Event Server Location Tracking via Push Notifications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for finding the location of individuals, such as smartphone applications, require prior association and the use of the same software application, making it difficult to quickly locate multiple individuals, especially in large groups like volunteers at events, due to management overhead and communication issues.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a user notification server to send requests for location data across different device types, allowing users to request and receive location information without prior relationship or shared software, utilizing push notification services to facilitate rapid location determination and display on a map.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If prior association and shared software application are required for location tracking, then user privacy and security are improved, but system complexity and management overhead increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an event server as an intermediary that manages location tracking without requiring direct peer-to-peer relationships between users. The event server acts as a mediator that receives location data from participants and distributes it to authorized users, eliminating the need for complex direct connections while maintaining security through centralized control and authorization management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows a single event server to handle multiple events and multiple users simultaneously, providing universal location tracking services across different contexts. The same infrastructure supports various event types and user roles without requiring separate systems, reducing overall complexity while maintaining security through role-based access control.
2Measurement precision
If all volunteers download the same application for tracking, then location accuracy is improved, but management overhead and communication issues increase in large groups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large group of volunteers into event-specific participants managed by a centralized event server. Instead of requiring all users to interact directly with each other's applications, the system divides the tracking function into individual participant modules that report to the event server, which then manages information distribution. This segmentation reduces communication overhead while maintaining location accuracy through centralized data collection.
3Device complexity
If users manually scroll through lists to find individuals, then system simplicity is maintained, but time to locate individuals increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual scrolling process with automated electronic search and display functions. The event server automatically processes location requests, retrieves relevant data, and presents it through user interface elements such as maps or filtered lists, eliminating the need for manual scrolling while maintaining system simplicity through standardized interface patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and/or system is disclosed allowing a user to quickly and easily obtain information on the location of another user or group of users. Such location information, may for example, be provided for quickly finding the whereabouts of friends, volunteers, employees, event attendees, etc. The system is comprised of a user application and a user connection server which utilizes push notification services. Accordingly, embodiments allow a user to ask, for example with a single button press/user selection, for the location of other users. In response to the request, the user can, for example with a single button press/user selection, choose to respond to the user. The requesting user then sees the location of the other user.