Public and private geo-fences

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016007151-A1
Application number	US-201314768704-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 13, 2013
Priority date	Feb 22, 2013
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments for implementing public and private geo-fences are generally described herein. A system comprises a geo-fence server adapted to: receive geographical coordinates of a device; determine that the device is located in a geo-fence; determine a type of the geo-fence; and transmit a notification to the device based on the type of the geo-fence. A mobile device for using person-to-person geo-fences is adapted to: receive a geo-fence object; store the geo-fence object at the mobile device; subsequent to storing the geo-fence object, obtain a geographical position of the mobile device; determine whether the mobile device is located in a geo-fence based on the geographical position; determine whether the geo-fence object is associated with the geo-fence; and present the geo-fence object when the geo-fence object is associated with the geo-fence.

First claim

1 .- 24 . (canceled)

25 . A system for creating a geo-fence, the system comprising:
a touch screen display; an interface module adapted to:
display a map on a touch screen display of a mobile device; and
receive a user input from the touch screen display, the user input resulting from a user touching the touch screen display; and
a geo-fence module adapted to derive an enclosed area using the user input, wherein the interface module is adapted to present the enclosed area as a geo-fence object on the touch screen display.

26 . The system of claim 25 , wherein to derive the enclosed area using the user input, the geo-fence module is adapted to:
determining a location of the user input on the map; identifying a first geographical structure proximate to the location of the user input; and constructing a polygonal representation of the first geographical structure to define the enclosed area.

27 . The system of claim 26 , wherein to construct the polygonal representation, the geo-fence module is adapted to:
use an edge detection process on map data corresponding to the map to identify edges of the first geographical structure; filter the map data to identify edges surrounding the location of the user input; and use a corner detection process to detect a plurality of vertices that define the geo-fence object.

28 . The system of claim 27 , wherein to use the edge detection process, the geo-fence module is adapted to:
screen scrape a portion of the map currently displayed on the touch screen display to obtain a scraped image; and process the scraped image to determine edges.

29 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the first geographical structure comprises a building.

30 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the interface module is adapted to receive a second user input from the touch screen display, the second user input resulting from the user touching the touch screen display; and
wherein the geo-fence module is adapted to:
determine a second location of the second user input on the map;
identify a second geographical structure proximate to the second location of the second user input; and
construct an aggregate polygonal representation including the first geographical structure and the second geographical structure to define the enclosed area.

31 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the first and second geographical structures are not adjacent to one another, and wherein the polygonal representation comprises a plurality of polygonal areas.

32 . The system of claim 31 , wherein members of the plurality of polygonal areas are linked as a single geo-fence object.

33 . The system of claim 31 , wherein members of the plurality of polygonal areas are distinct geo-fence objects.

34 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the second user input comprises a dragging motion that selects the first and second geographical structures.

35 . The system of claim 25 , wherein to derive the enclosed area using the user input, the geo-fence module is adapted to:
detect, via the interface module, a first and second contact point from the user input; display, via the interface module, a polygonal area based on the first and second contact points, the polygonal area formed by the first and second contact points; and use the displayed polygonal area to define the enclosed area.

36 . The system of claim 35 , wherein the polygonal area comprises a rectangle and wherein the first and second contact points are used to adjust opposing vertices of the rectangle.

37 . The system of claim 35 , wherein the polygonal area comprises one of a circle, triangle, or square, and wherein the first contact point is used to anchor the center of the circle, triangle, or square, and the second contact point is used to adjust the size of the circle, triangle, or square.

38 . The system of claim 35 , wherein the interface module is adapted to:
detect a third contact point from the user input; and adjust a vertex of the polygonal area based on the third contact point.

39 . The system of claim 35 , wherein the interface module is adapted to:
detect a rotating input motion from the user, rotating the first and second contact points; and display the polygonal area moving in a corresponding rotating motion.

40 . The system of claim 35 , wherein the interface module is adapted to:
receive at least one of an expanding motion or a contracting motion of the first and second contact points relative to each other; and grow or shrink the polygonal area, respectively.

41 . The system of claim 25 , wherein to derive the enclosed area using the user input, the geo-fence module is adapted to:
detect, via the interface module, a first and second contact point from the user input; identify a first road portion proximate to the first contact point; identify a second road portion proximate to the second contact point; and form a portion of a border of the enclosed area using the first and second road portions.

42 . The system of claim 41 , wherein the interface module is adapted to detect a third contact point from the user input; and
wherein the geo-fence module is adapted to:
identify a third road portion proximate to the third contact point; and
form the enclosed area based on the first, second, and third road portions.

43 . The system of claim 41 , wherein the first and second contact points are received as a portion of a dragging input mechanism from the user.

44 . The system of claim 41 , wherein the geo-fence module is adapted to:
form the enclosed area by connecting roads around a geographical structure; and associate the geographical structure with the geo-fence.

45 . A method of creating a geo-fence, the method comprising:
displaying a map on a touch screen interface of a mobile device; receiving a user input from the touch screen interface, the user input resulting from a user touching the touch screen interface; deriving an enclosed area using the user input; and presenting the enclosed area as a geo-fence object on the touch screen interface.

46 . The method of claim 45 , wherein deriving the enclosed area using the user input comprises:
detecting a first and second contact point from the user input; identifying a first road portion proximate to the first contact point;
identifying a second road portion proximate to the second contact point; and
forming a portion of a border of the enclosed area using the first and second road portions.

47 . The method of claim 46 , comprising:
quantizing a curved road to approximate the shape of the road.

48 . The method of claim 47 , comprising:
reducing the number of vertices defining the enclosed area.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Birch Thomas A
• Johnson Derick Arnold
• Reese Kenneth W
• Calvert Thomas H

Classifications

• H04L63/107

  wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals · CPC title

• H04W4/021 Primary

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title

• H04W4/043

  Electricity · mapped topic