1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a location update for a first user;
identifying one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user in response to receiving the location update for the first user; and
recording a location reported in the location update for the first user as a current location of the first user and a current location of each of the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a social location-based service based on current locations of a plurality of users comprising the first user and the one or more second users.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the location reported in the location update for the first user is a current geographic location of the first user.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the location reported in the location update for the first user is a check-in location for the first user.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to receiving the location update for the first user:
receiving, from a requesting user, a request to location-synchronize the requesting user to the first user; and
recording the requesting user as being location-synchronized to the first user;
wherein identifying the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user comprises identifying the requesting user as one of the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to receiving the location update for the first user:
receiving, from the first user, a request to location-synchronize a select user to the first user; and
recording the select user as being location-synchronized to the first user;
wherein identifying the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user comprises identifying the select user as one of the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to receiving the location update for the first user:
programmatically determining that a user is to be location-synchronized to the first user; and
recording the user as being location-synchronized to the first user;
wherein identifying the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user comprises identifying the user as one of the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user based on one or more user settings.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user based on one or more system-defined rules.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user based on current locations of the first user and the user at that time.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user based on one or more historical locations of the first user and the user.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be location-synchronized to the first user based on information obtained from one or more third-party sources that is indicative of spatial proximity of the first user and the user.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, from a requesting user, a request to de-synchronize the requesting user from the first user; and
de-synchronizing the requesting user from the first user such that the requesting user is no longer location-synchronized to the first user.
14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, from the first user, a request to de-synchronize a select user from the first user; and
de-synchronizing the select user from the first user such that the select user is no longer location-synchronized to the first user.
15. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to receiving the location update for the first user:
programmatically determining that a user is to be de-synchronized from the first user; and
de-synchronizing the user from the first user such that the user is no longer location-synchronized to the first user.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user after a defined amount of time has expired since the user was location-synchronized to the first user.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the defined amount of time is defined by the user.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the defined amount of time is a system-defined amount of time.
19. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user at a time specified by the user.
20. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user based on one or more user settings.
21. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user based on one or more system-defined rules.
22. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user based on current locations of the first user and the user at that time.
23. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user based on one or more historical locations of the first user and the user.
24. The method of claim 15 wherein programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user comprises programmatically determining that the user is to be de-synchronized from the first user based on information obtained from one or more third-party sources that is indicative of spatial proximity of the first user and the user.
25. A computer server comprising:
a communication interface adapted to communicatively couple the computer server to a network; and
a controller associated with the communication interface that is adapted to:
receive, via the communication interface, a location update for a first user;
identify one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user in response to receiving the location update for the first user; and
record a location reported in the location update for the first user as a current location of the first user and a current location of each of the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user.
26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software for instructing a controller of a computing device to:
receive a location update for a first user;
identify one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user in response to receiving the location update for the first user; and
record a location reported in the location update for the first user as a current location of the first user and a current location of each of the one or more second users that have been location-synchronized to the first user.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A glove comprising:
a glove shell having a dorsal side segment, a palmar side segment, and at least one finger section segment extending outwardly from said dorsal side and said palmar side, said shell having an opening therein opposite said finger section segment;
a first shock absorbing pad positioned along the dorsal side of said shell disposed to overlie at least one metacarpal and a proximal portion of the metacarpalphalangeal joint, said first shock absorbing pad having a wrist end and a knuckle end, said first shock absorbing pad having an inner concave surface adjacent a dorsal side of a human hand, said inner surface at said wrist end having a first radius of curvature, said inner surface at said knuckle end having a second radius of curvature, said second radius of curvature being greater than said first radius of curvature.
2. The glove of claim 1 including a second shock absorbing pad disposed to overlie said first shock absorbing pad, said first shock absorbing pad being softer than said second shock absorbing pad.
3. The glove of claim 1, said first radius of curvature being from about 0.50 to 0.85 of said second radius of curvature.
4. The glove of claim 3, said first radius of curvature being approximately 0.69 of said second radius of curvature.
5. The glove of claim 1, said first radius of curvature being from about 2.0\u2033 to about 4.5\u2033.
6. The glove of claim 1, said second radius of curvature being from about 3.0\u2033 to about 6.8\u2033.
7. The glove of claim 1, said first shock absorbing pad having a wrist end and a knuckle end, said first shock absorbing pad being narrower at said wrist end than said knuckle end.
8. The glove of claim 7, said wrist end having a width of from about 0.60 to about 0.90 of the width of said knuckle end.
9. The glove of claim 8, said width of said wrist end being approximately 0.77 of said width of said knuckle end.
10. The glove of claim 1, said first shock absorbing pad having an inner length positioned between a thumb and an index finger of said glove and an outer length positioned along a small finger section of said glove from a wrist end to a knuckle end, said inner length being greater than said outer length.
