TECHNIQUES FOR SHARING A DEVICE LOCATION VIA A MESSAGING SYSTEM

• US 20180234795A1
• Filed: 02/10/2017
• Published: 08/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reitz, Benoit Charles Henri, Fedida, Menahem Dan, Leupold, Felix
• Granted Patent: US 10,368,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A computer-implemented method may include receiving, in a messaging client executing on a first client device, a location request from a second client device; determining whether the second client device is authorized to send the location request to the first client device; starting a timer in response to receiving the location request when the second client device is authorized; and sending a location of the first client device to the second client device when the timer expires. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in a messaging client executing on a first client device, a location request from a second client device;

determining whether the second client device is authorized to send the location request to the first client device according to a social graph for a social networking service comprising a first node for a first user of the first client device and a second node for a second user of the second client device;

starting a timer in response to receiving the location request when the second client device is authorized; and

sending a location of the first client device to the second client device when the timer expires.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

presenting a dialog on the first client device in response to receiving the request, the dialog comprising an accept element and a decline element.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

receiving a control directive at the accept element; and

sending the location of the first client device to the second client device in response to receiving control directive at the accept element.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining whether the second client device is authorized according to whether the second client device is a trusted contact on the first client device.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining whether the second client device is authorized according to an authorization associated with a message thread comprising the first client device and the second client device.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving the location request in a messaging conversation between the first client device and the second client device.

4. (canceled)

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor circuit;

a display;

a location determination component communicatively coupled to the processor circuit;

a messaging application executing on the processor circuit, the messaging application comprising;

a messaging component to receive a location request from a client device in a messaging conversation between the messaging application and the client device;

an authorization component to determine whether the client device is authorized to send a location request according to a social graph for a social networking service comprising a first node for a first user of the messaging application and a second node for a second user of the client device;

a user interface component to present a dialog on the display in response to receiving the location request, the dialog comprising an accept element and a decline element; and

a notification component to request a location from the location determination component, and to send the location to the client device when a control directive is received at the accept element.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the messaging application comprising:

the notification component to start a timer in response to receiving the location request when the client device is authorized, and to send the location to the client device when the timer expires and no control directive is received at the dialog.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, the authorization component to determine whether the client device is authorized according to whether the client device is a trusted contact of a user of the messaging application.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, the authorization component to determine whether the client device is authorized according to an authorization associated with a message thread comprising the messaging application and the client device.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, the user interface component to receive a control directive at the decline element;

and to send a decline message to the client device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, the user interface component to present a second dialog comprising a selectable time interval, to receive a selection of a time interval, and to send a do-not-disturb message to the client device comprising the time interval.

10. (canceled)

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive, in a messaging client executing on a first client device, a location request from a second client device;

determine whether the second client device is authorized to send the location request to the first client device according to a social graph for a social networking service comprising a first node for a first user of the first client device and a second node for a second user of the second client device;

start a timer in response to receiving the location request when the second client device is authorized;

present a dialog on a display of the first client device in response to receiving the location request, the dialog comprising an accept element and a decline element, and send a location of the first client device to the second client device when the timer expires or a control directive is received at the accept element.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:

send the location of the first client device to the second client device in response to receiving a control directive at the accept element before the timer expires.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:

receive a control directive at the decline element; and

send a decline message to the second client device.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:

present a second dialog comprising a selectable time interval;

receive a selection of a time interval; and

send a do-not-disturb message to the second client device comprising the time interval.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:

determine whether the second client device is authorized according to whether the second client device is a trusted contact on the first client device.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:

determine whether the second client device is authorized according to an authorization associated with a message thread comprising the first client device and the second client device.