Location-based information for computer files and messages

• US 20020196942A1
• Filed: 06/22/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Peace of Mind At Light Speed Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Peace of Mind At Light Speed Incorporated
• Inventors: Werner, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/888,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20020196942A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/258
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

A location-aware product includes a location information resource for providing the present location of the location-aware product to within some margin of error, and the present location information is included by the location-aware product in various outputs, including but not limited to, location stamps in files for create, open, and/or modify file operations, and signature blocks in email or other documents. In a further aspect, location information may be included in email such as in an automatically applied signature block. The location-aware product may be a computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, or any such product that includes location-awareness. The location information resource may be a Global Positioning System module that provides at least latitude and longitude. In one aspect of the invention a map database is used to convert latitude and longitude to the geographical name of the location specified by the latitude and longitude.

Claims

1. A method of providing location history to computer files, comprising:

opening a file;

reading location information from a location information resource; and

writing the location information to the file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information resource is a peripheral device in a computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the peripheral device is a Gloobal Positioning System (GPS) module.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein opening the file comprises one or more operations by a computer operating system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location information comprises latitude and longitude.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the location information comprises one or more geographical place names.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising reading the location information previously written to the file.

8. A method of incorporating geographical information in an email, comprising:

a) receiving, in a computer system, a command to send an email;

b) determining if an automatic signature feature is active for the email;

c) sending the email if the determination in (b) is negative; and

d) reading location information from a location information resource within the computer system, and inserting the location information into a signature block of the email if the determination in (b) is affirmative.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the location information resource is a GPS module.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the location information comprises latitude and longitude.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the location information comprises geographical place name information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising converting latitude and longitude information into geographical place name information.

14. The method of claim 14, wherein the file is a cookie file.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the location information resource is a GPS module, and the location information is latitude and longitude.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising reading location information from the file and communicating that location information to the web server.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising reading location information from the file and communicating that location information to the web server.

13. A method of obtaining information about the geographical pattern of client usage of a web site, comprising:

creating a file on a client computer in connection with an interaction with a web server;

reading location information from a location information resource in the client computer;

storing the location information in the file.