System and method for privacy-enabled mobile locator services with dynamic encounter horizon

• US 9,088,889 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nytell Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: TTI Inventions D LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Loeb, Shoshana K., Falchuk, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/857,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 4554121-4143, 455/466, 455/458, 455/566, 455517-521
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4217 Managing service interactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]

Abstract

A method and system for managing awareness information relating to a mobile device'"'"'s visibility with respect to other buddy devices, the system comprising; the mobile device, a mobile application listing one or more buddies, an application listener which tracks the one or more buddies zoom operations and radar zoom factors, and a server, the server comprising an encounter manager, an approach manager and a notification marshalling system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first device, a notification that a second device is capable of detecting a location of the first device;

receiving, as an input at the first device, a visibility designation, wherein the visibility designation specifies a desired visibility of the first device by the second device; and

providing the visibility designation to a server that is in communication with the first device and the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visibility designation controls privacy of the first device by preventing the second device from receiving the location of the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visibility designation prevents the second device from receiving an identity of a user of the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visibility designation identifies a time at which the second device is able to receive the location of the first device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the time is specific to the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a distance designation at the first device, wherein the distance designation includes a threshold distance at which the first device is to receive the notification, and wherein the threshold distance comprises a distance between the first device and the second device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the distance designation to the server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing an automated visibility designation based on one or more previously received visibility designations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is triggered based on a zoom operation or a pan operation performed on a map screen of the second device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a receiver operatively coupled to the processor and configured to receive a notification that a device is capable of detecting a location of the apparatus;

an interface operatively coupled to the processor and configured to receive a visibility designation, wherein the visibility designation specifies a desired visibility of the apparatus by the device; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the processor and configured to provide the visibility designation to a server that is in communication with the apparatus and the device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the visibility designation controls privacy of the apparatus by preventing the device from receiving the location of the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the interface is further configured to receive a distance designation, wherein the distance designation includes a threshold distance at which the apparatus is to receive the notification, and wherein the threshold distance comprises a distance between the apparatus and the device.

13. A method comprising:

determining, at a server, that a second device is capable of detecting a location of a first device;

providing a notification to the first device that the second device is capable of detecting the location of the first device;

receiving, at the server, a visibility designation from the first device, wherein the visibility designation specifies a desired visibility of the first device by the second device; and

controlling visibility of the first device by the second device based on the visibility designation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the visibility designation prevents the second device from receiving an identity of a user of the first device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the visibility designation identifies a time at which the second device is able to receive the location of the first device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the time is specific to the second device.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a distance designation from the first device, wherein the distance designation includes a threshold distance at which the first device is to receive the notification, and wherein the threshold distance comprises a distance between the first device and the second device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the notification is triggered based on a zoom operation or a pan operation performed on a map screen of the second device.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining that the second device is going to detect the location of the first device is based on a location of the second device, a bearing of the second device, and a velocity of the second device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the second device is associated with a person or entity known by a user of the first device.