GPS based friend location and identification system and method

• US 8,275,397 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spatial Reality LLC
• Original Assignee: Charles D. Huston
• Inventors: Huston, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/624,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 340/539.13, 709/219, 345/633
• US Class Current: 455/461
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A system and method for observing a personal networking event which shares the position of a number of friendly participants with other participants within a group. In one form, the position of unknown participants meeting certain criteria is also displayed to a user or one or more friendly participants. The views are selectable by friendly participants on, for example, a GPS equipped cell phone, to include a view from the participant'"'"'s position, zoom, pan, and tilt views, or views from another friendly location or from another geographic location, giving increased situational awareness and identification of participants. Other information can be shared among friendly participants, including social information, status and directions.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a friendly participant in real time in a personal networking situation comprising:

said friendly participant having a GPS receiver for determining said friendly participant'"'"'s position and a participant radio for transmitting said friendly participant position in real time;

a server for receiving said friendly participant position from said participant radio and for storing participant information including position information and social information;

a radio coupled to said server for transmitting said friendly participant position; and

a portable device accompanying a respective user, the portable device including a GPS for determining the user'"'"'s position and a radio for receiving a friendly participant position from the radio coupled to said server, the receipt of said friendly participant position being based at least in part on (i) a user choice of information and (ii) said participant information,

a graphics display selectable by the user to display multiple views of the personal networking situation, wherein at least one of the user views selectable on the display is the perspective view from the user'"'"'s position to said friendly participant position, and wherein augmented reality identifies the position of said friendly participant.

2. The system of claim 1, including one or more friendly participants where participant information comprises position information, social information, or both, and where position information and social information are selectively published, where each participant chooses the information to publish.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said user and said friendly participant possess handheld devices comprising cell phones which include a GPS receiver for determining the cell phone position and a mechanism to selectively publish said position and identity to a particular group connected to a cellular network.

4. The system of claim 1, including a number of friendly participants each having a handheld device wherein said number of handheld devices each include a GPS receiver and a processor for transmitting said participant positions, said server having a processor for comparing said user position with said friendly participants'"'"' positions, and said graphics display identifies said friendly participant positions from said user'"'"'s position.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said augmented reality is an augmented reality overlay and said user'"'"'s view from the user'"'"'s position uses said augmented reality overlay to identify said friendly participant.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein multiple views from different viewpoints are selectable and one of said user'"'"'s different views is an overhead view of the personal networking area of interest.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein one of said user'"'"'s different views is an enlarged zoom view.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphics display is selectable by the user to display appended information of a participant.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said social information includes a group identity and a participant position is received by said user based at least in part on said user'"'"'s choice of group identity.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein said social information includes destination, cash available, time available, meeting or introduction desires, partner status, group, culture or music affinity.

10. A method for observing a personal networking situation in real time comprising:

a) determining a first position of a participant at said situation in real time;

b) transmitting the determined first position of said participant;

c) equipping a user with a device having a graphics display and a GPS for determining a user location;

d) receiving the determined first position at the user'"'"'s device;

e) selectively receiving social information of one or more participants at the user'"'"'s device based at least in part on participant social information;

f) viewing on the graphics display of the user'"'"'s device an indication of the first participant position at said situation using augmented reality, and one point of view is a perspective view from said user GPS location to said first participant position; and

g) repeating steps (a), (b), and (d) for a second position of said participant; and

h) viewing on the graphics display of the user'"'"'s device an indication of the second position at said situation using augmented reality and one point of view is from said user GPS location to said second position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said device includes a GPS receiver for determining said user'"'"'s location at the situation and said one point of view is from said user'"'"'s location, and said graphics display comprises an augmented reality overlay.

12. The method of claim 10, including multiple points of view, wherein one of said points of view is an overhead view of said situation.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said participant position determining step comprises equipping said one or more participants with a GPS equipped cell phone.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said one or more participant positions are transmitted to a server, wherein said user'"'"'s device communicates and authenticates with said server, and wherein said server communicates said one or more participant positions to the user'"'"'s authenticated device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said user'"'"'s device authenticates with said server and said device is remote from said situation, and said one or more participant positions are communicated over a network to said user'"'"'s device.

24. The method of claim 10, said transmitting step including each participant selectively publishing said position to one or more users.

26. The method of claim 10, wherein said social information comprises group identity and receipt of a participant position indicates the participant is a member of a group.

27. The method of claim 10, including multiple selectable points of view wherein one selectable point of view is from a participant position.

16. A method of viewing a personal networking situation in real time by a user comprising:

selecting a first position by said user;

wirelessly receiving multiple GPS positions of a friendly participant in real time as the participant moves at said personal networking situation by said user;

displaying the networking situation where at least a portion is a graphic rendered in real time, including;

rendering an augmented reality indication in real time of said friendly participant positions at said personal networking situation, with the friendly participant identified and the positions of said identified friendly participant displayed;

using said user selected first position as the viewpoint for viewing the augmented reality indication of said identified friendly participant from said user selected first position to said friendly participant positions, wherein said viewpoint is a perspective view and not an overhead plan view of said situation; and

selectively changing the viewpoint of said indication from said user selected first position to a user selected second position.

17. The method of claim 16, including rendering appended information of said participant.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein changing the view point of said indication comprises rotating the indication in a vertical axis to a tilt view.

19. The method of claim 16, including depicting unknown participants meeting defined criteria comprising destination.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein changing the view point of said indication comprises changing the view point to the location of another participant.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said indication is a graphical rendering of one or more friendly participant positions in said perspective view.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein said indication is an augmented reality overlay on a 3D graphic rendering of said situation.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein said second position is a viewpoint of an overhead plan view of said situation.