TWI408399B - System and method for locating virtual groups - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for locating virtual groups is provided. The system includes: a virtual group setting module for setting multiple virtual groups for a user to join in; a secret grades setting module for providing different secret grades for the user to select thereby confirming what private data is agreed to share with other members in a same virtual group that the user has joined in; a storage for storing different kinds of data; a receiving/sending module for receiving requests from the user; a map constructing module for constructing location maps by acquiring location information of other members from the storage according to the requests; and an information listing module for processing the data in the storage, for listing the processed data in different formats, and for transmitting the listed data to the user via the receiving/sending module. A related method is also provided. By utilizing the system and the related method, the locations of members in a same virtual group may be viewed.

Description

Virtual community positioning system and method

The present invention relates to a positioning system and method, and more particularly to a positioning system and method between virtual community members.

With the privatization of telecommunications services, it directly drives the popularity of mobile phones (mobile phones). In the current mobile communication system, the GSM system (Global System Mobile Communication) is the most common, and the mobile phone held by the client in mobile communication is mainly used for the call function of receiving and speaking. In recent years, with the increasing number of communications satellites, the application of GPS (Global Position System) has become more widespread. Different devices can be equipped with functions such as positioning or map query by equipping the GPS module. For example, the car GPS system can help the user identify the path to the specified destination, and the smart phone can locate the user's location or find a map of a certain location. Wait.

With the popularity of mobile phones and the continuous development of electronic software, more and more users can enjoy the convenience brought by the GPS system. However, current users usually only use the GPS system to locate the location of the individual, or to find a map around a certain location, but there is no information related to sharing each other among a plurality of people with certain common preferences.

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a virtual community positioning system and method, which can share the positioning information of each other among virtual community members by establishing one or plural virtual communities, and can obtain the current location of each member. Instant information about the location, as well as the location of the member’s past location history information.

A virtual community positioning system is installed in a server, and the server is connected to a plurality of users to obtain positioning information of the user end. The system includes: a virtual community setting module, which is used according to user requirements. Establish and name a plurality of virtual communities for users to choose to join; a privacy setting module for providing different privacy settings for the user to select to determine the data that the user agrees to share; a storage unit for storing data, including all virtual communities The location and time information of the members in the setting, and the setting of the virtual community and the privacy settings of the user; the receiving/sending module is configured to receive a request from the user, the request including requesting to view other members of the virtual community in which the user is located a location building module, configured to acquire positioning information of a corresponding virtual community member from the storage unit according to the received user request, construct a location map according to the positioning information, and construct the location by using the receiving/transmitting module The location map is transmitted to the client; and the information list module is used to organize and count the users in the storage unit Virtual community members a variety of information, listing information shows a different statistical information, and by receiving / transmitting module to transmit information to the client list.

A virtual community positioning method, which uses a server to obtain positioning information of a plurality of users, wherein the method includes the following steps: establishing and naming a plurality of virtual communities for the user to select to join; providing different privacy settings for the user to select Determining the data that the user agrees to share; providing a storage unit, and storing the location and time information of the members in all the virtual communities, and the settings of the virtual community and the privacy settings of the user; receiving the user's request, the request includes the request View the location of other members of the virtual community where the user is located; obtain the location information of the corresponding virtual community member from the storage unit according to the received user request, construct a location map according to the location information, and transmit the constructed location map to The user terminal; and sorting and counting various information of the virtual community members of the user in the storage unit, displaying the statistical information in different information lists, and transmitting the information list to the user end.

Compared to the prior art, the virtual community positioning system and method can be established by The virtual community shares the positioning information of each other among the members of the virtual community, and the members of the virtual community have some common preferences or have common needs and goals. The system and method can obtain instant information of each member's current location, and also obtain historical information of the member's past location, thereby assisting the user to obtain more credible information according to where other members often go. No need to be disturbed by the fancy advertisements.

1‧‧‧Server

10‧‧‧Virtual Community Location System

100‧‧‧Automatic update module

110‧‧‧Virtual Community Settings Module

120‧‧‧ Privacy Settings Module

130‧‧‧Receive/transmit module

140‧‧‧Map Building Module

150‧‧‧Information List Module

12‧‧‧ storage unit

2‧‧‧Communication Satellite

3‧‧‧User side

32‧‧‧Transporting device

34‧‧‧ display device

36‧‧‧Storage device

4‧‧‧Communication network

1 is a hardware architecture diagram of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community location system of the present invention.

