Location Service Management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016353237-A1
Application number	US-201514856499-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 16, 2015
Priority date	Jun 1, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An application manager of a mobile device can provide a user with the ability to control whether an application can use location information provided by a location subsystem of the mobile device. The application can request to be notified by the location subsystem when the mobile device crosses a geofence. When the mobile device crosses the geofence, the location subsystem provides a notice to the application. The application manager can intercept the notice to the application, and present an alert on a user interface. The application manager can then provide the notice to the application only upon receiving an input through the user interface confirming that the application still has permission to use location information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving location parameters by an application management subsystem of a mobile device from an application executing on the mobile device, the application requesting to be notified upon crossing a geofence by the mobile device, the location parameters including information on the geofence; providing, by the application management subsystem to a location subsystem of the mobile device, a request to monitor a crossing of the geofence; receiving a response by the application management subsystem from the location subsystem indicating that the mobile device crossed the geofence; providing a request for notification from the application management subsystem to a notification subsystem of the mobile device requesting the notification subsystem to notify a user of the mobile device; in response to the request for notification, presenting an alert by the notification subsystem through a user interface subsystem of the mobile device, the alert including information for the user to open the application; and upon receiving, by the application management subsystem and from the user interface subsystem, an input opening the application, activating, by the application management subsystem the application and notifying the application of the crossing of the geofence.

2 . The method of claim 1 , comprising, before receiving the location parameters by the application management subsystem:
receiving, by the location subsystem and from the application, a request for permission to use location information; and providing, from the location subsystem and to the application, a response indicating that the application is permitted to use the location information, wherein the response triggers the application to submit the location parameters to the application management subsystem.

3 . The method of claim 2 , comprising:
in response to the request for permission to use location information received by the location subsystem from the application, causing the user interface subsystem to present an application dialog by the location subsystem; receiving user input by the location subsystem through the user interface subsystem approving the request to use location information; and then providing, by the location subsystem and to the application, the response indicating that the application is permitted to use the location information.

4 . The method of claim 2 , comprising entering an inactive state by the application after submitting the location parameters to the application management subsystem.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein entering the inactive state comprises setting the application to a background execution mode or terminating the application.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the information on the geofence includes at least one of a location of the geofence or an identifier of the geofence.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the application comprises launching the application or changing an execution mode of the application from a background execution mode to a foreground execution mode.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein notifying the application of the crossing of the geofence is conditioned on a second permission check, wherein:
in the second permission check, the application subsystem sends a query to the location subsystem inquiring whether the application still has permission to use location information; and the application management subsystem notifies the application of the crossing only if the location subsystem replies to the query and indicates that the application still has permission to use location information.

9 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving location parameters by an application management subsystem of a mobile device from an application executing on the mobile device, the application requesting to be notified upon crossing a geofence by the mobile device, the location parameters including information on the geofence;
providing, by the application management subsystem to a location subsystem of the mobile device, a request to monitor a crossing of the geofence;
receiving a response by the application management subsystem from the location subsystem indicating that the mobile device crossed the geofence;
providing a request for notification from the application management subsystem to a notification subsystem of the mobile device requesting the notification subsystem to notify a user of the mobile device;
in response to the request for notification, presenting an alert by the notification subsystem through a user interface subsystem of the mobile device, the alert including information for the user to open the application; and
upon receiving, by the application management subsystem and from the user interface subsystem, an input opening the application, activating, by the application management subsystem, the application and notifying the application of the crossing of the geofence.

10 . The system of claim 9 , the operations comprising, before receiving the location parameters by the application management subsystem:
receiving, by the location subsystem and from the application, a request for permission to use location information; and providing, from the location subsystem and to the application, a response indicating that the application is permitted to use the location information, wherein the response triggers the application to submit the location parameters to the application management subsystem.

11 . The system of claim 10 , the operations comprising:
in response to the request for permission to use location information received by the location subsystem from the application, causing the user interface subsystem to present an application dialog by the location subsystem; receiving user input by the location subsystem through the user interface subsystem approving the request to use location information; and then providing, by the location subsystem and to the application, the response indicating that the application is permitted to use the location information.

12 . The system of claim 10 , the operations comprising entering an inactive state by the application after submitting the location parameters to the application management subsystem.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein entering the inactive state comprises setting the application to a background execution mode or terminating the application.

14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the information on the geofence includes at least one of a location of the geofence or an identifier of the geofence.

15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein activating the application comprises launching the application or changing an execution mode of the application from a background execution mode to a foreground execution mode.

16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein notifying the application of the crossing of the geofence is conditioned on a second permission check, wherein:
in the second permission check, the application subsystem sends a query to the location subsystem inquiring whether the application still has permission to use location information; and the application management subsystem notifies the application of the crossing only if the location subsystem replies to the query and indicates that the application still has permission to use location information.

17 . A non-t

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Shepherd Matthew E
• Huang Ronald K
• Rhee Stephen J
• Kurtz Daniel T
• Neuenschwander Erik

Classifications

• 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

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W12/02

  Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] · CPC title