Networks in Motion (NIM) has been granted a U.S. patent for a social networking application that uses the GPS chip inside some mobile phones. The patent issued was titled “Position Determination System” and is said to protect its intellectual property for networking applications that request and or push a users GPS location through a wireless network.

The patent features a method of providing real-time position information from one person to another via the mobile phone, land line or a computer network. The method patented also allows for users to exchange location information including address, GPS coordinates, or nearby fixed locations.

"Social networking is already hugely popular on the Internet and we had a vision years ago when filing for this patent that people would want a way to easily keep in touch and meet up with their friends using their mobile phone," said Doug Antone, president and CEO of Networks In Motion. "With NIM's expertise in navigation, we feel well-suited to provide consumers an easy-to-use solution for finding one another."

Via NIM