IP Library Granted Patent US 10,586,213
Granted Patent B2
US 10,586,213 · App. 15/099,849 · Granted Mar 10, 2020

Mobile wireless device with enhanced location feature

Inventor: Jack Yung-Kung Liu (Westford, MA)
Assignee: Public Partnerships LLC
G06Q10/1091G01S19/48H04W4/029
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,586,213
App. No.
15/099,849
Granted
Mar 10, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

One or more in-range stationary stations are provided which are configured to transmit a signal received by an in-range mobile unit. An application is run on the in-range mobile unit, and, when run, comprises a destination input configured to present a destination graphical user input on a display screen of the in-range mobile unit along with information to thereby prompt a user to input textual information which the application receives and then uses to populate a set of geographic address fields representing a destination premises address. The application when run further includes calls to location services APIs, the calls including calls to cause an acquisition of a current location determination. The application converts the destination premises address to a destination geographic location using the same parameters used to represent the current location determination. The application when run provides an indication of the determined location of the in-range mobile unit in terms of a premises address. The current determined location is set to the destination premises address when a straight line distance between the destination geographic location and the acquired current location determination is less than a prescribed value.

Claims (41)

1. Apparatus comprising:

one or more in-range stationary stations configured to transmit a signal received by an in-range mobile unit;

the in-range mobile unit containing local location resources, including a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) location portion and a non-GNSS location portion;

location storage on the in-range mobile unit holding location information in accordance with a location information modeling format;

location services APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) contained in the in-range mobile unit and configured to communicate between an application on the mobile unit on the one hand and the local location resources on the other hand;

the application configured to be run on the in-range mobile unit, and, when run, comprising a destination input configured to present a destination graphical user input on a display screen of the in-range mobile unit along with information to thereby prompt a user to input textual information which the application receives and then uses to populate a set of geographic address fields representing a destination premises address;

the application when run further including calls to the location services APIs, the calls including calls to cause an acquisition of a current location determination from the non-GNSS location portion of the local location resources;

the application when run converting the destination premises address to a destination geographic location using the same parameters used to represent the current location determination; and

the application when run providing an indication, to the in-range mobile unit's user via the unit's visual display, of the current determined location of the in-range mobile unit in terms of a premises address, the current determined location being set to the destination premises address when a straight line distance between the destination geographic location and the acquired current location determination is less than a prescribed value.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stationary stations are LAN routers.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stationary stations are WiFi stations.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stationary stations are BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stationary stations are LTE network base stations.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the GNSS location portion comprises a GPS or assisted GPS portion.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the non-GNSS portion comprises a BLE beacon location service.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the non-GNSS portion comprises a downline OTDOA location service.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the non-GNSS portion comprises an enhanced cell ID location service.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the non-GNSS portion comprises an uplink UTDOA location service.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the non-GNSS portion comprises an RF pattern matching location service.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location storage comprises internal memory.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location storage comprises external memory.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location information modeling format comprises GML (Geographic Markup Language).

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the location information modeling format comprises NVML (Navigation Markup Language).

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit comprises a smartphone.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile unit comprises a tablet.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the APIs are also configured to communicate between the application and external location resources.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information presented on the destination graphical user input includes text.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the fields representing the destination premises address include street number, street, unit, city, and state.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the destination graphical user input is in accordance with an approved work schedule.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the destination graphical user input is selected from prestored data in an approved previously-provided work schedule.

23. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the current location determination indicates a location in two dimensions in terms of longitude and latitude.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the current location determination did not involve the GNSS location portion.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the destination geographic location parameters include longitude and latitude.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein the indication of the location of the in-range mobile unit is represented as street number, street, unit, city, and state.

27. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the application when run further sending the indicated determined location and a time of the determination to a remote time reporting system.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the determination of the determined location is concurrent with submission of an approval signature.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28 , wherein the determination is concurrent with submission of an approval signature, when the determination is made within 1 second of the submission of an approval signature.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29 , wherein the application when run is configured to capture a stylus or finger tip created signature image within an area on an interactive screen of the in-range mobile unit.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30 , wherein the area is designated by a perimeter on the interactive screen.

32. The apparatus according to claim 30 , wherein the application is configured to send clock-in information included with the determined location determined at the clock-in time, along with a file of a contemporaneously captured signature.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32 , wherein a PIN of the approving person is also associated and included with the determined location, the clock-in information, and the captured signature.

Assignments (6)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 19, 2025
From: MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST, AS AGENT
To: PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS LLC
Reel/Frame 073275/0787 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 19, 2025
From: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST, AS AGENT
To: PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS LLC
Reel/Frame 073275/0953 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 70692 FRAME: 835. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY INTEREST. Recorded Apr 4, 2025
From: PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS LLC
To: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 071648/0079 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 1, 2025
From: PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS LLC
To: MIDCAP FUNDING IV, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 070692/0835 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2022
From: PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS LLC
To: MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST
Reel/Frame 060420/0457 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 7, 2020
From: LIU, JACK YUNG-KUNG
To: PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS LLC
Reel/Frame 051750/0087 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180197148A1 · Jul 12, 2018