Mobile device and server for facilitating GPS based services

• US 8,700,310 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Original Assignee: Madhavi Jayanthi
• Inventors: Jayanthi, Madhavi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US12/070,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 701/206, 701/213, 701/409, 701/411, 701/408, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/408
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Mobile device for communicating arrival information at a waypoint, communicating that information to a server, receiving a set of tasks (statically assigned or dynamically assigned) for the user (for example, from the server or from another user), displaying the set of tasks to the user, receiving a completion response (successful or unsuccessful) from the user, and proceeding to the next waypoint along a route/trip plan. In one embodiment, a coordination server facilitates communication of a list of tasks assigned to a user to be performed at a specified location. The list of tasks is delivered to the user of the first mobile device by the coordination server (if such tasks exist) when the coordination server receives notification from the first mobile device indicating arrival at a specific location.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

global positioning system (GPS) receiver circuitry;

client software comprising a navigation component that interacts with the GPS receiver circuitry, the navigation component capable of providing directions to a destination to a user of the mobile device in response to a request to navigate to the destination, the request and destination received from a device remote from the mobile device;

the client software sending a notification to the device remote from the mobile device after reaching the destination;

the client software accepting a task list comprising a plurality of tasks sent from the device remote from the mobile device in response to receipt of the notification;

the client software prompting the user to input a response after conducting the plurality of tasks in the task list; and

the client software automatically communicating the user response to the device remote from the mobile device.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the user response for each of the plurality of tasks is a status indicating completion, a status indicating partial completion, a status indicating deferring or a status indicating skipping.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tasks are each associated with at least one of an audio, video or textual description of the task details provided by the device remote from the mobile device.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the destination is a waypoint along a current route and wherein the mobile device receives and displays additional waypoints and incorporates them into the current route.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the destination is a waypoint along a current route wherein the mobile device receives a revised route and replaces the current route with the revised route.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the mobile device checks with a second mobile device to retrieve the task list when it reaches the destination.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the device remote from the mobile device comprises a second mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the response comprises at least one of a graphic image, a textual message and an audio message.

9. A server communicatively coupled to a first mobile device, the server comprising:

at least one processor for communicating with the first mobile device, the at least one processor operable to, at least;

receive a notification from client software in the first mobile device, the notification indicating arrival at a destination previously identified in a request from the server to the client software;

responsive to receiving the notification, identify a task list and communicating the task list to the first mobile device, wherein the task list comprises a plurality of tasks to be performed by a user of the first mobile device; and

receive a response to each of the plurality of tasks, from the first mobile device, each response comprising status of completion of a corresponding task of the plurality of tasks.

10. The server of claim 9 wherein the destination is a waypoint in a route communicated by the server to the first mobile device and wherein the task list is dynamically determined by the server after the server receives the notification from the first mobile device indicating arrival at the destination.

11. The server of claim 10 wherein the server communicates at least one of an audio description, a textual description or a video description for at least one of the plurality of tasks in the task list to the first mobile device along with the task list.

12. The server of claim 10 wherein the server stores a mapping of a phone number associated with the first mobile device with a current location associated with the first mobile device, and wherein the server provides the current location associated with the first mobile device as a response to a query comprising the phone number of the first mobile device.

13. The server of claim 9 wherein the server receives a plurality of notifications from the first mobile device, each with associated navigational coordinates, and stores the navigational coordinates as waypoints on a new route established by a user.

14. The server of claim 9 wherein the task list is assigned from a common pool of tasks associated with a group of users.

15. The server of claim 9, wherein

the response to each of the plurality of tasks in the task list comprises one of a done indicator, a skip indicator and a defer indicator;

and

the server keeps track of the response so as to be able to reassign some of the plurality of tasks if necessary.

16. A method of communicating between a first mobile device and a server, the method comprising:

sending, by the server to the first mobile device, route information comprising a plurality of waypoints to be visited by a user of the first mobile device;

receiving a notification sent to the server by the first mobile device in response to reaching at least one of the plurality of waypoints;

determining, by the server in response to receipt of the notification of reaching the at least one of the plurality of waypoints, a list of tasks for completion by the user of the first mobile device at the at least one of the plurality of waypoints;

communicating, by the server, the task list to the first mobile device, wherein receipt of the task list by the first mobile device causes

prompting, of the user of the first mobile device to provide a response to the task list;

and

receiving, by the server from the first mobile device, a user response indicating status of each task of the task list.

17. The method of communicating according to claim 16, wherein the notification comprises current location information for the first mobile device.

18. The method of communicating according to claim 17, wherein determining comprises searching a task database for available tasks that can be assigned to a first user currently associated with the first mobile device while the first user is located at the current location.

19. The method of communicating according to claim 16, wherein prompting further comprises:

authenticating, by the mobile device selectively, the user of the first mobile device;

displaying, by the mobile device, the plurality of tasks of the task list one task at a time, wherein each of the plurality of tasks comprise at least one of a textual description, an audio description and a video description;

playing, by the mobile device, the audio description if any and the video description if any; and

showing a plurality of buttons that are selectable, wherein the plurality of buttons comprise a button associated with completion, a button associated with skipping and a button associated with deferring completion.

20. The method of communicating according to claim 19, wherein

the first mobile device notes user selection of one of a plurality of buttons, for each of the tasks of the plurality of tasks.