MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION FOR ROUTING TO A PERSON FOR PICK-UP RETRIEVAL

A navigation method includes the following computer-implemented steps. A target mobile electronic device is identified. A geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is ascertained. Information is transmitted to a sender mobile electronic device. The information identifies the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. A route along roadways from the sender mobile electronic device to the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is determined. The determining step is dependent upon the information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a location based services, and, more particularly, to locating and navigating to a mobile electronic device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Existing location based services show locations but do not provide navigation directions to the locations from a particular starting point. Particularly, existing location based services do not integrate routing services with a simple selection function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention may provide a software application that works in conjunction with global positioning system (GPS) navigation systems and cell phones. When using a GPS system, if the user (e.g., sender) wants to navigate to a target cell phone at the target's current location, the user enters into the sender cell phone the identity of the target cell phone to be navigated to. A proxy for the target's identity may be entered, such as the target's phone number. In response, the application running on the sender cell phone displays the location of the target, and calculates a route from the sender to the target or local area that the target may be in. Upon receiving the calculated route, the user is enabled to find his way to the area in which the target is currently located. Alternately, a phone call may be currently in progress between the user and the owner of the target cell phone. The user can initiate authentication, obtain target location, calculate the routing function to the target, and activate turn-by-turn and display functions to take the user to the target by initiating this application, while the call is in-progress. The requesting user may be authenticated to ensure that the owner of the target approves of the requesting user receiving the location of the target, and to protect the privacy of the owner of the target. In order to establish the location of the target, GPS may be employed if the target is GPS enabled; the system may determine the location of a WiFi network server that is in communication with the target; or the system may determine the location of the nearest cell tower that is in communication with the target.

The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a navigation method including the following computer-implemented steps. First information identifying a target mobile electronic device is provided by a sender mobile electronic device A geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is ascertained. Information is transmitted to a sender mobile electronic device. The information identifies the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. A route along roadways from the sender mobile electronic device to the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is determined. The determining step is dependent upon the information.

The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a navigation method including the following computer-implemented steps. First information identifying a target mobile electronic device is provided by a sender mobile electronic device. A geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is ascertained. It is verified that the sender mobile electronic device is permitted to be informed of the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. Second information is transmitted to the sender mobile electronic device. The second information identifies the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. The transmitting step is performed dependent upon the verifying step. A surface navigation route from the sender mobile electronic device to the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is determined dependent upon the second information.

The invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a navigation method including the following computer-implemented steps. First information identifying a target mobile electronic device is provided by a sender mobile electronic device A geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is ascertained by a geographic positioning system within the target mobile electronic device. Information is transmitted to a sender mobile electronic device. The information identifies the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. A navigation route from the sender mobile electronic device to the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is determined by use of the information.

An advantage of the present invention is that it may enable a requesting user to receive directions to the current location of a target cell phone merely by providing the telephone number of the target cell phone or some other identifying information for the target phone or the person associated with the target phone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments hereinafter disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings.

FIG. 1is a block diagram of one embodiment of a locating system10of the present invention, including a sender mobile device12, a central controller14and a target mobile device16. The sender mobile device12may include a navigation system18which may provide the user with directions and driving routes to reach a desired location, as is well known. Sender mobile device12and/or navigation system18may be permanently installed in, or connected to, a motor vehicle owned by the user.

Central controller14may be a conventional cellular tower system that enables the sender mobile device12to communicate substantially directly with the target mobile device16. Central Controller14may not include any dedicated software to support the present invention. Thus, the present invention may function autonomously through the existing cellular infrastructure. The existing cell infrastructure currently supports GPS location enhancement. The target mobile device16may include a GPS20which may inform device16of its location (e.g., geographical coordinates) as requested at any point in time.

During use, the user of sender mobile device12may open the application which may be stored with device12. The application may be initiated solely by the user identifying the target mobile device whose location is to be determined. For example, the user may provide the name or phone number of the person who owns or uses the target mobile device, or may click on the person's name from his contact list. The identity of the target mobile device may be transmitted in a request to central controller14. If central controller14includes only one or more base stations, the request is forwarded to the target mobile device16. Alternatively, when the application is opened, the user may already be conversing via mobile devices12,16with the person associated with target device16. Thus, mobile device16may be automatically identified as the target by virtue of being involved in the telephone call.

The application may also be installed in mobile device16. Upon receiving the request, which may include the identity of sender device12or of the requesting user of sender device12, target device16may verify that the requesting user is someone that the person who owns target device16wants to know the location of the target device16. The owner of target device16may personally authorize each requester or sender device12on a case-by-case basis, or the target mobile device16may include a table24of pre-approved requesters or sender devices12in order for target mobile device16to verify that the requester or sender device12is on the list. In an embodiment wherein central controller14has processing power, central controller14may consult a table24of pre-approved requesters or sender devices12in order to verify that the requester or sender device12is on the list.

If the requester or sender device12is not on the pre-approved list, or otherwise is not authorized by the target device16, then the location of the target device16is not transmitted to the sender device12. If, on the other hand, the requester or sender device12is on the pre-approved list, or otherwise is authorized by the target device16, then the location of the target device16is transmitted from target device16to the requesting sender mobile device12through central controller14.

