a2) United States Patent
`US 6,920,328 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`Jul. 19, 2005
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Wollrab
`
`US006920328B2
`
`(54) FAMILY CALENDAR NOTIFICATION AND
`TRACKING
`
`(75)
`
`Inventor: Lee M. Wollrab, Eagle, ID (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development
`Company, L.P., Houston, TX (US)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 691 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/942,901
`
`(22)
`
`(65)
`
`Filed:
`
`Aug. 30, 2001
`
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2003/0045301 Al Mar. 6, 2003
`
`Tint, C0 eee cceceeeteseeeeeeeneeeneeeereeeees H04M 3/42
`(SV)
`(52) US. Che eeccecscssseee 455/456.1; 455/13.2; 455/414.1;
`455/566
`(58) Field of Search oe 455/456, 414,
`455/266, 404; 342/357.11; 701/207, 208,
`209; 340/990, 995
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,854,793 A * 12/1998 Dinkins 0.0.0... 370/503
`6,414,629 B1 *
`7/2002 Curcio oo... 342/357.08
`6,463,272 B1 * 10/2002 Wallace etal. .......... 455/404.2
`6,542,812 B1 *
`4/2003 Obradovichetal. ........ 701/207
`6,618,593 B1 *
`9/2003 Drutmanetal. ......... 455/456.3
`6,661,409 B2 * 12/2003 Demartinesetal. ........ 345/173
`2002/0006800 Al *
`1/2002 Mohi
`2002/0116336 Al *
`8/2002 Diacakis
`*
`2003/0035544 Al
`2/2003 Herle et al.
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Jones, Jennifer, “Cell Phone Basics How to Choose the
`Right Cell Phone for You,” http://equip.zdnet.com/commu-
`nications/cellularphones/feature/16f0a/index_6__1-html,
`Jul. 12, 2000, p. 6-10.
`
`“Magellan GPS Companion,” http://www.handspring.com/
`products/sbmodules/magellandetails.jhtml, Aug. 2, 2001, p.
`1-2.
`
`“Springport Modem 56 GlobalACCESS,”http:/Awww.hand-
`spring.com/products/sbmodules/springportdetails.jhtml,
`Aug. 2, 2001, p. 1-2.
`
`“SpringPort Modem 56 Global ACCESS,” http:/Avww.
`palmgear.com/hs/products/prodoverview.cfm?=prodID=
`354&prodcatID=5, Aug, 2, 2001, p. 1-2.
`
`“Magellan CPS Companion for Handspring Visor,” http://
`www.palmgear.com/hs/products/prodoverview.cfm?=
`prodID=388 &prodcatID=5, 2, Aug. 2, 2001, p. 1-2.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner—Fan Tsang
`Assistant Examiner—Ming Chow
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`The present inventionis directed to an electronic system and
`method for managing location, calendar, and event infor-
`mation. The system comprises at least two hand portable
`electronic devices, each having a display device to display
`personalprofile, location, and event information, and means
`for processing, storing, and wirelessly communicating data.
`A software program running in the electronic device can
`receive local and remote input data; store, process, and
`update personal profile, event, time, and location informa-
`tion; and convert location information into coordinates of a
`graphic map display. The system additionally includes at
`least one earth orbiting satellite device using remote sensing
`technology to determine the location coordinates of the
`electronic device. The electronic devices receive synchro-
`nization messages broadcast bythe satellite device, causing
`the software program to update the personal profile, event,
`time, and location information stored in each hand portable
`electronic device.
`
`41 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
`
`Google Exhibit 1014
`Google Exhibit 1014
`Google v. Mullen
`Google v. Mullen
`
`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 19, 2005
`
`Sheet 1 of 2
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`US 6,920,328 B2
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`
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`PDA-1
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`PDA-3
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`PDA~-4
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`15-1
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`16-1
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`14~4
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`16-4 14-3
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`15-5 14-5
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`PDA-2
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`DISPLAY
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`DISPLAY
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`19-3
`19-1
`7 y= VY
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`FIC. 3
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`14-1
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`14-2
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`14-3
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`14-4
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Jul. 19, 2005
`
`Sheet 2 of 2
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`US 6,920,328 B2
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`40-1
`N
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`

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`US 6,920,328 B2
`
`1
`FAMILY CALENDAR NOTIFICATION AND
`TRACKING
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`This application relates to wireless communication and
`tracking, and moreparticularly to family calendar notifica-
`tion and tracking.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`there are many different
`In the present environment
`devices for communicating between people or between
`groups of people. However, even if everybody carried a
`wireless telephone or similar device, there is no efficient
`method for families or other groups to plan meetings/events
`and to communicate changes in individual plans that could
`affect the family meeting/event. For example, a child could
`be injured, and a parent making an unplanned detour to a
`hospital emergency room might not have time to tell/call
`everyoneelse to let them know of the changein plans.
