Location based event reminder for mobile device

• US 9,100,776 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E-Lane Systems Inc., Appy Risk Technologies Limited (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Basir, Otman Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/245,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,589 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/414, 455/414.2, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 4554561-457, 342350-357, 340/539.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Utilizing a spatial calendar device and service, the user can associate an event reminder to a location in space. The location can be fed into the device manually, from the map unit, GIS address book unit, or from the current reading of the GPS unit, as well as any other source of GPS location media. An event reminder can be text and/or audio to remind the user of a specific thing to do or pick once he or she approaches the location. Examples: once at the parking lot of an airport (inside the car or in the vicinity of the car), the user can associate a reminder (text, audio, or visual) to the location of his/her vehicle at the airport. In this case the system will automatically read the GPS location of the car and will prompt the user to enter an audio or text event reminder.

Claims

1. A system for generating spatially-triggered reminders comprising:

a database of events, each event including a space condition, wherein at least a first space condition of the space conditions is a category of locations, the category of locations including a plurality of geographically-separated locations;

a position-determination system determining a current location; and

an event manager comparing the space conditions of the events to the current location and generating a notification based upon the comparison of the space conditions and the current location, the event manager generating the notification based upon the current location matching any of the plurality of geographically-separated locations included in the category of locations, wherein the event manager generates the notification based upon a rate of change of the current location.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each event further includes a time condition, the event manager further comparing the time condition with a current time and generating the notification based upon the comparison of the time condition with the current time.

3. The system of claim 2 further including a user interface providing the notification to a user, wherein the user interface is provided on a mobile device.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the mobile device includes a mobile phone.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the mobile device includes a data cache storing the events and wherein the events are also stored on a central server.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the mobile device and the central server communicate wirelessly.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the position-determination system is at least partially located on the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the space condition includes a location and a radius.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the space condition includes another mobile device.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the event manager compares the current location with the space condition using hysteresis.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first space condition is “

any grocery store.”

12. The system of claim 1 wherein each space condition further includes an event location and a trigger distance, the space condition being met when the current location is within the trigger distance of the event location, and wherein the trigger distance is adjustable by the user independently for each space condition.

13. The system of claim 1 further including a display on which the plurality of events can be displayed in a sort order based upon proximity to a given location.

14. A system for generating spatially-triggered reminders comprising:

a database of events, each event including a space condition, each space condition including an event location and a trigger distance, wherein the trigger distance is adjustable by the user independently for each space condition, wherein a first space condition of the plurality of space conditions can be met by any one of a plurality of geographically-separate locations;

a position-determination system determining a current location; and

an event manager comparing the space conditions of the events to the current location and generating a notification based upon the comparison of the space conditions and the current location, the space conditions being met when the current location is within the trigger distance of the event location, wherein the event manager generates the notification based upon a rate of change of the current location relative to the event location.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first space condition is “

any grocery store.”