Method, system, and program for providing user location information with a personal information management program

• US 20020165910A1
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quartz Auto Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Provided is a method, system, program, and data structures for providing user location information with a personal information manager program. Position coordinates of a wireless device associated with a user are generated, along with time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated. The position coordinates and time information are processed to determine geographic locations and associated time periods. For each determined geographical location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the geographical location for the associated time period. A request is received for information on the user for a selected time interval. A determination is then made of time periods associated with geographic locations that are within the selected time interval. Information is then generated on the geographic locations and associated time periods that are within the selected time interval.

Claims

1. A method for providing user location information for a personal information management program, comprising:

generating position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the position coordinates and time information are generated at the wireless device, further comprising:

transmitting the generated position coordinates and time information to a server; and

storing, with the server, the generated position coordinates and time information in a database, wherein the server processes the position coordinates and time information to determine the locations and associated time periods where the user was present.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position coordinates and time information are generated at the wireless device, wherein the wireless device processes the position coordinates and time information to determine the locations and associated time periods where the user was present, further comprising:

transmitting, with the wireless device, the determined locations and associated time periods to a server;

storing, with the server, the determined locations and time periods in a database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of location boundaries defining multiple location coordinates;

for each location boundary, providing a location description including information describing the location boundary;

for each generated position coordinate, determining whether the position coordinate is included in one of the provided location boundaries, wherein at least one determined location comprises one predefined location boundary including position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the at least one location includes the location description for the predefined location boundary comprising the location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one location boundary and associated location description is provided by:

receiving position coordinates from the wireless device defining one location boundary; and

receiving a location description from the wireless device for the defined location boundary.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one location boundary and associated location description is provided by:

receiving location boundary and location description information from a transmitter.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

associating, with the wireless device, the location description information with the generated position coordinates within the location boundary received from the transmitter; and

transmitting, with the wireless device, the position coordinates, associated time information, and associated location description to a server, wherein the server processes the position coordinates and time information to determine location boundaries including the position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description provided by the transmitter for the location boundary comprising the location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein position coordinates and time information are generated by multiple wireless devices, wherein each wireless device is associated with one user, further comprising:

receiving position coordinates and time information from multiple wireless devices; and

storing the position coordinates and time information in a database with information associating each position coordinate and time information with one user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods further comprises:

for each user, determining a series of position coordinates included within one predefined location boundary, wherein a location description is associated with each predefined location boundary, and wherein the determined location comprises the predefined location boundary including the series of position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the position coordinates and time information to determine whether a change in a series of position coordinates indicates a predefined activity occurring during an activity time period during which the position coordinates were generated;

determining activity time periods that are within the selected time interval; and

generating information on the predefined activities for activity time periods within the selected time interval.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for information on the user for a selected time interval;

determining time periods associated with locations that are within the selected time interval; and

generating information on the locations and associated time periods that are within the selected time interval.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the generated information to an initiator of the request for information to enable the initiator to display the location information and time periods where the user of the wireless device was located for the time interval.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the initiator requesting the information comprises a program installed on a computer, and wherein the generated information is transmitted over the Internet to the computer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the initiator requesting the information is the wireless device, and wherein the wireless device displays the generated information for the requested time interval.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining scheduled events for the user within the time interval; and

generating information on the scheduled events within the time interval to enable the initiator to display information on the scheduled events along with the geographic locations where the user was located during the time interval.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein each position coordinate is expressed as an x, y, z coordinate.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing information on the determined locations comprising one of at least text, audio, image, and video.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining scheduled events for the user within the selected time interval; and

displaying information on the scheduled events within the time interval adjacent to the displayed information on the determined locations and time periods where the user was located for the selected time interval.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the selected time interval comprises a selected time period of a user selected day.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the selected time interval comprises a default time period for a current day.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the information is displayed in a calendar Graphical User Interface (GUI).

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the position coordinates and time information are generated at the wireless device, further comprising:

means for transmitting the generated position coordinates and time information to a server; and

means for storing, with the server, the generated position coordinates and time information in a database, wherein the server processes the position coordinates and time information to determine the locations and associated time periods where the user was present.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the position coordinates and time information are generated at the wireless device, wherein the wireless device includes the means for processing the position coordinates and time information to determine the locations and associated time periods where the user was present, further comprising:

means for transmitting, with the wireless device, the determined locations and associated time periods to a server; and

means for storing, with the server, the determined locations and time periods in a database.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for providing a plurality of location boundaries defining multiple location coordinates;

means for providing, for each location boundary, a location description including information describing the location boundary;

