more users are members of the group, wherein the one or more users are distinct members from the first user and the second user, and wherein the designation of the label occurs prior to identifying the label;

selecting the label from a plurality of labels including a user-supplied label that is transmitted to members of the group and a default label that is transmitted to non-members of the group, wherein the user-supplied label and the default label comprise different labels that each separately indicate a common location;

receiving a request from the second user to view the determined location of the first user; and

transmitting the selected label to the second user in response to receiving the request from the second user.

2. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the second user is authorized to receive the selected label based on a location sharing constraint.

3. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2, wherein the location sharing constraint restricts viewing access of the selected label to one or more sets of users.

4. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3, wherein the viewing access is restricted based, at least in part, on a location of the second user.

5. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3, wherein the viewing access is restricted based, at least in part, on a time associated with the request.

6. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3, wherein the viewing access is restricted based, at least in part, on a current mood of the first user, and wherein the group is a social network.

7. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3, wherein the viewing access is restricted based, at least in part, on the determined location of the first user.

8. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3, wherein the viewing access is restricted based, at least in part, on a location of the second user and a current time.

9. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3, wherein the viewing access is restricted based, at least in part, on a proximity of the second user to the determined location of the first user.

10. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises a designation of a particular user who is authorized to receive the selected label.

11. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 2, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises a designation of a set of users who are authorized to receive the label, and wherein users of the set of users are members of the group.

12. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the selected label is associated with the determined location based on an election of the label from a plurality of labels submitted for the determined location.

13. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the selected label comprises a user-supplied alias of the determined location, and wherein the second user is authorized to receive the selected label by appearing on a list of authorized users associated with the selected label.

14. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 13, wherein the authorized list consists of a single user.

15. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 13, wherein the authorized list comprises a set of users.

16. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 13, wherein the list of authorized users comprises a set of users associated with a social networking service.

17. The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1, wherein the selected label comprises the user-supplied label, wherein the non-members of the group comprise a third user, and wherein the default label is transmitted to the third user.

18. A method, comprising:

determining, by a processing device, a location of a first user, wherein the first user is a member of a group of wireless device users, and wherein the group comprises a second user as a further member distinct from the first user;

identifying, by the processing device, a label directly corresponding to the determined location of the first user based on a designation of the label by one or more users, wherein the one or more users are members of the group, wherein the one or more users are distinct members from the first user and the second user, and wherein the designation of the label occurs prior to identifying the label;

selecting, by the processing device, the label from a plurality of labels, wherein the plurality of labels comprises a user-supplied label that is transmitted to members of the group and a default label that is transmitted to non-members of the group, wherein the user-supplied label and the default label comprise different labels that each separately indicate the determined location;

receiving, by the processing device, a request from the second user to view the determined location of the first user; and

transmitting, by the processing device, the label to the second user in response to receiving the request from the second user.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining, by the processing device, whether the second user is authorized to receive the selected label based on a location sharing constraint.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint restricts transmission of the selected label to one or more sets of users.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint restricts transmission of the selected label based, at least in part, on a location of the second user.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint restricts transmission of the selected label based, at least in part, on a current time.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint restricts transmission of the selected label based, at least in part, on a current mood of the first user.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint restricts transmission of the selected label based, at least in part, on the determined location of the first user.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises specification of a user authorized to receive the selected label.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises specification of a set of users authorized to receive the selected label.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises a specification of a time period during which the selected label is allowed to be transmitted.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises a geographic restriction on the transmission of the selected label.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises a proximity restriction on the transmission of the selected label.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the location sharing constraint comprises a specification of a plurality of location labels associated with the determined location of the first user.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein selecting the label comprises selecting the label from the plurality of labels based, at least in part, on an association of the second user with the group.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the label is selected in response to identifying the second user as belonging to the group.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the group is associated with a social network, and wherein only members of the social network are authorized to receive the user-supplied label.

34. An apparatus, comprising:

means for determining a location of a first user, wherein the first user is a member of a group of wireless device users, and wherein the group comprises a second user as a further member distinct from the first user;

means for identifying a label directly corresponding to the determined location of the first user based on a designation of the label by one or more users, wherein the one or more users are members of the group, wherein the one or more users are distinct members from the first user and the second user, wherein the designation of the label occurs prior to identifying the label, wherein the label is identified from a plurality of labels including a user-supplied label that is transmitted to members of the group and a default label that is transmitted to non-members of the group, and wherein the user-supplied label and the default label comprise different labels that each separately indicate the determined location; and

means for receiving a request from the second user to view the determined location of the first user, wherein the label is transmitted to the second user in response to receiving the request.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for identifying the second user as belonging to a social network group.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising means for selecting the label from the plurality of labels, wherein the label is selected in response to identifying the second user as belonging to the social network group.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the user-supplied label is transmitted to members of the social network group, and wherein the default label is transmitted to non-members of the social network group.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the user-supplied label comprises an alias for the determined location.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the default label comprises a street address.

40. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for displaying a request to enter a new label for the determined location if the determined location is not on a list of known locations.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the new label is added to the plurality of labels as submitted by the one or more users, and wherein the label is associated with the determined location based on an election of the label from the plurality of labels.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the label comprises the default label for the determined location if the determined location is not on the list of known locations.

43. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the determined location of the first user is determined based, at least in part, on a location of a wireless access point.

44. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the determined location of the first user is determined based, at least in part, on a location of a Media Access Control (MAC) address associated with a communication device.