Described are methods and devices for sharing location information, and more particularly methods and devices for sharing location information stored in conjunction with a calendar of a mobile communication device.
Manufacturers of mobile communication devices are increasingly adding functionality to their devices. Mobile communication devices may include several transceivers in addition to a cellular transceiver. For example, a mobile communication device may be GPS enabled, Bluetooth and/or WIFI enabled. Moreover, mobile communication devices may include email functionality, Internet browsers, and organizers. Bluetooth enabled cellular telephones may be PC compatible so that a user may upload data such as a calendar from a PC or other source to the mobile communication device. Likewise, files generated or captured on the mobile communication device may be downloaded to a PC. With their expanded functionality and their ability for interactive communication with other devices, cellular telephones in particular are becoming more than simply mobile communication devices. They are evolving into powerful tools for information management.
Users of mobile communication devices may travel to different locations on a regular basis, and/or may have irregular travel to different locations. In this way it may be difficult for a delivery service or other type of entity to determine the whereabouts for example of a delivery recipient since a recipient may be mobile. A user's planned schedule of appointments including locations may be stored in an organizer and/or a calendar on the mobile communication device or other device. However, unless a specific message is sent manually to a delivery service to indicate the whereabouts of a recipient, for example according to AGPS coordinates, there may be no way for a delivery service to re-route a delivery so that it may be delivered to a location of a mobile recipient.
With an address or intersection, coordinates of a user's locations may be determined in conjunction with the user's Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) enabled device. Moreover, a user may determine his or her coordinates in real time in conjunction with the user's AGPS enabled device. It may be beneficial if a user was able to integrate either or both planned and unplanned AGPS coordinates with his or her calendar. Moreover, it may be beneficial if there were a manner in which a delivery service or other type of entity could access the coordinate information without the necessity of a mobile user manually sending a message including coordinates to the delivery service. If a delivery service were able to access coordinate information of a user in conjunction with the user's calendar or other type of organizer, it may be less difficult for a delivery service to determine the whereabouts of a delivery recipient who may be mobile.
Disclosed are a device and a method of an AGPS enabled mobile first communication device having a memory with a calendar or other type of organizer. The method may include saving a waypoint in memory, the waypoint having coordinates ascertained according to an AGPS capability of the first communication device, to form waypoint information. The method may include associating the waypoint information with an entry in the calendar in the memory. The method may further include enabling sharing with a second communication device, the entry in the calendar with the waypoint information.
Disclosed is another embodiment of a method that may include sending a message to request waypoint information and time data from a calendar to an AGPS enabled mobile communication device. The AGPS enabled mobile communication device may allow sharing of waypoint information and time data from a shared portion of the calendar to form retrieved calendar data.
Disclosed is yet another embodiment of a method of a system comprising an AGPS enabled mobile first communication device and a second communication device. The method may include the first communication device saving a waypoint in memory, the waypoint having coordinates ascertained according to an AGPS capability of the first communication device, to form waypoint information. The first communication device may associate waypoint information with an entry in a calendar stored in memory of the first communication device and the first communication device may enable sharing with the second communication device, the entry in the calendar with the waypoint information.
A disclosed mobile communication device may include a controller configured to execute instructions of instruction modules, a memory coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store instruction modules and to store calendar data including calendar entries. The disclosed mobile communication device may further include an AGPS module configured to ascertain coordinates of a waypoint and configured to form waypoint information and a calendar module with instructions to share stored calendar entries including stored waypoint information. An access enablement module may be included with instructions to allow or deny access by a second communication device to at least one stored calendar entry. Accordingly, a delivery service or other type of entity may be able to access coordinate information of a user in conjunction with the user's calendar or other type of organizer to determine the whereabouts of a delivery recipient that may be mobile.
The instant disclosure is provided to explain in an enabling fashion the best modes of making and using various embodiments in accordance with the present invention. The disclosure is further offered to enhance an understanding and appreciation for the invention principles and advantages thereof, rather than to limit in any manner the invention. While the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described here, it is clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
It is understood that the use of relational terms, if any, such as first and second, up and down, and the like are used solely to distinguish one from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.
