Location based information

• US 20030040324A1
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Technology Patents & Licensing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Technology Patents & Licensing Incorporated
• Inventors: Dewolf, Frederick M., Eldering, Charles A., Sylla, M. Lamine, Ryder, Douglas J.
• Application Number:
  US10/115,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20030040324A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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: 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method and system for providing location-based information to a mobile or fixed subscriber. A subscriber requests information through an information manager which maintains a location-indexed database (L-database) containing web servers addresses of entities hosting information of interest to the subscriber. The subscriber requests the information through a handheld device ( wireless phone or PDA) or through a desktop or laptop PC. The information manager receives also the subscriber'"'"'s current location information in terms of street address or geo-location and queries the L-database to identify entities hosting the requested information. The information is then retrieved directly from the identified servers and presented to the subscriber in a format suitable to the subscriber device.

Claims

1. A method for providing location-based information, the method comprising:

receiving a request for information from a subscriber via a subscriber device;

determining geo-location associated with current location of the subscriber;

searching through a location-indexed database to identify web server addresses of entities hosting information related to the requested information which are within a preset radius of the subscriber'"'"'s current location;

directing a search through said identified web servers to retrieve information related to the requested information; and

presenting the related information to the subscriber organized with respect to distance form the subscriber device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber device is a desktop PC or a Laptop PC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber device is a handheld device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the handheld device is a personal digital assistant.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the handheld device is a cellular phone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-location is determined by mapping a street address specified by the subscriber into geo-location coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-location is determined based on radio frequency (RF) signals received from the subscriber'"'"'s device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-location is determined based on GPS signals received from the subscriber'"'"'s device.

9. A method for providing location-based information to a subscriber, the method comprising:

receiving a request for information from a subscriber;

determining geo-location associated with current location of the subscriber;

retrieving from a location-indexed database information related to the requested information, wherein the related information was originally hosted by entities within a preset radius of the subscriber'"'"'s current location; and

presenting the retrieved information to the subscriber.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said receiving includes receiving a request for a location based search if a location based search option is enabled.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the location based search option is a location button on a browser.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the geo-location is determined by mapping a street address specified by the subscriber into geo-location coordinates.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the geo-location is determined based on radio frequency (RF) signals received from the subscriber'"'"'s device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the geo-location is determined based on GPS signals received from the subscriber'"'"'s device.

15. A system for providing location-based information to a subscriber, the system comprising:

a location-indexed database for storing web server addresses of entities providing information to be requested by the subscriber using a subscriber device; and

an information manager for searching through the location-indexed database to identify web server addresses of entities hosting information related to the requested information and which are within a preset radius of current location of the subscriber.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising an access network for providing the subscriber with access to Internet.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a gateway for interfacing said access network and said information manager, wherein said gateway translates data received by said information manager into a format suitable to the subscriber device.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a public network, wherein said information manager is connected to said public network.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a gateway for interfacing said access network and said public network, wherein said gateway translates a signal received from said public network into a format suitable to the subscriber device.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for determining current location of the subscriber.