Dynamic route mapping between mobile devices

• US 9,546,870 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2012
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Baca, Jim S., Stanasolovich, David, Price, Mark H., Karkaria, Burges M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US13/997,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• 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: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Generally, this disclosure describes dynamic route mapping between mobile devices. Techniques may include initiating communication between a first mobile device at a first location and a second mobile device at a second location; receiving a first location indicator by the second mobile device, the first location indicator transmitted from the first mobile device in response to a request from the second mobile device, the first location indicator corresponding to the first location; determining a convergence point based on at least one of the first location and the second location; mapping a travel route from at least one of the first location and the second location to the convergence point; and displaying the travel route on at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first mobile device at a first location, the first mobile device comprising a first communication module, a first location module, a first mapping module and a first display; and

a second mobile device at a second location, the second mobile device comprising a second communication module, a second location module, a second mapping module and a second display,

the second communication module configured to initiate communication between the first mobile device and the second mobile device,

the second location module configured to receive a first location indicator transmitted from the first mobile device in response to a request from the second mobile device, the first location indicator corresponding to the first location,

at least one of the first mapping module and the second mapping module configured to determine a first convergence point based on at least one of the first location and the second location and to map a travel route from at least one of the first location and the second location to the first convergence point, the first convergence point being a first target meeting location for a first user of the first mobile device and a second user of the second mobile device, and

at least one of the first display and the second display configured to display the travel route;

wherein;

at least one of the first mapping module and the second mapping module is configured to determine a second convergence point based on at least one of a current first location and a current second location when the first mobile device is at the current first location and the second mobile device is at the current second location and, when the second convergence point is greater than a threshold distance from the first convergence point, to map a travel route from at least one of the current first location and the current second location to the second convergence point;

the current first location is different from the first location;

the current second location is different from the second location; and

the second convergence point is a second target meeting location for the first user and the second user, and differs from the first convergence point.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is configured to receive a second location indicator transmitted from the second mobile device in response to a request from the first mobile device, the second location indicator corresponding to the second location, and the first convergence point is determined based on the first location and the second location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first display and the second display is configured to display a relative location of the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is configured to opt in to transmitting the first location indicator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first convergence point is a first distance from the first location and a second distance from the second location and the first distance and second distance are less than a distance between the first location and the second location along the travel route.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first convergence point is halfway between the first location and the second location along the travel route.

7. A method comprising:

initiating communication between a first mobile device at a first location and a second mobile device at a second location;

receiving a first location indicator by the second mobile device, the first location indicator transmitted from the first mobile device in response to a request from the second mobile device, the first location indicator corresponding to the first location;

determining a first convergence point based on at least one of the first location and the second location, the first convergence point being a first target meeting location for a first user of the first mobile device and a second user of the second mobile device;

mapping a first travel route from at least one of the first location and the second location to the first convergence point;

displaying the first travel route on at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device;

determining a second convergence point based on at least one of a current first location and a current second location when the first mobile device is at the current first location and the second mobile device is at the current second location, the current first location being different from the first location and the current second location being different from the second location; and

when the second convergence point is greater than a threshold distance from the first convergence point, mapping a second travel route to the second convergence point;

wherein;

the second convergence point is a second target meeting location for the first user and the second user, and differs from the first convergence point.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second location indicator by the first mobile device, the second location indicator transmitted from the second mobile device in response to a request from the first mobile device, the second location indicator corresponding to the second location, wherein the first convergence point is determined based on the first location and the second location.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a relative location of the first mobile device and the second mobile device on at least one of the mobile devices.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

opting in to transmitting the first location indicator.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first convergence point is a first distance from the first location and a second distance from the second location and the first distance and second distance are less than a distance between the first location and the second location along the travel route.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first convergence point is halfway between the first location and the second location along the travel route.

13. A system comprising one or more non-transitory storage mediums having stored thereon, individually or in combination, instructions that when executed by one or more processors result in the following operations comprising:

initiating communication between a first mobile device at a first location and a second mobile device at a second location;

receiving a first location indicator by the second mobile device, the first location indicator transmitted from the first mobile device in response to a request from the second mobile device, the first location indicator corresponding to the first location;

determining a first convergence point based on at least one of the first location and the second location, the first convergence point being a first target meeting location for a first user of the first mobile device and a second user of the second mobile device;

mapping a first travel route from at least one of the first location and the second location to the first convergence point;

displaying the first travel route on at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device;

determining a second convergence point based on at least one of a current first location and a current second location when the first mobile device is at the current first location and the second mobile device is at the current second location, the current first location being different from the first location and the current second location being different from the second location; and

when the second convergence point is greater than a threshold distance from the first convergence point, mapping a second travel route to the second convergence point;

wherein;

the second convergence point is a second target meeting location for the first user and the second user, and differs from the first convergence point.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more processors results in the following additional operations:

receiving a second location indicator by the first mobile device, the second location indicator transmitted from the second mobile device in response to a request from the first mobile device, the second location indicator corresponding to the second location, wherein the first convergence point is determined based on the first location and the second location.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more processors results in the following additional operations:

displaying a relative location of the first mobile device and the second mobile device on at least one of the mobile devices.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more processors results in the following additional operations:

opting in to transmitting the first location indicator.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the first convergence point is a first distance from the first location and a second distance from the second location and the first distance and second distance are less than a distance between the first location and the second location along the travel route.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the first convergence point is halfway between the first location and the second location along the travel route.