Position-based tags, reminders, and messaging

• US 9,587,949 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Relyea, Donald H., Felt, Michelle, Zavatone, Alex, Westbrook, Summer, Kurtti, Jeff Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEP VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/415,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,898 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

A method performed by a user device may include determining a geographical position of the device, receiving a description of the geographical position, receiving a selection of one or more individuals to share the geographical position and the description, and saving the geographical position and the description, on another device, to permit access to the geographical position and the description, on the other device, according to the selection of the one or more individuals. Another method performed by a user device may include determining a geographical position of the user device, receiving reminder information that is tied with the geographical position, receiving a selection of a user in which the reminder information and the geographical position pertains, and notifying the user of the reminder information a next time that the user device is at or within a specified distance from the geographical position. A further method performed by a user device may include determining a geographical position of the user device, creating a text message that integrates the geographical position in an attachment that causes a recipient user device to perform an automatic wake-up call of a position-based application for locating the geographical position of the user device, and transmitting the text message that integrates the geographical position to the recipient user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a user device, a graphical user interface of a Short Messaging Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) application of the user device,

the graphical user interface including an option for sharing information associated with a geographical position of a user of the user device;

receiving, by the user device and from a user of the user device, a request associated with sharing, with one or more other users, the information associated with the geographical position of the user,

the user being different than the one or more other users, and

the request being received via the option for sharing of the graphical user interface of the SMS or MMS application;

determining, by the user device and using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the user device, the geographical position;

generating, by the user device, information regarding the geographical position after determining the geographical position;

receiving, by the user device, information identifying the one or more other users,

the information identifying the one or more other users being received via the graphical user interface of the SMS or MMS application;

integrating, by the user device, the information regarding the geographical position in a SMS or MMS message of the SMS or MMS application,

the information regarding the geographical position including a script that includes geographic positional characteristics associated with the geographical position, and

the script being a program; and

transmitting, by the user device, the SMS or MMS message that includes the information regarding the geographical position to one or more devices of the one or more other users,

the SMS or MMS message being transmitted to the one or more devices via a network,

the script, included in the information regarding the geographical position included in the SMS or MMS message, causing the one or more devices to initiate an automatic wake-up call that launches a position-based application on the one or more devices, and

the position-based application providing, based on the script included in the information regarding the geographical position included in the SMS or MMS message, information for navigating towards the geographical position.

2. The method of claim 1, where the information identifying the one or more other users includes at least one of:

information identifying a contacts list associated with the user of the user device, or

information identifying that the one or more other users are associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, where the graphical user interface includes a field that identifies the information regarding the geographical position, a field that identifies a subject of the SMS or MMS message, a field that identifies the information identifying the one or more other users, and the option for sharing the information associated with the geographical position.

4. The method of claim 1, where the user device includes at least one of a telephone application, a camera application, or a video application.

5. The method of claim 1, where the geographical position includes GPS coordinate information of the geographical position.

6. The method of claim 1, where transmitting the SMS or MMS message that includes the information regarding the geographical position includes:

transmitting a SMS message that includes the information regarding the geographical position.

7. The method of claim 1,

where the SMS or MMS message is a MMS message, and

where the position-based application is a GPS-based application.

8. A user device comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions in the memory to;

receive, from a user of the user device, a request associated with sharing information associated with a location of the user,

the request being received via a Short Messaging Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) application of the user device,

determine a geographical position of the user device based on the request associated with sharing the information associated with the location of the user,

the geographical position corresponding to the location, generate information regarding the geographical position,

provide information identifying a plurality of groups of users,

receive information identifying a group of users, of the plurality of groups of users, with which the information associated with the location is to be shared,

the group of users being different than the user, and

the information identifying the group of users being received via the SMS or MMS application,

integrate the information regarding the geographical position in a SMS or MMS message of the SMS or MMS application,

the information regarding the geographical position including a script relating to with the geographical position, and

the script being a program; and

transmit, via a network and to devices associated with the group of users, the SMS or MMS message that includes the information regarding the geographical position,

the script, included in the information regarding the geographical position, causing each of the devices to initiate an automatic wake-up call that launches a position-based application that provides navigation towards the geographical position based on the information regarding the geographical position included in the SMS or MMS message.

9. The user device of claim 8, where, when providing the information identifying the plurality of groups of users, the processor is to provide information identifying at least one of:

a contacts list of the user,

a social network,

a blog, or

a wiki.

10. The user device of claim 8, further comprising a global positioning system receiver,

where, when determining the geographical position of the user device, the processor is to determine the geographical position of the user device based on the global positioning system receiver.

11. The user device of claim 8, where the user device includes a mobile telephone.

12. The user device of claim 8, where the script includes geographic positional characteristics associated with the geographical position.

13. The user device of claim 8, where the geographical position comprises:

global positioning system coordinate information of the geographical position.

14. The user device of claim 8, where the processor further is to:

receive a different request to save information identifying the geographical position, and

save the information identifying the geographical position based on the different request.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the at least one processor to;

determine a geographical position of the device using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver associated with the device;

receive, from a user of the device, a request associated with sharing information associated with the geographical position;

generate information regarding the geographical position;

receive, from the user, information identifying one or more users;

integrate the information regarding the geographical position in a Short Messaging Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message of a SMS or MMS application of the device,

the information regarding the geographical position including a script that includes geographic positional characteristics associated with the geographical position, and

the script being a program; and

transmit, to one or more devices of the one or more users, the SMS or MMS message that includes the information regarding the geographical position,

the information regarding the geographical position, included in the message, causing each of the one or more devices to initiate an automatic wake-up call that launches an application that provides, based on the information regarding the geographical position included in the message, information for navigating towards the geographical position.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more users are identified based on at least one of:

a social network,

a blog, or

a wiki.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to transmit, to the one or more devices, the SMS or MMS message that includes the information regarding the geographical position include:

one or more instructions to transmit, via a SMS message, the information regarding the geographical position to the one or more devices of the one or more users.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising one or more instructions to:

present, to the user and via a display of the device, a graphical user interface that includes afield that identifies the information regarding the geographical position, a field that identifies a subject of the message, a field that identifies the information identifying the one or more users, and an option for sharing the information associated with the geographical position,

where the request and the information identifying the one or more users are received via the graphical user interface.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, where the graphical user interface is associated with the SMS or MMS application.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the script causes each of the one or more devices to launch a GPS-based application that provides information for navigating towards the geographical position.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising one or more instructions to:

receive a different request to save information identifying the geographical position; and

save the information identifying the geographical position based on the different request.