11. The glove of claim 10, said inner length being greater than said outer length by a factor of from 1.10 to about 1.75.
12. The glove of claim 11, said inner length being approximately 1.43 times greater than the outer length.
13. The glove of claim 1, said at least one finger section including an index finger section, a long finger section a ring finger section and a small finger section.
14. The glove of claim 1, said at least one metacarpal includes the metacarpals of an index finger a long finger, a ring finger, or a small finger or combinations thereof.
15. The glove of claim 1 including a second shock absorbing pad disposed to overlie said first shock absorbing pad.
16. The glove of claim 15, said second shock absorbing pad being in two sections of generally arcuate shape with a gap disposed therebetween.
17. The glove of claim 16, said gap being greatest adjacent a mid point of the width of said first shock absorbing pad.
18. The glove of claim 15, said second shock absorbing pad being in two sections on opposed sides of said hand defining a gap between said first shock absorbing pad and said second shock absorbing pad.
19. The glove of claim 18, each of said second shock absorbing pads being wedge-shaped.
20. The glove of claim 1, said first shock absorbing pad being in two sections of generally arcuate shape with a gap disposed therebetween.
21. The glove of claim 20, said gap being greatest adjacent a mid point of the width of said first shock absorbing pad.
22. The glove of claim 20, said first shock absorbing pad being in two sections on opposed sides of said hand defining a gap between said first shock absorbing pad and said dorsal side of said shell.
23. The glove of claim 22, each of said first shock absorbing pads being wedge-shaped.
24. The glove of claim 1 including a blocker shield attached along a top surface of said glove.
25. A glove comprising:
a glove shell having a dorsal side segment, a palmar side segment, and at least one finger section segment extending outwardly from said dorsal side and said palmar side, said shell having an opening therein opposite said finger section segment;
a first shock absorbing pad positioned along the dorsal side of said shell disposed to overlie the back of a hand from a wrist area to a knuckles area at a location adjacent a proximal portion of the metacarpalphalangeal joints, said first shock absorbing pad having a wrist end and a knuckle end, said first shock absorbing pad having an inner concave surface positioned to be adjacent a dorsal side of a human hand, said inner surface at said wrist end having a first radius of curvature, said inner surface at said knuckle end having a second radius of curvature, said second radius of curvature being greater than said first radius of curvature.
26. The glove of claim 25, including a second shock absorbing pad disposed to overlie said first shock absorbing pad, said first shock absorbing pad being softer than said second shock absorbing pad.
27. The glove of claim 26, said first radius of curvature being approximately 0.69 of said second radius of curvature.
28. The glove of claim 25, said first radius of curvature being from about 0.50 to 0.85 of said second radius of curvature.
29. The glove of claim 28, said first radius of curvature being from about 2.0\u2033 to about 4.5\u2033.
30. The glove of claim 28, said second radius of curvature being from about 3.0\u2033 to about 6.8\u2033.
31. The glove of claim 25, said first shock absorbing pad being narrower at said wrist end than said knuckle end.
32. The glove of claim 31, said wrist end having a width of from about 0.60 to about 0.90 of the width of said knuckle end.
33. The glove of claim 32, said width of said wrist end being approximately 0.77 of said width of said knuckle end.
34. The glove of claim 25, said first shock absorbing pad having an inner length positioned between a thumb and an index finger of said glove and an outer length positioned along a small finger section of said glove from a wrist end to a knuckle end, said inner length being greater than said outer length.
35. The glove of claim 34, said inner length being greater than said outer length by a factor of from 1.10 to about 1.75.
36. The glove of claim 25, said inner length being approximately 1.43 times greater than the outer length.
37. The glove of claim 25, said at least one finger section including an index finger section, a long finger section, a ring finger section and a small finger section.
38. The glove of claim 25, said at least one metacarpal includes the metacarpals of an index finger, a long finger, a ring finger, or a small finger or combinations thereof.
39. The glove of claim 25, including a second shock absorbing pad disposed to overlie said first shock absorbing pad.
40. The glove of claim 39, said second shock absorbing pad being in two sections of generally arcuate shape with a gap disposed therebetween.
41. The glove of claim 40, said gap being greatest adjacent a mid point of the width of said first shock absorbing pad.
42. The glove of claim 39, said second shock absorbing pad being in two sections on opposed sides of said hand defining a gap between said first shock absorbing pad and said second shock absorbing pad.
43. The glove of claim 42, each of said second shock absorbing pads being wedge-shaped.
44. The glove of claim 25, includng a blocker shield attached along a top surface of said glove.