Location declaring caller tune audible on caller phone

• US 9,967,699 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolipaka, Laxman Kasyap
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US13/784,563
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A telecommunication system receives a request from a caller phone to establish a telecommunication call with a recipient phone. The telecommunication system determines whether the caller phone is authorized to receive location information related to a current geographic location of the recipient phone and upon determining that the caller phone is authorized to receive location information, obtains information about a current geographic location of the recipient phone. Upon establishing at least an initial communication with the recipient phone, the telecommunication system causes the information about the current geographic location of the recipient phone to be audibly included in a caller tune to the caller phone if the caller phone is authorized to receive location information, wherein the caller tune is indicative of the recipient phone ringing in response to the request from the caller phone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a telecommunication system, a request from a first phone to receive information associated with a second phone;

determining that at least a set amount of time has elapsed since the second phone communicated with the first phone;

determining that the first phone is authorized to receive location information related to a current geographic location of the second phone responsive to determining that the set amount of time has elapsed;

upon determining that the first phone is authorized to receive location information, determining the location information of the second phone comprising the current geographic location of the second phone;

establishing at least an initial communication with the second phone;

sending the location information of the second phone to the first phone to enable presentation of the location information of the second phone as audible information output by the first phone;

after sending the location information, receiving updated location information from the second phone associated with the current geographic location; and

sending the updated location information to the first phone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the first phone to receive information associated with the second phone is received to locate the second phone when the second phone is lost or stolen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the first phone to receive information associated with the second phone is received to monitor the current geographic location of the second phone, wherein the second phone belongs to a child, and wherein the first phone belongs to a parent of the child.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first phone is authorized to receive the location information in response to at least one of:

a user of the first phone entering a verification code in association with the request to receive information associated with the second phone, the first phone being registered as an authorized user to receive the location information in relation to the second phone, the first phone and the second phone being within a same group account with respect to a telecommunications carrier associated with the first phone and the second phone, or the telecommunications carrier declaring that the second phone is lost or stolen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location information of the second phone comprises determining a last recorded location when the second phone is turned off, when the second phone does not have a connection to a cell phone tower, or when the second phone cannot provide the location information of the second phone.

6. A computing system comprising:

memory; and

at least one processing device coupled to the memory, the at least one processing device to;

receive a request from a first device to receive information associated with a second device; and

upon establishing at least an initial communication with the second device, determine that at least a set amount of time has elapsed since the second device communicated with the first device, determine that the first device is authorized to receive location information related to a current geographic location of the second device responsive to determining that the set amount of time has elapsed, determine location information of the second device, the location information comprising the current geographic location of the second device, send the location information of the second device to the first device to enable presentation of the location information of the second device as audible information output by the first device, after sending the location information, receive updated location information from the second device associated with the current geographic location, and send the updated location information to the first device.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the processing device further to verify that the first device is authorized to receive the location information of the second device, the processing device to at least one or more of:

determine that a verification code was entered in association with the request to receive information associated with the second device,

determine that the first device is registered as an authorized user to receive geographic information in relation to the second device,

determine that the first device and the second device are within a same group account with respect to a telecommunications carrier associated with the first device and the second device, or

determine that the second device is lost or stolen.

8. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further to:

receive an indication from a user of the second device that the second device is lost;

place a lost status in association with the second device; and

send the location information of the second device for any subsequent call made by any device.

9. The computing system of claim 6, wherein to obtain the current geographic location information, the processing device is to:

send a request for the location information to a location system associated with the second device; and

receive the location information from the location system.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a processing device to:

receive a request to from a first device to receive information associated with a second device;

determine that at least a set amount of time has elapsed since the second device communicated with the first device;

determine that the first device is authorized to receive location information related to a current geographic location of the second device responsive to determining that the set amount of time has elapsed;

determine location information associated with the second device, the location information comprising the current geographic location of the second device;

establish at least an initial communication with the second device;

send the location information of the second device to the first device to enable presentation of the location information of the second device as audible information output by first device;

after sending the location information, receive updated location information from the second device associated with the current geographic location; and

send the updated location information to the first device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the processing device to receive the last recorded location of the second device when the second device is turned off, when the second device does not have a connection to a cell phone tower, or when the second device cannot obtain the location information.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein to verify that the first device is authorized to receive location information associated with the second device, the processing device is to determine whether a verification code was entered by a user of the first device in association with the request to receive information associated with the second device, determine whether the first device is registered as an authorized user to receive the location information in relation to the second device, determine whether the first device and the second device are within a same group account with respect to a telecommunications carrier associated with the first device and the second device, or determine whether the telecommunications carrier declared that the second device is lost or stolen.