`Likewise, there is presently no efficient way of determin-
`ing the location of a memberof a family or other group. In
`one scenario, if a teenager borrows the family car on a
`Friday night, has a car wreck, androlls off a cliff, nobody
`would know the location of the teenager. Assuming that the
`teenager was expected home at 2:00 a.m. and the parents
`were alarmed at 3:00 a.m., the parents would have no idea
`of the teenager’s present location or any record of the last
`location of the teenager.
`SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is directed to an electronic system
`and method for managing location, calendar, and event
`information. The system comprises at least two hand por-
`table electronic devices, each having a display device to
`display personal profile, location, and event information,
`and means for processing, storing, and wirelessly commu-
`nicating data. A software program running in the electronic
`device can receive local and remote input data; store,
`process, and update personal profile, event, time, and loca-
`tion information; and convert
`location information into
`coordinates of a graphic map display. The system addition-
`ally includesat least one earth orbiting satellite device using
`remote sensing technology to determine the location coor-
`dinates of the electronic device. The electronic devices
`
`receive synchronization messages broadcast by the satellite
`device, causing the software program to update the personal
`profile, event, time, and location information stored in each
`hand portable electronic device.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`FIG. 1 is a high level schematic diagram illustrating the
`hardware architecture of a Family Calendar Tracking and
`Notification system, in accordance with embodimentsof the
`present invention;
`FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission
`of physical location information of PDA devices after a
`change of physical locations relative to those of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating two-way direct
`wireless communication between PDA devices; and
`FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic representations depicting
`exemplary map images on the display screen of a PDA
`device.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`FIG. 1 is a high level schematic diagram illustrating the
`hardware architecture of a Family Calendar Tracking and
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`Notification system, in accordance with embodimentsof the
`present invention. Family Calendar Tracking and Notifica-
`tion system 10 includes one to many substantially identical
`personal digital assistant (PDA) devices represented by PDA
`devices PDA-1 through PDA-5 (PDAdevices 14-1 through
`14-5) and one or moresatellite devices 12. PDA device 14-1
`through 14-5 is an hand portable electronic device similar,
`for example,
`to commercially available Hewlett Packard
`Jornada™, Palm Pilot™, Handspring Visor™, Compaq
`iPaq™, Sony CLIE™, cellular and/or
`‘smart’ wireless
`telephones, which is 2-way wireless communications
`capable and is remote sensing capable. Each PDA device
`14-1 through 14-5 includes a respective display device 15-1
`through 15-5.
`Installed in each PDA device 14-1 through 14-5 is a copy
`of calendar 16-1 through 16-5, a software program which
`can store family memberprofiles, member calendars, mem-
`ber locations, and family profiles. Calendar 16-1 through
`16-5 is capable of tracking and synchronizing events
`(appointments such as face-to-face or telephone meetings,
`sporting events, social events, etc), established by a member,
`e.g., user identified by a person’s first name and last name,
`whois defined within a memberprofile which contains the
`member’s personal information. Events preferably require
`uniquely associating a time and date with a physical
`location, which can be shared amonga pre-defined family of
`membersin orderto facilitate members being able to meet,
`physically and/or virtually, at the same time, on the same
`date. The term “family” as defined herein is generalized to
`include not only biologically related individuals, but social,
`recreational, educational, professional, work, or other com-
`mon interest groups of individual membersthat have a need
`or
`interest
`in maintaining close communication among
`themselves. Although typically a separate PDA device 14-1
`through 14-5 is assigned to each individual family member,
`in some implementations a single PDA device can be shared
`among two or more family members.
