Location based notification services

• US 9,503,851 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ben-Dayan, Adi, Oren, Gilad
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/176,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20140155092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/573.4, 340/8.1, 340988-994, 4554561-4563, 455/457, 701/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Architecture that generates a notification when a user arrives at a location, but without exposing identity of the location. Moreover, the notification can be generated and transmitted at all times. The architecture comprises a reminder service that manages all reminder requests and approvals, a notification engine that notifies a requesting user when target user arrived at a specific location or one of a general category of location, and a user interface that allows the user to set reminders that are displayed when the target user arrives at the point of interest and approves other user reminder requests. The architecture can be run on a mobile phone, and manages user requests and user approvals for location based notifications, alerts a requesting user the target user arrived at one of previously-specified points of interest. Similarly, a general category of destination can be specified, rather than a specific point of interest.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium bearing computer executable instructions which, when executed on a computing system comprising at least a processor, carry out a computer implemented notification method, the method comprising each of the following as executed by a processor:

inputting a query to monitor a target computing device relative to a geographical point of interest;

configuring a reminder associated with the target computing device;

monitoring the geographical location of the target computing device relative to the geographical point of interest;

executing a reminder action associated with the reminder based on the geographical location of the target computing device relative to the geographical point of interest;

automatically communicating a notification to a requesting computing device based on the geographical location of the target computing device relative to the point of interest.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising requesting approval from the target computing device to monitor associated sensed data of the target computing device.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising defining a plurality of reminder actions associated with the reminder, and wherein the plurality of reminder actions are executed when the geographic location of the target device meets geo-location criteria related to the point of interest.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 further comprising filtering the plurality of reminder actions associated with the reminder based on filter criteria.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising refreshing the query to include new points of interest not previously included in the query.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executing the reminder action associated with the reminder based on the geographical location of the target computing device relative to the new points of interest not previously included in the query.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising communicating the notification to multiple requesting computing devices.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the point of interest is one of a class of locations specified in association with the reminder, and wherein the notification is communicated when the target device meets the geo-location criteria related to the point of interest for a location of the class.

9. A computer-implemented method for providing notifications in regard to a geographic location of a target computing device, the method comprising each of the following as implemented by a processor on a computer:

managing the configuration and approval of a reminder related to the geographic location of the target computing device, wherein the reminder is based on the geographic location of the target computing device relative to a point of interest as determined by geo-location criteria;

monitoring the geographic location of the target device; and

communicating a notification to a requesting device according to the reminder when the geographic location of the target device meets geo-location criteria related to the point of interest.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the target device is a mobile device, and wherein the requesting device is at least one of a computing device or a web server to which the notification is communicated.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the point of interest is a single geographic location specified in association with the reminder.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the point of interest is one of a class of locations specified in association with the reminder, and wherein the notification is communicated when the target device meets the geo-location criteria related to the point of interest for a location of the class.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising:

identifying geo-location points of interest relative to a query; and

refreshing the query to include added points of interest and removed points of interest associated with a geo-fence;

wherein the reminder is executed upon meeting criteria of the refreshed query.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising:

processing a request from the requesting device to access geo-location information of the target device;

approving the request from the requesting device; and

allowing access to geo-location information of the target device by the requesting device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the reminder includes a plurality of reminder actions that are executed when the geographic location of the target device meets geo-location criteria related to the point of interest, and wherein the plurality of reminder actions comprises communicating the notification to the requesting device according to the reminder.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the reminder actions further comprise at least one of notifying contacts, calling a user device, or sensing and recording sensor data in the vicinity of the target device.