GPS based friend location and identification system and method

• US 8,417,261 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• 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): Akonai, Olumide T Ajibade
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/188,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 4554561-4566, 345633-636, 345/653, 345/659, 709/219, 705/14.66, 705/14.67
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 method for participating in a mobile social networking situation, comprising:

a. selecting on a portable device accompanying a user the user'"'"'s desired level of participation in a social networking situation, which includes a defined criteria said defined criteria not including position;

b. wirelessly logging into a server connected to a communication network by said user using said portable device;

c. wirelessly communicating the user'"'"'s desired level of participation in said social networking situation to said server;

d. communicating to said server a participant'"'"'s election of social information;

e. wirelessly publishing the user'"'"'s GPS location in a geographic area of interest to said server;

f. wirelessly communicating to said user said participant'"'"'s position and identity information stored on said server, where said participant is located in said geographic area of interest and said participant social information meets said user defined criteria; and

g. displaying on said portable device accompanying said user said participant'"'"'s position and identity, wherein said display on said portable device is a perspective view of said geographic area of interest and said other participant'"'"'s position is displayed, and wherein said perspective view includes an augmented reality view of said geographic area of interest.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said defined criteria is social information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said social information is one or more criteria selected from the group comprising:

destination, cash available, time available, meeting desires, introduction desires, partner status, gender, race, interest, group affinity, culture affinity, music affinity, or a physical attribute.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said participant information includes participant social information.

5. The method of claim 1, including communicating a second criteria for identifying other participants.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said display on said portable device includes a plan view of said geographic area of interest and said other participant locations are displayed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographic area of interest is within a certain range from said user'"'"'s GPS location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said desired level of participation includes allowing access to said user'"'"'s location to a predetermined circle of friends having information stored on said server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said desired level of user participation includes publishing said user'"'"'s location and identity only to other participants connecting to said server that meet another criteria where said other criteria does not include user location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said other criteria is a participant destination and a user'"'"'s location and identity are published only to a participant having the same destination.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein said identity is a highlight of the participant'"'"'s position on a display of the portable device.

26. The method of claim 1, including linking to a social network and displaying information stored therein related to said participant.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said social network information includes one or more participant photos, personal information or physical attributes.

11. A method for identifying mobile social network participants in a networking situation to a mobile user, comprising:

recording said user'"'"'s location in a geographic area of interest on a server;

communicating first and second criteria to said server, said criteria including wirelessly communicating said user'"'"'s desired level of participation to said server, where said desired level of participation comprises social information, but does not include position, and is selected for the networking situation, and includes i) a first criteria for publishing the user'"'"'s identity to social network participants and ii) a second criteria for receiving the location and identity of social network participants,

wirelessly communicating a participant'"'"'s desired level of participation to said server, where said desired level of participation comprises social information, but does not include position, and is selected for the networking situation, and includes i) a first criteria for publishing the participant'"'"'s identity to social network participants and ii) a second criteria for receiving the location and identity of social network participants;

recording a location of said social networking participant on said server;

identifying said social network participant if said location is within said geographic area of interest and said participant first criteria meets said user second criteria; and

communicating said identified social network participant from said server to a portable device accompanying said user, wherein the participant location and identity is displayed on said portable device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said display on said portable device is a plan view of said geographic area of interest and said other participant locations are displayed.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said display on said portable device is an augmented reality, perspective view of a portion of said geographic area of interest and said other participant location is displayed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said second criteria is social information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said social information includes one or more of destination, cash available, time available, meeting desires, introduction desires, partner status, gender, race, interest, group affinity, culture affinity, music affinity, or a physical attribute.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said geographic area of interest is a certain range from a user location stored on said server.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said first criteria is a circle of friends of said user identified on said server.

23. The method of claim 11, including displaying on said portable device at least some of said participant first criteria.

24. The method of claim 11, including wirelessly accessing social information associated with said identified social network participant and communicating said social information to said portable device.

18. A portable device accompanying a user participating in a network situation, comprising:

a GPS module for determining said user'"'"'s location in a geographic area of interest;

a user interface for accepting said user'"'"'s desired level of participation in said network situation including first defined criteria for publishing said user'"'"'s identity and second defined criteria for receiving another participant'"'"'s information;

a radio for publishing said user'"'"'s GPS location and defined criteria to a communication network having a server connected thereto for recording said GPS location and said defined criteria selected by the user, wherein said defined criteria is social information;

a radio for receiving another participant'"'"'s information stored on said server, where said another participant is located in said geographic area of interest and meet said second defined criteria, and said information received includes location; and

a display coupled to said radio and operable to depict the other participants location in said geographic area of interest, wherein said display includes an augmented reality perspective view of said geographic area of interest and the background includes an artificial reality rendering of the area of interest.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said display includes a plan view of said geographic area of interest.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein said display includes an augmented reality perspective view of said geographic area of interest and the background is a photographic image of the area of interest.

21. The device of claim 18, including controls wherein said user can elect to view at least a portion of said other participant'"'"'s social information stored on said server.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein said device includes the form factor of glasses worn by said user.

28. A portable device accompanying a user participating in a network situation, comprising:

a GPS module for determining said user'"'"'s location in a geographic area of interest;

a user interface for accepting said user'"'"'s desired level of participation in said network situation including first defined criteria for publishing said user'"'"'s identity and second defined criteria for receiving another participant'"'"'s information;

a radio for publishing said user'"'"'s GPS location and defined criteria to a communication network having a server connected thereto for recording said GPS location and said defined criteria selected by the user, wherein said defined criteria is social information;

a radio for receiving another participant'"'"'s information stored on said server, where said another participant is located in said geographic area of interest and meet said second defined criteria, and said information received includes location; and

a display coupled to said radio and operable to depict the other participant'"'"'s location in said geographic area of interest, said device including the form factor of glasses worn by the user, wherein said display on said portable device is a perspective view of said geographic area of interest and said other participant'"'"'s position is displayed, and wherein said perspective view includes an augmented reality view of said geographic area of interest.

29. The device of claim 28, including controls wherein said user can elect to view at least a portion of said other participant'"'"'s social information stored on said server.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein said device comprises glasses worn by said user connected to a cell phone accompanying the user.

31. The device of claim 28, wherein said social information includes one or more of destination, cash available, time available, meeting desires, introduction desires, partner status, gender, race, interest, group affinity, culture affinity, music affinity, or a physical attribute.