Location-based services

• US 20020160766A1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Gailey, Michael L., Portman, Eric A., Burgiss, Michael J., Smith, Angela King, Holmes, Chad S., Che, Vinny Wai-yan, Dempsen, Stephen L., Pitts, Ashton F. III
• Granted Patent: US 6,944,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/15 Information service where the information is dependent on the location of the subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 : for mobile advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and system for providing location-based services to a remote terminal that is connected to various types of communication systems. A tailored request for information is generated with the remote terminal. In addition, a geographic indicator associated with the remote terminal is also generated in the preferred embodiment. The tailored request for information and the geographic indicator are transmitted to a location-based application server. A structured response to the tailored request for information is generated with the location-based application server, wherein the structured response is based on the geographic indicator of the remote terminal. The structured response is the transmitted to the remote terminal using one of several different types of communication protocols and/or mediums.

Claims

1. A method of providing location-based services in a communication system including a plurality of remote terminals, comprising the steps of:

generating a tailored request for information using said remote terminal;

generating a geographic indicator associated with said remote terminal;

transmitting said tailored request for information and said geographic indicator to a location-based application server;

generating a structured response to said tailored request for information with said location-based application server, wherein said structured response is dependent on said geographic indicator of said remote terminal; and

transmitting said structured response to said remote terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information is a voice signal provided by a user of said remote terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information is transmitted using a wireless application protocol and comprises a text-based tailored request for information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information is transmitted to said location-based application server from said remote terminal using a web-based protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information is transmitted to said location-based application server from said remote terminal in a structured format by selections made from menus generated on a display of said remote terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for directory assistance including a last name and a first name of a person for which information has been requested.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information may be selected from a group of requests, including a request for information on a particular business/service, a request for information on a governmental agency, office, department, or person holding office.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for information on a particular product or brand of merchandise or service

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographic indicator is based on a respective geographic location of said remote terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographic indicator is defined by a user of said remote terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said structured response comprises a voice signal.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of processing said voice signal with a voice recognition application and a natural language processing application to determine the content of said tailored request for information.

14. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a voice signal provided by a user of said remote terminal.

15. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said tailored request for information is transmitted to said location-based application server using a wireless application protocol and comprises a text-based tailored request for information.

16. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said tailored request for information is transmitted to said location-based application server using a web-based protocol.

17. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for directory assistance that may include a first name, a last name, a first initial, a last initial, a partial home address comprised of a city, a state, a street name, a street number, a zip code, a country of a person for which information has been requested.

18. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for information about a particular business/service that may include a business name, a business address, a type of business, a type of product, a type of service offered, a price range of products, a price range of services offered, and a geographic location.

19. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said tailored request for information may be selected from a group of requests including a request for information about a particular product or service, a request for information on a brand of product, and a request for information on a respective type of product or service.

20. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said geographic indicator is determined by a respective geographic location of said remote terminal.

21. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said geographic indicator is defined by a user of said remote terminal.

22. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said structured response comprises a voice signal.

23. The location-based services system of claim 13, wherein said remote terminal is a wireless communication device that is connected to a wireless communication system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said voice-based tailored request for information comprises a request for directory assistance including a first name and a last name of a person for which information has been requested.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request about a respective business/service.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request about a respective product.

29. The location-based services system of claim 28, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for directory assistance including a first name and a last name of a person for which information has been requested.

30. The location-based services system of claim 28, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for a particular business/service.

31. The location-based services system of claim 28, wherein said tailored request for information comprises a request for a particular product or name brand.

32. The location-based services system of claim 28, wherein said voice recognition server includes a voice recognition application and a natural language processing application for interpreting said voice-based tailored request for information.

33. The location-based services system of claim 28, wherein said geographic indicator is based on a present geographic location of said remote terminal.

34. The location-based services system of claim 28, wherein said geographic indicator is defined by a user of said remote terminal.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said text-based tailored request for information comprises a request for directory assistance including a first name and a last name of a person for which information has been requested.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said text-based tailored request for information comprises a request about a respective business/service.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein said text-based tailored request for information comprises a request about a respective product.

13. A location-based services system, comprising:

a remote terminal capable of generating a tailored request for information and a geographic indicator;

a location-based application server connected to said remote terminal operable to receive said tailored request for information and said geographic indicator from said remote terminal; and

wherein said location-based application server is programmed to generate a structured response to said tailored request for information that is dependent on said geographic indicator, wherein said structured response is transmitted to said remote terminal.

24. A method of providing location-based services to a remote terminal in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

generating a voice-based tailored request for information with said remote terminal;

transmitting said voice-based tailored request for information to a voice recognition server connected to said remote terminal;

interpreting said voice-based tailored request with a voice recognition application and a natural language processing application located on said voice recognition server to generate a structured request that is sent to a location-based application server;

obtaining a geographic indicator of said remote terminal with said location-based application server;

processing said structured request with said location-based application server to generate a structured response to said structured request that is based on said geographic indicator of said remote terminal; and

directing said structured response to a voice synthesis server that is programmed to create a voice response to said voice-based tailored request for information that is sent to said remote terminal.

28. A location-based services system, comprising:

a remote terminal connected to a base station, wherein said remote terminal is capable of generating a voice-based tailored request for information;

a voice recognition server connected to said base station for interpreting said voice-based tailored request for information and generating a structured request based on said voice-based tailored request for information;

a location-based application server connected to said voice recognition server for processing said structured request generated by said voice recognition server, wherein said location-based application server is operable to obtain a geographic indicator of said remote terminal to thereby generate a structured response to said voice-based tailored request for information that is based on said geographic indicator of said remote terminal; and

a voice synthesis server connected to said location-based application server for transforming said structured response into a voice response that is transmitted to said remote terminal.

35. A method of providing location-based services to a remote terminal in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

generating a text-based tailored request for information with said remote terminal;

transmitting said text-based tailored request for information to a wireless application protocol server connected to said remote terminal using a wireless application protocol;

interpreting said text-based tailored request for information with said wireless application protocol server to generate a structured request that is sent to a location-based application server;

obtaining a geographic indicator of said remote terminal with said location-based application server;

processing said structured request with said location-based application server to generate a structured response to said structured request that is based on said geographic indicator of said remote terminal; and

directing said structured response to said remote terminal.