Location sensitive messaging

Abstract

Methods including computer program products for receiving a request from a first device, the request incorporating a message. One or more users from a first set of one or more users are selected where each of the selected one or more users is associated with a second device that is in a proximity to a current location of the first device. The message and the current location of the first device are sent to each of the second devices associated with the selected one or more users.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a message receiver executing on one or more computing devices, an incoming message that includes a current geographic location of a given mobile computing device and a respective current geographic location of each of a plurality of other mobile computing devices;   determining, by a messaging system executing on the one or more computing devices, a plurality of user-specified proximity zones surrounding the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device;   determining, by a device locator executing on the one or more computing devices, that another mobile computing device of the plurality of other mobile computing devices is currently located within a given user-specified proximity zone of the plurality of user-specified proximity zones; and   routing, by a messaging sender executing on the one or more computing devices, an outgoing message including the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device to the other mobile computing device of the plurality of other mobile computing devices currently within the given proximity zone.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of user-specified proximity zones further comprises another user-specified proximity zones, the method further comprising:
 determining, by the device locator, that a third mobile computing device of the plurality of other mobile computing devices is currently located within the other user-specified proximity zone;   determining a given navigation route from the other mobile computing device to the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device; and   determining another navigation route from the third mobile computing device to the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 routing, by the messaging sender, the given navigation route to the other mobile computing device; and   routing, by the messaging sender, the other navigation route to the third mobile computing device.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 appending, at the messaging system, the outgoing message to include information associated with a geographic reference point located within a user-specified proximity zone of the plurality of user-specified proximity zones.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the information is one of a website and a symbol associated with the geographic reference point. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the incoming message is a text message, the method further comprising:
 excluding, at the messaging system, the current geographic location of the mobile computing device in a particular outgoing message addressed to a selected mobile computing device based on one or more rules.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the one or more rules comprise one of a predetermined time of day and a predetermined geographic location. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the incoming message includes a request to the other mobile computing device to initiate a wireless communication session to obtain a route from a location of the other mobile computing device to the current geographic location. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device is transmitted from a location server. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device is transmitted from the given mobile computing device. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the user-specified proximity zone is based on a code included with the incoming message. 
     
     
         13 . A messaging server comprising one or more computing devices, the messaging server having machine executable instructions that cause the messaging server to:
 receive an incoming message from a given device;   obtain a current geographic location of the given device and each of a plurality of other devices;   determine a user-specified proximity zone surrounding the current geographic location of the given device;   determine whether a device assigned to a particular person is located in the user-specified proximity zone;   append the current geographic location of the given device to an outgoing message; and   route the outgoing message to the device associated with the particular person in response to determining that the device associated with the particular person is located in the user-specified proximity zone.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the current geographic location is transmitted from the given device. 
     
     
         15 . The messaging server of  claim 13 , wherein the user-specified proximity zone is determined by a code received with the incoming message. 
     
     
         16 . The messaging server of  claim 15 , wherein the code is appended to the incoming message at the given device. 
     
     
         17 . The messaging server of  claim 13 , wherein the server is further to:
 determine a geographic reference point based on the current geographic location of the given device; and   incorporate the geographic reference point into the user-specified proximity zone.   
     
     
         18 . The messaging server of  claim 17 , wherein the server is further to:
 determine a given navigation route from a first device of the plurality of other devices to the geographic reference point; and   determine another navigation route from a second device of the plurality of other devices to the geographic reference point; and   provide the first navigation route to the first device and the second navigation route to the second device.   
     
     
         19 . A messaging system comprising one or more computing devices, the messaging system having machine executable instructions that cause the messaging system to:
 receive a first message and a second message from a given mobile computing device, each message including a current geographic location of the given mobile computing device;   obtain a current geographic location of each of a plurality of other mobile computing devices;   determine a plurality of user-specified proximity zones surrounding the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device;   determine that another mobile computing device of the plurality of other mobile computing devices is currently located within a given user-specified proximity zone of the plurality of user-specified proximity zones;   determine that a third mobile computing device of the plurality of other mobile computing devices is currently located within another user-specified proximity zone of the plurality of user-specified proximity zones;   route the first message to the other mobile computing device currently within the given proximity zone; and   route the second message to the third mobile computing device currently within the other proximity zone.   
     
     
         20 . The messaging system of  claim 19 , further to:
 determine a given navigation route from the other mobile computing device to the current geographic location of the given mobile computing device;   route the given navigation route to the other mobile computing device computing device;   determine another navigation route from the third mobile computing device to the current geographic location of the given mobile; and   route the other navigation route to the third mobile computing device.   
     
     
         21 . The messaging system of  claim 20 , further to:
 append information in the first and second messages associated with a geographic reference point located within a user-specified proximity zone of the plurality of user-specified proximity zones, wherein the information is a corporate logo associated with the geographic reference point.