Providing contact data of second mobile devices proximate to a target person of a first mobile device

• US 9,913,091 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Weksler, Arnold S., Caliendo, Jr., Neal R., Dubs, Justin T., Bumarch, III, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US15/078,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20170280287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 4554121-4142, 455418-4221, 455436, 455444, 455 411- 412, 4554561, 4554562, 455457, 4555521, 370328-331, 3703102, 370341-343, 370345
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

An approach is disclosed that identifies a location of mobile device associated with a target person, such as a spouse, child, or employee. The approach then identifies other mobile devices that have current locations that are near, or proximate to, the identified location. The requestor is then provided with contact data corresponding to one or more users of the other mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a location of a first mobile device associated with a target person;

identifying one or more second mobile devices with current locations proximate to the identified location, wherein the identifying is communicated over a communications network that does not include device-to-device communications between the second mobile devices; and

providing a requestor with contact data corresponding to at least one of the second mobile devices, wherein a message to the target person is transmitted over the communications network to at least one of the second mobile devices, and wherein the message includes a photograph of the target person.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the requestor, the identified location; and

retrieving user preference data corresponding to the second mobile devices, wherein the preference data indicates whether the requestor is permitted access to the current locations of the second mobile devices.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

periodically receiving, from a plurality of mobile devices that includes each of the second mobile devices, a current location;

storing the received current location in a data store; and

searching the data store for the identified location, wherein the searching results in the identified second mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a set of user preference data from users of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein each of the user preference data indicates one or more contacts that are allowed to access the respective user'"'"'s current location; and

removing one or more of the identified second mobile devices, wherein the removing results in the at least one of the second mobile devices that are provided to the requestor.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user preference data includes a whitelist of the contacts that are allowed to access the respective user'"'"'s current location.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the user preference data includes a blacklist of the contacts that are denied access the respective user'"'"'s current location.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the identification of the first mobile device further comprises:

receiving a location request pertaining to the location of the target person;

retrieving a current location of the target person; and

transmitting the current location of the target person to the requestor.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;

one or more communication adapters that communicate with a plurality of user devices; and

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors to;

identify a location of a first mobile device associated with a target person, wherein the location is retrieved from the memory;

retrieve, from the memory, one or more second mobile devices with current locations proximate to the identified location, wherein the identifying is communicated over a communications network that does not include device-to-device communications between the second mobile devices;

transmit, via one of the communication adapters and over the communications network, contact data corresponding to at least one of the second mobile devices to a device operated by a requestor; and

transmit, via one of the communication adapters and over the communications network, a message to at least one of the second mobile devices, wherein the message includes a photograph of the target person.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions comprise further instructions to:

receive, from the requestor over one of the communication adapters, the identified location; and

retrieve, from the memory, user preference data corresponding to the second mobile devices, wherein the preference data indicates whether the requestor is permitted access to the current locations of the second mobile devices.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions comprise further instructions to:

periodically receive, from a plurality of mobile devices that includes each of the second mobile devices, a current location;

storing the received current location in the memory; and

searching the memory for the identified location, wherein the searching results in the identified second mobile devices.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the set of instructions comprise further instructions to:

receive, over the communication adapters, a set of user preference data from users of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein each of the user preference data indicates one or more contacts that are allowed to access the respective user'"'"'s current location;

store the user preference data in the memory; and

remove one or more of the identified second mobile devices, wherein the removal results in the at least one of the second mobile devices that are provided to the requestor over one of the communication adapters.

12. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the user preference data includes a whitelist of the contacts that are allowed to access the respective user'"'"'s current location.

13. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the user preference data includes a blacklist of the contacts that are denied access the respective user'"'"'s current location.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the identification of the first mobile device further comprises instructions to:

receive, at one of the communication adapters, a location request pertaining to the location of the target person;

retrieve, from the memory, a current location of the target person; and

transmit, over one of the communication adapters, the current location of the target person to the requestor.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium comprising a set of computer instructions, the computer instructions effective to;

identify a location of a first mobile device associated with a target person;

identify one or more second mobile devices with current locations proximate to the identified location, wherein the identifying is communicated over a communications network that does not include device-to-device communications between the second mobile devices; and

provide a requestor with contact data corresponding to at least one of the second mobile devices, wherein a message to the target person is transmitted over the communications network to at least one of the second mobile devices, and wherein the message includes a photograph of the target person.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer instructions comprise instructions that are further effective to:

receive, from the requestor, the identified location; and

retrieve user preference data corresponding to the second mobile devices, wherein the preference data indicates whether the requestor is permitted access to the current locations of the second mobile devices.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer instructions comprise instructions that are further effective to:

periodically receive, from a plurality of mobile devices that includes each of the second mobile devices, a current location;

store the received current location in a data store; and

search the data store for the identified location, wherein the searching results in the identified second mobile devices.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the computer instructions comprise instructions that are further effective to:

receive a set of user preference data from users of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein each of the user preference data indicates one or more contacts that are allowed to access the respective user'"'"'s current location; and

remove one or more of the identified second mobile devices, wherein the removing results in the at least one of the second mobile devices that are provided to the requestor.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the user preference data includes a whitelist of the contacts that are allowed to access the respective user'"'"'s current location and a blacklist of the contacts that are denied access the respective user'"'"'s current location.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the identification of the first mobile device further comprises instructions effective to:

receive a location request pertaining to the location of the target person;

retrieve a current location of the target person; and

transmit the current location of the target person to the requestor.