Mobile device proximity notification

• US 9,998,868 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Tomoka, Shioya, Tomohiro, Unno, Asuka, Wen, Lianzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Elhag, Magdi
• Application Number:
  US14/731,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20160356878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for mobile computing device proximity notification. The method includes one or more processors acquiring location information for a plurality of mobile computing devices. The method further includes one or more processors creating a first group of mobile computing devices based on location proximity in the acquired location information of the plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein the created first group includes a first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device. The method further includes one or more processors determining whether the first mobile computing device is within a predetermined distance to the second mobile computing device, and the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device are outside of an area associated with the first group.

Claims

1. A computer program product for mobile computing device proximity notification, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to acquire location information for a plurality of mobile computing devices;

program instructions to create a first group of mobile computing devices based on location proximity in the acquired location information of the plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein the created first group includes a first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device;

program instructions to determine whether the first mobile computing device is within a predetermined distance to the second mobile computing device, and the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device are outside of an area associated with the first group;

responsive to determining that the first mobile computing device is within a predetermined distance to the second mobile computing device, and that the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device are outside of an area associated with the first group, generate a notification for the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device; and

deliver the generated notification to the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to acquire location information for a plurality of mobile computing devices, comprises program instructions to;

periodically acquire location information for each mobile computing device within the plurality of mobile computing devices.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to create a first group of mobile computing devices based on location proximity in the acquired location information of the plurality of mobile computing devices, further comprises program instructions to:

identify candidate mobile computing devices that are within a defined proximity to the first mobile computing device; and

create the first group of mobile computing devices, wherein the first group includes one or more of the identified candidate mobile computing devices.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the program instructions to identify candidate mobile computing devices that are within a defined proximity to the first mobile computing device, further comprises program instructions to:

monitor a number of detections of mobile computing devices within the defined proximity to the first mobile computing device within a time period that the first mobile computing device is present within an area.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to:

count a number of detections of a third mobile computing device within the area associated with the first group; and

determine whether to add the third mobile computing device to the first group based on comparing the number of detections of the third mobile computing device to a predetermined threshold.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile computing devices are a plurality of smartphones.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the notification for the first mobile computing device includes a message comprising text indicating that the second computing device within the predetermined distance.

8. A computer system for mobile computing device proximity notification, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to acquire location information for a plurality of mobile computing devices;

program instructions to create a first group of mobile computing devices based on location proximity in the acquired location information of the plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein the created first group includes a first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device;

program instructions to determine whether the first mobile computing device is within a predetermined distance to the second mobile computing device, and the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device are outside of an area associated with the first group;

responsive to determining that the first mobile computing device is within a predetermined distance to the second mobile computing device, and that the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device are outside of an area associated with the first group, generate a notification for the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device; and

deliver the generated notification to the first mobile computing device and the second mobile computing device.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to acquire location information for a plurality of mobile computing devices, comprises program instructions to:

periodically acquire location information for each mobile computing device within the plurality of mobile computing devices.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions to create a first group of mobile computing devices based on location proximity in the acquired location information of the plurality of mobile computing devices, further comprises program instructions to:

identify candidate mobile computing devices that are within a defined proximity to the first mobile computing device; and

create the first group of mobile computing devices, wherein the first group includes one or more of the identified candidate mobile computing devices.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions to identify candidate mobile computing devices that are within a defined proximity to the first mobile computing device, further comprises program instructions to:

monitor a number of detections of mobile computing devices within the defined proximity to the first mobile computing device within a time period that the first mobile computing device is present within an area.

12. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising program instructions, stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to:

count a number of detections of a third mobile computing device within the area associated with the first group; and

determine whether to add the third mobile computing device to the first group based on comparing the number of detections of the third mobile computing device to a predetermined threshold.

13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the notification for the first mobile computing device includes a message comprising text indicating that the second computing device within the predetermined distance.