Method for controlling conveyance of event information about carriers of mobile devices based on location information received from location information sources used by the mobile devices

• US 10,397,789 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2019
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PerdiemCo LLC
• Original Assignee: PerdiemCo LLC
• Inventors: Diem, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Congvan
• Application Number:
  US16/238,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20190174316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554563, 4554022, 455461, 340988, 340991, 340992, 340994, 34054911
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• 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 4/30 : Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• 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 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An improved system and method for defining an event based upon an object location and a user-defined zone and managing the conveyance of object location event information among computing devices where object location events are defined in terms of a condition based upon a relationship between user-defined zone information and object location information. One or more location information sources are associated with an object to provide the object location information. One or more user-defined zones are defined on a map and one or more object location events are defined. The occurrence of an object location event produces object location event information that is conveyed to users based on user identification codes. Accessibility to object location information, zone information, and object location event information is based upon an object location information access code, a zone information access code, and an object location event information access code, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for controlling conveyance of event notifications based on a first level of administrative privileges used by a tracking service administrator of a tracking service provided over a first network of computing device to authorized users who track mobile devices identified in a database (DB) by mobile device IDs (DIDs), wherein the mobile devices are carried by corresponding carriers, including objects, vehicles, animals or persons identified by carrier IDs (CIDs) in groups identified by corresponding group IDs (GIDs) in the DB, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the first level of administrative privileges to provides access authorization to user accounts of the tracking service in response to received log in requests that contain IDs and passwords of the authorized users of the groups;

(b) based on the login requests, providing access authorization to the user accounts using a first database management system application (DBMSA) executed on one or more central or distributed servers configured to use the DBMSA for performing functions based on multiple levels of administrative privileges including the first level of administrative privileges;

(c) based on the first level of administrative privileges, giving a second level of administrative privileges to perform group administrative functions in a group identified by a GID, which are not performed using the first level of administrative privileges, wherein members of the group include

     1) a group administrator having a group administrator account who is authorized by the tracking service administrator to use the second level of administrative privileges and

     2) an authorized user in the group having a user account who is not authorized to use the second level of administrative privileges;

(d) providing access authorization to the administrator account before performing the group administrative functions using the second level of administrative privileges;

(e) interfacing over one or more wireless networks with

     1) a first mobile device identified by a first DID to receive a first location information comprising information indicating

     1) locations of a first carrier of the first mobile device having a first CID and

     2) a first movement by the first carrier and

     2) a second mobile device identified by a second DID to receive a second information comprising information indicating

     1) locations of a second carrier of the second mobile device having a second CID and ii) a second movement by the second carrier; and

(f) interfacing over the first network with one or more computing devices to enable the group administrator to log into the administrator account to perform the group administrative functions, including;

i) setting a zone identified by a zone ID (ZID) for the group, wherein a location of the zone is independent of the locations of the first carrier or the second carrier,

ii) setting a first event condition for a first group event that occurs if it is determined that the first event condition is met based on the locations of the first carrier or the second carrier within or relative to the zone,

iii) setting a second event condition for a second group event that occurs if it is determined that the second group event condition is met based on the first movement or the second movement, and

iv) specifying an access list comprising one or more IDs that identify one or more recipients including the authorized user of the group who are authorized to access event notifications whenever the first group event or the second group event occurs; and

(g) giving access to the event notifications based on the access list.

2. The method of claim 1, where the group administrative functions include authorizing access to a sub-group administrator account of a sub-group administrator of a sub-group in the group having a plurality of sub-group authorized users, including the sub-group administrator who is authorized to use of a third level of administrative after accessing the sub-group administrator account for performing sub-group administrative functions including specifying a UID of an authorized user of the sub-group on the access list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tracking service administrator specifies functions that are performed by the authorized user based on roles in the groups after access authorizations are given to the user accounts.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first carrier is a person who becomes an authorized user of the group or the sub-group after accessing the person'"'"'s user account based on the first CID as a driver of a vehicle having a vehicle ID (VID), wherein the first event condition is met based on proximity of the driver to the vehicle within the zone before associating the first CID with the VID in the DB.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first carrier is a person who becomes an authorized user of the group or the sub-group after accessing the person'"'"'s user account from the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first movement by the first carrier or the second movement by the second carrier is determined based on carrier locations or detected carrier motions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile devices determines the occurrence of the first group event and the second group event.

8. The method of claim 1, the DDMSA determines of the occurrence of the first group event or the second group event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second event condition is met based on a physical characteristic of the first carrier or the second carrier including a determined carrier location, carrier motion, carrier speed, heart rate of a person who is a carrier or power up state of a vehicles or object that is a carrier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein an event notification contains information related to the physical characteristic, including the locations of the first carrier or the second carrier where the second event condition is met.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the DIDs are the carrier IDs.

