Location sharing

• US 8,369,867 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Herz, Scott, Matas, Mike, Van Os, Marcel Mwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US12/165,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20090325603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.1, 455/420, 455/414.1, 455/466, 4554561-457, 455/404.2, 455/412.1, 455/550.1, 455/566, 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/312, 370/338, 701/201, 701/208, 701/213
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Geographic location data is sent from a first device to a second device with a modified message to signal the presence of geographic location data associated with the message. The message can include (or attach) the geographic location data or file, or the message can include a link to a network-based resource which the second device can use to obtain the geographic location data. In some implementations, when a user of the first device views a location on a map display of the first device, a graphical user interface is presented to allow the user to select an option to share the geographic location with the second device. The second device receives geographic location data or a link from the first device which can trigger a map display on the second device showing the location of the first device and, optionally, the location of the second device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a graphical placemark on a map display, the graphical placemark corresponding to a geographic location;

obtaining a selection of the graphical placemark;

in response to the selection of the graphical placemark, presenting a graphical object that includes information associated with the geographic location;

receiving a selection of the graphical object;

in response to the selection of the graphical object, presenting a user interface for specifying two or more mechanisms for sharing the geographic location;

obtaining input to the user interface specifying a mechanism for sharing geographic location data for the geographic location with a device,

wherein the mechanism is one of email or text messaging;

encoding the geographic location data, where the encoding reduces a size of the geographic location data,

wherein the geographic location data comprises a uniform resource locator;

presenting a messaging interface in response to obtaining input specifying a mechanism for sharing geographic location data;

sending the encoded geographic location data with a message to the device using the specified mechanism, where the message is modified to signal the presence of the geographic location data associated with the message, comprising;

displaying in the messaging interface a graphical message object having a graphical element indicating that the message is associated with the geographic location;

receiving textual input; and

displaying the textual input in the graphical message object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a virtual keyboard for typing the message.

3. The method of claim 1, where the geographic location data includes map data associated with the geographic location.

4. The method of claim 1, where the geographic location data includes a link to a network-based map service for providing map data associated with the geographic location data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging interface is an e-mail interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging interface is a chat interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging interface is a text messaging interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein encoding the geographic location data comprises hashing the geographic location data.

9. The method of claim 1, where the graphical element is an image of a portion of the map display.

10. The method of claim 1, where the graphical element is an image of a portion of the map display that includes the geographic location.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

presenting a graphical placemark on a map display, the graphical placemark corresponding to a geographic location;

obtaining a selection of the graphical placemark;

in response to the selection of the graphical placemark, presenting a graphical object that includes information associated with the geographic location;

receiving a selection of the graphical object;

in response to the selection of the graphical object, presenting a user interface for specifying two or more mechanisms for sharing the geographic location;

obtaining input to the user interface specifying a mechanism for sharing geographic location data for the geographic location with a device,

wherein the mechanism is one of email or text messaging;

encoding the geographic location data, where the encoding reduces a size of the geographic location data,

wherein the geographic location data comprises a uniform resource locator;

sending the encoded geographic location data with a message to the device using the specified mechanism, where the message is modified to signal the presence of the geographic location data associated with the text message, comprising;

displaying in the messaging interface a graphical message object having a graphical element indicating that the message is associated with the geographic location;

receiving textual input; and

displaying the textual input in the graphical message object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause encoding the geographic location data comprise instructions that cause hashing the geographic location data.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

presenting a graphical placemark on a map display, the graphical placemark corresponding to a geographic location;

obtaining a selection of the graphical placemark;

in response to the selection of the graphical placemark, presenting a graphical object that includes information associated with the geographic location;

receiving a selection of the graphical object;

in response to the selection of the graphical object, presenting a user interface for specifying two or more mechanisms for sharing the geographic location;

obtaining input to the user interface specifying a mechanism for sharing geographic location data for the geographic location with a device,

wherein the mechanism is one of email or text messaging;

encoding the geographic location data, where the encoding reduces a size of the geographic location data,

wherein the geographic location data comprises a uniform resource locator;

presenting a messaging interface in response to obtaining input specifying a mechanism for sharing geographic location data;

sending the encoded geographic location data with a message to the device using the specified mechanism, where the message is modified to signal the presence of the geographic location data associated with the message, comprising;

displaying in the messaging interface a graphical message object having a graphical element indicating that the message is associated with the geographic location;

receiving textual input; and

displaying the textual input in the graphical message object.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that cause encoding the geographic location data comprise instructions that cause hashing the geographic location data.