Ad hoc formation and tracking of location-sharing groups

• US 10,051,417 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Borghei, Hooman
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US15/176,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20160286349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 370252, 370254, 370338, 370386
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for forming and tracking a location-sharing group are disclosed. The location-sharing group can be performed ad hoc without the assistance of a central server. A geofence can be defined that encloses the current locations of the participating devices in the location-sharing group. The geographic location of the location-sharing group as a whole can be tracked and provided to the participating devices in the location-sharing group. Group-level location-sharing can be enabled. Departure of a participating device from the location-sharing group can be detected based on the current location and the coverage radius of each device in the location-sharing group. Entry of points of interest into the geofence of the location-sharing group can be detected and notified to the participating devices in the location-sharing group.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

transmitting, by a host device and to a mobile device, a location sharing request, wherein the host device is a mobile device to be included in a location-sharing group to be formed, the location sharing request identifying the location-sharing group and identifying the host device, the location sharing request including a parameter that specifies a duration in which a mobile device can be added to the location-sharing group;

receiving, by the host device and from the mobile device, a consent in response to the location sharing request;

forming, by the host device, the location-sharing group comprising the host device and the mobile device from which the consent was received; and

tracking a geographic location of the location-sharing group as locations of mobile devices included in the location-sharing group change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the consent in response to the location sharing request comprises detecting a movement of the mobile device according to a predetermined pattern.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the geographic location of the location-sharing group as locations of mobile devices included in the location-sharing group change comprises:

tracking a geographic location of each mobile device included in the location-sharing group; and

providing the tracked geographic location of each mobile device included in the location-sharing group to at least one other mobile device included in the location-sharing group.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the host device, the location sharing request to a plurality of mobile devices; and

receiving, by the host device, consents from the plurality of mobile devices in response to the location sharing request,

wherein forming the location-sharing group comprises including the plurality of mobile devices from which the consents were received in the location-sharing group.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the host device and to a location-information server, identities of all the mobile devices included in the location-sharing group,

wherein tracking the geographic location of the location-sharing group as locations of the mobile devices included in the location-sharing group change is implemented by the location-information server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after forming the location-sharing group, transmitting a notification to the mobile device, the notification indicating that the location-sharing group has been formed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the notification comprises respective consents from all mobile devices included in the location-sharing group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a geofence around the location-sharing group.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein defining the geofence around the location-sharing group comprises:

determining, for each of mobile device in the location-sharing group, a respective coverage radius;

determining, for the location-sharing group, a boundary of a combined coverage area that encloses a current geographic location of each mobile device in the location-sharing group; and

determining the boundary of the combined coverage area as the geofence around the location-sharing group.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a coverage radius for a mobile device included in the location-sharing group is determined based on a connection type for a network connection established between the mobile device and another mobile device in the location-sharing group.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a coverage radius for a mobile device included in the location-sharing group comprises a user-specified distance.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

transmitting, by a host device and to a mobile device, a location sharing request, wherein the host device is a mobile device to be included in a location-sharing group to be formed, the location sharing request identifying the location-sharing group and identifying the host device the location sharing request including a parameter that specifies a duration in which a mobile device can be added to the location-sharing group;

receiving, by the host device and from the mobile device, a consent in response to the location sharing request;

forming, by the host device, the location-sharing group comprising the host device and the mobile device from which the consent was received; and

providing, by the host device and to a location-information server, the location-sharing group, wherein the location-information server is configured to track the geographic location of the location-sharing group as locations of mobile devices included in the location-sharing group change.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, by the host device, the location sharing request to a plurality of mobile devices;

receiving, by the host device, consents from the plurality of mobile devices in response to the location sharing request;

including, by the host device, the plurality of mobile devices from which the consents were received in the location-sharing group; and

providing, by the host device and to the location-information server, identities of the plurality of mobile devices included in the location-sharing group.

14. The medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, by the host device and to the location-information server, the consents received from the plurality of mobile devices.

15. A system comprising:

a host device comprising;

one or more processors; and

a host device computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors of the host device to perform operations comprising;

transmitting, by a host device and to each of a plurality of mobile devices, a location sharing request, wherein the host device is a mobile device, wherein the host device and the plurality of mobile devices are to be included in a location-sharing group to be formed, the location sharing request identifying the location-sharing group and identifying the host device and each of the plurality of mobile devices, the location sharing request including a parameter that specifies a duration in which a mobile device can be added to the location-sharing group;

receiving, by the host device and from each mobile device, a respective consent in response to the location sharing request;

forming, by the host device, the location-sharing group comprising the host device and the plurality of mobile devices; and

providing, by the host device and to a location-information server, the location-sharing group.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising the location-information server comprising:

one or more processors; and

a server computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors of the location-information server to perform operations comprising;

tracking the geographic location of the location-sharing group as locations of mobile devices included in the location-sharing group change.

17. The system of claim 16, the server computer-readable storing further instructions executable by the one or more processors of the location-information server to perform operations comprising defining a geofence around the location-sharing group.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein defining the geofence around the location-sharing group comprises:

determining, for each of mobile device in the location-sharing group, a respective coverage radius;

determining, for the location-sharing group, a boundary of a combined coverage area that encloses a current geographic location of each mobile device in the location-sharing group; and

determining the boundary of the combined coverage area as the geofence around the location-sharing group.