Patent ID: 7774001
Filing Date: 2010-08-10
Classification: G06Q,H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of determining where crowds exist, wherein the method is carried out using a portable communication device, the method comprising: requesting mobile critical mass information for at least one desired location from a mobile network server; receiving mobile critical mass information corresponding to the at least one desired location, the mobile critical mass information (i) including presence information for all users or subscribers in proximity to the at least one desired location, and (ii) being indicative of a number of portable communication devices in proximity to the at least one desired location; converting the received mobile critical mass information into crowdedness information based on user-defined criteria for converting received mobile critical mass information into crowdedness information, wherein the crowdedness information is indicative of crowdedness of the at least one desired location relative to the location's capacity; and outputting the crowdedness information in a user-sensible format, the outputting step including displaying crowdedness information in a graphical format on a map including the at least one desired location, wherein the desired location is transmitted and corresponds to the location from which mobile critical mass information is requested.