Providing geographic locations of a user's wireless device

• US 9,706,353 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McMullen, Michael P., Nelson, Rodney D., Schuler, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai, Wayne
• Application Number:
  US14/333,761
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4563, 4554041-4042
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for determining the identity of a user associated with a wireless device located near a geographic location at a specific time. In response to the occurrence of an event at a geographic location, a request can be issued by a wireless provider to users of wireless devices to provide the geographic locations of their respective devices and their identities to one or more entities. Upon receiving an affirmative response to the request, the wireless provider communicates information to the entities allowing the entities to contact the users to solicit information regarding the occurrence of the event. A wireless provider may send a request for authorization to users of wireless devices to provide geographic locations when the wireless device enters a predefined geographic area.

Claims

1. A method for determining the identity of a user associated with a wireless device located near a geographic location at a specific time, the method comprising:

determining geographic locations of one or more wireless devices associated with one or more users, the determining comprising;

(1) sending an alert to the one or more wireless devices in response to an occurrence of an event at a specific location, wherein the alert requests release of the geographic locations of one or more wireless devices associated with the one or more users;

(2) receiving consent from at least one of the one or more users associated with the one or more wireless devices to release the geographic locations of the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one user; and

(3) generating a list of the at least one user from which consent was received and the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one user;

generating an inquiry in response to a request from a law enforcement organization, the request for identities of the one or more users of the one or more wireless devices having geographic locations corresponding to the specific location, the geographic locations and the identities being unknown to the law enforcement organization;

transmitting, to the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one user on the list, the inquiry for consent to communicate user identifying information in response to the request received from the law enforcement organization;

and

transmitting, to the law enforcement organization, the user identifying information and the geographic locations for the one or more wireless devices corresponding to the at least one user on the list when consent is received in response to the inquiry.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

confirming whether the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one user on the list were within a predefined distance off the specific location within a period of time corresponding to the occurrence of the event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the list includes user identifying information for the at least one of the one or more users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is a commission of a crime.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sharing the geographic locations for the at least one user of the list with the law enforcement organization in response to the request and prior to the inquiry, wherein the geographic locations, as shared, consist of location information of the at least one user of the list during a predefined period of time corresponding to the occurrence of the event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when the one or more wireless devices associated with at least one user of the list enters one or more bounded geographic locations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the inquiry is transmitted when the wireless device is determined to have entered the one or more bounded geographic locations.

8. A non-transitory computer readable media storing computer usable instructions for performing a method for determining the identity of a user associated with a wireless device located near a geographic location at a specific time, the method comprising:

sending an alert to one or more wireless devices in response to an occurrence of an event at a specific location, wherein the alert requests release of the geographic location of one or more users of the one or more wireless devices;

receiving consent from at least one of the one or more users of the wireless devices;

generating a list of the at least one consenting user;

confirming that the geographic locations of the one or more wireless devices of the at least one consenting user on the list was within a predefined distance off the specific location within a period of time corresponding to the event;

generating an inquiry in response to a request from a law enforcement organization, the request for user identifying information of any users having confirmed geographic locations with the predefined distance of the specific location within the period of time corresponding to the event, the identity and geographic locations of the one or more users being unknown to the law enforcement organization;

transmitting the inquiry to the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one consenting user on the list having confirmed geographic locations within the predefined distance of the specific location within the period of time corresponding to the event, wherein the inquiry solicits user identifying information from the at least one consenting user and solicits consent to share the user identifying information in response to the request from the law enforcement organization; and

transmitting, to the law enforcement organization, the user identifying information and the geographic locations of the at least one consenting user when consent is received in response to the inquiry.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the list further includes user identifying information for the at least one consenting user.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein

the geographic locations of the at least one consenting user, as shared with the law enforcement organization, is limited to location information of the one or more wireless devices during a predefined period of time corresponding the occurrence of the event.

11. The media of claim 9, further comprising determining when the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one consenting user of the list enters a bounded geographic location.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the inquiry is transmitted when the one or more wireless devices associated with the at least one consenting user of the list is determined to have entered the bounded geographic location.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the event is a commission of a crime.

14. A communication system having at least one geographical position system, the communication system comprises:

at least one base station; and

a plurality of wireless devices wirelessly connected to the at least one base station, the plurality of wireless devices associated with users,

wherein the at least one base station is further configured to;

send an alert to the plurality of wireless devices in response to an occurrence of an event at a specific location, wherein the alert requests release of the geographic location of the plurality of wireless devices of the users;

receive consent from at least one of the users of the plurality of wireless devices to release the geographic location;

generate a list of the at least one consenting user;

generate an inquiry in response to a request from a law enforcement organization, the request for identities of any users of the plurality of wireless devices having geographic locations corresponding to the specific location, the identities and geographic locations of the users being unknown to the law enforcement organization;

identifying whether the geographic locations of the at least one consenting user of the list corresponds to the occurrence of the event;

transmit the inquiry to the at least one consenting user of the list identified as having geographic locations that correspond to the specific location, wherein the inquiry solicits the user identifying information of the at least one consenting user identified as having geographic locations that correspond to the specific location and solicits consent to transmit the user identifying information the law enforcement organization; and

when user identifying information and consent is received from the at least one consenting user of the list identified as having geographic locations that correspond to the specific location, transmitting the user identifying information and the geographic locations to the law enforcement organization.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the at least one base station is further configured to:

confirm that the geographic locations of the plurality of wireless devices of the at least one consenting user on the list were within a predefined distance of the specific location within a period of time corresponding to the occurrence of the event.

16. The communication system of claim 14, wherein

the geographic locations transmitted to the law enforcement organization consists of location information limited to a predefined period of time surrounding the time of the occurrence of the event.

17. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the at least one base station is further configured to:

when consent to transmit user identified information is not received from the at least one consenting user of the list identified as having geographic locations that correspond to the specific location, transmitting the geographic locations without user identifying information to the law enforcement organization.

18. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the at least one base station is further configured to:

transmitting the geographic locations for the at least one consenting user of the list to the law enforcement organization in response to the request and prior to the inquiry.

19. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the at least one base station is further configured to:

prior to transmitting the inquiry, verifying authenticity of the request from the law enforcement organization.