Mobile computing and communication
First Claim
1. A method comprising running client modules on mobile devices, running a server module on a server that is accessible through a communication network, and running link modules on link devices that have communication channels to the mobile devices and are capable of accessing the server through the communication network, the client, server, and link modules providing core services through application programming interfaces to applications running on the mobile devices, the server, and the link devices.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An application development platform enables applications to be created easily for, e.g., mobile devices that have short-range wireless communication capability. The development platform exposes a carefully chosen core set of services through an API. Each of the applications can broadcast its services to local and remote devices. Message delivery between devices is guaranteed even for messages that cannot be delivered directly by local short-range wireless transmission. Message delivery through other channels, including the Internet, can occur transparently to the user. Each device can be associated with an “owner”, which can be a person or a entity. Services can be customized to the owner based on stored information that maps owners to devices. Information associated with each of the owners of devices can be stored centrally and used in connection with providing the services at each of the mobile devices. Virtual GPS capabilities can be provided for mobile devices that do not have GPS chips.
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Citations
71 Claims
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1. A method comprising
running client modules on mobile devices, running a server module on a server that is accessible through a communication network, and running link modules on link devices that have communication channels to the mobile devices and are capable of accessing the server through the communication network, the client, server, and link modules providing core services through application programming interfaces to applications running on the mobile devices, the server, and the link devices.
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7. Apparatus comprising
mobile devices including client modules configured to run on the devices, a server including a server module that is configured to be accessible through a communication network, and link devices including link modules that are configured to use communication channels to the mobile devices and to access the server through the communication network, the client, server, and link modules being configured to provide core services through application programming interfaces to applications running on the mobile devices, the server, and the link devices.
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10. A method comprising
running client modules on wireless devices, the client modules providing core services through application programming interfaces to applications running on the devices, at least some of the applications being associated with real-world services that are provided by individuals or enterprises, maintaining information identifying relationships between each of the real-world services and at least one of the devices through which the service is provided, the core services providing a sharing among the devices of the information identifying the relationships between the real-world services and the devices.
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14. A method comprising:
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maintaining in a wireless device a list of real-world services that are available from a user of the device through an application running on the device; and
through a wireless communication channel, broadcasting information from the device indicative of the available real-world services.
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17. Apparatus comprising:
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a wireless device containing a list of real-world services that are available from a user of the device through an application running on the device; and
a medium storing a program that configures the wireless device to broadcast information over a wireless communication channel from the device about the available real-world services.
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18. A method comprising
running client modules on mobile devices that are associated with identified users, running a server module on a server that is accessible on a communication network, running link modules on link devices that have communication links to the mobile devices and are capable of accessing the server through the communication network, the client modules providing core services through application programming interfaces to applications running on the mobile devices, receiving a message from a user of one of the mobile devices through one of the applications running on the device, the message being directed to another user of an application running on another one of the mobile devices, and delivering the message to the other user through the Internet.
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23. A method comprising:
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maintaining a list of short-range wireless devices within range of a first short-range wireless device;
transmitting a message from an identified user of the first device to a second identified user of a second wireless device over a communication medium, the communication medium being selected based at least in part on whether the second device is included on the list, the selection being transparent to the user of the first device.
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26. A method comprising:
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transmitting a message from an identified user of a short-range wireless device to an identified user of another device; and
automatically confirming to the identified user of the first device whether the transmitted message was received by the identified user of the other device.
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33. A method comprising
running applications on devices that are associated with respective owning entities, sending a message from an initiating owning entity to a target owning entity using one of the applications running on one of the devices associated with the initiating owning entity, identifying one of the devices as being associated with the target owning entity and as being accessible by a communication link, and forwarding the message to the device that is associated with the target owning entity through the communication link. each of the devices running a client module that encrypts and decrypts the message using a public key associated with the owning entity of the device.
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38. A method comprising
in a server, storing information that identifies real-world entities and defines modes of interaction by the real-world entities through distributed devices, each of the real-world entities providing services to other real-world entities and using services of other real-world entities, enabling any of the real-world entities using any arbitrary one or more of the distributed devices to log into the server, loading portions of the stored information from the server to the device being used, and regulating the interaction of the real-world entity using the device with other real-world entities based on the stored information, the interaction including the use of the services of the other real-world entities.
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41. A method comprising
associating with each one of a number of different mobile devices that have a short-range wireless communication capability, a person who is a user of the device, storing information about the association of devices and users and information about each of the users at a publicly accessible server, and providing services at each of the mobile devices that depend on the information about the user of the device that is stored at the server.
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45. A method comprising:
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recognizing automatically that an entity in possession of a short-range wireless device is within a particular geographic area;
obtaining data about the entity from a commonly accessible database; and
sending information to the short-range wireless device, the information sent to the device depending on the data obtained from the database.
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48. The method of 45 in which a second short-range wireless device recognizes that the entity is within the particular geographic area, obtains the data, and sends the information.
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52. A method comprising:
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electronically storing, in a publicly accessible location, information about real-world entities that are users of devices that have short-range wireless communication capability, providing client modules on the devices and a server module at the publicly accessible location, the client modules and the server module cooperating to provide guaranteed messaging between users of any of the devices and to enable commercial transactions between users of the devices based on the electronically stored information. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71)
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68. A method comprising:
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at a first device, receiving information from a second device through a short-range wireless communication channel, the information identifying an actual geographic location of the second device based on signals received from GPS sources, and updating a derived geographic location stored at the first device based on the information received from second device.
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Specification