Managing location sharing requests

• US 9,936,344 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lopatin, Scott, Lalande, Emmanuel, Suparna, Navin Bindiganavile, Pai, Raghunandan K., Jain, Sarish, Movva, Siva Ganesh, Rochette, Tommy
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US15/273,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 4554142, 4554143, 4554561, 4554562, 709204, 709206
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• 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

Systems, methods, devices and computer-readable storage mediums are disclosed for managing location sharing requests. In various implementations, a requesting device or a server computer in communication with the requesting device, receives a location sharing request associated with a user and, in response, sends a notification to a companion device associated with the user. A location of the companion device is received from the companion device together with a list of one or more devices associated with the user that are paired with the companion device and a connection status for at least one of the one or more paired devices. The connection status indicates if there is a direct communication link established between the paired device and the companion device. A notification is sent to each disconnected paired device based on the connection status. Each disconnected device that is worn or carried by the user responds with their location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a requesting device or a server computer in communication with the requesting device, a first location sharing request associated with a user;

sending a notification to a companion device associated with the user;

receiving, from the companion device, a location of the companion device, a list of one or more devices associated with the user that are paired with the companion device and a connection status for at least one of the one or more paired devices, the connection status indicating whether or not there is a direct communication link established between the paired device and the companion device;

sending a notification to each disconnected paired device based on the connection status;

receiving, from the disconnected paired device, a location of the disconnected device and data indicating whether or not the device is worn or carried by the user; and

responsive to the data indicating that the device is worn or carried by the user, sending to the requesting device or the server computer the location of the disconnected device, and responsive to the data indicating that the device is not worn or carried by the user, sending to the requesting device or server computer the location of the companion device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second location sharing request;

determining if the request was received in a time window; and

responsive to the second location sharing request being received in the time window, sending to the requesting device or server computer the location of the disconnected device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicating that the device is worn or carried by the user indicates that the device is worn on a wrist of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

incrementing or decrementing a counter associated with a paired device each time an attempt to locate the paired device fails; and

responsive to the counter exceeding a specified count, sending to the requesting device or the server computer the location of the companion device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the counter associated with a paired device is reset if a connection status or on body status of the paired device changes.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the counter associated with a paired device is reset if the paired device reconnects to the companion device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the companion device is a smartphone and at least one paired device is a wearable computer.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory operable to store instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a requesting device or a server computer in communication with the requesting device, a first location sharing request associated with a user;

sending a notification to a companion device associated with the user;

receiving, from the companion device, a location of the companion device, a list of one or more devices associated with the user that are paired with the companion device and a connection status for at least one of the one or more paired devices, the connection status indicating whether or not there is a direct communication link established between the paired device and the companion device;

sending a notification to each disconnected paired device based on the connection status;

receiving, from the disconnected paired device, a location of the disconnected device and data indicating whether or not the device is worn or carried by the user; and

responsive to the data indicating that the device is worn or carried by the user, sending to the requesting device or the server computer the location of the disconnected device, and responsive to the data indicating that the device is not worn or carried by the user, sending to the requesting device or server computer the location of the companion device.

9. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second location sharing request;

determining if the request was received in a time window; and

responsive to the second location sharing request being received in the time window, sending to the requesting device or server computer the location of the disconnected device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data indicating that the device is worn or carried by the user indicates that the device is worn on a wrist of the user.

11. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

incrementing or decrementing a counter associated with a paired device each time an attempt to locate the paired device fails; and

responsive to the counter exceeding a specified count, sending to the requesting device or the server computer the location of the companion device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the counter associated with a paired device is reset if a connection status or on body status of the paired device changes.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the counter associated with a paired device is reset if the paired device reconnects to the companion device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the companion device is a smartphone and at least one paired device is a wearable computer.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a requesting device or a server computer in communication with the requesting device, a first location sharing request associated with a user;

sending a notification to a companion device associated with the user;

receiving, from the companion device, a location of the companion device, a list of one or more devices associated with the user that are paired with the companion device and a connection status for at least one of the one or more paired devices, the connection status indicating whether or not there is a direct communication link established between the paired device and the companion device;

sending a notification to each disconnected paired device based on the connection status;

receiving, from the disconnected paired device, a location of the disconnected device and data indicating whether or not the device is worn or carried by the user; and

responsive to the data indicating that the device is worn or carried by the user, sending to the requesting device or the server computer the location of the disconnected device, and responsive to the data indicating that the device is not worn or carried by the user, sending to the requesting device or server computer the location of the companion device.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a second location sharing request;

determining if the request was received in a time window; and

responsive to the second location sharing request being received in the time window, sending to the requesting device or server computer the location of the disconnected device.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data indicating that the device is worn or carried by the user indicates that the device is worn on a wrist of the user.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

incrementing or decrementing a counter associated with a paired device each time an attempt to locate the paired device fails; and

responsive to the counter exceeding a specified count, sending to the requesting device or the server computer the location of the companion device.