Tracking system having an option of not being trackable

• US 10,390,212 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proximity Grid, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Proximity Grid, Inc.
• Inventors: Reimer, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osifade, Idowu O
• Application Number:
  US16/025,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20180310163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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

Abstract

This specification generally relates to a method for tracking one or more persons in a relationship between a tracker and the one or more participants. The method can include using an event stamp function to activate the tracking system. The person being tracked determines when they are trackable by connecting to a proximity grid. When the person being tracked wants to be tracked, that person connects to a proximity grid, and when the person being tracked does not want to be tracked, that person disconnects from the proximity grid, thereby simplifying setting up rules for when the person being tracked can be tracked.

Claims

1. A server system comprising:

a processor system having one or more processors,

a memory system storing one or more machine instructions, which when implemented cause the processor system to implement a method including at least,

receiving, at a server system, a request, from a machine of a first person, for tracking information associated with the location of a second person;

determining, by the processor system, whether the second person is on a proximity grid, the proximity grid being a database storing identifiers of at least people correlated with locations of the people, where the second person is considered to be on the proximity grid, when the second person is currently locatable by information stored in the database; and

when the second person is on the proximity grid,

retrieving, by the server, current tracking information, and

sending, by the server, current tracking information in response to the request;

wherein the second person is provided with an option of not being trackable by getting off the grid, so that the second person being tracked has control of when the second person is trackable, when setting up a tracking relationship, without requiring the second person to specify when the second person is trackable.

2. The server system of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving at the server from a machine of the second person being tracked current tracking information associated with the second person'"'"'s current location, while the second person is on the proximity grid, and

storing the current tracking information in the database.

3. The server system of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving at the server, a request to setup a tracking relationship;

sending, by the server, a request for contact information from the second person needed for setting up the tracking relationship, without requiring the person to specify when the second person is trackable.

4. The server system of claim 1, the method further comprising:

sending a request, by the server, for authentication information to the machine of the first person; and

in response to sending the request for authentication information, receiving, at the server, the authentication information; and

the sending of the current tracking information being in response to receiving of the authentication information in addition to being in response to the request for the current tracking information.

5. The server system of claim 1, the current tracking information including a current time with a current location of the second person.

6. The server system of claim 1,

the database storing identifiers of locations of objects correlated with locations of the objects and further information about the objects;

and

the server storing one or more machine instructions for retrieving the information about the objects ranked according to distance from a location of user that requested the information.

7. The server system of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the server, a request from a machine of a third person, for tracking information of a fourth person;

in response, searching the database for tracking information associated with the fourth person;

retrieving an indication to ping the fourth person prior to sending tracking information to the third person; and

in response to retrieving the indication to ping the fourth person sending a request to the fourth person for location information.

8. The server system of claim 7, the method further comprising:

in response to the sending of the request to the fourth person for location information, receiving from the machine of the fourth person current location of fourth person.

9. The server system of claim 1, the server storing a downloadable application, the downloadable application including one or more machine instructions, which when implemented by a user device cause a processor system of the user device to implement a user-device-implemented server system comprising:

collecting event information, by the user device, the event information being associated with a location of the user device;

sending the event information, by the user device, to the server, in association with the tracking relationship.

10. The server system of claim 9,

detecting that the user device changed location;

the collecting of the event information and the sending of the event information occurring in response to the detecting.

11. The server system of claim 9,

the collecting of the event information and the sending of the event information occurring automatically on a periodic basis.

12. The server system of claim 9, the user-device-implemented method further comprising:

in response to receiving, at the user device, an invitation to join a tracking relationship, causing the user machine to display one or more fields, via which the user indicates whether the invitation is accepted, and sending the choice to the server.

14. The user device of claim 1, the method further comprising, prior to receiving from the server, current tracking information, sending a request to a device of the second person for location information, and in response receiving event stamp information generated by an event stamp function on the device of the second person, the event stamp information including current location information, the event stamp function being manually activatable by the second person pushing a physical button or selecting link provided on the interface of the device of the second person.

