Method and system for obtaining location of a mobile device

• US 8,565,788 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Holding, Inc. (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mexens Intellectual Property Holding LLC
• Inventors: Houri, Cyril
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US12/167,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20080268870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/466, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02529 not involving signal parameters, i.e. only involving identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system

Abstract

Method and platform for providing the location of a first mobile device to a second device in which the second device generates a query for the location of the first device which is in the form of an SMS or push e-mail message and which is directed to the first device. Upon receipt of the query, the first device initiates a determination of its location, either by itself or by providing information to a central server, and the determined location of the first device is then directed to the second device, either directly from the central server or via the first device. The central server may direct a transmission of the location of the first device to the second device in an SMS message.

Claims

1. A method for providing the location of any one of a plurality of first mobile devices to any one of a plurality of second devices, comprising:

generating a query at any one of the plurality of second devices for the location of any one of the plurality of first devices;

creating a message at the second device from the generated query, the step of creating the message from the generated query comprising incorporating a predetermined code or term into the message;

directing the message, created at the second device from the generated query, from the second device to the first device using a message transmission system;

monitoring incoming messages at the first device for a message with the predetermined code or term to thereby detect any messages with the predetermined code or term;

interpreting a detected message with the predetermined code or term as a request for determining the location of the first device such that, in response to receipt by the first device of the message with the predetermined code or term that was created at the second device and directed from the second device to the first device, a location determination of the first device is initiated whenever the message with the predetermined code or term is received by the first device;

thereafter

determining, in response to and only after initiation of the location determination of the first device, the location of the first device, the location determining step comprising;

when the first device is equipped with a location determining system, using this location determining system to obtain the location of the first device such that the location of the first device is determined after receipt of the message that was created at the second device by the first device, or

transmitting a request from the first device to a central server for the location of the first device to be determined at the central server, and then determining, upon receipt of that request at the central server, the location of the first device,

wherein the location of the first device is thus determined by the first device or by the central server only after receipt of the message by the first device;

then

directing the determined location of the first device or a message related to the determined location of the first device from the first device or from the central server to the second device; and

removing a detected message with the predetermined code or term from a queue of incoming messages at the first device before indicating receipt of such messages by the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a query at the second device for the location of the first device comprises enabling a user of the second device to input data about the first device and the step of creating the message at the second device from the generated query comprises creating an SMS message or push e-mail message based on the input data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data about the first device is a phone number associated with the first device or an e-mail address associated with the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising avoiding notifying a user of the first device of the query from the second device for the location of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the location of the first device comprises transmitting the request from the first device to the central server for the location of the first device and determining, at the central server, the location of the first device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is transmitted by the first device to the central server via an SMS message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is transmitted by the first device to the central server via Internet protocol.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of directing the determined location of the first device or message related to the determined location of the first device to the second device comprises transmitting the determination of the location of the first device to the second device from the central server without transmitting the location of the first device from the central server to the first device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determination of the location of the first device is transmitted to the second device from the central server via an SMS message.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of directing the determined location of the first device or message related to the determined location of the first device to the second device comprises transmitting the determination of the location of the first device to the second device from the central server, further comprising transmitting the location of the first device from the central server to the first device.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of directing the determined location of the first device or message related to the determined location of the first device to the second device comprises transmitting the determination of the location of the first device from the central server to the first device using Internet protocol and then transmitting the location of the first device from the first device to the second device using Internet protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location determining system of the first device is a satellite-based location determining system such that the location of the first device is obtained based on interaction with one or more satellites of the location determining system occurring after receipt of the message that was created at the second device by the first device.

