Tracking a group of mobile terminals

• US 7,831,264 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miegel, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): PITT, BRYAN W
• Application Number:
  US11/551,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20080096519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/404.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/518, 370/328, 340/426.2, 340/426.18, 340/426.19, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/825.36, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A method performed by a mobile terminal may include setting a tracking parameter for a group of mobile terminals, transmitting text and position information messages of each of the mobile terminals, and displaying the messages based on priority. The method may further include automatically generating messages relating to the position of a mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming, using a plurality of mobile terminals, a group including the plurality of mobile terminals, where the group travels together, and where forming the group includes;

synchronizing the plurality of mobile terminals, and

setting at least one tracking parameter shared by each of said plurality of mobile terminals, where the at least one tracking parameter comprises designating a leader mobile terminal; and

for one of said plurality of mobile terminals;

determining first position information regarding the one of said plurality of mobile terminals,

transmitting the first position information to the other ones of the plurality of mobile terminals,

receiving second position information from the other ones of the plurality of mobile terminals,

automatically forming an alert message based on the at least one tracking parameter, the first position information, and the second position information, where the at least one tracking parameter includes a distance from the leader mobile terminal and the alert message comprises a distance alert to indicate that one or more of said plurality of mobile terminals is farther from the leader mobile terminal than said distance,

where the tracking parameter further includes a group itinerary defining a plurality of destinations for the plurality of mobile terminals and a time associated with each of the destinations, and the alert message indicates that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not at one of the plurality of destinations at the time associated with the one of the plurality of destinations,

automatically providing, to a user, said first position information, said second position information, and said formed alert message, including;

providing a graphical depiction of the first position information and the second position information, where the graphical depiction specifically identifies the leader mobile terminal and others of the plurality of mobile terminals, and

interrupting the providing of the graphical depiction to provide the alert message,

receiving a message from said other ones of the plurality of mobile terminals, where said message comprises one of an emergency message, a leader message from the leader mobile terminal, or a text message, and

automatically providing the message to the user, where;

said emergency message is provided before providing said alert message,

said alert message is provided before providing said leader message,

said leader message is provided before providing said text message, and

said text message is provided before providing said first position information and said second position information.

2. The method of claim 1, where

the at least one tracking parameter includes an area,

the plurality of mobile terminals comprises a first mobile terminal, and

the alert message comprises an indication of whether the first mobile terminal is in the area.

3. The method of claim 1, where the alert message comprises a speed alert to indicate that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not moving at a particular velocity substantially shared by others of the plurality of mobile terminals.

4. The method of claim 1, where the alert message comprises text indicating an acceleration alert to indicate that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not moving at a particular acceleration substantially shared by others of the plurality of mobile terminals.

5. The method of claim 1, where the alert message comprises text indicating a heading alert to indicate that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not moving in a particular direction substantially shared by others of the plurality of mobile terminals.

6. A plurality of mobile terminals forming a group that travels together, one of the plurality of mobile terminals comprising:

a memory to store tracking information shared by each of the plurality of mobile terminals, where the tracking information comprises data associated with designating a leader mobile terminal;

a display; and

a processor to;

control the display to display a position of each of the plurality of mobile terminals, where the display identifies the leader mobile terminal and others of the plurality of mobile terminals,

compare the positions of the plurality of mobile terminals to the stored tracking information, where the at least one tracking parameter includes a distance from the leader mobile terminal,

control the display to interrupt displaying the position of each of the plurality of mobile terminals to display position alert messages relating to the positions of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the comparing of the positions of the plurality of mobile terminals to the stored tracking information, where the alert messages comprise a distance alert to indicate that one or more of the plurality of mobile terminals is farther from the leader mobile terminal than said distance,

where the tracking parameter further includes a group itinerary defining a plurality of destinations for the plurality of mobile terminals and a time associated with each of the destinations, and the position alert messages indicate that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not at one of the plurality of destinations at the time associated with the one of the plurality of destinations,

receive a message from another of the plurality of mobile terminals, where the message comprises one of an emergency message, a leader message from the leader mobile terminal, or a text message, and

control the display to display the message, where

said emergency message is displayed before displaying said position alert messages,

said position alert messages are displayed before displaying the leader message,

said leader message is displayed before displaying said text message, and

said text message is displayed before displaying the display of the position of each of the plurality of mobile terminals.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, where

the tracking information includes an area,

the plurality of mobile terminals comprises a first mobile terminal, and

the position alert messages indicate whether the first mobile terminal is in the area.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, where the position alert messages comprise text indicating a speed alert to indicate that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not moving at a particular velocity substantially shared by others of the plurality of mobile terminals.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, where the position alert messages comprise text indicating a heading alert to indicate that one of the plurality of mobile terminals is not moving in a particular direction substantially shared by others of the plurality of mobile terminals.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 6, where the plurality of mobile terminals communicates via a cellular communications network.