Efficient Resource Usage For Location Sharing In Computer Networks

• US 20160302043A1
• Filed: 06/21/2016
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Streeling Laboratories LLC
• Original Assignee: Kevin Laws
• Inventors: Laws, Kevin, Judge, Michael, Blythe, Garrett, Ravikant, Kamal
• Granted Patent: US 9,756,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A location sharing system and related processes across computer networks are provided that efficiently utilize resources by adjusting location determination techniques at client devices. A rule-based architecture including user-based heuristics facilitates location determination that is accurate while optimizing resource consumption. Current interest in or other behavior associated with a target user or requesting user can be used in selecting a location determination protocol at the client device. An accurate portrayal of a user'"'"'s location can be provided efficiently by correlating interest to utilize more accurate but larger resource-intensive components when interest is higher and to utilize less accurate but lower resource-intensive components when interest is lower.

Claims

1. A method of sharing location information between computing devices, comprising:

receiving at a server first tracking information and first location information from a first client device, the first location information being obtained using a first location protocol;

receiving at the server second location information and second tracking information from a second client device, the second tracking information indicating a set of users being tracked at the second client device;

accessing profile information for the set of users and determining that the first client device is associated with a user in the set of users being tracked at the second client device;

sending at least a portion of the second tracking information to the first client device to initiate a location determination protocol change at the first client device; and

receiving from the first client device location information obtained at the first client device using a second location protocol, the second location protocol having a higher accuracy than the first location protocol.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein sending at least a portion of the second tracking information comprises sending information indicating an interest at the second client device for location information of the user.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining that location sharing is not active at the first client device; and

sending a voice over internet protocol message to the first client device in response to determining that location sharing is not active, the voice over internet protocol message activating location sharing at the first client device;

receiving from the first client device a request for location sharing information after sending the voice over internet protocol message;

wherein the at least a portion of the tracking information from the second client device is sent to the first client device in response to the request from the first client device.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein determining that location sharing is not active at the first client device, comprises:

determining that location information or tracking information for the client device at a location sharing server is older than a threshold period.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein determining that location sharing is not active at the first client device, comprises:

determining that the first client device has not issued a request for location sharing information to a location sharing server within a threshold time period.

6. A location sharing system, comprising:

at least one storage device;

at least one location server in communication with the at least one storage device, the at least one location server is configured to;

receive and store location information and tracking information associated with a plurality of subscribers;

determine from the tracking information that a first subscriber has requested location information for a second subscriber;

determine a client device associated with the second subscriber; and

send at least a portion of the tracking information to the client device associated with the second subscriber to facilitate a change in location determination protocol based on the tracking information indicating that the first subscriber has requested location information for the second subscriber.

7. A location sharing system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one location server is configured to:

determine whether location sharing is active at the client device based on the location information and the tracking information;

if location sharing is not active at the client device, sending a voice over internet protocol message to the client device; and

receiving from the first client device a request for location sharing information after sending the voice over internet protocol message;

wherein the at least a portion of the tracking information is sent to the first client device in response to the request from the first client device.

8. A location sharing system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one location server is configured to:

determine from at least one of the tracking information and the location information that the client device is operating in a low-accuracy location protocol mode;

wherein the at least a portion of the tracking information is sent to the client device based on determining that the client device is operating in the low-accuracy location protocol mode and the tracking information indicating that the first subscriber has requested location information for the second subscriber.

9. A mobile computing device, comprising:

at least one transceiver for communicating over one or more networks;

satellite positioning circuitry configured to receive satellite signals;

at least one processor in communication with the at least one transceiver and the satellite positioning circuitry, the at least one processor is configured to;

receive tracking information associated with requests from a set of client computing devices for location information associated with the mobile computing device;

determine location information for the mobile computing device using the satellite positioning circuitry if the tracking information indicates a first interest in location information associated with the mobile computing device; and

determine location information for the mobile computing device using the at least one transceiver if the tracking information indicates a second interest in location information associated with the mobile computing device.