`PDAdevices 14-1 through 14-5 communicate with one
`another via satellite device 12 and also by direct 2-way
`wireless communication. Satellite device 12 is a global
`communications device orbiting the earth substantially
`above the earth’s atmosphere and capable of continuously
`(24 hours per day and 7 days per week) receiving informa-
`tion from and broadcasting informationto (transceiving) one
`or more PDA devices 14-1 through 14-5 andits respective
`installed calendar 16-1 through 16-5. Satellite device 12 and
`PDAdevices 14-1 through 14-5 collectively utilize remote
`sensing technology and interactive wireless communication
`to track the physical location of each PDA device 14-1
`through 14-5.
`In operation, calendar 16-1 through 16-5 stores informa-
`tion including memberprofiles, member calendars, member
`locations, and family profiles. Member profile(s) include
`information pertaining to individual members, for example:
`email
`address—e.g.,
`firstname _
`lastname@subdomain.domain;
`member name—e.g., firstname lastname;
`residence address—e.g., street, city, state/province, zip/
`postal code, country;
`residence and/or other phone—e.g., dialing code and
`number;
`FAX phone;
`text-based notes—e.g., up to a defined number of char-
`acters;
`other member-defined fields—e.g., date of birth, date of
`marriage, alternate address/phone/fax/email address;
`and/or
`
`

`

`US 6,920,328 B2
`
`3
`
`family name and/or alpha-
`family membership—e.g.
`numeric identifying code/password.
`Membercopies of calendar 16-1 through 16-5 track and
`synchronize events identified by descriptive names, which
`provide the parent fields for attendees, event location, time
`and date. An event location includes physical address, e.g.,
`street address, city, state/province, zip/postal code, country,
`and REMOTE SENSING location coordinates, e.g.,
`latitude-longitude coordinates (degrees, minutes, seconds),
`whichare the basis of a vector-based Geographic Informa-
`tion System [GIS] data set, where data are stored as a
`sequence of precise X,Y coordinates and vectors which can
`be displayed as a map image on PDAdevice 14-1 through
`14-5, as described below in more detail. Other event location
`data include phone number at
`the event location and/or
`phone numberof a designated event contact individual, and
`Internet URL for an electronic meeting room.
`Memberlocation(s) are preferably stored in calendar 16-1
`through 16-5 as remote sensing location coordinates defined
`above, and are updated periodically for each member. In
`some embodiments, multiple sequential sets of remote sens-
`ing location coordinates are stored for each member to
`create a historical
`tracking record of movement for the
`member/PDA device. This can be retrieved later to deter-
`mine where a member/PDA device has been physically
`located over time for such purposes as tracking member
`movements or
`locating a lost member. Calendar 16-1
`through 16-5 can translate remote sensing location coordi-
`nates into a graphic map image, e.g. a jpg or -gif file,
`depicting the relative locations of all members/PDAdevices
`within a family. In a family profile, calendar 16-1 through
`16-5 stores an alpha-numeric family name/identifier and a
`list of all members, for example,
`in order of their email
`address.
`Calendar 16-1 through 16-5 preferably generates infor-
`mation requests, including membership requests from within
`the family requesting a membership status for a non-member
`and from non-members requesting to join a specified family.
`Calendar 16-1 through 16-5 additionally generates synchro-
`nization requests from members, requesting synchronization
`within a family, for example to update member profile
`information, update member calendar information, update
`member location information, and/or update family profile
`information; and from within calendar 16-1 through 16-5
`requesting synchronization among a family and or with a
`member to update the above information among the family
`or a subset of the family.
`Calendar 16-1 through 16-5 preferably sends to and/or
`routes to and receives from satellite device 12 in encrypted
`format any of the information in the memberprofile, mem-
`ber calendar, member location, and or family profile des-
`tined for member(s) email address. Calendar 16-1 through
`16-5 processes queries, sorts requests, and synchronizes
`calendars among members within a family/group. FIGS. 1
`and 2 illustrate communication between calendars 16-1
`through 16-5 in PDA devices 14-1 through 14-5 viasatellite
`device 12 over wireless data paths 18-1 through 18-5
`respectively, for example to synchronize calendars 16-1
`through 16-5. Calendar synchronization occurs at regular
`intervals, e.g. at 5-minute intervals. Calendar 16 generates a
`newfamily code or password periodically, for example each
`time family membership changes, and distributes it to each
`family member’s profile. Calendar 16-1 through 16-5 dis-
`plays via display devices 15-1 through 15-5 information
`including the respective member’s profile,
`location, and
`events,
`in addition to other family members’ profiles,
`locations, and events.
