Automatic and wireless sharing of location information between a location-aware device and a location-unaware device

• US 9,161,328 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Youssef, Mohamed, McCullough, Bruce, Jakupi, Andi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zewari, Sayed T
• Application Number:
  US13/902,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20140349673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/421, 455/440, 455/441
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Disclosed system and method enable a location-unaware device to know its approximate location by wirelessly near-field coupling it to a geo-proximate location-aware device such as a Global Navigation Satellite System—(GNSS)-enabled mobile phone. The geo-location data are conveyed in accordance with a predefined signaling protocol. Request and response mechanisms within the devices take the form of predefined data packets that convey geo-location and the devices'"'"' unique identification (ID) information.

Claims

1. A geo-locating system, comprising:

a first device configured with position determination capability, the first device further configured to establish an operative communication with a second device by way of a wireless connection thereby to form an operatively coupled pair of devices, the first device further configured thereafter to continue operative wireless communication with the second device thereby to transmit current position data to the second device, the current position data representing an approximate position of the operatively coupled pair of first and second devices; and

the second device, the second device not being configured with position determination capability, the second device being further configured to establish operative communication with the first device and thereafter to store current position data received therefrom so long as the first and second devices are within range of their established wireless connection, and the second device being further configured to communicate to the first device a request to communicate the current position data to the second device, the request comprising a field containing information relating to one of a plurality of possible occurrences that in response to one of the possible occurrences causes the first device to communicate the current position data to the second device, the information relating to the one of the plurality of possible occurrences comprising a predetermined event,

wherein the first and second devices further are configured to effect such operative communication including delivery of current position data in response to the occurrence of the predetermined event in accordance with a defined signaling protocol.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device in order to establish the operative connection sends to the first device the request for geo-location data from the first device to be conveyed to the second device in accordance with the defined protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device in order to establish the operative connection sends to the second device an executable sequence of instructions and a command to the second device to execute the instructions, and wherein the second device in response sends to the first device a request for geo-location data from the first device to be conveyed to the second device in accordance with the defined protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device updates the position data and sends updated position data to the second device upon a demand by the second device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device updates the position data and sends updated position data to the second device periodically and automatically regardless of whether the geo-location data have changed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data are updated via one or more predefined data packets in accordance with the predefined signaling protocol.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operative communication is effected via a near-field wireless conveyance mechanism.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the signaling protocol incorporates a peer-to-peer (P2P) wireless standard.

9. A method for enabling a location-unaware device having no self-geo-locating capability to determine its geo-location, the method comprising:

operatively wirelessly coupling the location-unaware device with a physically proximate and geo-location-aware device,

conveying from the location-unaware device to the geo-location-aware device a request to convey geo-location data from the geo-location-aware device to the location-unaware device, the request comprising a field containing information relating to one of a plurality of possible occurrences that in response to one of the occurrences causes the geo-location-aware device to convey geo-location data to the location-unaware device, the information relating to the one of the plurality of possible occurrences comprising a predetermined event, and

conveying geo-location data from the location-aware device to the geo-location-aware device in response to the occurrence of the predetermined event, thereby to render the location-unaware device approximate-location-aware,

wherein the conveying of geo-location data from the location-aware device to the location-unaware device is performed in accordance with a defined signaling protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the coupling and the conveying are performed by executing memory-stored instructions by one or more processors.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the operative communication is effected via a near-field wireless conveyance mechanism.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the conveying of the geo-location data is performed in accordance with the predefined signaling protocol.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined signaling protocol incorporates a peer-to-peer (P2P) wireless standard.

14. A system for operatively coupling a pair of physically proximate devices, the system comprising:

a) at least one location-aware device each having a first defined device identifier, and

b) at least one location-unaware device each having a second defined device identifier,

wherein the at least one location-aware device is configured to donate geo-location information to the at least one location-unaware device over a near-field wireless conveyance, and wherein the at least one location-unaware device is configured to receive geo-location information from the at least one location-aware device over the near-field wireless conveyance, and

wherein the at least one location-unaware device is further configured to communicate a request to the at least one location-aware device, the request comprising a field containing information relating to one of a plurality of possible occurrences that upon the occurrence of one of the plurality of possible occurrences causes the at least one location-aware device to donate the geo-location information to the at least one location-unaware device, the information relating to the one of the plurality of possible occurrences comprising a predetermined event, and wherein the at least one location-aware device is further configured to donate the geo-location information to the at least one location-unaware device upon the occurrence of the predetermined event.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the donated and received geo-location information is conveyed in accordance with a predefined signaling protocol.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the predefined signaling protocol incorporates a peer-to-peer (P2P) wireless standard.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the geo-location information is requested by the location-unaware device and is conveyed in a data packet along with location-unaware device identification (ID) information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the geo-location information is donated by the location-aware device in response to a request from the location-unaware device and is conveyed in a data packet along with location-aware device identification (ID) information, the data packet having a predefined form and content.