Messaging App Location Sharing via Timer Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In emergency situations, individuals may be unable to communicate their location to others due to incapacitation, despite their device knowing its location, as there is no mechanism to share this information without user input within existing messaging systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method within messaging applications to automatically share a device's location with authorized recipients upon receiving a location request, without requiring user input at the time of the request, by using a timer to send the location after authorization is confirmed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If automatic location sharing is implemented without user input, then emergency response time is improved, but user privacy control is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by establishing authorized recipient lists and timer configurations in advance. When a location request is received, the system already has the authorization status and timer parameters ready, enabling immediate automatic location sharing without requiring user input at the critical moment, thus reducing emergency response time while maintaining privacy through pre-established authorization frameworks
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where authorized recipients receive location information automatically based on pre-configured timer parameters. The system provides feedback to users about location sharing status and timer expiration, allowing users to control privacy through configured feedback loops while maintaining automatic sharing during emergency scenarios
2Ease of operation
If location sharing requires user input, then user privacy control is improved, but emergency assistance capability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing authorized recipient lists and timer configurations. This allows the system to automatically share location with trusted contacts during emergencies without requiring real-time user input, thereby maintaining emergency assistance capability while preserving user privacy through pre-configured authorization frameworks
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically handling location sharing based on pre-established authorization parameters. The messaging application autonomously determines when to share location information with authorized recipients without requiring manual user intervention, enabling emergency assistance capability while users maintain privacy control through their pre-configured settings
3Adaptability or versatility
If a timer mechanism is added for automatic location sharing, then emergency response capability is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the timer mechanism with existing messaging application components. The location sharing timer is integrated into the messaging application's existing architecture, combining timing functionality with message handling and authorization logic. This merging approach enables emergency response capability while minimizing additional complexity by reusing existing system components and frameworks
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method may include receiving, in a messaging client executing on a first client device, a location request from a second client device; determining whether the second client device is authorized to send the location request to the first client device; starting a timer in response to receiving the location request when the second client device is authorized; and sending a location of the first client device to the second client device when the timer expires. Other embodiments are described and claimed.