System and method for providing privacy protected navigation between mobile terminals
View Patent ↗A system of providing location and routing information to a target mobile terminal while still maintaining a specified level of privacy. A target mobile terminal includes a profile having an inaccuracy level contained therein. When a querying terminal desires routing information to the target terminal, a portion of a route to the target terminal is provided, with the portion of the provided route being based upon the level of inaccuracy in the target terminal profile.
1. A method comprising: receiving a request for location information for a target mobile terminal which includes a profile having an inaccuracy level from a querying terminal; and decreasing granularity of the location information of the target mobile terminal, the granularity based in part upon a distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal and dependent upon the querying terminal; and determining to make the target mobile terminal's location information with decreased granularity available to the querying terminal.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information comprises at least a portion of a route to the target mobile terminal.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the granularity of the location information is adjustable by a user of the target mobile terminal.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, upon movement of the target mobile terminal, providing updated location information of the target mobile terminal with the decreased granularity.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the granularity comprises a percentage of the distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the granularity comprises a threshold distance from the target mobile terminal.
7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform at least the following steps: receiving a request for location information for a target mobile terminal which includes a profile having an inaccuracy level from a querying terminal; and decreasing the granularity of the location information of the target mobile terminal, the granularity based in part upon a distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal and dependent upon the querying terminal; and determining to make the target mobile terminal's location information with decreased granularity available to the querying terminal.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the location information comprises at least a portion of a route to the target mobile terminal.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the granularity of the location information is adjustable by a user of the target mobile terminal.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is caused further to perform: upon movement of the target mobile terminal, providing updated location information of the target mobile terminal with the decreased granularity.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the granularity comprises a percentage of the distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the granularity comprises a threshold distance from the target mobile terminal.
13. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following, receiving a request for location information for a target mobile terminal which includes a profile having an inaccuracy level from a querying terminal; decreasing the granularity of the location information of the target mobile terminal, the granularity based in part upon a distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal and dependent upon the querying terminal; and determining to make the target mobile terminal's location information with decreased granularity available to the querying terminal.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the granularity of the location information is adjustable by a user of the target mobile terminal.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is further caused to: upon movement of the target mobile terminal, determine to provide updated location information of the target mobile terminal with the decreased granularity.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the granularity comprises a percentage of the distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the granularity comprises a threshold distance from the target mobile terminal.
18. A method comprising: receiving a request for location information from a querying terminal for a target mobile terminal which includes a profile having an inaccuracy level; and determining to provide the location information of the target device with decreased granularity to a remote device in the response to the request, the decreased granularity being dependent upon a distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the granularity comprises a threshold distance from the target mobile terminal, or a percentage of the distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the remote device comprises a server, or a querying device.
21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the target mobile terminal is one of a plurality of terminals, and wherein the location information with decreased granularity is based upon a midpoint between the plurality of terminals.
22. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following, receive a request for location information from a querying terminal for a target mobile terminal which includes a profile having an inaccuracy level, and determine to provide the location information of the target device with decreased granularity to a remote device in the response to the request, the decreased granularity being dependent upon a distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the granularity comprises either a threshold distance from the target mobile terminal, or a percentage of the distance between the querying terminal and the target mobile terminal.
24. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the remote device comprises either a server or a querying device.
25. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the target mobile terminal is one of a plurality of terminals, and wherein the location information with decreased granularity is based upon a midpoint between the plurality of terminals.