Multi-level privilege notification system operated based on indoor location information received from a location information sources
An improved system and method for defining an event based upon an object location and a user-defined zone and managing the conveyance of object location event information among computing devices where object location events are defined in terms of a condition based upon a relationship between user-defined zone information and object location information. One or more location information sources are associated with an object to provide the object location information. One or more user-defined zones are defined on a map and one or more object location events are defined. The occurrence of an object location event produces object location event information that is conveyed to users based on user identification codes. Accessibility to object location information, zone information, and object location event information is based upon an object location information access code, a zone information access code, and an object location event information access code, respectively.
1. A method for conveying location information relating to a plurality of mobile objects among a plurality of user groups comprising different users of a plurality of computing devices other than mobile objects, said users comprising an administrator, an authorized user different from the administrator, and a second user different from the authorized user, wherein the administrator specifies a user group associated with an authorized user ID and an object ID different from the authorized user ID, the method comprising the following steps executed in one or more servers configured to:
associate a second user ID different from the authorized user ID with the user group based on the authorized user ID;
receive a zone information after a user group is specified, said zone information containing information about at least one coordinate of a zone;
receive an event information about an event related to the zone and a location of a mobile object that is independent of the zone;
provide one or more interfaces for setting a group notification for the user group including specifying the second user associated the second user ID as the recipient of the group notification;
receive at least one location information of the mobile object associated with the object ID;
determine occurrence of the event based on the zone and the at least one location information; and
cause the group notification to be sent to the second user when the event occurs;
wherein the one or more servers are further configured to:
define a first level administrative privilege to control user membership in the user group;
define a second level administrative privileges to control conveyance of said object location information to the user group based on the first level administrative privilege;
check the first level administrative privileges before adding the authorized user to the user group;
check the second level administrative privilege before providing one or more interfaces for setting the group notification and adding the second user to the user group; and
determine occurrence of the event based on the second level administrative privilege.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
receive a device ID associated with a mobile device that is used by a mobile device user, said mobile device being different from the mobile object:
associate the device ID with a device user ID of the mobile device user, said device user ID being different from the authorized user ID and the second user ID:
determine occurrence of a second event different from the event, said second event being based on a location information from the mobile device associated with the device user ID; and
send an alert to the mobile device associated with the device user ID when the second event occurs.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
receive location information from a vehicle associated with the object ID, said vehicle being used by a driver associated with the device user ID; and
determine occurrence of the second event based on location information from a near field electromagnetic ranging device or a proximity device associated with the device ID.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
receive a measure of at least one characteristic of a physical environment from one or more sensors within the mobile object via the proximity device; and
determine the occurrence of the second event based on the measure.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine occurrence of the event based on a location of the mobile device relative to another object within the zone.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine occurrence of the event based on a location of the mobile device relative to a location of another fixed object within the zone.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine occurrence of the event based on a location of the mobile object relative to a location of another mobile object within the zone.
8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to receive an information package containing sensor information and mobile object location information in a data file.
9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine occurrence of the second event based on a location of the mobile device associated with the device ID relative to a location of the mobile object associated with the object ID.
10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine the second event based on location of the mobile device associated with the device ID relative to a fixed object.
11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine the second event based on relative location of the mobile device associated with the device ID within the zone.
12. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
determine the second event based on relative location of the mobile device associated with the device ID within a second zone associated with the device ID other than the zone.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to send the group notification under two independent levels of access control associated with the authorized user, wherein under a first level of access control, the authorized user accesses the user group information based the authorized user ID, and wherein under the second level of access control, the authorized user sets the group notification by receiving an additional access code different from the authorized user ID or a user password, wherein the one or more servers are configured to set the event based on the additional access code.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
receive location information of the mobile object linked with another object via a Bluetooth device when the mobile object is indoors.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
associate a picture with the zone.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
send the group notification based on a group ID that associates the user group with the authorized user ID, second user ID and object ID.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more servers are configured to:
associate the zone with a zone ID;
send the group notification based on the group ID and the zone ID.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the mobile object comprises:
a Bluetooth device that provides a wireless link with a remote Bluetooth device that provides location information based on proximity indoor;
a GPS device that receives location information when the mobile object operates outdoors;
a memory that stores device configurations including a Bluetooth device ID,
a user interface that authorizes location information sharing to protect privacy;
one or more user interfaces that turn on and off the Bluetooth device and the GPS device;
a display that shows a location of the mobile object on a map;
a camera interface; and
an interface for electromagnetic ranging; and
one or more wireless communication interfaces that link the mobile object to the one or more servers to receive a location tracking application.