Method, apparatus and system for notifying a user of a portable wireless device

• US 20050272441A1
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cary Lee Bates, John M. Santosuosso
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,392,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for notifying a user of a portable communication device. In one embodiment, a location of a first portable communication device is determined for a first user and the location of a second portable communication device is determined for a second user. A determination is made as to whether the location of the second portable communication device is within a same region containing the first portable communication device. If the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device, then the first user is notified of the presence of the second user.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:

determining whether the location of a second portable communication device is within a same region as a first portable communication device; and

notifying a user of a first portable communication device of a presence of a second user of the second portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is within the same region as the first portable communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user and the second user are members of a group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first portable communication device and the second portable communication device comprise wireless communication devices.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the wireless communication devices comprise one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant and a two-way pager.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first portable communication device and the second portable communication device comprise a laptop computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying comprises automatically sending a signal to the first portable device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the location of the first portable communication device comprises:

obtaining the location of the first portable communication device from a global positioning system (GPS) contained in the first portable communication device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the location of the second portable communication device comprises:

receiving information from a network, where the information in the network contains the location of the second portable communication device transmitted from the second portable communication device; and

identifying the location of the second user from the received information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the network comprises at least one of an Internet and a wireless communications network.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the determining whether the first and second communication devices are in the same region is performed by the first communication device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the determining whether the first and second communication devices are in the same region is performed by the network.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the location of the second portable communication device and the notifying is repeated for all other members of a group containing the first user.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, if the location of the second portable communication device is outside the area containing the first portable communication device, whether the second portable communication device is about to approach the same area containing the first portable communication device; and

notifying the first user of the impending presence of the second user in the same area if the second portable communication device is about to approach the same area containing the first portable communication device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the second portable communication device is within the same area as the first portable communication device if the location of the second portable communication device is less than a threshold distance from the location of the first portable communication device.

44. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first user has permission to locate the second user;

if so, notifying the user of the location of the second portable communication device of the second user.

45. A computer program product comprising a tangible signal bearing medium bearing instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

14. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining the location of the second portable communication device comprises:

determining a rate of travel and a direction of travel of the second portable communication device of the second user.

16. A portable communication device for notifying a user of the presence of another user, the portable communication device comprising:

a position detector for determining a location of the portable communication device;

a memory for storing a user alert program;

a network interface for receiving information from a network, wherein the information includes location information indicative of a location of another portable communication device of another user; and

a processor which, upon executing the group alert program, is configured to;

determine whether the location of the another portable communication device is within a same region as the retrieved location; and

if so, cause a notification message to be sent to the user of a presence of the another user if the location of the another portable communication device is within a same region as the portable communication device.

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26. A method for notifying a user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a location of a first portable communication device of a first user;

determining whether a location of a second portable communication device of a second user is within a threshold distance of the first portable communication device; and

notifying the first user of a presence of the second user if the location of the second portable communication device is within the threshold distance of the first portable communication device.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the group is created by the first user.

31. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

notifying the second user of a presence of the first user if the location of the second portable communication device is within the threshold distance of the first portable communication device.

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32. A method for notifying a user of a portable communication device, the method comprising:

determining whether a first user is in a group for a second user, the group being predefined and stored in a storage device;

if so, determining whether the second user has permission to locate the first user;

if so, determining an approximate geographical location of a first portable communication device of the first user; and

notifying the second user of the approximate geographical location of the first user.

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35. A method for notifying a group of users of portable communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving a location of a portable communication device of a primary user;

for each secondary user in a group;

determining a location of a portable communication device of the secondary user in the group;

determining whether the location of the portable communication device of the secondary user in the group is within a threshold distance of the portable communication device of the primary user; and

notifying the secondary user in the group of a presence of the primary user if the location of the portable communication device of the user in the group is within the threshold distance of the portable communication device of the primary user.

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