Generating unexpected location notifications

US11228864B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Apple Inc. · US

Inventors

• Andreas E. Schobel · San Francisco, US
• Swaminathan Jayaraman · Fremont, US
• Paul W. Salzman · Palo Alto, US
• Kevin Lynch · Woodside, US
• Tommy Rochette · San Jose, US
• Albert R. Howard · Sunnyvale, US
• Siva Ganesh Movva · San Jose, US
• Thomas Chathoth Abraham · San Francisco, US
• Frank De Jong · San Francisco, US
• Rachel F. Needle · Oakland, US
• David John Williams · San Francisco, US
• Raghunandan K. Pai · Saratoga, US
• Swadesh Bhattacharya · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 10, 2020
• Grant date: Jan 18, 2022
• Expiry date: Apr 10, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W12/03
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In some implementations, a first computing device can send notifications at times that the first computing device is not in an expected location. A user of a second computing device can remotely configure an expected location for the first computing device, which may be a particular location for a certain period of time. During that time, the first computing device can monitor its own location and check whether it is within the expected location. If the first computing device unexpectedly leaves or fails to enter the expected location, the first computing device may transmit a notification to the second computing device. Similarly, if the first computing device loses connectivity with other devices, a server device may notify the second computing device that the location of the first computing device cannot be determined.