In another embodiment, the target mobile device16does not include a GPS. In this case, it may not be possible to determine an exact location of target mobile device16. However, central controller14may determine which base station is closest to target mobile device16, and the location of this closest base station, like the locations of all the base stations, may be known by central controller14. Thus, the location of the base station that is closest to target mobile device16may serve as an approximation of the location of target mobile device16. Accordingly, central controller14may transmit to sender mobile device12the location of the base station that is closest to target mobile device16.

Regardless of how the sender mobile device12receives the location of the target mobile device16, sender mobile device12may use its GPS24and the location of the target mobile device16to determine a route and/or turn-by-turn directions from sender device12to target device16. As is conventionally known, sender mobile device12may transmit the location of sender device12and its desired destination (i.e., the location of target mobile device16) to a remote server that calculates an optimal (e.g., shortest and/or quickest) route and directions and transmits the same back to navigation system18of sender device12. Alternatively, sender device12and navigation system18may have enough route data to perform its own calculations of the optimal route and turn-by-turn directions.

In yet another embodiment of a locating system210(FIG. 2) of the present invention, the target mobile device216does not include a GPS and communicates with central controller214via a WiFi network server222. Again, without a GPS, it may not be possible to determine an exact location of target mobile device216. However, central controller214may determine, or may have predetermined, the location of WiFi network server222. Thus, the location of WiFi network server222may serve as an approximation of the location of target device216. Accordingly, central controller214may transmit to sender mobile device212the location of WiFi network server222. Other features of system210are substantially similar to those of system10described above, and thus are not described herein in order to avoid needless repetition.

One embodiment of a navigation method300of the present invention is shown inFIG. 3. In a first step302, a target mobile electronic device is identified. For example, information identifying a user of a target mobile electronic device16is received. A user of sender mobile electronic device12may enter into sender device12the name (e.g., “John Smith”), user name, or some other information identifying a person to whom the user of sender mobile electronic device12wishes to navigate to. Alternatively, a user of sender mobile electronic device12may enter into sender device12the telephone number of target mobile electronic device16. Sender device12may then transmit the identification information entered by the user to central controller14, which receives the transmitted identification information. Next, the target mobile electronic device16is identified by use of the identity of the owner of target device16, or by the use of the telephone number of target device16. That is, central controller14may refer to a list or database that relates the identities, telephone numbers and/or addresses of mobile electronic devices to the identities of the users of the devices. Thus, central controller14may refer to the list or database to identify target mobile device16based on the identity of the owner of device16. For example, controller14may refer to the list or database to determine that the identified user, John Smith, is the user of a mobile electronic device having a telephone number of 317-555-5555. Alternatively, a telephone number provided by sender device12may be used to directly identify target device16.

In another embodiment, the target mobile electronic device is identified as being the device that that the sender mobile electronic device is in communication with in a telephone call that is already in progress when the application of the present invention is initiated. Thus, the identity of the owner of the target mobile electronic device is not needed in order to identify the target mobile electronic device.

In a next step304, a geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is ascertained. For example, central controller14may telecommunicate with target mobile device16and request that target device16report its geographical location. In response, target device16may determine its current location by use of GPS20within target device16, and target device16may transmit its geographical location to controller14. Alternatively, if target device16does not include a GPS, then controller14may determine a location of a WiFi network server222used by target device16, and the location of server222may be used as a proxy for the location of target device16. As another alternative, if target device16does not include a GPS, then controller14may determine a closest cell tower that is a being used by target device16, and the location of the cell tower may be used as a proxy for the location of target device16. In another embodiment, a more exact location of target device16may be determined via triangulation by estimating the distances between target device16and the three closest cell towers, which distances may be determined based on the strengths of signals exchanged between target device16and the three closest cell towers.

In step306, it is verified that a sender mobile electronic device and/or a user of the sender mobile electronic device is permitted to be informed of the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. For example, having been informed of the identity of the user of sender mobile device12, the user of target mobile device16(e.g., John Smith), may approve or disapprove of the sender mobile device12and/or a user of sender mobile device12being informed of the location of target mobile device16. Alternatively, central controller14and/or target mobile device16may consult table24to thereby determine whether sender mobile device12and/or a user of sender mobile device12are on a list of entities who are pre-approved to receive the location of target mobile device16.

Next, in step308, information is transmitted to a sender mobile electronic device. The information identifies the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device. The transmitting step is performed dependent upon the verifying step. That is, the ascertained geographical coordinates of target mobile device16may be transmitted from controller14to sender mobile device12only if it has been verified that sender mobile device12and/or a user of sender mobile device12is permitted to be informed of the geographical location of target mobile device16.

In a final step310, a route along roadways from the sender mobile electronic device to the geographical location of the target mobile electronic device is determined dependent upon the information. For example, navigation system18of sender mobile device12may calculate a route from the location of sender device12, as determined by GPS24, to the location of target device16, as transmitted to sender device12.

In any of the above-described embodiments, the determination of the navigation route from the sender mobile electronic device to the target mobile electronic device may be supplemented or followed by the production of interactive turn-by-turn instructions corresponding to the determined route. The producing may include the use of cloud based routing engine and cloud-based voice recognition or phone service-based routing engine and voice recognition resources. This may enable users with or without smart phones or sophisticated displays to subscribe to a service that could help them find each other, despite the limitations of their personal electronic devices. For example, even without a GPS receiver on either the sender device or the target device, the users may find each other by use of the devices and cell towers or any other means available, which may include visual location information input from either user of the sender or target mobile electronic devices. The visual location information input may include verbally identifying street signs, addresses, etc., to cloud-based or phone service based voice recognition resources.