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`Satellite device 12 preferably receives, processes and
`stores information sent from individual PDA devices 14-1
`
`through 14-5 into vector-based remote sensing data repre-
`senting the physical location of the PDA device, and broad-
`casts information simultaneously to multiple PDA devices
`14-1 through 14-5. The updated physical location informa-
`tion is transmitted in accordance with an established sched-
`ule (e.g. every 5 minutes) to specific member PDA devices
`or to all PDAs within a defined family for synchronizing/
`replication. This transmission can be senteither directly via
`infrared or other wireless link from one PDA to another PDA
`in sufficient proximity or to satellite device 12 for rebroad-
`cast to all PDA devices within a defined family. FIG. 2 is a
`schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of physical
`location information of PDA devices after a change of
`physical locationsrelative to those of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, PDA
`device 14-2 has moved through a displacement D2relative
`to its previous position PDA-2-A and PDA device 14-4 has
`likewise moved through a displacement D4relative to its
`previous position PDA-4-A.As illustrated in FIG. 2, remote
`sensing coordinates reflecting the movements of PDA
`devices 14-2 and 14-4 are broadcast bysatellite device 12 to
`all PDA devices 14-1 through 14-5 of system 10.
`PDAdevice 14-1 through 14-5 stores and runs calendar
`software program 16-1 through 16-5 used to manage all
`information storage and transfers between PDA devices 14-1
`through 14-5 via satellite device 12. PDA devices 14-1
`through 14-5 communicate directly with one another over
`wireless data paths 19-1, 19-3 as illustrated in FIG. 3, to
`exchange stored information/data using, for example, infra-
`red technology. Alternatively, PDA devices 14-1 through
`14-5 communicate with one another using one or more of
`other short distance wireless technologies, for example,
`cellular technology or Bluetooth™ technology which,
`unlike infrared, are not restricted to line of sight transmis-
`sion. In some embodiments, wireless portions of data paths
`between PDAdevices 14-1 through 14-5 are interconnected
`through terrestrial wired network portions, for example
`telephone cable and/or the public Internet.
`PDA devices 14-1 through 14-5 can utilize wireless
`remote sensing technology to establish and communicate
`remote sensing data between PDA device 14-1 through 14-5
`and satellite device 12. PDA device 14-1 through 14-5 can
`display a map image via display device 15-5 through 15-5
`depicting the relative locations of all members/PDAdevices
`within a family. FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic representations
`depicting exemplary map images 40-1 through 40-3 on the
`screen of display device 15-1 of PDA device 14-1. In map
`image 40-1 the location 44-1 of family member/PDAdevice
`14-1 is shown relative to physical features, for example
`roads 41 and 42. In map image 40-2 the locations 44-1
`through 44-5 of five family members/PDA devices 14-1
`through 14-5 respectively are shown simultaneouslyrelative
`to one another andrelative to roads 41, 42. In map image
`40-3 symbols interconnected with location 44-5 depict
`sequential historical
`locations of family member/PDA
`device 14-5relative to location 44-1 of PDA device 14-1 and
`roads 41, 42.
`Calendar 16-1 through 16-5 utilizes existing technologies,
`for example Lotus Notes/Domino and/or Microsoft Outlook/
`Exchange can provide a base software program to achieve
`the calendar functions described above. Calendar 16-1
`through 16-5 additionally includes software to receive,
`process, and store physical location information (vector-
`based remote sensing coordinates), which can be updated
`periodically to track physical movements as a member/PDA
`device moves from one location to another. Typically, cal-
`
`

`

`US 6,920,328 B2
`
`5
`endar 16-1 through 16-5 runs on a microcomputerinstalled
`in PDAdevice 14-1 through 14-5 and stores information in
`a digital memory device, for example RAM,flash EPROM,
`other non-volatile memory, or some combination thereof
`installed in PDA device 14-1 through 14-5.