Much of the inventive functionality and many of the inventive principles are best implemented with or in software programs or instructions and integrated circuits (ICs) such as application specific ICs. In the interest of brevity and minimization of any risk of obscuring the principles and concepts according to the present invention, discussion of such software and ICs, if any, is limited to the essentials with respect to the principles and concepts within the preferred embodiments.
The mobile communication device 102 may be implemented as a cellular telephone (also called a mobile phone). The mobile communication device 102 represents a wide variety of devices that have been developed for use within various networks. Such handheld communication devices include, for example, cellular telephones, messaging devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), notebook or laptop computers incorporating communication modems, mobile data terminals, application specific gaming devices, video gaming devices incorporating wireless modems, and the like. Any of these portable devices may be referred to as a mobile station or user equipment. Herein, wireless communication technologies may include, for example, voice communication, the capability of transferring digital data, SMS messaging, Internet access, multi-media content access and/or voice over internet protocol (VoIP).
The AGPS server 104 is depicted as a remote server within a wireless communication network 109. The AGPS server 104 may be part of any network 109. A network of course may be any type of wireless network including an ad hoc or wireless personal area network, a WiFi or wireless local area network, and a cellular or wireless wide area network. Likewise, the AGPS server 104 may be of any suitable configuration. The AGPS server 104 may be implemented as a single server or as a plurality of servers in communication in any arrangement. The operations of the server 104 may be distributed among different servers or devices that may communicate in any manner. It is understood that the depiction in
AGPS technology may use an AGPS server, also referred to as an assistance server 104 to reduce the time required to determine a location using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. In AGPS networks, the mobile communication device 102 that may have a limited processing power and may be under less than ideal locations for position fixing, may communicate with the assistance server 104 that has high processing power and access to a reference network. The assistance server 104 may have the ability to access information from a reference network and also may have computing power greater than that of mobile communication device 102. Mobile communication device 102 may further include a GPS transceiver 110 and may also communicate with a GPS server 111. In an AGPS system, the assistance server 104 may communicate with a GPS transceiver 110 of the mobile communication device 102 over a cellular network 109 wherein the mobile communication device 102 communicates with the cellular network 109 via a cellular transceiver 112.
A field 244 for waypoint information of the original calendar 224 may be populated either in advance of a user arriving at a particular location, or simultaneously with the user's arrival at a particular location. In one embodiment, a user may instruct the device 202 to initiate communication 240 with APGS server 204 to acquire waypoint information for the location field 244. In another embodiment, communication 240 may be automatic in accordance, for example, with user preferences and/or default preferences to acquire waypoint information for the location field 244.
The waypoint data management module 136 (see
With an address or intersection, coordinates of a user's locations may be determined in conjunction with the capabilities of the (AGPS) enabled device 102 (see
An authorization 478 by the first device 402 may be transmitted to the second device 406 so that the second device 406 can receive the authorization 480. The second device 406 may transmit a calendar inquiry 482 and the first device 402 may enable access to the calendar 484. It is understood that any process by which the first communication device 402 may enable sharing with the second communication device 406, the entry in the calendar with the waypoint information is within the scope of the embodiments herein described. It is also understood that the access may be limited to a single calendar entry or to more than a single calendar entry.
The second communication device 406 may retrieve waypoint information from the calendar to form retrieved recipient calendar data when the first device 402 transmits waypoint information 488. In one embodiment, the transmission by the first device 402 may be selected from a group consisting of a Short Messaging Service message and an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message. It is understood that any manner in which the first device 402 and the second device 406 exchange the waypoint information 490 is within the scope of the embodiments herein described. Moreover, it is understood that information not necessarily pertinent to the entity seeking the shared waypoint information of course need not be shared, since a shared portion of the calendar may be accessible to the second communication device.
As mentioned above, the mobile user may have one or more changes in the calendar 224 (see
By allowing the above-described communication between the first device 402 and the second device 406, a delivery service or other type of entity may access the coordinate information without the necessity of a mobile user manually sending a message including coordinates to the delivery service. It is understood that the above-described communication may be transparent to the user of the first device 402, or the user may be made aware of it for example by a message on display screen 116 (see