Method and system for a plurality of mobile units to locate one another

A method comprising:

• maintaining personal profiles each associated with a user of a mobile unit, each personal profile specifying an access condition under which a user of another mobile unit may access that personal profile;
• receiving from a first mobile unit units a first packet including a request for access to personal profiles of users of said mobile units that satisfy a specified selection criterion and a current location of said first mobile unit, said first packet further providing at least one of:
• personal information about a first user, said first user being a user of said first mobile unit;
• and
• an announcement;
• storing said current locations in a database;
• and
• upon ascertaining that said user of said first mobile unit satisfies the access conditions associated with the personal profiles of one or more users of said mobile units that satisfy the specified selection criterion, transmitting a data package in response to said request from said first mobile unit.

An apparatus for tracking the location of a second mobile unit from a first mobile unit, said apparatus comprising:

• a processing station that receives location data from said first and second mobile units;
• a database of said location data connected to said processing station;
• and
• a data network through which packets are sent between said processing station and said first and said second mobile units, wherein said packets comprise a current location of said second mobile unit being sent from said processing station to said first mobile unit in response to a request from said first mobile unit, upon satisfaction of a search criterion specified in said request and after ascertaining that said first mobile unit has a right to receive said current location of said second mobile unit.

A method of providing the current location of a second mobile unit to a first mobile unit, said method comprising:

• maintaining access control data indicating an access condition under which information regarding said second mobile unit may be accessed by another mobile unit;
• said first mobile unit transmitting a first packet to a service provider computer, said first packet indicating the current location of said first mobile unit;
• said second mobile unit transmitting a second packet to said service provider computer, said second signal indicating the current location of said second mobile unit;
• said service provider computer receiving said first and second signals and storing said current locations of said first and said second mobile units in a database;
• said service provider computer receiving from said first mobile unit a request including a condition based upon said current location of said first mobile unit or a future location of said first mobile unit, and retrieving said current location of said second mobile unit from said database in response to a request from said first mobile unit;
• and
• said service provider computer, upon satisfaction of said condition and upon ascertaining from said access control data that said first mobile unit satisfies said access condition, transmitting said current location of said second mobile unit to said first mobile unit.

A system, comprising:

• a first mobile unit and a second mobile unit connected to a data network;
• and
• a processing station connected to said data network and receiving current locations over said data network from said first and second mobile units, the processing station (a) maintaining an access control list including an access condition under which information regarding said second mobile unit may be accessed by another mobile unit;
• (b) being connected to a database storing said current locations of said first and second mobile units, and;
• (c) upon request from the first mobile unit and upon satisfaction of a condition based on said current location or a future location of said first mobile unit and said access condition, providing the first mobile unit the stored current location of the second mobile unit.