Location-based text messaging

• US 7,742,774 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helio LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Virgin Mobile USA LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Oh, Minah, Oh, Seung June
• Primary Examiner(s): West; Lewis G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/652,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20080171555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/456.1, 340/426.19, 340/426.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A method and device is provided for transmitting location-based text messages between electronic devices. A mobile electronic device can determine a device'"'"'s location, create a map of that location, create a text message, embed the map in the text message and transmit the text message to a recipient. The device can also transmit or create navigational directions and update the map and the directions in real time.

Claims

1. A method for sending a location-based text message, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a geographic location of a first mobile electronic device by a process on the mobile electronic device;

receiving a geographic location of a second mobile electronic device;

generating a map of the first mobile electronic device'"'"'s geographic location and of the second mobile device'"'"'s geographic location;

receiving a text input via an input interface of the first mobile electronic device;

creating a text message based on the received text input;

combining the map with text message at the first mobile electronic device;

launching an application at the first mobile electronic device to display the map, wherein the application updates the map in real time to show movements of the first and second mobile electronic devices; and

transmitting the combined map and text message to the second mobile electronic device responsive to a request from a user received via the input interface of the first mobile electronic device, wherein the second mobile electronic device is configured to launch an application to display the map to show the location of the first mobile electronic device and the location of the second mobile electronic device, and wherein the application at the second mobile electronic device is configured to update the map automatically in real time to show movements of the sending and receiving devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second mobile electronic devices is a mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location of the first mobile electronic device is determined using global positioning satellites.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location of the first mobile electronic device is determined using land-based triangulation.

5. A device for sending and receiving location-based messaging comprising:

a display;

an input interface;

a wireless transmitter and receiver;

a Global Positioning System receiver configured to determine a geographic location of the device; and

a processor,

wherein the processor is configured to;

create a map of the device'"'"'s location based on the geographic location determined by the GPS receiver,

receive a geographic location of a recipient device,

add the recipient device'"'"'s location to the map,

receive a text input via the input interface,

create a text message based on the received text input,

combine the map and the text message,

launch an application at the first mobile electronic device to display the map, wherein the application updates the map in real time to show movements of the first and second mobile electronic devices, and

transmit the combined map and text message to a recipient mobile electronic device upon a user'"'"'s request, wherein the recipient device is configured to launch an application to display the transmitted map to show the location of the sending device and the location of the recipient device, and wherein the application at the recipient device is configured to update the map automatically in real time to show movements of the sending and recipient devices.