Location Sharing Service Reducing Network Bandwidth via Group Broadcasting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing location-based services lack efficient mechanisms for users to share their locations with friends in real-time, while also allowing for privacy control and targeted location sharing, such as sharing specific or interest-based locations, without overwhelming network resources.
Innovation Solution
A location sharing service apparatus and method that includes a processor to receive location sharing requests, detect user and friend terminal locations, generate map data, and display distances, with features for setting and sharing predetermined locations, interest locations, and target locations, along with optional alarm notifications and message transmission, allowing users to manage their location sharing preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a user terminal transmits location information to multiple friends individually, then each friend receives location updates, but network load and bandwidth usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple location information transmissions into a single group message broadcast. Instead of sending separate location updates to each friend individually, the system merges all location data into one consolidated message that is transmitted to the group, thereby reducing network bandwidth consumption while ensuring all friends receive the location information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the location sharing function into two parts: the user terminal sends location information to the group chat server, and the group chat server distributes it to all friends. This segmentation allows the user terminal to offload the burden of multiple individual transmissions, reducing its network load and energy consumption.
2Loss of information
If location sharing is performed continuously in real-time, then friends can track current locations, but power consumption and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic location sharing where the user terminal sends location information at predetermined time intervals rather than continuously. This periodic action maintains sufficient location information accuracy for friends to track movements while significantly reducing power consumption and processing requirements compared to continuous real-time transmission.
3Adaptability or versatility
If all location data is transmitted to all friends, then complete location sharing is achieved, but network resources are overwhelmed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the group chat server a multi-functional component that simultaneously handles chat message transmission and location information distribution. By giving the server this universal role, the system avoids duplicating transmission infrastructure and reduces overall network resource consumption while maintaining flexible location sharing capabilities for all group members.
Data Source
AI summary
A location sharing service apparatus including a memory having computer-readable instructions stored therein; and at least one processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to receive a location sharing request and a location setting request, the location sharing request indicating one more friend terminals, detect a current location of a user terminal in response to the location sharing request, periodically receive a second location of the one or more friend terminals, in response to the location sharing request, designate the current location or a set location included in the location setting request as a first location of the user terminal, generate map data including the first location and the second location of the one or more friend terminals, and display the map data.