Patent ID: 8918133

Claim:
A method of supporting frequent or regular group interactions by a server, wherein the server is communicatively coupled to a plurality of mobile devices, the method comprising: creating a plurality of neighborhood watch groups, by the server, as it receives user group creation requests; assigning membership to the plurality of neighborhood watch groups as appropriate, by the server, as it receives membership requests from a plurality of users, each of the plurality of users using one of the plurality of mobile devices; sending, by the server, a message or an observation report received from a first mobile device among the plurality of mobile devices to all the members of a first user group among the plurality of neighborhood watch groups, wherein the message or observation report is sent by a first user using the first mobile device among the plurality of mobile devices; receiving and sharing, by the server, responses to the message or observation report that is provided by one or more members of the first user group via their respective ones of the plurality of mobile devices; retrieving, by the server based on specific user selection, instructions to perform a monitoring task or a security related activity, and presenting them to at least one of the plurality of users, and communicating, by the server, information on crime prevention techniques, crime prevention products, their installation and operations, and crime related statistics to one or more of the plurality of mobile devices, based on the at least one of the plurality of users request from one of the plurality of mobile devices or a perceived need in a neighborhood associated with the at least one of the plurality of users; sharing observation reports with local crime prevention groups and local law enforcement groups by making them accessible via a website associated with the server; and providing access, by the server, to observations and messages to the all the members from their own mobile devices; tracking and monitoring crime in a specified neighborhood, by the server, based on observation reports and messages from the plurality of users, including thefts reported, vandalism and burglaries reported, the trafficking of child pornography reported, identity theft complaints received, various forms of Internet fraud reported, hacking and network intrusion cases reported, harassing and threatening cases reported, and child abuse or exploitation cases reported.