Instant message user location tracking system
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorKenneth Philip Greene
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an Internet system having instant message capability each of the plurality of users is provided with a wired or wireless device. The wireless device transmits location data indicating its location or status update messages based on its location to an instant message server. In this invention a wireless device or server associates the location data with status update messages indicating the status and/or location of the users carrying the wireless devices in accordance with the received location information. The instant messages are then transmitted by the instant message server to other users of the instant message system.
Claims20
A method for updating status within a network that supports an instant messaging system for communicating instant messages amongst a plurality of wired or wireless devices, comprising:
- determining the position of a wireless device;
- associating the position with a location tag;
- and
- transmitting a status update message that contains the location tag via the instant messaging system to at least one other wired or wireless device over the network.
A network that supports an instant messaging system for communicating instant messages amongst a plurality of wired or wireless devices, comprising:
- a wireless device;
- a positioning device that determines the position of the wireless device, wherein the position is associated with a location tag;
- and
- a transmitter that sends a status update message that includes the location tag via the instant messaging system to at least one other wired or wireless device over the network.
A wireless device that operates within a network that supports an instant messaging system for communicating instant messages, comprising:
- a transmitter that transmits a status update message containing a location tag via the instant messaging system over the network, wherein a position of the wireless device is associated with the location tag.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.