Method and apparatus to enable location-based meeting

• US 9,264,849 B1
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DP Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DP Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Kinsolving, Arthur, Kahn, Philippe Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Sternbane, Larry
• Application Number:
  US12/945,770
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4563, 455/404.2, 701/204, 701/213, 701/300
• 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 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A method or apparatus to provide a display of friends in a local area to a user, receive a request to meet, and calculate an optimal location for a meeting is described. In one embodiment, the system provides guidance to the user to the optimal location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sharing a current location of a user with a subgroup of contacts, the subgroup of contacts selected by the user, based on a user preference;

providing a display of friends in a local area to the user, the friends representing contacts who have chosen to share their current location with the user;

enabling the user to send a request to meet one or more of the friends shown in the display;

calculating an optimal location for a meeting based on the current location of the user and the current location of the one or more friends, the optimal location having approximately equal travel time for the user and the one or more friends based on mode of transportation, the travel time including drive time from the driving user'"'"'s current location to a parking location, and time to get from the parking location to the optimal location; and

upon acceptance of the request by one or more of the friends, providing guidance to the user to the meeting.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a meeting site near the optimal location, wherein providing the guidance to the meeting comprises providing directions to the meeting location, the directions depending on the mode of transportation of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the meeting site takes into account historical location data obtained from a network, indicating past locations of the user or of friends of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to select a subgroup of friends to display to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the subgroup of contacts with whom the user'"'"'s location is shared comprises one of:

a selected subgroup of friends, members of a social group, members of a work-related group, and strangers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal location is optimized based one or more of:

distance, time of travel, user preferences.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the estimated time of travel for the user includes time to get to the mode of transportation from the user'"'"'s current location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the estimated time of travel takes a current level of traffic into consideration for drivers.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a proposed meeting site, and enabling a user to approve or reject the proposed meeting site.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of proposed meeting sites;

receiving a ranking of the proposed meeting sites from the user and the one or more friends; and

selecting a highest ranked proposed meeting site as the actual meeting site.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating an estimated time of arrival to the meeting site for each attendee; and

providing the estimated time of arrival to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining real-time location and travel speed data for an attendee; and

updating the estimated time of arrival based on the real-time data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

making a reservation at the meeting site, for the estimated time of arrival, and a number of attendees.

14. A mobile application stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a location sharing feature to share a current location of a user with a subgroup of contacts, the subgroup selected by the user, based on a user preference;

a location display to display friends that have chosen to share their current location with the user in a local area to a user;

a user interface to enable a user to send a request to meet one or more of the friends shown in the location display;

an optimal location selector to calculate an optimal location for a meeting based on a current location of the user and a current location of the one or more friends to whom the request to meet was sent, the optimal location having approximately equal travel time for the user and the one or more friends wherein the travel time includes for a driver time to a parking location, and time to get from the parking location to the optimal location; and

a routing logic to provide a route to a meeting site for the user, upon acceptance of the request by at least one friend.

15. The application of claim 14, further comprising;

the optimal location selector takes into account historical location data obtained from a network, indicating past locations of the user or of friends of the user.

16. The application of claim 14, wherein the subgroup of contacts comprises one of:

a selected subgroup of contacts in a contact database, members of a social group, members of a work-related group, and strangers.

17. The application of claim 14, wherein the optimal location selector is further to use estimated time of travel for each invited person, wherein the estimated time of travel takes into account a mode of transportation for each invited person.

18. The application of claim 14, further comprising:

an ETA calculator to calculate an ETA for each person to the meeting site;

a reservation logic to make a reservation at the meeting site, for the estimated time of arrival, and a number of attendees.

19. A method comprising:

providing a user interface, to enable a user to select one or more subsets of contacts, from a contact database, to share the user'"'"'s current location to enable the subsets of contacts to initiate a meeting request;

sharing a current location of a user with the subsets of contacts;

providing a display of friends in a local area to a user, the friends indicating those individuals that chose to share their current locations with the user;

enabling a user to send a request to meet one or more of the friends shown in the display; and

calculating an optimal location for a meeting with the one or more friends, based on the user'"'"'s current location and the current locations of the one or more friends, the optimal location having approximately equal travel time for the user and the one or more friends based on one or more of;

mode of transportation, location of available parking, and traffic data, where the travel time includes for a driving user time to drive to the available parking and time to get from the available parking to the optimal location.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

proposing a meeting site near the optimal location, based on a current location of each of the one or more friends that accepted the request to meet; and

providing directions to the user, to the meeting location, the directions depending on a mode of transportation of the user.