Facilitating user interactions based on proximity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10827315-B2
Application number	US-201916257122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2019
Priority date	Apr 7, 2006
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing location-based information and functionality to people and computing devices in various ways. In at least some situations, the techniques include enabling multiple people in a common geographic area to interact in various ways, such as via devices capable of communications (e.g., cellular telephones, computing devices with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities, etc.). In addition, the techniques include enabling the creation and maintenance of location-based virtual groups of users (also referred to as “clouds”), such as for users of mobile and/or fixed-location devices. Such clouds may enable various types of interactions between group members, and may be temporary and/or mobile.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for providing functionality to location-based virtual groups of mobile devices, the computer-implemented method comprising:
creating, by one or more programmed computing systems, a virtual group of mobile devices by:
receiving information, input from a mobile device, defining the virtual group, the received information including (i) an indication of a first mobile device, (ii) a geographic location of the first mobile device, around which a geographic area of the virtual group is centered, and (ii) interaction rules configured to specify types of actions enabled by creation of the virtual group;
automatically providing, by one of the one or more programmed computing systems, functionality in accordance with the user interaction rules of the virtual group; and

periodically receiving, from each of one or more member mobile devices of the virtual group, updated location information; and
providing an alert to the first mobile device upon a determination that a current geographic location of at least one of the one or more member mobile devices fails to meet geographic requirements of the geographic area of the virtual group.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 ,
wherein the received information further comprises termination criteria, that when satisfied, terminates the virtual group, and
wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:
automatically determining that the termination criteria is satisfied; and
in response to determining that the termination criteria is satisfied, terminating the virtual group.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request, from a non-member mobile device, to join the virtual group, the request comprising at least the current geographic location of the non-member mobile device; and
determining whether to admit the non-member mobile device to the virtual group based at least in part on the current geographic location of the non-member mobile device being within the geographic area of the virtual group.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
broadcasting content, including one or more of text data, image data, or video data, to each of the one or more member mobile devices of the virtual group.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
enabling access to the current geographic location of each of the one or more member mobile devices of the virtual group.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
applying at least of spatial hysteresis or temporal hysteresis to the current location of each of in an instance in which spatial hysteresis is applied, such that in an instance in which spatial hysteresis is applied, the providing of the alert requires a distance by which the current geographical location of the at least one of the one or more member mobile device failing to meet geographic requirements of the geographic area of the virtual group satisfies a minimum distance, and
in an instance in which temporal hysteresis is applied, the providing of the alert requires a time for which the current geographical location of the at least one of the one or more member mobile device failing to meet geographic requirements of the geographic area of the virtual group satisfies a minimum amount of time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the virtual group is a mobile cloud such that as the geographic location of the first mobile device, around which the geographic area of the virtual group is centered, changes location, the geographic area of the mobile cloud changes in response to the changes in the geographic location of the first mobile device.

8. An apparatus for providing functionality to location-based virtual groups of mobile devices, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
create, by one or more programmed computing systems, a virtual group of mobile devices by:
receiving information, input from a mobile device, defining the virtual group, the received information including (i) an indication of a first mobile device, (ii) a geographic location of the first mobile device, around which a geographic area of the virtual group is centered, and (ii) interaction rules configured to specify types of actions enabled by creation of the virtual group;
automatically providing, by one of the one or more programmed computing systems, functionality in accordance with the user interaction rules of the virtual group; and

periodically receive, from each of one or more member mobile devices of the virtual group, updated location information; and
provide an alert to the first mobile device upon a determination that a current geographic location of at least one of the one or more member mobile devices fails to meet geographic requirements of the geographic area of the virtual group.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the received information further comprises termination criteria, that when satisfied, terminates the virtual group, and
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
automatically determine that the termination criteria is satisfied; and
in response to determining that the termination criteria is satisfied, terminate the virtual group.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
receive a request, from a non-member mobile device, to join the virtual group, the request comprising at least the current geographic location of the non-member mobile device; and
determine whether to admit the non-member mobile device to the virtual group based at least in part on the current geographic location of the non-member mobile device being within the geographic area of the virtual group.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
broadcast content, including one or more of text data, image data, or video data, to each of the one or more member mobile devices of the virtual group.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
enable access to the current geographic location of each of the one or more member mobile devices of the virtual group.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
apply at least of spatial hysteresis or temporal hysteresis to the current location of each of in an instance in which spatial hysteresis is applied, such that in an instance in which spatial hysteresis is applied, the providing of the alert requires a distance by which the current geographical location of the at least one of the one or more member mobile device failing to meet geographic requirements of the geographic area of the virtual group satisfies a minimum distance, and
in an instance in which temporal hysteresis is applied, the providing of the alert requires a time for which the current geographical location of the at least one of the one or more member mobile device failing to meet geographic requirements of the geographic area of the virtual group sati

Assignees

• Groupon Inc

Inventors

• Vengroff Darren E
• Holden Jeffrey Alan

Classifications

• H04L67/55 Primary

  Push-based network services · CPC title

• H04L67/54

  Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users · CPC title

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• H04W4/08 Primary

  User group management · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title