System for quickly finding the whereabouts of friends

• US 9,591,440 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bloomerang LLC
• Original Assignee: Initlive Inc. (Bloomerang LLC)
• Inventors: Pinard, Melissa, Williams, Liam, Pinard, Deborah
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Michael T
• Application Number:
  US14/891,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4565
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A method and/or system is disclosed allowing a user to quickly and easily obtain information on the location of another user or group of users. Such location information, may for example, be provided for quickly finding the whereabouts of friends, volunteers, employees, event attendees, etc. The system is comprised of a user application and a user connection server which utilizes push notification services. Accordingly, embodiments allow a user to ask, for example with a single button press/user selection, for the location of other users. In response to the request, the user can, for example with a single button press/user selection, choose to respond to the user. The requesting user then sees the location of the other user.

Claims

1. A method relating to a location of a user comprising:

sending a request for a location of a receiving user from a first application in execution upon an electronic device associated with a requesting user to a user notification server containing the requesting user information and receiving user information;

retrieving at the user notification server a device type associated with the receiving user using the receiving user information and choosing an appropriate push notification service to use based on the device type;

sending the request for location to the selected push notification service;

receiving said request for location on the device associated of the receiving user;

displaying the request on the device associated with the receiving user along with data relating to the requesting user and a corresponding device action;

receiving from the receiving user a response to the device action;

determining in dependence of the user response to the device action whether to;

retrieve location data from the device;

send a response to the requesting user containing the location data and receiving user information via the user notification server;

determining at the user notification server whether a response to the requesting user from the receiving user was received, wherein upon a positive determination the user notification server;

retrieves the device type of the requesting user and chooses an appropriate push notification service to use based on the device type;

sends the receiving user response including location data to the selected push notification service;

receiving said receiving user response upon the electronic device associated with the requesting user;

displaying upon the electronic device associated with the requesting user receiving user location data, wherein

the receiving user and requesting user have no association other than that they are both members of a group of users associated with an event whose contact data is stored within a database accessible by the user notification server.

2. The method according to 1, wherein the receiving user'"'"'s location data is displayed on a map.

3. The method according to 1, wherein said list of contacts forms part of a database generated by an application for at least one of creating, managing, and running an event.

4. A system comprising a plurality of software based modules in execution upon electronic devices comprising at least microprocessors, the plurality of modules comprising:

a module for sending a request for a location of a user from a first electronic device to a notification server containing the requesting user information and receiving user information on a second electronic device;

a module on the second electronic device for receiving said request;

a module on the second electronic device for retrieving a device type of a third electronic device using the receiving user information and choosing an appropriate push notification service to use based on the device type of the third electronic device;

a module for sending the request for location to the selected push notification service;

a module for receiving said request for location on the third electronic device;

a module for displaying the request on the third electronic device along with requesting user information and with a corresponding action to be performed by the receiving user;

determining upon the action whether;

a module for retrieving location data retrieves location data relating to the third electronic device;

a module for sending a response to the requesting user containing the location data and receiving user information sends the response to the second electronic device;

a module for receiving said response on the second electronic device;

a module second electronic device for retrieving the device type of the first electronic device and choosing an appropriate push notification service to use based on the device type of the first electronic device;

a module on the second electronic device for sending the response to the selected push notification service;

a module on the first electronic device for receiving said response; and

a module for displaying the receiving user'"'"'s location data on the first electronic device, wherein

the receiving user and requesting user have no association other than that they are both members of a group of users associated with an event whose contact data is stored within a database accessible by the second electronic device.

5. The method according to 4, wherein the receiving user'"'"'s location data is displayed on a map.

6. The method according to 4, wherein sending a request for location of the receiving user is initiated by the selection of the receiving user from a list of contacts.

7. The method according to 6, wherein said list of contacts forms part of a database generated by an application for at least one of creating, managing, and running an event.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the receiving user'"'"'s location data is displayed on a map in association with data relating to the event and data extracted from a service provider indicating at least an approximate travel time to the event from the location identified by the location data.

9. The method according to 4, wherein the push notification service is at least one of proprietary to a particular device type, is proprietary to a plurality of device types, is non-proprietary, is open source based, and provides messaging via at least one of a cloud network and the Internet.

10. A system comprising a plurality of software based modules in execution upon a first electronic device comprising at least a microprocessor, the plurality of modules comprising:

in a first configuration;

a module for sending a request for a location of a receiving user from the first electronic device to a notification server containing the requesting user information and receiving user information on a second electronic device;

a module on the first electronic device for receiving said a response from the receiving user;

a module for displaying the receiving user'"'"'s location data on the first electronic device, wherein

the receiving user and requesting user have no association other than that they are both members of a group of users associated with an event whose contact data is stored within a database accessible by the second electronic device;

in a second configuration;

a module for receiving a request for a location of a receiving user from a second electronic device containing the requesting user information and receiving user information;

a module on the first electronic device for retrieving a device type of a third electronic device using the receiving user information and choosing an appropriate push notification service to use based on the device type of the third electronic device;

a module for sending the request for location to the selected push notification service;

a module for receiving a response from the third electronic device sent in response to the request;

a module on the first electronic device for retrieving the device type of the second electronic device and choosing an appropriate push notification service to use based on the device type of the second electronic device;

a module on the first electronic device for sending the response to the selected push notification service, wherein

the receiving user and user have no association other than that they are both members of a group of users associated with an event whose contact data is stored within a database accessible by the second electronic device;

in a third configuration;

a module for receiving said request for location on the first electronic device;

a module for displaying the request on the first electronic device along with requesting user information and with a corresponding action to be performed by the receiving user;

determining upon the action whether;

a module for retrieving location data retrieves location data relating to the first electronic device; and

a module for sending a response to the requesting user containing the location data and receiving user information sends the response to a second electronic device, wherein

the receiving user and user have no association other than that they are both members of a group of users associated with an event whose contact data is stored within a database accessible by the second electronic device.