Methods to authenticate access and alarm as to proximity to location

Abstract

Methods for authenticating access and providing positional awareness using mobile phones. Embodiments for authenticating access include receiving identification indicia from a person seeking access, sending a message to a person having authority for access, and receiving either a second message indicating that the person has taken an affirmative action to indicate authorization, or a password that was provided in the first message. Access may be computer access or physical access, as examples. Methods of providing positional awareness include obtaining or storing location coordinates, monitoring the location of a mobile phone, and providing an alarm, for example, through a second mobile phone. In a number of embodiments, location coordinates are automatically obtained from Internet websites. In some embodiments, parents can monitor the location of their children to make sure they do not get too close to a reported residence of a registered sex offender, for instance.

1 . A method of providing positional awareness of a particular individual, the method including at least the acts of;
 obtaining or storing at least one location coordinate defining at least one region of concern;   monitoring the location of a first mobile phone possessed by the particular individual; and   providing an alarm through a second mobile phone when the first mobile phone passes into the region of concern or within a predetermined distance of the region of concern.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the location coordinate is for a reported residence of a registered sex offender. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the acts of:
 providing a first mobile phone software module for installation on the first mobile phone, wherein the first mobile phone software module includes programming instructions for the monitoring of the location of the first mobile phone possessed by the particular individual;   providing a second mobile phone software module for installation on the second mobile phone, wherein the second mobile phone software module includes programming instructions for the providing of the alarm through the second mobile phone when the first mobile phone passes into the region of concern or within the predetermined distance of the region of concern.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the act of obtaining or providing a third software module installed on at least one Internet server and forming at least one Internet website wherein at least a plurality of users visit the website through the Internet and elect to be provided the alarm through the second mobile phone. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the third software module further contains instructions to download through a mobile phone network to the first mobile phone a first mobile phone software module, wherein the first mobile phone software module includes programming instructions for the monitoring of the location of the first mobile phone possessed by the particular individual. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the third software module further contains instructions to download through a mobile phone network to the second mobile phone a second mobile phone software module, wherein the second mobile phone software module includes programming instructions for the providing of the alarm through the second mobile phone when the first mobile phone passes into the region of concern or within the predetermined distance of the region of concern. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  wherein at least a plurality of the users enter through the Internet website at least one location coordinate defining at least one region of concern. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the third software module further contains instructions to obtain from a third party website data with which to determine at least one location coordinate defining at least one region of concern. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the third party website contains reported residence locations for a plurality of registered sex offenders, wherein there are at least a plurality of regions of concern, and wherein at least a plurality of the regions of concern surround at least one of the reported residences of the registered sex offenders.