SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREDICTING FUTURE MEETINGS OF WIRELESS USERS

• US 20100214117A1
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognyte Technologies Israel Ltd. (Cognyte Software Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Verint Systems Limited (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hazzani, Gideon
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.490
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods and system for predicting a future location of users of wireless communications terminals. Location information indicating respective locations of multiple wireless communication terminals may be received and processed so as to predict a future meeting among respective users of the wireless communication terminals. An action may be taken with respect to the predicted future meeting. The location information may be received from a wireless communication network to obtain a Point-of-Interest (POI) that is related to one or more of the users from a characteristic location profile of the one or more users. The POI may be indicated as the likely location of the future meeting.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving location information indicating respective locations of multiple wireless communication terminals;

processing the location information so as to predict a future meeting among respective users of the wireless communication terminals; and

taking action with respect to the predicted future meeting.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the location information comprises receiving location measurements from a wireless communication network with which the wireless communication terminals communicate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing the location information comprises calculating a likely location of the future meeting.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein calculating the likely location comprises obtaining a Point-of-Interest (POI) related to one or more of the users from a characteristic location profile of the one or more users, and indicating the POI as the likely location of the future meeting.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing the location information comprises predicting an occurrence time of the future meeting.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing the location information comprises calculating an occurrence likelihood of the future meeting.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the occurrence likelihood comprises an occurrence probability of the future meeting.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication terminals are associated with one or more groups-of-interest, and wherein processing the location information comprises predicting the future meeting among at least some of the terminals that are associated with one of the groups-of-interest.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing the location information comprises predicting that future location coordinates of the respective wireless communication terminals are expected to converge to a given region, and predicting the future meeting responsively to the future location coordinates.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein processing the location information comprises predicting that the future location coordinates are expected to converge responsively to respective estimated velocities of the wireless communication terminals.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein processing the location information comprises predicting that the future location coordinates are expected to converge responsively to respective estimated directions of movement of the wireless communication terminals.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

an interface, which is operative to communicate with a wireless communication network; and

a processor, which is coupled to receive location information indicating respective locations of multiple wireless communication terminals, to process the location information so as to predict a future meeting among respective users of the wireless communication terminals, and to take action with respect to the predicted future meeting.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to calculate a likely location of the future meeting.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to obtain a Point-of-Interest (POI) related to one or more of the users from a characteristic location profile of the one or more users, and to indicate the POI as the likely location of the future meeting.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to predict an occurrence time of the future meeting responsively to the location information.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to calculate an occurrence likelihood of the future meeting responsively to the location information.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the occurrence likelihood comprises an occurrence probability of the future meeting.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the wireless communication terminals are associated with one or more groups-of-interest, and wherein the processor is coupled to predict the future meeting among at least some of the terminals that are associated with one of the groups-of-interest by processing the location information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to predict, responsively to the location information, that future location coordinates of the respective wireless communication terminals are expected to converge to a given region, and to predict the future meeting responsively to the future location coordinates.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is coupled to predict that the future location coordinates are expected to converge responsively to respective estimated directions of movement of the wireless communication terminals.