Dynamic online and geographic location of a user

• US 9,203,647 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry, Erickson, Andrew Ivar, Lu, Larry L., Weltman, Robert Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US13/620,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,172 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/26 involving a sensor measurement for aiding acquisition or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, an online location of a user of a communications system;

determining, by the at least one processor, a geographic location of a device at which the user accessed the online location;

determining, by the at least one processor, that the geographic location is not an approved location for accessing the online location; and

in response to determining that the geographic location is not an approved location for accessing the online location, indicating the online location and the geographic location of the user to a co-user of the communications system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the online location comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) that the user is visiting using the device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the online location comprises an activity the user is performing using the device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the online location comprises at least one of a television channel or a television program identification.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic location comprises a name associated with a physical location.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the geographic location comprises a physical address.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing to the co-user an indication of the device used by the user to access the online location.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing to the co-user an indication of a duration of time the user was at the online location.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating the geographic location of the user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from the co-user for one or more of the online location or the geographic location of the user.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein indicating the online location and the geographic location of the user comprises sending the online location and the geographic location of the user to a client device associated with the co-user.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein indicating the online location and the geographic location of the user comprises configuring a user interface including the online location and the geographic location of the user for presentation to the co-user.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to;

determine an online location of a user of a communications system;

determine a geographic location of a device at which the user accessed the online location;

determine that the geographic location is not an approved location for accessing the online location; and

in response to determining that the geographic location is not an approved location for accessing the online location, indicate the online location and the geographic location of the user to a co-user of the communications system.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the online location comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) that the user is visiting using the device.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the online location comprises an activity the user is performing using the device.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the activity comprises an activity on the communications system.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the activity comprises participation in a chat room.

18. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the online location comprises at least one of a television channel or a television program identification.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to provide the co-user with access to the television channel or the television program.

20. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to provide to the co-user an indication of the device used by the user to access the online location.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to provide to the co-user an indication of a duration of time the user was at the online location.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to dynamically update the geographic location of the user based on global positioning system information of the device at which the user accessed the online location.

23. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to indicate the online location and the geographic location of the user by sending the online location and the geographic location of the user to a client device associated with the co-user.

24. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to indicate the online location and the geographic location of the user comprises configuring a user interface including the online location and the geographic location of the user for presentation to the co-user.

25. A method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, an online activity of a user of a communications system;

determining, by the at least one processor, a geographic location of a mobile device used by the user for performing the online activity;

determining, by the at least one processor, that the geographic location is not an approved location for performing the online activity; and

in response to determining that the geographic location is not an approved location for performing the online activity, indicating the online activity and the geographic location of the mobile device associated with the user to a co-user of the communications system.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein determining the geographic location of the mobile device used by the user for performing the online activity comprises using global positioning system information to determine the location of the mobile device.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein:

the online activity comprises visiting a web page; and

indicating the online activity comprises indicating the web page.

28. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein:

the online activity comprises streaming media; and

indicating the online activity comprises indicating the media.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the media comprises a television program.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, further comprising enabling the co-user to stream the media with the co-user.

31. The method as recited in claim 29, further comprising enabling the co-user and the user to exchange electronic messages while streaming the media.

32. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein the electronic messages comprise instant messages.

33. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the geographic location comprises a name associated with a physical location.

34. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the geographic location comprises a physical address.

35. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising providing to the co-user an indication of a duration of time the user performed the online activity.

36. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising dynamically updating the geographic location of the user.

37. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising receiving a request from the co-user for one or more of the online activity and the geographic location of the user.

38. The method as recited in claim 37, wherein indicating the online activity and the geographic location of the user comprises sending an indication of the online activity and the geographic location of the user to a device associated with the co-user.

39. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein indicating the online activity and the geographic location of the user comprises configuring a user interface including an indication of the online location and the geographic location of the user for presentation to the co-user.