means for determining, for each generated position coordinate, whether the position coordinate is included in one of the provided location boundaries, wherein at least one determined location comprises one predefined location boundary including position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the at least one location includes the location description for the predefined location boundary comprising the location.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the means for providing the location boundaries and associated location descriptions performs:

receiving position coordinates from the wireless device defining one location boundary; and

receiving a location description from the wireless device for the defined location boundary.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the means for providing the location boundaries and associated location descriptions performs:

receiving location boundary and location description information from a transmitter.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

means for associating, with the wireless device, the location description information with the generated position coordinates within the location boundary received from the transmitter; and

means for transmitting, with the wireless device, the position coordinates, associated time information, and associated location description to a server, wherein the server processes the position coordinates and time information to determine location boundaries including the position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description provided by the transmitter for the location boundary comprising the location.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein position coordinates and time information are generated by multiple wireless devices, wherein each wireless device is associated with one user, further comprising:

means for receiving position coordinates and time information from multiple wireless devices; and

means for storing the position coordinates and time information in a database with information associating each position coordinate and time information with one user.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the means for processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods further performs:

for each user, determining a series of position coordinates included within one predefined location boundary, wherein a location description is associated with each predefined location boundary, and wherein the determined location comprises the predefined location boundary including the series of position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description.

32. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for processing the position coordinates and time information to determine whether a change in a series of position coordinates indicates a predefined activity occurring during an activity time period during which the position coordinates were generated;

means for determining activity time periods that are within the selected time interval; and

means for generating information on the predefined activities for activity time periods within the selected time interval.

33. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving a request for information on the user for a selected time interval;

means for determining time periods associated with locations that are within the selected time interval; and

means for generating information on the locations and associated time periods that are within the selected time interval.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

means for transmitting the generated information to an initiator of the request for information to enable the initiator to display the location information and time periods where the user of the wireless device was located for the time interval.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the initiator requesting the information comprises a program installed on a computer, and wherein the generated information is transmitted over the Internet to the computer.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the initiator requesting the information is the wireless device, and wherein the wireless device displays the generated information for the requested time interval.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

means for determining scheduled events for the user within the time interval; and

means for generating information on the scheduled events within the time interval to enable the initiator to display information on the scheduled events along with the geographic locations where the user was located during the time interval.

38. The system of claim 23, wherein each position coordinate is expressed as an x, y, z coordinate.

39. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for providing information on the determined locations comprising one of at least text, audio, image, and video.

18. A method for generating a calendar for a personal information management program, comprising:

receiving selection of a time interval;

for the selected time interval, determining position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period;

displaying information on the determined locations and time periods where the user of the wireless device was located for the selected time interval.

23. A system for providing user location information for a personal information management program, comprising:

means for generating position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

means for processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period.

40. A system for generating a calendar for a personal information management program, comprising:

means for receiving selection of a time interval;

means for determining, for the selected time interval, position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

means for processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period;

means for displaying information on the determined locations and time periods where the user of the wireless device was located for the selected time interval.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising:

means for determining scheduled events for the user within the selected time interval; and

means for displaying information on the scheduled events within the time interval adjacent to the displayed information on the determined locations and time periods where the user was located for the selected time interval.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the selected time interval comprises a selected time period of a user selected day.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein the selected time interval comprises a default time period for a current day.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the information is displayed in a calendar Graphical User Interface (GUI).

46. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the position coordinates and time information are generated at the wireless device, for comprising:

transmitting the generated position coordinates and time information to a server; and

storing, with the server, the generated position coordinates and time information in a database, wherein the server processes the position coordinates and time information to determine the locations and associated time periods where the user was present.

47. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the position coordinates and time information are generated at the wireless device, wherein the wireless device processes the position coordinates and time information to determine the locations and associated time periods where the user was present, further comprising:

transmitting, with the wireless device, the determined locations and associated time periods to a server;

storing, with the server, the determined locations and time periods in a database.

48. The article of manufacture of claim 45, further comprising:

providing a plurality of location boundaries defining multiple location coordinates;

for each location boundary, providing a location description including information describing the location boundary;

for each generated position coordinate, determining whether the position coordinate is included in one of the provided location boundaries, wherein at least one determined location comprises one predefined location boundary including position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the at least one location includes the location description for the predefined location boundary comprising the location.

49. The article of manufacture of claim 48, wherein at least one location boundary and associated location description is provided by:

receiving position coordinates from the wireless device defining one location boundary; and

receiving a location description from the wireless device for the defined location boundary.

50. The article of manufacture of claim 48, wherein at least one location boundary and associated location description is provided by:

receiving location boundary and location description information from a transmitter.

