Location based information delivery

• US 20020138580A1
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Al-Kazily, Binnus, White, Craig R.
• Application Number:
  US09/814,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138580A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In accordance with this invention, systems and corresponding methods that facilitate the automatic delivery of electronic information to a person based on his geographic location are provided. The system traces the geographic coordinates of a person by establishing a line of communication with a transmitter utilized by the person and delivers any electronic messages for that person to a destination corresponding with the person'"'"'s coordinates. In one embodiment, a method for delivery of information to a destination in a communications network based on the physical location of a transmitter, includes: determining physical location of a transmitter based on signals transmitted by the transmitter to one or more communications networks; identifying an electronic account in said one or more communications networks based on said signals; determining a communications network address that best matches said physical location; forwarding information relating to said electronic account to said communications network address.

Claims

1. A method for delivery of information to a destination in a communications network based on the physical location of a transmitter, comprising:

determining physical location of a transmitter based on signals transmitted by the transmitter to one or more communications networks;

identifying an electronic account in said one or more communications networks based on said signals;

determining a communications network address that best matches said physical location;

forwarding information relating to said electronic account to said communications network address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein signals transmitted by the transmitter are forwarded to a first communications network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic account is identified in a second communications network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information forwarded includes electronic mail messages associated with the electronic account.

5. A method for delivery of information to a destination in a communications network based on the physical location of a mobile unit, comprising:

determining physical location of a mobile unit based on signals transmitted by the mobile unit to a first communications network;

submitting a request to a second communications network to forward information relating to an electronic account to a network address;

the electronic account and the network address being determined based on said signals.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to the request, forwarding information relating to the electronic account to the network address.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

delivering the information forwarded to the network address to a point of delivery.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first communications network is a cellular network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile unit is a cellular telephone.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the second communications network is a computer network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the computer network includes a server for servicing the submitted request for the electronic account.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the server is an electronic mail server.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the network address is determined by finding the best match between the network addresses available at or near the physical location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network address is the IP address of a server at or near the physical location.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the information forwarded includes electronic mail messages for the electronic account.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the point of delivery is a printer server.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the point of delivery is a device that can display the information.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said server in response to receiving the request forwards the requested information to the network address.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said requested information includes electronic messages.

18. A system for delivering electronic information to an address in a computer network, based on the physical location of a cellular transmitter, said system comprising:

logic code configured for execution by a processor, wherein execution of the code can cause the system to perform the following acts;

determine the physical location of a cellular transmitter based on signals transmitted by the transmitter;

identify an electronic account based on said signals;

locate a network address that best matches the physical location;

submit a request to a server servicing the electronic account to forward electronic information stored on the server for the account to the network address.