Enabling a first mobile device to navigate to a location associated with a second mobile device

• US 8,762,057 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chitre, Monica, Sukumaran, Deepa
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC, MCDIEUNEL
• Application Number:
  US13/922,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/400, 701/521, 701/532, 455/16, 455/62, 455/445, 455/450, 455/513, 455/517, 455/522, 455/551, 455/509, 455/418, 455/419, 455/435.2, 455/437, 455/440, 455/455, 455/456.3, 455/458, 455/461, 455/521, 455/524, 375/211, 375/219, 370/31, 370/280, 370/342, 264/328.3, 264/328.5, 323/283, 307/31, 380/34, 380/255, 380/287, 385/132, 342/357.52
• US Class Current: 701/521
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A first mobile device is allowed to persistently lock onto a second mobile device, thereby allowing the first mobile device to not only constantly monitor the dynamic location of the second mobile device but also to adaptively navigate in real-time to the dynamic location associated with the second mobile device. The dynamic location may include a current location of the second mobile device or a final destination for travel of the second mobile device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a mobile device; and

a navigation application on the mobile device, wherein the navigation application configures the mobile device to perform functions including functions to;

display to a user of the mobile device one or more available actions associated with another mobile device, the displayed available actions including a navigation action to navigate to a location associated with the other mobile device;

send a navigate request over a mobile network to the other mobile device responsive to user selection of the navigation action;

receive, over the mobile network, a response to the navigate request from the other mobile device providing information identifying the location associated with the other mobile device;

identify a current location of the mobile device;

calculate directions from the current location of the mobile device to the location associated with the other mobile device; and

present the directions to the user via the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location associated with the other mobile device is a current location of the other mobile device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the function to send the navigate request to the other mobile device includes a function to send a “

tag-along”

navigate request to the other mobile device, requesting to navigate in real-time to the current location of the other mobile device; and

the function to receive the response includes a function to receive an acknowledgment from the other mobile device accepting the “

tag-along”

navigate request and providing information identifying the current location of the other mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location associated with the other mobile device is an intended final destination for travel of a user of the other mobile device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the function to send the navigate request to the other mobile device includes a function to send a “

tag-along”

navigate request to the other mobile device, requesting to navigate in real-time to a final destination for travel of the other mobile device; and

the function to receive the response includes a function to receive an acknowledgment from the other mobile device accepting the “

tag-along”

navigate request and providing information identifying the final destination for travel of the other mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the function to send the navigate request includes a function to send an invitation data call session over the mobile network to the other mobile device; and

the function to receive the response includes a function to receive an acknowledgment from the other mobile device accepting the invitation and providing the information identifying the location associated the other mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation application configures the mobile device to perform further functions including functions to:

receive a real-time update of the location associated with the other mobile device;

determine whether the location associated with the other mobile device has changed based on the received real-time update;

calculate updated directions, from the current location of the mobile device to the updated location associated with the other mobile device upon determining that the location associated with the other mobile device has changed; and

present the updated directions to the user via the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation application configures the mobile device to perform further functions including functions to:

receive a real-time update of the location associated with the other mobile device when the location associated with the other mobile device has changed; and

calculate updated directions, from the current location of the mobile device to the changed location associated with the other mobile device; and

present the updated directions to the user via the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the function to display is responsive to a user selection relating to the other mobile device from a contact list and displays a plurality of available actions including the navigation action; and

the function to send is responsive to a user selection of the navigation action from the displayed plurality of available actions.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation application configures the mobile device to perform further functions including functions to:

responsive to determining that the navigation action has been selected, display to the user of the mobile device an indication that the navigation action has been selected and solicit the user of the mobile device for a message for the user of the other mobile device; and

responsive to an input from the user of the mobile device, send a message for the user of the other mobile device over the mobile network, along with the navigate request, to the other mobile device, for presentation to a user of the other mobile device.

11. A system, comprising:

a mobile device; and

a navigation application on the mobile device, wherein the navigation application configures the mobile device to perform functions including functions to;

receive, over a mobile network, a navigate request from another mobile device, requesting that the mobile device navigate to a dynamic location associated with the other mobile device, the navigate request including information identifying the dynamic location associated with the other mobile device to the mobile device;

inform a user via the mobile device of the received navigate request;

send to the other mobile device a response accepting the navigate request, responsive to user acceptance of the navigate request;

identify a current location of the mobile device;

calculate directions from the current location of the mobile device to the dynamic location associated with the other mobile device; and

present the directions to the user via the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the dynamic location of the other mobile device is a current location of the other mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the dynamic location of the other mobile device includes a final destination for travel of the other mobile device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the navigation application configures the mobile device to perform further functions including functions to:

update the calculated directions in response to a change of the dynamic location of the other mobile device; and

update the presentation to the user based on the updated calculated directions.

15. A system, comprising:

a network configured to provide mobile communication for mobile devices;

a server coupled to communicate through the network;

a navigation application on a first of the mobile devices; and

a navigation application on a second of the mobile devices, wherein;

the navigation application on the first mobile device configures the first mobile device to;

(a) display to the user of the first mobile device, one or more available actions associated with the second mobile device, the displayed available actions including a navigation action to navigate to a location associated with the second mobile device;

(b) send a navigate request over a mobile network to the second mobile device responsive to user selection of the navigation action;

(c) receive, over the mobile network, a response to the navigate request from the second mobile device providing information identifying the location associated with the second mobile device;

(d) identify a current location of the first mobile device;

(e) calculate directions from the current location of the first mobile device to the location associated with the second mobile device; and

(f) present the directions to the user via the first mobile device; and

the navigation application on the second mobile device configures the second mobile device to;

(i) receive, over the mobile network, the navigate request from the first mobile device;

(ii) responsive to the navigate request, present to a user of the second mobile device a notification asking for acceptance of the navigate request; and

(iii) responsive to user acceptance of the navigate request, send the response to the navigate request, over the mobile network to the first mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the location associated with the second mobile device is an intended final destination for travel or a current location of the second mobile device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the navigation application on the second mobile device further configures the second mobile device to;

receive, over the mobile network, a second navigate request from the first mobile device, requesting that the second mobile device navigate to a dynamic location associated with the first mobile device, the second navigate request including information identifying the dynamic location associated with the first mobile device;

inform the user of the second mobile device of the second navigate request;

responsive to user acceptance of the second navigate request, send to the first mobile device over a mobile network a response accepting the second navigate request;

identify a current location of the second mobile device;

calculate directions from the current location of the second mobile device to the dynamic location associated with the first mobile device; and

presenting, via the second mobile device, the directions to the dynamic location associated with the first mobile device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the dynamic location associated with the first mobile device is an intended final destination for travel or a current location of the first mobile device.