Patent Document ID: 9002395
Application ID: 13300686

Base Claim:
1. A messaging system that communicates with a plurality of location aware personal communications devices each carried by a person, the messaging system comprising: a database comprising a plurality of zone specifications and a plurality of device records; a device registration module wherein the location aware personal communications devices each communicate wirelessly and automatically supply device identification information and location information to the device registration module and wherein the device identification information is stored in the device records to thereby automatically register the location aware personal communications devices with the messaging system; a message reception module wherein the messaging system accepts an input text video or audio message from a publisher into their location aware personal device, the publisher setting the publication zone, wherein the input message comprises a payload and publication zone data specifying at least one publication zone and wherein every publication zone is a geographic area; a message targeting module that selects a plurality of recipient devices from the device records, wherein the recipient devices are located inside of the at least one publication zone; and a message publication module that sends a published message comprising the payload to the recipient devices to thereby pass the payload to a plurality of human recipients wherein each human recipient is carrying at least one of the recipient devices, wherein the database comprises permission specifications wherein the publisher is restricted to directing messages only to at least one permitted zone, wherein the publication zone is not geographically the same as the permitted zone, the at least one publication zone that was set by the publisher intersects the at least one permitted zone, and wherein one of the location aware personal communications devices located inside the permitted zone that is unable to wirelessly connect to the messaging system connects to the messaging system by way of another one of the location aware personal communications devices located within the publication zone based on the another one of the location aware personal communications devices enabling the connection and wirelessly routing the published message to the one of the location aware personal communications devices located inside the permitted zone.

---

Claim 3:
3. The messaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of subscriber specifications, wherein a plurality of subscribers subscribe to a plurality of subscription zones, wherein each subscription zone is also a geographic zone, wherein the published message is also sent to subscribers subscribing to subscription zones intersecting the at least one publication zone, and wherein at least one of the subscribers to whom the published message is sent is not located within any of the at least one publication zone.