Mobile device and server for facilitating GPS based services

• US 20090210148A1
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Original Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Inventors: Jayanthi, Madhavi
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/206
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Mobile device for communicating arrival information at a waypoint, communicating that information to a server, receiving a set of tasks (statically assigned or dynamically assigned) for the user (for example, from the server or from another user), displaying the set of tasks to the user, receiving a completion response (successful or unsuccessful) from the user, and proceeding to the next waypoint along a route/trip plan. In one embodiment, a coordination server facilitates communication of a list of tasks assigned to a user to be performed at a specified location. The list of tasks is delivered to the user of the first mobile device by the coordination server (if such tasks exist) when the coordination server receives notification from the first mobile device indicating arrival at a specific location.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver circuitry;

a client software capable comprising a navigation component capable of providing directions to a destination that interacts with the GPS receiver circuitry;

a client software capable of activating navigation towards the destination;

the client software sending a notification to a server after reaching the destination;

the client software accepting a task list comprising a plurality of tasks from the server in response to the notification;

the client software prompting the user to input a response after conducting the plurality of tasks in the task list; and

the client software automatically communicating the user response to the server.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the user response for each of the plurality of tasks is a status indicating completion, a status indicating partial completion, a status indicating deferring or a status indicating skipping.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tasks are each associated with at least one of an audio, video or textual description of the task details provided by the server.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the destination is a waypoint along a current route and wherein the mobile device receives and displays additional waypoints and incorporates them into the current route.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the destination is a waypoint along a current route wherein the mobile device receives a revised route and replaces the current route with the revised route.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the mobile device checks with a second mobile device to retrieve the task list when it reaches the destination.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 further comprising:

the client software sending the notification to a second mobile device after reaching the destination;

the client software accepting the task list from the second mobile device in response to the notification;

the client software prompting the user to input a response after conducting the plurality of tasks in the task list; and

the client software automatically communicating the user response to the second mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the response comprises at least one of a graphic image, a textual message and an audio message.

9. A server communicatively coupled to a first mobile device, the server comprising:

the server receiving a notification from the first mobile device indicating arrival at a destination;

the server identifying a task list and communicating it to the first mobile device, wherein the task list comprises a plurality of tasks; and

the server receiving a response to each of the plurality of tasks from the first mobile device.

10. The server of claim 9 wherein the destination is a waypoint in a route communicated by the server to the first mobile device and wherein the task list is dynamically determined by the server after the server receives the notification from the first mobile device indicating arrival at the destination.

11. The server of claim 10 wherein the server communicates at least one of an audio description, a textual description or a video description for at least one of the plurality of tasks in the task list to the first mobile device along with the task list.

12. The server of claim 10 wherein the server stores a mapping of a phone number associated with the first mobile device with a current location associated with the first mobile device, and wherein the server provides the current location associated with the first mobile device as a response to a query comprising the phone number of the first mobile device.

13. The server of claim 9 wherein the server receives a plurality of notifications from the first mobile device, each with an associated navigational coordinates, and stores the navigational coordinates as waypoints on a new route established by a user.

14. The server of claim 9 wherein the task list is assigned from a common pool of tasks associated with a group of users.

15. The server of claim 9, the server further comprising:

the response to each of the plurality of tasks in the task list comprising one of a done indicator, a skip indicator and a defer indicator;

the server keeping track of the response so as to be able to reassign some of the plurality of tasks if necessary.

16. A method of communicating between a first mobile device and a server, the method comprising:

sending, by the server, a route information comprising a plurality of waypoints to a user of the first mobile device;

providing, by the first mobile device a notification to the server after reaching at least one of the plurality of waypoints;

determining, by the server, a task list for the first mobile device;

communicating, by the server, the task list to the first mobile device;

prompting, by the first mobile device, a user of the first mobile device to provide a response to the task list;

accepting, by the first mobile device, a response to the task list; and

giving, by the first mobile device, the response to the task list to the server.

17. The method of communicating according to claim 16 wherein the notification comprises a current location information for the first mobile device.

18. The method of communicating according to claim 17 wherein determining comprises searching a task database for available tasks that can be assigned to a first user currently associated with the first mobile device while the first user is located at the current location.

19. The method of communicating according to claim 16 wherein prompting further comprises:

authenticating, by the mobile device selectively, the user of the first mobile device;

displaying, by the mobile device, the plurality of tasks of the task list one task at a time, wherein each of the plurality of tasks comprise at least one of a textual description, an audio description and a video description;

playing, by the mobile device, the audio description if any and the video description if any; and

showing a plurality of buttons that are selectable, wherein the plurality of buttons comprise a button associated with completion, a button associated with skipping and a button associated with deferring completion.

20. The method of communicating according to claim 19 wherein accepting comprises:

noting user selection of one of a plurality of buttons, for each of the tasks of the plurality of tasks.