2 is a functional block diagram of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional module diagram of a user end of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention.

4 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community locating method of the present invention.

5 is a schematic diagram of a location map of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community location system of the present invention.

6 is a schematic diagram of location statistics of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community location system of the present invention.

7 is a schematic diagram showing the location of a member space of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is a hardware architecture diagram of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention. The hardware architecture of the preferred embodiment mainly includes a server 1, a communication satellite 2, and a plurality of client terminals 3. The server 1 includes a virtual community location system 10 and a storage unit 12.

The virtual community positioning system 10 runs in the server 1 for collecting the positioning information of the plurality of client terminals 3 by the connection between the server 1 and the client terminal 3, and collecting the collected signals according to the request of the client terminal 3. Analyze and process to obtain the information required by the user, and feed the obtained information to the client 3 for the user to view.

The storage unit 12 is a readable and writable storage medium, such as a server hard disk or a flash memory. . In the preferred embodiment, the storage unit 12 is configured to store various types of materials, including related information obtained from the user terminal 3, such as the user's personal data, the location information of the client 3, the number of the client 3, and the like. The storage unit 12 can perform partitioning, such as a historical data storage area, an instant data storage area, a virtual community member data area, a processed data storage area, and the like.

The client 3 can be a mobile phone, a laptop, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or other mobile device. In the preferred embodiment, the client 3 is a cell phone. The client 3 is connected to the server 1 via the communication network 4 to transmit related data. For example, if the communication network 4 is a GSM system (Global Sytem Mobile Communication), the server 1 and the client 3 (mobile phone) can be in a point-to-point manner according to SMS (Short Message Service). Pass the information. The client 3 and the server 1 each have their own specific SMS number. When the client 3 needs to transmit data to the server 1, it transmits the SMS number to the server 1 in short message; otherwise, when the server 1 needs to transmit When the data is sent to the client 3, it is also transmitted to the SMS number of the client 3 in the form of a short message.

The client 3 can receive the signal from the communication satellite 2 by equipping a GPS receiver, and locate the current location according to the signal, or directly receive the signal of the nearby communication base station for positioning. In the present embodiment, the user's location, time, and the like are acquired by the client 3 based on communication with the communication satellite 2. In other embodiments, the client 3 can use the server 1 to acquire positioning information of the user by other technologies, such as a Trilateration positioning method.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is a functional module diagram of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention. The virtual community positioning system 10 is installed in the server 1, and mainly includes six functional modules, namely: an automatic update module 100, a virtual community setting module 110, a privacy setting module 120, and a receiving/transmitting module. The group 130, the map building module 140, and the information list module 150.

The automatic update module 100 is configured to automatically acquire location information from the client 3, and periodically update the location, time information, and other uses of the virtual community members in the storage unit 12 according to the acquired location information. The terminal 3 can obtain related information obtained by the communication satellite 2, for example, the speed of the car on the highway, and the like.

The virtual community setting module 110 is configured to create and name a plurality of virtual communities (hereinafter referred to as "communities") according to user needs or preferences, so that the user can select to join one or a plurality of communities, and Prompt the user to enter relevant personal information when the user applies for membership. The virtual community can also be referred to as a Special Interest Group (SIG). For example, a community that likes certain sports (tennis, football, basketball, etc.), a community that likes certain foods, and a group of technologies, such as the JAVA SIG, the Bluetooth SIG, and so on. In addition, users can create private communities or family communities, and the family community can help understand where family members are located, especially to prevent children from losing.

Users can apply to join the created community from client 3 or request to add a new community. When the application is added to the community, the virtual community setting module 110 prompts the user to input related personal information, and assigns an identification code (ID) to the user according to the input personal information. For example, when the user terminal 3 is a mobile phone, the virtual The community setting module 110 also associates the user's mobile phone number with the personal information entered by the user. In addition, the virtual community setting module 110 is further configured to store the personal information and the identification code input by the user into the storage unit 12.

The privacy setting module 120 is configured to provide different privacy settings for the user to select to determine the data that the user agrees to share. For example, users are free to choose whether to disclose their mobile phone number, whether they are willing to share their location to view other users of the user's community, and whether they agree to disclose other personal information.

The receiving/transmitting module 130 is configured to receive a request of the user from the user terminal 3, the request includes requesting to view a map of a certain city area, requesting to query a map of a specific place, and a path to the place (for example, A restaurant Location and arrival method).

