Commenting on location information for mobile devices

• US 9,210,546 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Granito, Jennifer, Franco, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US14/508,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20150024778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 4554561-4563, 455/457, 455/566, 342/452
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Providing location information on a mobile device includes receiving signals from external devices. Each signal includes information that specifies a geographic location for the external device that has provided the signal. A geographic location for the mobile device is calculated by using the information contained in each of the received signals. A representation of the geographic location of the mobile device is generated. The representation of the geographic location is included within an electronic message that provides information describing a user of the mobile device to other users of an electronic communications system. The electronic message is transmitted to another device to provide an indication of the geographic location for the user to one of the other users of the electronic communications system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a communication system comprising one or more processors, a geographic location of a mobile device of a user;

determining, by the one or more processors, a plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device;

sending, by the one or more processors, the plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device to the mobile device;

receiving, from the mobile device, a message and an indication of a representation of the plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device to a plurality of co-users associated with the user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a client device, a comment from a co-user on the message or the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the comment to the user and the plurality of co-users.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein providing the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device to the plurality of co-users associated with the user comprises:

generating a post with the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

posting the post to an online location accessible to the user and the plurality of co-users.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein providing the comment to the user and the plurality of co-users comprises updating the post with the comment.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the online location comprises a profile for the user maintained by the communication system.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising providing a notification to the plurality of users and the user that a comment regarding the message or the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device has been received.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the notification comprises an icon.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic location is automatically detected by the mobile device and automatically associated with the message by the mobile device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of co-users comprises users in a buddy list of the user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprises:

accessing a privacy policy selected by the user; and

providing the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device to co-users associated with the user in accordance with the privacy policy.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

receive, from a mobile device, a geographic location of the mobile device;

determine a plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device;

send, to the mobile device, a plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device;

receive, from the mobile device, a message and an indication of a representation of the plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

provide the message and the representation of the geographic location to a plurality of co-users associated with a user of the mobile device.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

receive, from a client device, a comment from a co-user on the message or the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

provide the comment to the user and the plurality of co-users.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

generate a post with the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

post the post to an online location accessible to the user and the plurality of co-users.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to update the post with the comment.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

identifying a geographic location of a mobile device of a user;

determining a plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device;

sending the plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device to the mobile device;

receiving, from the mobile device, a message and an indication of a representation of the geographic location of the mobile device from the plurality of possible representations of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

providing the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device to one or more co-users associated with the user.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the set of instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving, from a client device, a comment from a co-user on the message or the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device; and

providing the comment to the user and the one or more co-users.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein providing the comment to the one or more co-users comprises providing the comment to co-users in accordance with a privacy policy selected by the user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein providing the comment to the one or more co-users comprises:

generating a post with the message, the representation of the geographic location, and the comment; and

posting the post to an online location accessible to the one or more co-users.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein providing the comment to the plurality of co-users comprises:

providing a notification to the one or more co-users;

receiving an indication of a selection of the notification from the one or more co-users; and

sending the comment to the one or more co-users in response to the selection of the notification.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

generating a post with the message and the representation of the geographic location of the mobile device;

submitting the post to an online location accessible to the user and the plurality of co-users; and

updating the post with the comment.