System and method for locating a phone user

• US 8,036,677 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Khan, Sameer
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai; Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US11/344,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20070178915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/412.1, 455/466, 455/457, 455/456.1, 455/410
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

Systems and methods for locating a user of a wired or wireless communication device allow a communication device to respond to a location request with its current location or a default location. A request for the location of a target wireless communication device is sent to the network where the request is responded to by the network or forwarded to the target device. When the request is received by the target device, the device can deny the location request or respond to the location request with the actual location of the device (as determined by GPS or the network) or with a default, predetermined location. The type of response (denial, actual location, or default location) can be selected by the user of the target device on a granular, per request basis so that the user of the target device can selectively respond to location requests in an appropriate fashion.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for identifying the location of a user of a target communication device from a requesting communication device, the method comprising:

receiving at the requesting communication device a selection of the target communication device, the selection representing a contact record associated with the target communication device in an address book on the requesting communication device;

sending, using the requesting communication device, a location request comprising a category for a unique identifier for the target communication device;

receiving, at the target communication device, a designation of whether an actual location of the target communication device or an alternative location of the target communication device is to be delivered to the requesting communication device;

obtaining, at the requesting communication device, location information for the target communication device responsive to the location request, wherein;

the actual location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an actual location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

the alternate location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an alternate location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

enabling the actual location of the target communication device or the alternate location of the target communication device to be predefined prior to the obtaining by the user of the target communication device based on at least one of a unique identifier of the requesting communication device and a contact list group membership of the requesting communication device, where the alternate location is a location that is different from the actual location of the target communication device; and

displaying the location information on the requesting communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location request is sent to a location server on a communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the location information further comprises displaying an address of the location information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the location information further comprises displaying an image of the location information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displayed image is an image of a map.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving the location information to persistent memory in the requesting communication device.

7. A computer implemented method for responding to a request for the location of a user of a target wireless communication device from a requesting wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving at the target wireless communication device the request for the location of the target wireless communication device from the requesting wireless communication device, where the request is a selection representing a contact record associated with the target wireless communication device in an address book on the requesting wireless communication device;

receiving, at the target communication device, a designation of whether an actual location of the target communication device or an alternative location of the target communication device is to be delivered to the requesting communication device;

obtaining, at the requesting communication device, location information for the target communication device responsive to the location request, wherein;

the actual location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an actual location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

the alternate location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an alternate location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

parsing the request to obtain a unique identifier for the requesting wireless communication device;

determining a category for the unique identifier of the requesting wireless communication device; and

responding to the request with one of a denial of the request for the location of the target wireless communication device, an actual location of the target wireless communication device, and an alternate location of the target wireless communication device, whereby the user of the target communication device identifies in advance of responding the alternate location irrespective of whether the denial of the request, the actual location or the alternate location is obtained by the requesting wireless communication device, whether the responding to the request represents the denial of the request, the actual location of the target wireless communication device, or the alternate location of the target wireless communication device is predefined prior to the determining by the user of the target wireless communication device based on at least one of the category for the unique identifier of the requesting wireless communication device and a contact list group membership of the requesting wireless communication device, where the alternate location is different from the actual location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the actual location prior to responding to the request with the actual location.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting a predetermined location prior to responding to the request with the alternate location.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the response provides a location using text.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the response provides a location using a graphical image.

12. A requesting wireless communication device comprising:

a contact list comprising a plurality of contact records, each contact record having a location field configured to store a location for a wireless communication device associated with the respective contact record;

a location module configured to construct a location request seeking location information for a target wireless communication device associated with a particular contact record, send the location request over a wireless communication network, and update the location field for the particular contact record upon receiving a response to the location request;

a designation, received at the target communication wireless communication device, of whether an actual location of the target communication device or an alternative location of the target communication device is to be delivered to the requesting communication device;

the actual location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an actual location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

the alternate location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an alternate location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

wherein the location module is further configured to receive the location request, parse the location request to obtain a unique identifier for the wireless communication device, determine whether to deny the location request or respond to the location request, obtain one of current location information and an alternate location information to include in the response to the location request, and respond to the location request with one of the current location information, the alternate location information and deny the location request, whereby the user of the target wireless communication device identifies in advance of responding the alternate location information irrespective of whether the current location information or the alternate location information is obtained by the wireless communication device, whether the response to the location request represents the current location information, the alternate location information or deny the location request is predefined prior to the obtaining based on at least one of the unique identifier of the wireless communication device and the contact list group membership of the wireless communication device, where the alternate location information is different from the current location information.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the location field stores a location in text format.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the location field stores a location in graphical format.

15. The device of claim 12, further comprising operational parameters stored in memory that determine whether to deny the location request or respond to the location request.

16. A method for identifying the location of a user of a target communication device, the method comprising:

receiving with a requesting communication device a selection of the target communication device, the selection representing a contact record associated with the target communication device in an address book on the requesting communication device;

sending, using the requesting communication device, a location request comprising a category for a unique identifier for the target communication device;

receiving, at the target communication device, a designation of whether an actual location of the target communication device or an alternative location of the target communication device is to be delivered to the requesting communication device;

obtaining, at the requesting communication device, location information for the target communication device responsive to the location request, wherein;

the actual location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an actual location is to be delivered to the requesting device;

the alternate location of the target communication device is obtained when the designation received at the target communication device indicates that an alternate location is to be delivered to the requesting device; and

displaying the location information on the requesting communication device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, at the target communication device, an operational preference indication that no response to a location request is to be provided, wherein no location of the target communication device is obtained when the operational preference indication is received.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the alternate location is a default location specified using the target communication device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the location request is sent to a location server on a communication network.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving, at the target communication device, a designation of whether the location server is to provide a response to a location request in lieu of the target communication device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the alternative location is provided by the server based on the last known location of the target handset.