Apparatus and method for obtaining content on a cellular wireless device based on proximity

摘要

A system for exchanging GPS or other position data between wireless devices for purposes of group activities, child location monitoring, work group coordination, dispatching of employees etc. Cell phones and other wireless devices with GPS receivers have loaded therein a Buddy Watch application and a TalkControl application. The Buddy Watch application communicates with the GPS receiver and other wireless devices operated by buddies registered in the users phone as part of buddy groups or individually. GPS position data and historical GPS position data can be exchanged between cell phones of buddies and instant buddies such as tow truck drivers via a buddy watch server. Emergency monitoring services can be set up with notifications to programmable individuals in case an individual does not respond. Positions and tracks can be displayed. TalkControl simplifies and automates the process of joining talk groups for walkie talkie services such as that provided by Nextel.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising instructions stored on non-transitory machine readable media, the instructions when executed to cause at least one processor of a cellular wireless device to:
prompt a user of the cellular wireless device, via a user interface of the cellular wireless device, for authorization to establish a relationship with one or more other wireless devices associated with a group code common to said other wireless devices, each other wireless device associated with a respective geolocation; and responsive to authorization provided by the user,
determine, from signals received from one or more of the wireless devices having the common group code, proximity of the cellular wireless device to at least one of the corresponding geolocations,transmit information to a network destination via a cellular wireless connection, the information to facilitate identification by the network destination of location of the cellular wireless device relative to the geolocations,receive responsive to identification of the location by the network destination content dependent on the location, andpresent the content to the user via a user interface of the cellular wireless device; wherein the instructions when executed are further to cause the at least one processor to
detect a change in the proximity corresponding to a threshold, and dependent on the change in proximity, repeat the transmission of information via the cellular wireless connection to the network destination, to thereby facilitate determination of updated position by the network destination of the cellular relative to the geolocations, andreceive geospatially-dependent information from the network destination responsive to the updated position.