15. The user device of claim 1, the method further comprising, prior to receiving from the server current tracking information, sending a request to a device of the second person for location information, and in response receiving event stamp information generated by an event stamp function on the device of the second person, the event stamp information including current contact information, the event stamp function being manually activatable by the second person pushing a physical button or selecting link provided on the interface of the device of the second person.

16. The user device of claim 1, wherein the second person getting off the grid includes the server receiving a notification that the second person is getting off the grid and the server ceasing to communicate with the device of the second person about the current location of the second person and receiving communications from the second person while the second person is off the grid.

17. The user device of claim 16, wherein being on the grid includes receiving communications at the server updating the server of location changes when location changes occur.

18. The user device of claim 16, wherein being on the grid includes sending communications to the server, updating the location changes periodically, so as to ensure that the location stored at the server is current.

19. The user device of claim 1, wherein the first person has a tracking relationship with the second person that was established, via the server, prior to receiving the request for current tracking information.

20. The user device of claim 1, the method further comprising

prior to receiving the request for tracking information from the first person, sending information, via the server, causing the device of the second person to offer a choice to the second person as to whether to ping the second person for tracking information that requires a manual response by the second person, when a request for tracking information is received and whether to automatically provide current tracking information in response to a request for current tracking information.

13. A user device comprising:

a processor system having one or more processors,

a memory system storing one or more machine instructions, which when implemented cause the processor system to implement a method including at least;

receiving at a user device, via a server, an invitation to join a tracking relationship, the user device including a processor system having at least one processor and memory system; and

in response to the receiving the invitation, sending, by the user device, an acceptance to be in the tracking relationship;

activating, by the processor system, a function that collects and sends location information;

sending information, by the user device to the server, indicating that the user device is locatable, via a proximity grid, the proximity grid being a network of entities that are searchable based on the location and the entities and the distance of the entities from the searcher;

at a later time, sending, by the user device, information indicating that the user device is not locatable, via the proximity grid, therein blocking the user device from being tracked.

21. The user device of claim 13, the method further comprising, prior to sending to the server, current tracking information, receiving a request at the user device for location information, and in response sending event stamp information generated by an event stamp function on the user device, the event stamp information including current location information, the event stamp function being manually activatable by pushing a physical button on the user device or selecting link provided on the interface of the user device.

22. The user device of claim 13, the method further comprising, prior to the sending to the server, current tracking information, receiving a request at the user device for location information, and in response receiving event stamp information generated by an event stamp function on the device of the second person, the event stamp information including current contact information, the event stamp function being manually activatable by the user pushing a physical button or selecting link provided on the interface of the user device.

23. The user device of claim 13, wherein getting off the grid includes sending the server a notification that the user device is getting off the grid and the user device ceasing to communicate with the server about the current location of the user device and ceasing receiving communications related to the user devices current location from the server while the user device is off the grid.

24. A server system comprising:

a processor system having one or more processors,

a memory system storing one or more machine instructions, which when implemented cause the processor system to implement a method including at least;

receiving, at a server system, a request, from a machine of a first person, for current tracking information associated with the location of a second person, the second person being an individual with which the first person has a tracking relationship that was established prior to receiving of the request, the server system including one or more processors and a memory system;

determining, by the processor system, whether the second person is currently on a proximity grid, the proximity grid being a database storing identifiers of at least people correlated with locations of the people, where the second person is considered to be on the proximity grid, when the second person is currently locatable by information stored in the database and a device of the second person is in communication with the server; and

when the second person is on the proximity grid,

retrieving, by the server, current tracking information, and

sending, by the server, the current tracking information in response to the request;

wherein the second person is provided with an option of not being trackable by getting off the grid, so that the second person being tracked has control of when the second person is trackable, when setting up a tracking relationship, without requiring the second person to specify when the second person is trackable, the second person getting off the grid includes the server receiving a notification that the second person is getting off the grid and the server ceasing to communicate with the device of the second person about the current location of the second person and ceases receiving communications from the second person while the second person is off the grid.