System and method for conveying location information via a plurality of information-sharing environments

• US 8,717,166 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2013
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PerdiemCo LLC
• Original Assignee: Geofence Data Access Controls LLC
• Inventors: Diem, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US13/948,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20130310072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/573.1, 340/573.3, 340/573.4, 340/8.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.74, 701/400, 701/418, 701/451, 701/486, 701/487
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• 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 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 : with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 : Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 : for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An improved system and method for defining an event based upon an object location and a user-defined zone and managing the conveyance of object location event information among computing devices where object location events are defined in terms of a condition based upon a relationship between user-defined zone information and object location information. One or more location information sources are associated with an object to provide the object location information. One or more user-defined zones are defined on a map and one or more object location events are defined. The occurrence of an object location event produces object location event information that is conveyed to users based on user identification codes. Accessibility to object location information, zone information, and object location event information is based upon an object location information access code, a zone information access code, and an object location event information access code, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for conveying information related to locations of a plurality of mobile devices of users in a plurality of user groups, comprising:

creating a plurality of information-sharing environments over a network of computing devices comprising interfaces for configuring the plurality of information-sharing environments for users based on varying levels of administrative privileges, wherein the plurality of information-sharing environments comprise a first information-sharing environment and a plurality of second information-sharing environments, said plurality of second information-sharing environments comprising a plurality of independently configurable location information sharing environments created within the first information sharing environment;

configuring the first information-sharing environment based on a first level of administrative privilege to associate one or more users that use the plurality of location information sharing environment with each one of the plurality of user groups;

configuring each one the plurality of location information-sharing environments for each user group independent of one another based on at least one second level of administrative privilege by specifying one or more levels of location information access privilege for at least one authorized user in each user group; and

managing conveyance of information related to location of the plurality of the mobile devices in the plurality of user groups based on a plurality of location information access privileges associated with a plurality of authorized users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more levels of location information access privilege for the at least one authorized user in each user group is specified based on the first level of administrative privilege.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a user identification code is associated with the at least one authorized user in each user group, wherein the user identification code is associated with a group identification codes in one or more user information databases based on the first level of administrative privilege.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein conveyance of information related to locations of the mobile devices is managed based on an access list comprising a plurality of user identification codes, including a first user identification code associated with a first mobile device and a second identification code associated with a second mobile device, wherein information related to a location of the second mobile device is conveyed to the first mobile device based on a location information access privilege specified for an authorized user in a user group, and wherein the location information of the second mobile device is conveyed to a third mobile device associated with a third identification code different from the first and second user identification codes based on the location information access privilege specified for the authorized user.

5. A system for conveying information related to locations of mobile devices associated with one or more object location sources that provide location information for each mobile device comprising:

one or more user information databases storing a plurality of user identification codes associated with a plurality of mobile devices in a plurality of user groups;

one or more computing devices that create a plurality of information-sharing environments for users over a network comprising interfaces for configuring the plurality of information-sharing environments based on one or more varying levels of administrative privileges, said plurality of information-sharing environments comprising a first information-sharing environment and a plurality of second information-sharing environments within the first information-sharing environment, the first information-sharing environment being configurable based on a first level of administrative privilege by associating one or more users with each one of a plurality of user groups, said plurality of second information-sharing environment comprising a plurality of location information sharing environments that are configurable for each user group independent of one another based on one or more second levels of administrative privilege, wherein the one or more second levels of administrative privilege are used to specify one or more levels of location information access privilege for at least one authorized user in each user group, wherein conveyance of information related to locations of the plurality of mobile devices is managed based a plurality of location information access privileges specified for a plurality of authorized users.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a location information-sharing environment is set up via a log-in based on a password, wherein the log-in is used to associate a user identification code with a mobile device-of a user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the location information-sharing environment is set up based on a schedule associated with an event information defined by an authorized user in a user group.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein conveyance of information related to locations of the mobile devices is managed based on an access list comprising a plurality of user identification codes, including a first user identification code associated with a first mobile device and a second identification code associated with a second mobile device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein information related to a location of the second mobile device is conveyed to the first mobile device based on a location information access privilege specified for an authorized user in a user group.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the location information of the second mobile device is conveyed to a third mobile device associated with a third identification code different from the first and second user identification codes based on the location information access privilege specified for the authorized user.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein a group identification code is associated with a user group, wherein the user identification code is associated with a first user identification code and a second user identification code different from the first user identification code, wherein the first user identification code is associated with a first mobile device and the second user identification code is associated with a second mobile device, wherein a location information of the second mobile device is conveyed to the first mobile device based on a location information access privilege specified for the authorized user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the location information of the second mobile device is conveyed to a third mobile device associated with a third identification code different from the first and second user identification codes based on the location information access privilege specified for the authorized user.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of second levels of administrative privilege comprises a first location information access privilege specified for a first authorized user in a first user group and a second location information access privilege specified for a second authorized in a second user group different from the first user group.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one authorized user comprises a first authorized user and a second authorized user, and wherein each one of the first and second authorized users is associated with corresponding one or more levels of location information access privilege.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein information related to a location of a mobile devices comprises an event information that relates a location information of the mobile devices to a zone, wherein the event information is conveyed upon a determination by one or more computing devices different from the mobile device of the occurrence of an event associated with the event information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a first user identification code is associated with a first computing or mobile device of an authorized user, and wherein information relating to a location of a second mobile device associated with a second user identification code different the first user identification code is conveyed based on a location information access privilege specified for the authorized user, said information relating to the location of the second mobile device being conveyed to a third computing or mobile device associated with a third user identification code different the first and second user identification codes.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising handing off from a first location information source to a second location information source, wherein the first location information source is a GPS receiver in the mobile device and the second location information source is a cellular network location information source.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving a location information of the mobile device from the cellular network location information source, and determining based on the location information of the mobile device the occurrence of an event associated with an event information at a computing device different from the mobile device, and conveying the event information.