`Some embodiments include alternative PDA devices pro-
`viding a reduced subset of the functionality of PDA devices
`described above. These reduced functionality PDA devices
`function primarily as location reporting devices, applicable
`for example to young children, physically and/or mentally
`handicapped, aged, or retarded individuals. The reduced
`functionality PDA devices can be further applicable to
`convicts, parolees, and/or other offenders, and can be
`configured, for example, as collars, necklaces, bracelets,
`belts, and/or anklets.
`Synchronizing has been commercialized, for example,
`using Lotus Notes/Domino software, and is commonly
`referred to as “replication”. This technology can be adapted
`in embodiments of the present invention to encompass and
`manage synchronization in an environment where the wire-
`less communication link between two PDA devicesis via
`satellite device 12.
`
`Embodiments of the present invention provide a system
`and method in which a master family calendar is synchro-
`nized with PDAs for each family member, which tracks each
`PDAlocation via remote sensing (satellite) and alerts other
`family members (e.g. parents) to the locations of other
`family members’ (e.g. children) PDAs or alternatively their
`cellular or
`‘smart’ wireless telephones.
`In some
`embodiments, the system also e-mails or sends a periodic
`electronic notification to each family member of family
`events (e.g. kids swim lesson Monday night at West Boise
`YMCAat 6:30 p.m.), which can include driving directions
`customized for the specific location of each family member
`to get from their current location to the event. Embodiments
`of the system communicate changes in individual plans
`which could affect the family meeting/event. (e.g., child gets
`hurt and parent takes detour to hospital and does not have
`timeto tell/call everyoneelse to let them know of change in
`plan, in which case a PDA device could take one message
`and location and communicate it
`to rest of family with
`details of why a change had to occur, seriousness of
`situation, etc.) Optionally, an alert is issued when changesin
`plans are communicated.
`In some embodiments, a PDA device transmits an alarm
`messageif the device location movesoutside of a prescribed
`physical
`limit. For example,
`if a child had a boundary
`prescribed on their PDA device, and the device is carried
`past the boundary,then an alert is issued to all the other PDA
`devices/family members.
`Embodiments in accordance with the present invention
`allow members of a family or other group to share calendar
`schedule information on a hand portable device in near real
`time and to synchronize that information through wireless
`communications with other membersof an identified family,
`work,or other group. Not only is information synchronized,
`but the location of that device is also tracked and shared
`
`among the group. Location information can then be con-
`verted and displayed, for example as coordinates on a
`graphic map. Through remote sensing, the present system
`allows family members to know/see the locations of other
`family members without having to physically search.
`In a further embodiment, a PDA device transmits an
`alarm,if the device moves outside of a prescribed limit. For
`example, if limits are set on a child’s PDA device andif the
`device is carried beyond those limits, then an alert can be
`transmitted to all the other family members to warn that this
`child is out of its bounds.
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`Amember’s PDA devicestores not only the last record of
`that member’s own location and calendar entries, but in
`addition the records of the last entries from each of the other
`PDAdevices/family members. This decentralized architec-
`ture maintains peer to peer functionality, without adding
`another layer, for example a group store. Advantageously,
`peer to peer functionality also confers robustness through
`redundancy, such that if a PDA device becomesinoperative
`for a short
`time and consequently misses a message, a
`backup copy of the message can be recovered and retrans-
`mitted at a later time by another PDA device in the group.
`In a further embodiment, a PDA device can also store all
`of a member’s personal contact information, for example
`address book and telephone numbers, and can communicate
`in the background with individuals and groups outside the
`immediate group. These background communications can
`be, for example, with another family group or work group,
`to be aware of their calendars and they aware of the
`member’s group, to help in coordination of event planning
`and other activities involving more than one group.
`Additionally, a PDA device can provide linkages between
`personal contact information and event/location informa-
`tion. For example a member viewing an event display can
`utilize a short cut access to the personal contact information
`for the responsible individual. Likewise a member viewing
`a display of location coordinates for a PDA device assigned
`to another membercanutilize a short cut accessto that other
`
`member’s personal contact information.
