Wireless communication system and method to provide geo-spatial related event data

• US 20020118118A1
• Filed: 02/26/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Myllymaki, Jussi Petri, Kraft, Reiner, Ford, Daniel Alexander, Cao, Kevin Trung
• Granted Patent: US 7,259,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for communication of information that has particular significance to a specific location only to those individuals that are at or near that geo-spatial location. In particular, providing safety factor data and alerts is a preferred use of the invention. The invention allows information to be tailored to the individual at that location by selectively filtering what is communicated and what is not. The system includes a transmitting proximity event server, a GPS client wireless component that can be a personal wireless communication device (such as Palm Pilot, cellular digital phones, etc.) or personal computer configured for use within a global position satellite network.

Claims

1. A method of activating geo-spatial dependent data using a server and a global positioning satellite-based wireless component, said method comprising:

receiving input event data associated with a designated geo-spatial area at said server;

maintaining and updating said event managed data and event subscribed data at said server;

matching a profile that is subscribed to by entering a designated geo-spatial area by said wireless component; and

notifying said wireless component of said event subscribed data.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein said method comprises a personal safety advisor and said event data comprises safety-related events and said profile comprises a safety profile.

3. The method in claim 2, wherein said personal safety advisor includes calculating a weighted event score (WES) at said designated geo-spatial area defined as a product of ew*es, wherein ew is a weight associated with a safety-related event and es is a corresponding event score;

and outputting said WES for display on said wireless component.

4. The method in claim 1, wherein said maintaining and updating said event managed data and said event subscribed data includes:

maintaining and updating a status record represented by a userid, eventid, and send status;

said event data represented by an object with attributes of said eventid, event type, event description, event location, event score, and a lifetime;

user location data represented by said userid, a location in latitude/longitude; and

profile record data represented by said userid, said event type, a distance threshold, a score weight, and a score threshold.

5. The method in claim 4, wherein said notifying said wireless component of said event subscribed data comprises:

obtaining user data and said event data;

requesting status of said userid and said eventid;

determining whether an event message was previously sent;

generating a message from said event data;

sending information to said wireless component; and

recording status as to sending said information for said userid and said eventid.

6. The method in claim 5, wherein said maintaining and said updating of said event managed data and said event subscribed data includes:

obtaining a new event object;

requesting said userids from a profile database wherein said event type matches said new event;

determining whether any more said userid;

requesting for each found said userid, a user location;

computing a distance of said user location and said event location using geo-spatial distance computations;

comparing said distance with an event distance threshold;

computing an event score for said user;

determining whether said event score exceeds said event score threshold; and

said notifying of said wireless component of said event subscribed data occurs when said event threshold distance and said score threshold are within predetermined values and there are no more said users.

7. The method in claim 5, wherein said maintaining and said updating of said event managed data and said event subscribed data includes:

obtaining a new userid;

requesting said event type for said userid;

determining whether any additional event types;

requesting for each said event type, an event location;

computing a distance of said user location and said event location using geo-spatial distance computations;

comparing said distance with an event distance threshold;

computing an event score for said user;

determining whether said event score exceeds said event score threshold; and

said notifying of said wireless component of said event subscribed data occurs when said event threshold distance and said score threshold are within predetermined values and there are no more said events.

8. A system for activating geo-spatial dependent data, the system comprising:

a global positioning satellite (GPS) wireless component configured for use with a remote wireless server,

said server including a server session manager operatively connected a location database and a matcher component;

a notification unit operatively connected to said matcher component;

an event database operatively connected to an event manager that receives external event data;

a profile database operatively connected to said matcher component;

and a status database operatively connected to said notification unit,

whereby a profile subscribed to causes transmission of geo-spatial dependent data when entering a designated geo-spatial area and said dependent data is provided to said wireless component.

9. The system in claim 8, wherein said system is a personal safety advisor system wherein said session manager comprises a profile manager, said event manager comprises a user session manager and a event manager, and said profile database comprises a safety profile database.

10. The system in claim 8, wherein said server and said wireless component each include a wide area network (WAN) interface, said WAN interface in said server is operatively connected to said server session manager and said notification unit.

11. The system in claim 8, wherein said wireless component includes a graphical user interface for output display of said geo-spatial dependent data.

12. The system in claim 10, wherein said wireless component includes a session manager operatively connected to said WAN interface and a GPS interface.

13. The system in claim 12, wherein said wireless component further includes a session manager that is operatively connected to graphical user interface.

15. The program storage device in claim 14, wherein said maintaining and updating said event managed data and said event subscribed data includes:

maintaining and updating a status record having a userid, eventid, and send status;

said event data represented by an object with attributes of said event id, event type, event description, event location, event score, and a lifetime;

user location data represented as said userid, a location in latitude/longitude; and

profile record data represented by said userid, said event type, a distance threshold, a score weight, and a score threshold.

16. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein output for notifying said wireless component of said event subscribed data comprises:

obtaining user data and said event data;

requesting status of said userid and said eventid;

determining whether an event message was previously sent;

generating a message from said event data;

sending information to said wireless component; and

recording status as to sending said information for said userid and said eventid.

17. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said maintaining and said updating of said event managed data and said event subscribed data includes:

obtaining a new event object;

requesting said userids from a profile database wherein said event type matches said new event;

determining whether any more said userid;

requesting for each found said userid, a user location;

computing a distance of said user location and said event location using geo-spatial distance computations;

comparing said distance with an event distance threshold;

computing an event score for said user;

determining whether said event score exceeds said event score threshold; and

said notifying of said wireless component of said event subscribed data occurs when said event threshold distance and said score threshold are within predetermined values and there are no more said users.

18. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said maintaining and said updating of said event managed data and said event subscribed data includes:

obtaining a new userid;

requesting said event type for said userid;

determining whether any additional event types;

requesting for each said event type, an event location;

computing a distance of said user location and said event location using geo-spatial distance computations;

comparing said distance with an event distance threshold;

computing an event score for said user;

determining whether said event score exceeds said event score threshold; and

said notifying of said wireless component of said event subscribed data occurs when said event threshold distance and said score threshold are within predetermined values and there are no more said events.

19. The program storage device in claim 15, wherein said method comprises a personal safety advisor and said event data comprises safety-related events and said profile comprises a safety profile.

20. The program storage device in claim 19, wherein said personal safety advisor includes calculating a weighted event score (WES) at said designated geo-spatial area defined as a product of ew*es, wherein ew is a weight associated with a safety-related event and es is a corresponding event score;

and outputting said WES for display on said wireless component.

14. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform a method for activating geo-spatial dependent data using a server configured for use with a global positioning satellite-based wireless component, said method comprising:

receiving input event data associated with a designated geo-spatial area at said server;

maintaining and updating said event managed data and event subscribed data at said server;

matching a profile that is subscribed to when entering said designated geo-spatial area; and

notifying said wireless component of said event subscribed data.