51. The article of manufacture of claim 50, further comprising:

associating, with the wireless device, the location description information with the generated position coordinates within the location boundary received from the transmitter, and

transmitting, with the wireless device, the position coordinates, associated time information, and associated location description to a server, wherein the server processes the position coordinates and time information to determine location boundaries including the position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description provided by the transmitter for the location boundary comprising the location.

52. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein position coordinates and time information are generated by multiple wireless devices, wherein each wireless device is associated with one user, further comprising:

receiving position coordinates and time information from multiple wireless devices; and

storing the position coordinates and time information in a database with information associating each position coordinate and time information with one user.

53. The article of manufacture of claim 52, wherein processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods further comprises:

for each user, determining a series of position coordinates included within one predefined location boundary, wherein a location description is associated with each predefined location boundary, and wherein the determined location comprises the predefined location boundary including the series of position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description.

54. The article of manufacture of claim 45, further comprising:

processing the position coordinates and time information to determine whether a change in a series of position coordinates indicates a predefined activity occurring during an activity time period during which the position coordinates were generated;

determining activity time periods that are within the selected time interval; and

generating information on the predefined activities for activity time periods within the selected time interval.

55. The article of manufacture of claim 45, further comprising:

receiving a request for information on the user for a selected time interval;

determining time periods associated with locations that are within the selected time interval; and

generating information on the locations and associated time periods that are within the selected time interval.

56. The article of manufacture of claim 55, further comprising:

transmitting the generated information to an initiator of the request for information to enable the initiator to display the location information and time periods where the user of the wireless device was located for the time interval.

57. The article of manufacture of claim 56, wherein the initiator requesting the information comprises a program installed on a computer, and wherein the generated information is transmitted over the Internet to the computer.

58. The article of manufacture of claim 56, wherein the initiator requesting the information is the wireless device, and wherein the wireless device displays the generated information for the requested time interval.

59. The article of manufacture of claim 56, further comprising:

determining scheduled events for the user within the time interval; and

generating information on the scheduled events within the time interval to enable the initiator to display information on the scheduled events along with the geographic locations where the user was located during the time interval.

60. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein each position coordinate is expressed as an x, y, z coordinate.

61. The article of manufacture of claim 45, further comprising:

providing information on the determined locations comprising one of at least text, audio, image, and video.

45. An article of manufacture including code method for providing user location information for a personal information management program, comprising:

generating position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period.

62. An article of manufacture including code for generating a calendar for a personal information management program by:

receiving selection of a time interval;

for the selected time interval, determining position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

processing the position coordinates and time information to determine information on locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period;

displaying information on the determined locations and time periods where the user of the wireless device was located for the selected time interval.

63. The article of manufacture of claim 62, further comprising:

determining scheduled events for the user within the selected time interval; and

displaying information on the scheduled events within the time interval adjacent to the displayed information on the determined locations and time periods where the user was located for the selected time interval.

64. The article of manufacture of claim 62, wherein the selected time interval comprises a selected time period of a user selected day.

65. The article of manufacture of claim 62, wherein the selected time interval comprises a default time period for a current day.

66. The article of manufacture of claim 62, wherein the information is displayed in a calendar Graphical User Interface (GUI).

68. The computer readable medium of claim 67, further comprising:

a plurality of location boundaries defining multiple location coordinates, wherein each location boundary includes a location description including information describing the location boundary, wherein for each generated position coordinate, a determination is made as to whether the position coordinate is included in one of the provided location boundaries, wherein at least one determined location comprises one predefined location boundary including position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the at least one location includes the location description for the predefined location boundary comprising the location.

69. The computer readable medium of claim 67, wherein a determination is made of a series of position coordinates included within one predefined location boundary, wherein a location description is associated with each predefined location boundary, and wherein the determined location comprises the predefined location boundary including the series of position coordinates, and wherein the information generated on the locations includes the location description.

70. The computer readable medium of claim 69, further comprising:

information on predefined activities for activity time periods within the selected time interval, wherein the predefined activities are determined by processing the position coordinates and time information to determine whether a change in a series of position coordinates occurred during an activity time period during which the position coordinates were generated.

71. The computer readable medium of claim 67, wherein each position coordinate is expressed as an x, y, z coordinate.

72. The computer readable medium of claim 67, further comprising:

information on the determined locations comprising one of at least text, audio, image, and video.

67. A computer readable medium for providing user location information for a personal information management program, wherein the computer readable medium includes at least one computer readable data structure comprising:

position coordinates of a wireless device and time information indicating a time when the position coordinates were generated, wherein a user is associated with the wireless device; and

locations and associated time periods, wherein for each determined location and associated time period, the user of the wireless device was located at the location for the associated time period, and wherein the locations and associated time periods are determined by processing the position coordinates and time information.