System and method for aggregating information to determine users' locations

• US 7,139,252 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Babu, Anand Naga, Heifets, Abraham S., Krauszer, Adam, Paterson, Roy, Eagle, Brian Lee White
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N.
• Application Number:
  US09/773,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/313, 370/314, 370/338, 370/349, 709/224, 709/249, 709/217, 4554041-4042, 4554561-4566, 455/457, 455405-408, 455/412.1, 455/0.5, 455/461, 455/452.6, 34235701-35718, 340/539.2, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Provided is a system and method that acquires and aggregates information to determine the location of a user. Information from multiple sources is collected and evaluated. Location sources include mobile electronic devices such as mobile telephones, cell phones, hand-held computers, personal digital assistants, pagers, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and other pervasive computing devices. Satellite-based or network-based positioning technologies make it possible to determine the geographic location of these wireless electronic devices and their corresponding user. Location sources also include computer-based models, schedules or calendars that give a particular user'"'"'s expected location depending on the date and time. Provided is a method for aggregating information to determine a user'"'"'s location. Also provided is a system for executing the claimed method. Also provided is as a set of instructions on a computer-usable medium, or resident in a computer system, for executing the claimed method.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating location information, said method comprising:

acquiring location data from a plurality of location sources, wherein each location source of the plurality of location sources corresponds to a different mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices and each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices corresponds to a particular user;

creating a collection of said location data regarding said user;

calculating a location of said user from the collection of said location data; and

converting said location data from said location sources to a single format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said location sources is a two-way pager, and said single format is one implemented in extensible markup language (XML).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said location sources is a wireless LAN hub, and said single format is one implemented in extensible markup language (XML).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said location data are updated continuously.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said acquiring further comprises acquiring location data regarding more than one user;

said creating further comprises creating collections of said location data regarding more than one user, organized by user; and

said calculating a location further comprises calculating a location of each user of the more than one users.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said acquiring further comprises converting said location data from said location sources to a single format.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of said location sources is a two-way pager, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of said location sources is a wireless LAN hub, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said location data are updated continuously.

10. An information handling system for aggregating location information, said information handling system comprising:

means for acquiring location data regarding a user from a plurality of location sources, wherein each location source of the plurality of location sources corresponds to a different mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices and each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices corresponds to said user;

means for creating a collection of said location data regarding said user;

means for calculating a location of said user from the collection of said location data and;

means for converting said location data from said location sources to a single format.

11. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said location sources is a two-way pager, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

12. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said location sources is a wireless LAN hub, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

13. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein said location data are updated continuously.

14. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein:

said means for acquiring further comprises means for acquiring location data regarding more than one user;

said means for creating further comprises means for creating collections of said location data regarding more than one user, organized by user; and

said means for calculating a location of said user further comprises means for calculating a location for each user of the more than one user.

15. The information handling system of claim 14, wherein said means for acquiring further comprises means for converting said location data from said location sources to a single format.

16. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein at least one of said location sources is a two-way pager, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

17. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein at least one of said location sources is a wireless LAN hub, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

18. The information handling system of claim 14, wherein said location data are updated continuously.

19. An information handling system for aggregating location information, said information handling system comprising:

a communication device communicating with a network;

a storage device;

an output device;

a system bus; and

a processor, coupled by said system bus to said communication device, said storage device, and said output device, said processor programmed to implement a method comprising;

acquiring location data regarding a user from a plurality of location sources, wherein each location source of the plurality of location sources corresponds to a different mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices and each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices corresponds to said user;

converting said location data from said location sources to a single format;

creating a collection of said location data regarding said user; and

updating said location data continuously.

20. The information handling system of claim 19, said processor being programmed to implement a method wherein:

said acquiring further comprises acquiring location data regarding more than one user, and;

said creating further comprises creating collections of said location data regarding more than one user, organized by user.

21. A computer-usable medium having computer-executable instructions, comprising:

means for acquiring location data regarding a user from a plurality of location sources, wherein each location source of the plurality of location sources corresponds to a different mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices and each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices corresponds to said user;

means for creating a collection of said location data regarding said user;

means for calculating a location of said user based upon the collection of said location data; and

means for converting said location data from said location sources to a single format.

22. The computer-usable medium of claim 21, wherein at least one of said location sources is a two-way pager, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

23. The computer-usable medium of claim 21, wherein at least one of said location sources is a wireless LAN hub, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

24. The computer-usable medium of claim 21, wherein said location data are updated continuously.

25. The computer-usable medium of claim 21, wherein:

said means for acquiring further comprises means for acquiring location data regarding more than one user;

said means for creating further comprises means for creating collections of said location data regarding more than one user, organized by user; and

said means for calculating a location of said user further comprises means for calculating a location for each user of the more than one user.

26. The computer-usable medium of claim 25, wherein said means for acquiring further comprises means for converting said location data from said location sources to a single format.

27. The computer-usable medium of claim 26, wherein at least one of said location sources is a two-way pager, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

28. The computer-usable medium of claim 26, wherein at least one of said location sources is a wireless LAN hub, and said single format is one implemented in XML.

29. The computer-usable medium of claim 25, wherein said location data are updated continuously.