`Calendar 16-1 through 16-5 is able to translate Global
`Positioning System (GPS) or other remote sensing location
`coordinates into a visual map image depicting the relative
`locations of all members/PDAdevices within a family. GPS
`tracking, reporting and display for a Handspring Visor™ can
`be accomplished by Magellan Corporation, 960 Overland
`Court, San Dimas, Calif. 91773, Tel (800) 669-4477, Fax
`(909)394-7050, which has commercialized a GPS module
`for any Handspring (Handspring,
`Inc., 189 Bernardo
`Avenue, Mountain View, Calif. 94043, Tel (716) 871-6448,
`support@handspring.com) Visor™ hand held PDA in the
`form of
`a Magellan GPS Companion™ (http://
`handspring.com/products/sbmodules/magellandetails.jhtml
`and http://www.palmgear.com/hs/products/
`prodoverview.cfm?prodID=388&prodcatID=5) springboard
`(plug-in) module, but this is a singular module which does
`not allow simultaneous wireless communication to the pub-
`lic Internet.
`
`Xircom,Inc., 2300 Corporate Center Dr., Thousand Oaks,
`Calif. 91320, Tel (805) 376-9300, Fax (805) 376-9311, has
`commercialized wireless communication to the public Inter-
`net for the Handspring Visor™ handheld PDAin the form of
`a Springport™ Modem 56 GlobalACCESS™ (http://
`handspring.com/products/sbmodules/
`springportdetails jhtml and http://www.palmgear.com/hs/
`products/prodoverview.cfm? prodID=354&prodcatID=5)
`springboard (plug-in) module. This is a singular module
`which does not allow simultaneous remote sensing capabil-
`ity.
`‘Smart phones’ are cellular wireless telephones incorpo-
`rating minibrowsers that provide Internet access as well as
`personal digital assistant (PDA) functionality. PDA func-
`tions typically include a calendar, address book, contact
`manager, task list, and occasionally an alarm, scheduler, and
`calculator. Additionally, a smart phone’s ability to store
`personal
`information generally goes beyond that of the
`internal phone book in a standard, voice-only wireless
`phone. For further discussion, see for example http://
`equip.zdnet.com/communications/cellularphones/feature/
`16f0a/index__6__1.html.
`
`

`

`US 6,920,328 B2
`
`7
`Embodiments of the present invention provide two-way
`wireless communication between a PDA deviceandatleast
`one satellite, which is simultaneously used to continually
`track the physical
`location of the PDA device (and/or
`multiple PDA devices) and communicate this location data
`(remote sensing coordinates) to all PDA devices within a
`defined family. Alternatively, more than one typeof satellite
`can be used in embodiments of the present invention. For
`example, one type ofsatellite can perform physical location
`tracking functions using remote sensing, and a second type
`of satellite can provide two-way wireless communication
`with one or more PDA devices, including broadcast wireless
`transmission. Particularly, embodiments of the present
`invention fill a parent’s need to track their teenager that
`borrowed the family car on a Friday night and to know that
`teenager’s whereabouts at a particular time.
`Whatis claimed is:
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`event from the location of at least one of said portable
`electronic devices.
`8. The system of claim 1 wherein said software program
`is further operable to store, process, and display sequentially
`historical locations of at least one of said hand portable
`electronic devices in said map image.
`9. The system of claim 1 wherein said software program
`is further operable to store, process, update, and display
`personal contact information.
`10. The system of claim 1 wherein said wirelessly com-
`municated remote input data are encrypted.
`11. The system of claim 1 wherein wirelessly communi-
`cating comprises two-way direct wireless communication
`between any two individual portable electronic devices.
`12. The system of claim 1 wherein said software program
`is further operable to issue and communicate alerts, alarms,
`and notifications to other portable electronic devices.
`13. The system of claim 1 wherein said software program
`1. An electronic system for managing location and event
`is further operable to communicate changesofplansto other
`information for members of a defined group, said system
`electronic devices that potentially affect events.
`comprising:
`14. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for
`a plurality of portable electronic devices possessed by the
`processing comprise a microcomputer.
`group members, each electronic device including:
`15. The system of claim 1 wherein said meansfor storing
`a display device operable to display information; and
`are selected from the group consisting of RAM memory,
`flash EPROM memory, and non-volatile digital memory.