In the preferred embodiment, the request includes, inter alia, requesting to view the location of other members of the community in which the user is located, including historical data and instant data. Historical data includes statistics on the locations of members of the virtual community to indicate how often other members of the community visited a location during the most recent time. Users can easily learn from other users who have the same hobbies based on historical data. Frequently visited places, for example, users can learn about the tennis courts where members of the tennis hobby community are most often based on historical data, so that more reliable information can be obtained without being confused by complicated advertisements.

The real-time data shows the current location of the community members. For example, when a community member participates in a party, the location information of each member is transmitted from the plurality of clients 3 to the server 1, and the server 1 is to the same community. The member's location information is collated and analyzed, and the members can send a request to the server 1 to view their current location and the long-distance from the destination by using the instant data, so that there is no need to contact by phone or other means. Ask the other person's current location. For another example, a number of users need to travel back and forth frequently through a certain highway, and the users can form a community and share their respective locations, thereby knowing the traffic conditions and the traffic of the road section by knowing the real-time information of other members. Speed and other conditions.

The map construction module 140 is configured to obtain the location information of the corresponding community member from the storage unit 12 according to the received user request, and construct a location map according to the location information. In the location map, the location of the community members can be represented by black dots or bright dots, and can also be marked next to each black dot or bright spot, and the tag corresponds to the identification code of each member, so that the user can identify the specific member. The location information obtained from the storage unit 12 may include historical data or real-time data. As shown in FIG. 5, the user can clearly see the location of each member in the location map 6.

The information list module 150 is configured to sort and collect various information of the community members of the user in the storage unit 12, and display the statistical information in different lists, and may further set the information list in advance. Display mode. The list shown in Figure 6 shows the demographics of a community member visiting a location and the ranking of different locations. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the list displays the spatial location of the community members in the form of data, and the list can also be displayed by constructing a location map.

By constructing a map or a list of information, the user can know the current location of other members of the community or where they used to arrive, and as a reference without being disturbed by the exaggerated words of advertising. For example, in a community that likes Sichuan cuisine, members can check out the restaurants that other members often visit to get more reliable information.

The receiving/transmitting module 130 is further configured to transmit the constructed location map and the information list and the like to the client 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, it is a functional module diagram of the user end of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention. The client 3 provides an operation interface for the user to perform related operations, and mainly includes three function modules, namely, a transmitting device 32, a display device 34, and a storage device 36. The transmitting device 32 is configured to transmit a user's request to the server 1 and receive the processed related data from the server 1. The display device 34 may be a display screen of a mobile phone or a display of a computer, and is used to display information such as a material, a location map, or other material list acquired from the server 1. The storage device 36 is configured to store various types of acquired materials.

As shown in FIG. 4, it is a flowchart of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community locating method of the present invention. First, in step S2, the virtual community setting module 110 creates and names a plurality of communities according to user needs or preferences, and provides the established community to the user for selection, for example, a community that likes certain sports (tennis, Football, basketball, etc., a community that likes certain foods, researching a group of technologies, such as the JAVA SIG, the Bluetooth SIG, and so on. Users can join one or more of the provided communities, or choose to create a new community.

Step S4, when the user chooses to join a certain community, the virtual community setting module 110 prompts the user to lose. Personal information and other materials are entered, and the privacy settings module 120 provides different privacy settings for the user to select. For example, users are free to choose whether to share their location with other users in their community, whether they agree to disclose personal information, and so on. The above input data and various settings are transmitted by the receiving/transmitting module 130 and will be stored in the corresponding area of the storage unit 12.

Step S6, the receiving/transmitting module 130 receives the user request sent from the user terminal 3, the request includes requesting to view the current location of a community member to which the user is joining, or requesting to view historical data, for example, the community The number of times a member visits a location within a certain period of time, as shown in Figure 6, the community has 500 members visiting location A for a certain period of time, which can be set according to the request sent by the user.

In step S8, the server 1 acquires related information from the storage unit 12 according to the received user request, wherein the data in the storage unit 12 can periodically acquire the respective positioning information from the plurality of user terminals 3 by using the automatic update module 100. Update.

In step S10, the map construction module 140 constructs a location map according to the information acquired from the storage unit 12 to display the member location of the community in which the user is located, and transmits the location map to the client terminal 3 through the receiving/transmitting module 130. The obtained information includes location information of community members. In the constructed location map, the location of the community members can be represented by black dots or bright dots, and can also be marked next to each black dot or bright spot, and the tag corresponds to the identification code of each member, so that the user can identify the specific member.