19. A method for conveying information relating to location of mobile devices associated with one or more object location sources that provide location information for each mobile device comprising:

storing in one or more user information databases user identification codes associated with a plurality of mobile devices;

creating a plurality of information-sharing environments for users over a network of computing devices comprising interfaces for configuring the plurality of information-sharing environments based on one or more varying levels of administrative privileges, said information-sharing environments comprising a first information-sharing environment and a plurality of second information-sharing environments that exist independent of each other, said plurality of second information-sharing environments comprising a plurality of independently configurable location information sharing environments within the first information-sharing environment;

configuring the first information-sharing environment based on a first level of administrative privilege comprising a privilege to associate at least one user identification code with each one of a plurality of group identification codes;

configuring each one of the plurality of location information-sharing environments for each one of the plurality of group identification codes independent of one another based on a second level of administrative privilege that comprises at least one location information access privilege specified for an authorized of a user group; and

managing conveyance of information related to location of the plurality of mobile devices based a plurality of location information access privileges specified for a plurality of authorized users.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the authorized user is allowed to set up a location sharing environment via a log-in based on a password, wherein the log-in is used to associate one or more location information sources with a mobile device.

21. A method for conveying information related to locations of a plurality of mobile devices, comprising:

associating each mobile device with one or more object location sources that provide location information;

using a first level of administrative privilege to configure a first information-sharing environment by specifying at least one authorized user for each one of a plurality of user groups that are associated with a plurality of users of the plurality of mobile devices;

using one or more second levels of administrative privileges to configure each one of a plurality of second information-sharing environments that exist within the first information-sharing environments, said plurality of second information-sharing environments comprising a plurality of location information sharing environments that are each configured independent of one another for each user group to manage conveyance of information related the location of a mobile device in the user group, said one or more second levels of administrative privileges comprising a plurality of location information access privileges specified for a plurality of authorized users of the plurality of user groups, wherein information related to locations of the plurality of mobile devices is conveyed based on the plurality of the location information access privileges.

22. A method for conveying information related to locations of a plurality of mobile devices of users, comprising:

creating a plurality of information-sharing environments over a network of computing devices comprising interfaces for configuring the plurality of information-sharing environments based on varying levels of administrative privileges, wherein the plurality of information-sharing environments comprise a first information-sharing environment and a plurality of second information-sharing environments that exist within the first information sharing environment, said plurality of second information-sharing environments comprising a plurality of location information sharing environments;

configuring the first information-sharing environment based a first level of administrative privilege to create a plurality of user groups; and

configuring the plurality of location information-sharing environments independent of one another for each user group based on a corresponding plurality of second levels of administrative privileges, each one of the plurality of second levels of administrative privileges comprising a privilege to associate a corresponding administrator for a corresponding one of the plurality of location information-sharing environments, the corresponding administrator having a privilege to associate one or more users of mobile devices with the corresponding user group and specify at least one location information access privilege for an authorized user of the corresponding user group; and

managing conveyance of information related to locations of the plurality of the mobile devices in the plurality of user groups based on a plurality of information access privileges associated with a plurality of authorized users.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

associating the authorized user of the corresponding user group with a first user identification and associating a second user in the corresponding user group with a second user identification code different from the first identification code; and

conveying an information relating to a location of a second mobile device associated with the second user identification code to a third computing or mobile device associated with a third user identification code different from the first and second user identification codes.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first user identification code is associated with a first computing or mobile device.

25. A method for conveyance of location information relating to a plurality of mobile devices, comprising:

using a first administrative privilege to specify a first plurality of authorized users having access to a first information sharing environment, each authorized user of said first plurality of authorized users of said first information sharing environment having second administrative privileges;

each authorized user of said first plurality of authorized users being associated with a corresponding mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices;

using a second administrative privilege of a first authorized user of said first plurality of authorized users to configure a second information sharing environment, said second information sharing environment being one of a plurality of second information sharing environments that are each independently configurable within said first information sharing environment based on a corresponding second level administrative privilege, said configuring the second information sharing comprising;

specifying at least one second plurality of authorized users having access to said second information environment; and

specifying at least one location information access privilege for said at least one second plurality of authorized users having access to said second information environment; and

conveying a location information of a mobile device based on said at least one location information access privilege.