`means for processing, storing, and wirelessly commu-
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`16. A method of managing and communicating informa-
`nicating data;
`2
`tion amongaplurality of substantially identical portable
`software program stored in each portable electronic
`electronic devices possessed by membersof a defined group,
`device, each software program operableto:
`said method comprising performing the following on each
`receive locally input data and wirelessly communicated
`portable electronic device:
`remotely input data from other portable electronic
`determining, processing, and storing location coordinates
`devices;
`of each portable electronic device;
`inputting,
`store, process, and update personal profile, event, time,
`processing,andstoring user profile informationrelating
`and location information of all group members;
`convert
`location information into coordinates of a
`to the group memberthat possesses the portable elec-
`tronic device;
`inputting, processing, and storing collective profile infor-
`mation relating collectively to all group members;
`inputting, processing, and storing event calendar
`information, said event calendar information including
`participants, date, time, and location of an event;
`wirelessly communicating and synchronously updating
`said location coordinates, said profile information, and
`said event calendar information, such that each group
`member’s portable electronic device stores identical
`updated information; and
`displaying saidlocation, profile, and event calendar infor-
`mation in a display of each group member’s portable
`electronic device so that each group memberis pro-
`vided with undated information as to the other group
`members and memberevents.
`17. The method of claim 16 wherein said location coor-
`
`graphic map for display; and
`display coordinates of each member’s portable elec-
`tronic device in a map imageto indicate the location
`of each group member; and
`at least one earth orbiting satellite device operable in
`cooperation with each portable electronic device using
`remote sensing technologyto:
`determine location coordinates of said portable elec-
`tronic devices; and
`broadcast synchronization messages received by each
`portable electronic device to each other portable
`electronic device, causing said software program
`stored in each electronic device to update said per-
`sonal profile, event, time, and location information
`stored in said electronic devices so that each group
`memberis provided with updated information as to
`the other group members and memberevents.
`2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said
`portable electronic devices comprises a wireless telephone
`selected from the group consisting of a cellular telephone
`and a smart telephone.
`3. The system of claim 1 wherein said locally input data
`are input manually.
`4. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for wire-
`lessly communicating data are selected from the group
`consisting of e-mail,
`infrared technology, cellular
`technology, and short distance wireless technology.
`5. The system of claim 1 wherein said synchronization
`messages are broadcast at regular intervals.
`6. The system of claim 1 wherein said synchronization
`messages are broadcast upon request from said software
`programs.
`7. The system of claim 1 wherein said location informa-
`tion comprisesinstructionsfor traveling to the location of an
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`dinates and location information are displayed according to
`coordinates in a graphic map format.
`18. The method of claim 16 wherein said location coor-
`dinates are determined using satellite remote sensing tech-
`nology.
`19. The method of claim 16 wherein said portable elec-
`tronic devices comprise wireless telephones, each having an
`integral display device.
`20. The method of claim 16 wherein said inputting is
`performed manually.
`21. The method of claim 16 wherein said wirelessly
`communicating is performed utilizing a technique selected
`from the group consisting of e-mail, infrared technology,
`and short distance wireless technology.
`22. The method of claim 16 wherein said synchronously
`updating is performed simultaneously at regular intervals for
`all of said portable electronic devices.
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`US 6,920,328 B2
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`23. The method of claim 22 wherein said synchronously
`updating occurs in substantially real time.
`24. The method of claim 16 wherein said location infor-
`
`mation comprises instructionsfor traveling to the location of
`said event from the location of at least one of said portable
`electronic devices.
`25. The method of claim 17 wherein a graphic map
`representing sequentially historical locations of at least one
`of said portable electronic devices is displayed.
`26. The method of claim 16 wherein a graphic map
`representing relative locations of each portable electronic
`devices is displayed.
`27. The method of claim 16 further comprising storing,
`processing, updating, and displaying personal contact infor-
`mation.
`28. The method of claim 16 further comprising encrypting
`prior to wirelessly communicating and synchronously
`updating said location coordinates, said profile information,
`and said event calendar information.
`
`29. The method of claim 16 further comprising commu-
`nicating changesof plans to each portable electronic device
`tha