During an ongoing wireless telephone call communication session between a pair of mobile devices, a local device responds to its user's activation of a virtual or actual button or key, or its user's verbal command, by automatically sending an over the air message (e.g., a SMS or text message or other network communication message) to the remote device. The message requests location information of the remote device. Upon obtaining location information from the remote device, a location of the remote device is automatically displayed on the local device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. The inventors are Micheal M. Lee, Justin Gregg and Chad G. Sequin.
Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "While continuing to grow in popularity, portable or mobile electronic devices, such as cellular phones have also been growing in complexity. In addition to supporting wireless voice communication, devices such as the IPHONE multifunction device by Apple Inc., include additional functionality such as a built-in digital camera, digital music and movie file playback, and self-location capability. Multifunction devices now have built-in global positioning system (GPS) receivers that can compute the current geographic location of the device. This feature has been used in map applications, where the device can automatically find and display a route to a desired destination, from the current location calculated by the GPS receiver. In addition, there are current services offered for cellular phones that allow a user of a cell phone to alert a friend's cell phone about his current location. The service also allows the user to request that his cell phone show the location of previously identified cell phones (that have self-location capability).
"Several techniques that facilitate device-to-device location awareness during a telephone call are described. One embodiment of the invention is a method for communications between a first mobile device and a second mobile device, described as follows. During an ongoing telephone call (communication session) between the first and second devices, an over the air message (e.g., a short message service, SMS, or text message) is sent from the first device. This may be in response to a user activating a designated virtual or physical button of the first device, or giving a verbal command, to send a location request message. The message requests the current location of the second device. It may also be viewed as requesting permission to reveal the current location to the user of the first device. An RF-based locating methodology that determines location information of the second device is then performed. This determined location information is then sent to the first device and can be automatically displayed to its user. Thus, this technique enables a person who is on a call with another person and who would like to meet the other person, to immediately find out the location of the other person.
"To ensure privacy, the user of the second device may be prompted to give permission to release her location information (e.g., by actuating a virtual or physical button on the second device), during the ongoing telephone call. Alternatively, a stored profile of the user of the second device may be checked, for automatically obtaining permission to release location information to the requesting device.
"The above-described process for location awareness may occur directly between the two mobile devices. For instance, the initial request for location information from the first device may be received by the second device as an SMS or text message sent from the first device. The second device can then send its location information back to the first device, via another SMS or text message. In that case, there is no requirement for modifying any cellular telephony network infrastructure to deploy such a service, so long as each of the devices has the needed device-to-device location awareness application running (that can accept a location request text message and reply by sending a location information and permission text message.
"From the point of view of the first device, during the ongoing telephone call, the user of the first device activates a virtual or actual button or key on the first device that causes the first device to automatically send an over the air message to the second device. The virtual button may be located in a contacts list or address book screen of the first device, and/or in the front screen of the first device during the ongoing telephone call. The second device then acts upon this request for location information and replies back with its current, calculated location information (if permitted by the second user). In the first device, upon receiving the current location information for the second device, the location is then automatically displayed to the first user (e.g., as a pointer or marker on a map, juxtaposed with a marker representing the current, calculated location of the first device).
"From the point of view of the second device, during an ongoing call, the second user may be prompted (by the second device) to authorize release of her current location information to the requesting first user. Once authorization has been obtained (e.g., by the second user actuating a virtual or physical "OK" button of the second device), the second device composes and sends a message to the first device that contains its current location information.
"The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, as well as those disclosed in the Detailed Description below and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with the application. Such combinations have particular advantages not specifically recited in the above summary."
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