12. A method for controlling conveyance of event notifications based on a first level of administrative privileges used by a tracking service administrator of a tracking service provided over a first network of computing device to authorized users who track mobile devices identified in a database (DB) by mobile device IDs (DIDs), wherein the mobile devices are carried by corresponding carriers, including objects, vehicles or persons identified by carrier IDs (CIDs) in groups identified by corresponding group IDs (GIDs) in the DB, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the first level of administrative privileges to provide access authorization to user accounts of the tracking service in response to received log in requests that contain IDs and passwords of the authorized users of the groups;

(b) based on the login requests, providing access authorization to the user accounts using a first database management system application (DBMSA) executed on one or more central or distributed servers configured to use the DBMSA for performing functions based on multiple levels of administrative privileges, including the first level of administrative privileges;

(c) based on the first level of administrative privileges, giving a second level of administrative privileges to perform group administrative functions in a group identified by a GID, which are not performed using the first level of administrative privileges, wherein members of the group include

     1) a group administrator having a group administrator account who is authorized by the tracking service administrator to use the second level of administrative privileges and

     2) an authorized user in the group having a user account who is not authorized to use the second level of administrative privileges;

(d) providing access authorization to the administrator account before performing the group administrative functions using the second level of administrative privileges;

(e) interfacing over one or more wireless networks with

     1) a first mobile device identified by a first DID to receive a first location information comprising information indicating locations of a first carrier of the first mobile device having a first CID and

     2) a second mobile device identified by a second DID to receive a second information comprising information indicating locations of a second carrier of the second mobile device having a second CID; and

(f) interfacing over the first network with one or more computing devices to enable the group administrator to log into the administrator account to perform the group administrative functions, including;

i) setting a zone for occurrence of a first group event that occurs based on the locations of the first carrier or the second carrier within or relative to the zone,

iii) specifying an access list comprising one or more IDs that identify one or more recipients including the authorized user of the group who are authorized to access event notifications whenever the first group event occurs; and

(g) giving access to the event notification based on the access list.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first carrier is the group administrator and the second carrier is the authorized user, wherein the method further includes the steps of receiving over the one or more wireless networks 1) a log in request to access the group administrator account from the first mobile device before specifying the access list and 2) a log in request to access the user account from the second mobile device before providing access to an event notification by the authorized user.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of 1) receiving an information package including a temperature, humidity, heart rate, motion, speed, image, video or multi-media file that is incorporated into the information package from the first mobile device or the second mobile device after it is determined that the group administrator or the authorized user is within the zone and 2) providing access to the information package.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein after accessing the user account, the authorized user is a second group administrator that performs the group administrative functions in a second group identified by a second GID, including specifying a second access list for accessing second event notifications comprising one or more IDs that identify one or more recipients including a second authorized user of the second group who is authorized to access second event notifications whenever a second group event occurs in a second zone.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first group event occurs based on a proximity of the first carrier to the second carrier within the zone.

17. A method for tracking driving events comprising steps of:

(a) using a server to execute a database management system application (DBMSA) that performs functions based on multiple levels of administrative privileges including a first level of administrative privileges of a tracking service provider having a system administrator that uses the first level of administrative privileges for maintaining a database (DB) that identifies users of the tracking service by identification codes (IDs);

(b) using the first level of administrative privileges to

     1) create company groups based on company IDs of companies,

     2) authorize a company group to use a second level of administrative privileges, which is not used by the system administrator, and

     3) create an administrator account for a company administrator of the company who is authorized to use the second level of administrative privileges;

(c) based on a received company administrator ID in a request to log into the administrator account, providing access authorization to the administrator account before providing one or more user interfaces that receive an access list from the company administrator using the second level of administrative privileges, the access list identifying one or more authorize recipients of event information who are not authorized to use the second level of administrative privileges;

(d) creating a driver account for a driver of a vehicle based on the second level of administrative privileges which authorizes the driver to log into the driver account based on a driver ID and password to become an authorized user in the company group;

(e) receiving a request to log into the driver account from a mobile computing device (MCD) carried by the vehicle;

(f) receiving driver location information indicating locations of the driver;

(g) receiving driving event information indicating a) the vehicle is powered on, b) times and locations of a movement driving event, c) times and locations of a non-movement driving event, d) additional information entered or written by the driver in an event log file after providing the access authorization to the driver user account;

(h) conveying the driving event information based on the access list.

18. The method of claim 17, further including the step of receiving an event log file that contains recorded driver location information and driving event information.

19. The method of claim 18, further including the step of receiving a location log file different from the event log file that contains recorded driver location information between two boundaries of a zone.

20. The method of claim 17, where the company administrator authorizes access to a sub-group administrator account of a sub-group administrator of a sub-group in the company group having a plurality of sub-group authorized users, including the sub-group administrator who is authorized to use of a third level of administrative after accessing the sub-group administrator account for performing sub-group administrative functions including specifying a UID of an authorized user of the sub-group on the access list.