10. A mobile computing device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine from the tracking information whether any client devices in the set of client devices are actively requesting location information associated with the mobile computing device;

for any client device requesting location information associated with the mobile computing device, determining whether the client device is more than a threshold distance from the mobile computing device;

if said any client device is more than the threshold distance from the mobile computing device, determining that the tracking information indicates the first interest; and

if said any client device is not more than the threshold distance from the mobile computing device, determining that the tracking information indicates the second interest.

11. A mobile computing device according to claim 9, wherein:

the tracking information indicates a first interest when one or more of the client computing devices have provided tracking information indicating interest in a user associated with the mobile computing device.

12. A mobile computing device according to claim 11, wherein:

the tracking information indicates a second interest when the set of client computing devices have not provided tracking information indicating interest in a user associated with the mobile computing device.

13. A mobile computing device according to claim 11, wherein:

the first interest is a first level of interest in the location information of the user associated with the mobile computing device; and

the tracking information indicates a second interest when one or more of the client computing devices have provided tracking information indicating a second level of interest in a user associated with the mobile computing device.

14. A method of location sharing between mobile computing devices, the method comprising:

associating each of a plurality of users with at least one of a plurality of mobile devices, the plurality of users including a first user associated with a first mobile device;

determining whether information has been received from any of the plurality of mobile devices indicating that a current location of the first user is being used at one of the plurality of mobile devices;

if information has been received indicating that a current location of the first user is being used, determining location information of the first mobile device at a first accuracy level; and

if information has not been received indicating that a current location of the first user is being used, determining location information of the first mobile device at a second accuracy level, the first accuracy level being higher than the second accuracy level.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

the information indicates whether the current location of the first user is being displayed or has recently been displayed at one of the plurality of mobile devices.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

determining location information of the first mobile device at a first accuracy level comprises receiving at a first server the location information at the first accuracy level from the first mobile device; and

determining location information of the first mobile device at a second accuracy level comprises receiving at the first server the location information at the second accuracy level from the first mobile device.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

determining location information of the first mobile device at a first accuracy level comprises sending a first instruction from the first server to the first mobile device to determine the location information at the first accuracy level; and

determining location information of the first mobile device at a second accuracy level comprises sending a second instruction from the first server to the first mobile device to determine the location information at the second accuracy level.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein:

the first instruction causes the first mobile device to determine the location information using a first location determination mechanism on the first mobile device; and

the second instruction causes the first mobile device to determine the location information using a second location determination mechanism on the first mobile device.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein:

the first location determination mechanism includes a GPS receiver; and

the second location determination mechanism includes a cellular identification mechanism.

20. A method performed as part of a location sharing application at a first mobile device, the first mobile device including a global positioning system (GPS) processor for determining a location of the first mobile device and at least one additional processor for determining the location of the first mobile device:

determining the location of the first mobile device and reporting the location to at least one remote application server; and

activating the GPS processor for determining the location of the first mobile device based on whether the location of the first mobile device is being accessed at the second mobile device.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein activating the GPS processor based on whether the location of the first mobile device is being accessed at the second mobile device includes:

receiving information from the first application server indicating whether the location of the mobile device is being accessed at the second mobile device;

determining whether a location of the second mobile device is greater than a threshold distance away from the first mobile device; and

activating the GPS processor based on whether the second mobile device is greater than the threshold distance from the first mobile device if the information indicates the location of the mobile device is being accessed at the second mobile device.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein activating the GPS processor based on whether the location of the first mobile device is being accessed at the second mobile device includes:

activating the GPS processor based on whether the second mobile device is moving toward the first mobile device if the second mobile device is not more than the threshold distance from the first mobile device.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein activating the GPS processor based on whether the location of the first mobile device is being accessed at the second mobile device includes:

activating the GPS processor if the second mobile device is moving toward the first mobile device and the first mobile device has not been in a high accuracy mode corresponding to the GPS processor for more than a threshold period.