Apparatus and Method for Conservation of Battery Power of Mobile Devices within a Location-Based Group

An apparatus for conserving battery power of mobile devices within a location-based subgroup comprising:

• a processor;
• a communication interface to:
• transmit a query to each of the mobile devices in a subgroup and receive a level of power associated with each of the mobile devices in the subgroup in response to the query, and
• transmit control signals to each of the mobile devices in the subgroup;
• and
• a memory storage storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:
• form the subgroup of mobile devices that include mobile devices within a first predetermined radius of a specific location,
• signal to the communication interface to send the query and receiving the level of power associated with each of the mobile devices in the subgroup from the communication interface, and
• signal to the communication interface to transmit the control signals to each of the mobile devices in the subgroup to shut down based on the level of power at least one of a function to provide location data or a function to provide proximity information, wherein transmitting control signals by the processor includes:
• selecting one of the mobile devices in the subgroup having the highest level of power as a first selected mobile device, and signaling to the mobile devices in the subgroup other than the first selected mobile device to shut down based on the level of power at least one of the function to provide location data or the function to provide proximity information,
• wherein the mobile devices in the subgroup other than the first selected mobile device stop transmitting at least one of location data or proximity information, and
• wherein at least one of location data pr proximity information from the first selected mobile device is associated with each of the mobile devices in the subgroup.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method for conserving battery power of mobile devices within a location-based subgroup comprising:

• forming a subgroup of mobile devices including mobile devices within a first predetermined radius of a specific location;
• querying and receiving level of power associated with each of the mobile devices in the subgroup;
• and
• transmitting control signals to each of the mobile devices in the subgroup to shut down based on the level of power at least one of a function to provide location data or a function to provide proximity information, wherein transmitting control signals by the processor includes:
• selecting one of the mobile devices in the subgroup having the highest level of power as a first selected mobile device, and signaling to the mobile devices in the subgroup other than the first selected mobile device to shut down based on the level of power at least one of the function to provide location data or the function to provide proximity information,
• wherein the mobile devices in the subgroup other than the first selected mobile device stop transmitting at least one of location data or proximity information, and
• wherein at least one of location data or proximity information from the first selected mobile device is associated with each of the mobile devices in the subgroup.