Facilitating communication between event attendees based on event starting time

• US 9,552,560 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tomkins, Andrew, Ravikumar, Shanmugasundaram, Agarwal, Shalini, Pang, Bo, Li, Mark Yinan
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US14/145,189
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742, 701/400, 709204-207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to identifying an event task of a user, identifying one or more other attendees of the event, determining user arrival information for the user, and determining a notification to provide to at least one of the other attendees based on the user arrival information. The event task includes a starting time for an event and an event location, and the user arrival information is based on location information of the user and information associated with the event task. In some implementations, the user and/or the at least one of the other attendees may provide authorization for a notification to determined and/or sent. The notification may include information regarding the likelihood of the user arriving at the event before and/or after the starting time of the event.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

identifying, via one or more databases, an event task created by a user and an event type assigned to the event task in one or more of the databases, the event type being assigned to the event task and to a plurality of additional event tasks that are of the event type, wherein the event task includes a starting time of an event and an event location;

identifying, via one or more databases, one or more other attendees of the event;

providing, in response to creation of the event task by the user, a prompt to an additional computing device of one attendee of the other attendees, the prompt being to affirm providing, to the at least one attendee, notifications related to the event task;

receiving, in response to providing the prompt, an affirmative indication that the one attendee desires to receive notifications related to the task, the affirmative indication received in response to interaction with the prompt via a user interface input device of the additional computing device;

receiving user location information indicative of a user location of a user, the user location information being provided by a computing device of the user and being based on sensor data from one or more location sensors of the computing device;

determining user arrival information, wherein the user arrival information is based on the user location information and the starting time;

determining whether the user arrival information satisfies a threshold that is specific to the event type;

in response to determining the user arrival information satisfies the threshold;

determining a notification to provide to at least one attendee of the other attendees, wherein determining the notification is based on the user arrival information and the event type of the event task, wherein determining the notification based on the event type comprises incorporating, in the notification, text that is specific to the event type, and

providing, to the computing device of the user, an additional prompt related to providing the notification;

determining to provide the notification based on interaction with the additional prompt by the user via the user interface input device of the computing device of the user and based on having received the affirmative indication; and

in response to determining to provide the notification, providing the notification to the additional computing device or another computing device of the one attendee for display to the one attendee via the additional computing device or the another computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user arrival information is distance between the user and the event location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user arrival information is based on an estimated arrival time and wherein determining the estimated arrival time is based on length of an estimated travel path of the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the notification is based on the magnitude of the difference between the estimated arrival time and the starting time.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining to provide the notification occurs when the estimated arrival time is before the starting time.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the estimated travel path includes determining a mode of transportation of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user arrival information is based on a user starting location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the notification is indicative of the user leaving the starting location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user arrival information is indicative of the user being within a threshold distance of the event location, and wherein the notification includes the user location.

10. A system including memory and one or more processors operable to execute instructions stored in memory, comprising instructions to:

identify, via one or more databases, an event task of a user, wherein the event task includes a starting time of an event and an event location;

identify, via one or more databases, one or more other attendees of the event;

provide, based on creation of the event task by the user, a prompt to the one attendee of the other attendees, the prompt being to affirm providing, to the at least one attendee, notifications related to the event task;

receive, in response to providing the prompt, an affirmative indication that the one attendee desires to receive notifications related to the task, the affirmative indication received in response to interaction with the prompt via a user interface input device of the additional computing device;

receive user location information indicative of user locations of a user over time and movement parameters corresponding to the user locations, the user location information being provided by a computing device of the user and being based on sensor data from one or more location sensors of the computing device;

determine, based on the locations and the movement parameters of the user location information, user parking information that indicates where the user has parked, wherein the instructions to determine the user parking information include instructions to;

determine that a user was driving toward the event location,

determine that the user is within a threshold distance of the event location and is no longer driving, and

determine the user parking information based on a location, of the user locations of the user location information, that corresponds to the user being within the threshold distance of the event location and no longer driving; and

determine a notification to provide to at least one attendee of the other attendees, wherein the notification is determined based on the user parking information and the event task, and wherein the notification includes information related to the event task and includes the user parking information that indicates where the user has parked;

provide, to a computing device of the user and in response to determining the user parking information, an additional prompt related to providing the notification to the one attendee;

in response to interaction with the prompt by the user via a user interface input device of the computing device of the user, provide the notification to the additional computing device of the one attendee or another computing device of the one attendee, wherein providing the notification is further based on having received the affirmative indication.

11. A system including memory and one or more processors operable to execute instructions stored in memory, comprising instructions to:

identify, via one or more databases, an event task of a user and an event type assigned to the event task in one or more of the databases, the event type being assigned to the event task and to a plurality of additional event tasks that are of the event type, wherein the event task includes a starting time of an event and an event location;

identify, via one or more databases, one or more other attendees of the event;

provide, in response to creation of the event task by the user, a prompt to an additional computing device of one attendee of the other attendees, the prompt being to affirm providing, to the at least one attendee, notifications related to the event task;

receive, in response to providing the prompt, an affirmative indication that the one attendee desires to receive notifications related to the task, the affirmative indication received in response to interaction with the prompt via a user interface input device of the additional computing device;

receive user location information indicative of a user location of a user, the user location information being provided by a computing device of the user and being based on sensor data from one or more location sensors of the computing device;

determine user arrival information, wherein the user arrival information is based on the user location information and the starting time;

determine whether the user arrival information satisfies a threshold that is specific to the event type;

in response to determining the user arrival information satisfies the threshold;

determine a notification to provide to at least one attendee of the other attendees, wherein determining the notification is based on the user arrival information and the event type of the event task, wherein determining the notification based on the event type comprises incorporating, in the notification, text that is specific to the event type, and

provide, to the computing device of the user, an additional prompt related to providing the notification;

determine to provide the notification based on interaction with the additional prompt by the user via the user interface input device of the computing device of the user and based on having received the affirmative indication; and

in response to determining to provide the notification, provide the notification to the additional computing device or another computing device of the one attendee for display to the one attendee via the additional computing device or the another computing device.