In step S12, the information list module 150 sorts and counts other information of the community members of the user in the storage unit 12 according to the request of the user, displays the statistical information in different lists, and transmits the information through the receiving/transmitting module 130. List to client 3. The mode of the information list can be set in advance by the information list module 150.

Step S14, the transmitting device 32 of the client 3 receives all the data transmitted from the server 1, and The display device 34 is presented to the user and the storage device 36 is used to store the received material, and then the flow is ended.

As shown in FIG. 5, it is a schematic diagram of a location map of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention. The location map 7 is generated by the map construction module 140 according to a user request, and is used to display the current or past location of the community member.

6 and FIG. 7 respectively, the information list module 150 sorts and counts the information of the members of the community in which the user is located in the storage unit 12 according to the request of the user, and generates a list of information that displays the materials in different forms.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of location statistics of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community location system of the present invention. In Figure 6, the number of people who arrive at the locations A, B, and C of a virtual community member in the user period is counted.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the location of a member space of a preferred embodiment of the virtual community positioning system of the present invention. For example, member A's mobile phone number is M1, and its longitude and latitude are -117.22362 and 23.89089, respectively, and the height is 0. According to the spatial location map, a corresponding location map can be constructed, and members who agree to share the location are at the location. The map is represented by bright dots, and each highlight includes a marker corresponding to one member.

In summary, the present invention complies with the requirements of the invention patent and submits a patent application according to law. However, the above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and equivalent modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the spirit of the present invention are It should be covered by the following patent application.

10‧‧‧Virtual Community Location System

100‧‧‧Automatic update module

110‧‧‧Virtual Community Settings Module

120‧‧‧ Privacy Settings Module

130‧‧‧Receive/transmit module

140‧‧‧Map Building Module

150‧‧‧Information List Module

Claims (8)

A virtual community positioning system is installed in a server, and the server is connected to a plurality of users to obtain positioning information of the user end. The system includes: a virtual community setting module, which is used to establish and Name a plurality of virtual communities for users to choose to join; a privacy setting module for providing different privacy settings for the user to select to determine the data that the user agrees to share; a storage unit for storing data, including all virtual communities The location and time information of the member, and the settings of the virtual community and the privacy settings of the user; the receiving/sending module is configured to receive a request from the user, the request including requesting to view the location of other members of the virtual community in which the user is located a map construction module, configured to acquire positioning information of a corresponding virtual community member from the storage unit according to the received user request, construct a location map according to the positioning information, and construct a location map by using the receiving/sending module Transmitting to the client, wherein the location information of the virtual community member includes historical data and real-time resources The historical data includes statistics of the location of the virtual community member, the real-time data includes a current location of the virtual community member, and the information list module is configured to organize and count the virtuality of the user in the storage unit. The various information of the members of the community displays the statistical information in different news lists and transmits the information list to the client through the receiving/sending module. For example, the virtual community positioning system described in claim 1 further includes an automatic update module, configured to automatically obtain positioning information of virtual community members from a plurality of users, and periodically update according to the obtained positioning information. Storage unit. The virtual community positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the client is configured to receive all data transmitted from the server, and display and store the received data. The virtual community locating system of claim 1, wherein the information list module is further configured to preset a display mode of the information list. A virtual community positioning method, using a server to obtain positioning information of a plurality of users, the method comprising the steps of: establishing and naming a plurality of virtual communities for the user to select to join; providing different privacy settings for the user to select to determine the user Agree to share the information; provide a storage unit, and store the location, time information of the members of all virtual communities, and the settings of the virtual community and the privacy settings of the user; receive the user's request, including requesting to view the user The location of the other members of the virtual community; the location information of the corresponding virtual community member is obtained from the storage unit according to the received user request, a location map is constructed according to the location information, and the constructed location map is transmitted to the client The location information of the virtual community member includes historical data and real-time data, the historical data includes statistics of a location of the virtual community member, and the real-time data includes a current location of the virtual community member. ; and organize and count the virtual communities of users in the storage unit Members of a variety of information in different information list shows information about the statistics and information transmitted to the client list. For example, in the virtual community locating method described in claim 5, the method further includes the following steps: automatically obtaining location information of the virtual community members from the plurality of users, and periodically updating the storage unit according to the obtained positioning information. For example, the virtual community locating method described in claim 5, the method further includes the following steps after the tidying step: The client receives all the data transmitted from the server and displays and stores the received data. The virtual community locating method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises the step of: presetting the display mode of the information list before the arranging step.