13. A platform for providing the location of a mobile device, comprising:

a plurality of first mobile devices;

a plurality of second devices each including a computer program embodied on computer-readable media, said computer program being configured to generate a query for the location of any one of said first devices, create a message from the generated query, incorporate a predetermined code or term into the message when creating the message from the generated query, and direct the created message from said second device to said first device using a message transmission system;

each of said first devices including a computer program embodied on computer-readable media, said computer program being configured to;

monitor incoming messages for a message with the predetermined code or term to enable any messages with the predetermined code or term to be automatically detected;

remove a message with the predetermined code or term from a queue of incoming messages before indicating receipt of such messages by said first device;

interpret the received message with the predetermined code or term as a request for determining the location of said first device such that, in response to detection of receipt of the message with the predetermined code or term from said second device that was created at said second device and directed from said second device to said first device, a determination of the location of said first device is initiated whenever the message with the predetermined code or term is received by said first device, and thereafter

determine, in response to and only after initiation of the location determination of said first device, the location of said first device when said first device is equipped with a location determining system, using this location determining system to obtain the location of said first device such that the location of said first device is determined after receipt of the message that was created at said second device by said first device and interpreted as a request for determining the location of said first device; and

a central server including a computer program embodied on computer-readable media and configured to direct the determined location of said first device or a message related to the determined location of said first device, which determined location is obtained after receipt of the message by said first device, to said second device,

said computer program in each of said first devices being further configured to transmit a request from said first device to said central server for the location of the first device to be determined at said central server, said computer program in said central server being further configured to determine, upon receipt of that request at said central server, the location of said first device,

whereby the location of said first device is thus determined by said first device or by said central server only after receipt of the message by said first device.

14. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said first device is further configured to avoid notifying a user of said first device of the detection of the message from said second device for the location of said first device.

15. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said first device is further configured to transmit the request to said central server via an SMS message.

16. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said first device is further configured to transmit the request to said central server via Internet protocol.

17. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said central server is further configured to transmit the location of said first device to said second device without transmitting the location of said first device to said first device.

18. The platform of claim 17, wherein said computer program in said central server is further configured to transmit the location of said first device to said second device via an SMS message.

19. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said central server is further configured to transmit the location of said first device to both said first and second devices.

20. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said central server is further configured to transmit the location of said first device to said first devices using Internet protocol and said computer program in said first device is further configured to transmit the location of said first device to said second device using Internet protocol.

21. The platform of claim 13, wherein said computer program in said second device is further configured to enable a user of said second device to generate the query for the location of said first device by inputting data about said first device and create the message from the generated query by creating an SMS message or push e-mail message based on the input data, the data about said first device being a phone number associated with said first device or an e-mail address associated with said first device.

22. A computer program embodied on computer-readable media in a first mobile device and configured to:

enable a query application in which it generates a query for the location of any one of a plurality of other mobile devices, creates a message from the generated query, incorporates a predetermined code or term into the message when creating the message from the generated query, and directs the created message to the other device using a message transmission system, and receives and displays a response indicating the location of the other device or a message related to the location of the other device;

enable a location notification application in which it monitors incoming messages for a message with the predetermined code or term to enable any messages with the predetermined code or term to be automatically detected, interprets the received message with the predetermined code or term as a request for determining a location of the first device, removes a message with the predetermined code or term from a queue of incoming messages before indicating receipt of such messages by the first device, and initiates a determination of the location of the first device only in response to and after interpreting receipt of the message with the predetermined code or term directed from the other device as a request for the location of the first device; and

said computer program initiating a determination of the location of the first device whenever the message is received by the first device by

determining the location of the first device when the first device is equipped with a location determining system by using this location determining system to obtain the location of the first device such that the location of the first device is determined after receipt of the message directed from the another device; and

transmitting a request from the first device to a central server for the location of the first device to be determined at the central server,

whereby the location of the first device is thus determined by the first device or by the central server only after receipt of the message directed from the another device.

23. The computer program of claim 22, wherein said computer program is further configured to initiate the location determination by obtaining information about reception of signals from wireless beacons by the first device and providing the information to a central server which determines the location of the first device via an SMS message or using Internet protocol.

24. The computer program of claim 22, wherein said computer program is further configured to avoid indicating receipt of the message from another device.

25. The computer program of claim 22, wherein said computer program is further configured, in the query application, to enable the query to be generated by inputting data about the other device and creating the message as an SMS message or a push e-mail message based on the input data, the data about the other device being a phone number or e-mail address associated with the other device.