Location information services

• US 20030153330A1
• Filed: 04/09/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Naghian, Siamak, Lehtinen, Otto-Aleksanteri
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for providing services for mobile users based on location information. A plurality of devices is defined to form a group of devices. A first location information is determined, said first information associating with the location of at least one of the devices in the group. Second location information is also determined, said second information associating with the location of a station of the mobile user. The first and second information is processed to generate third information, said third information being based on the location of the station relative to the location of at least one device of the group. Third information is transported in a communication system after the transportation is triggered by a predefined condition.

Claims

1. A method of providing a service based on location information for a user of a communication system comprising:

grouping a plurality of devices being adapted to provide the service for the user into a group;

determining first location information that associates with the location of at least one of the devices of the group;

determining second location information that associates with the location of a mobile station;

processing at a processing entity the first and second location information to generate third information, said third information defining services available based on the location of the mobile station relative to the location of the at least one device of the group; and

transporting the third information from the processing entity to the user, the transportation being triggered by a predefined event.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transportation is triggered when the mobile station and the at least one device are located in a predefined manner relative to each other.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the transportation is triggered when the mobile station and the at least one device are determined to be within a predefined distance from each other.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the devices constituting a group are dynamically changeable.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the processor entity keeps track of the locations of the devices of the group.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first location information and/or second location information is transported from a location information node to the processor entity.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first and/or second location information is transported periodically in fetching periods from the location information node to the processor entity.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the length of the fetching period is changed.

9. A method as claimed in any of claims 6 to 8, wherein a request is signalled to the location information node for fetching the location information to the processor entity.

10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the mobile station transmits and/or receives information signals via a wireless interface.

11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the third information is transported to the mobile station via a cellular communication network.

12. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the devices of the group transmit and/or receive information signals via a wireless interface.

13. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the devices of the group and/or the mobile station transmit and/or receive information signals via a fixed connection.

14. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one condition is monitored for generating the event which triggers the transporting of the third information.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein a first condition comprises a first distance between the mobile station and the at least one device and a second condition comprises a second distance between the mobile station and the at least one device.

16. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the group is divided further into two or more subgroups.

17. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein information is transported to at least one other device of the group after the event has triggered the transportation of the third information.

18. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the devices are grouped in one or more lists.

19. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the devices are grouped in a table.

20. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first location information and/or the second location information is determined based on information produced by at least one location determination element of the communication system.

21. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising transmission of information based on a protocol that is transparent for the communication system the mobile station subscribes to.

22. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, comprising transmission of information based on a protocol being one of:

a wireless application protocol (WAP);

a Transport Control Protocol (TCP);

or an Internet Protocol (IP).

23. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first location information and/or the second location information is determined based on data produced by a location determination system that associates with the communication system the mobile station subscribes to.

24. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first location information and/or the second location information is determined based on data produced by a location determination system that is external to the communication system the mobile station subscribes to.

25. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the devices are grouped into more than one group.

26. A method as claimed in claim 16 or 25, wherein the user of the mobile station may register to one or more groups of devices based on personal interests of the user of the mobile station.

27. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising use of a personal identification module that associates with the mobile station for authorising the user of the mobile station to access a service provided by means of at least one of the devices.

28. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an intelligent network service manages the information of the grouping of the devices, the first location information and the second location information, and wherein the intelligent network service keeps track of the locations of the devices of the group and monitors for the predefined event.

29. A method for providing information that associates with means of transportation that are available for a user of a mobile station, comprising the steps of:

determining first information that relates to the location of at least one means of transportation;

determining second information that relates to the location of the mobile station;

processing the first information and the second information to obtain third information, said third information that associates with at least one means of transportation that is possible for the user; and

presenting the third information to the user by the mobile station.

30. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the user initiates the information provision process by inputting a request for the third information to the mobile station.

31. A method as claimed in claim 29 or 30, wherein the user may select a means of transportation based on the third information.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31, wherein a plurality of possible means of transportation is presented to the user by the mobile station and wherein the user is enabled to select among the presented possibilities.

33. A method as claimed in claim 31 or 32, wherein a request for reservation is signalled from the mobile station to a transport centre.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the request for reservation is confirmed by a message that is transported from the transport centre to the mobile station.

35. A method as claimed in any of claims 29 to 34, wherein the third information presented to the user comprises at least one of the following:

information of the possible means of transportation at the location of the mobile station;

information of the timetables for the possible means of transportation;

information of the expected waiting times;

information of the fares of the possible means of transportation;

information of the availability of seats in the possible means of transportation;

information of the possible means of payment.

36. A method as claimed in any of claims 29 to 35, wherein, after the user has selected a means of transportation, the fare for a journey by said means of transportation is paid by means of payment instructions signalled from the mobile station.

37. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein the payment is accomplished based on an electronic payment procedure.

38. A method as claimed in any of claims 33 to 37, wherein a status of the request for reservation of the available means of transportation is verified during the processing of the first and second information to obtain the third information.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the means of transportation with no seats available are omitted from the third information.

40. A method as claimed in any of claims 29 to 39, wherein information of a payment for a journey is signalled to the mobile station and the user is allowed to board the means of transportation based on the information received at the mobile station.

41. A method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the mobile station communicates with a ticketing device during the boarding via a temporary interface between the mobile station and the ticketing device.

42. A method as claimed in claim 41, wherein the temporary interface is an infrared link or a short range radio link.

43. A method as claimed in claim 41 or 42, wherein information of a reservation made by the mobile station is transmitted to the ticketing device of the selected means of transportation.

44. A method as claimed in any of claims 41 to 43, wherein the ticketing device provides an integrity check of the reservation.

45. A method as claimed in any of claims 41 to 44, wherein the ticketing device sends information concerning the boarding of the user to a transport centre.

46. A method as claimed in any of claims 29 to 45, wherein information of the selected means of transportation is stored in the mobile station.

47. A method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 46, wherein the route of the selected means of transportation is based on the selection by the user.

48. A method as claimed in any of claims 36 to 47, wherein the payment is accomplished by means of a personal identification module that associates with the mobile station.

49. A system comprising:

a mobile station of a communication system;

a plurality of devices, the devices being adapted to provide at least one service for a user of the mobile station;

means for grouping the plurality of devices into at least one group;

means for determining first location information, the first information associating with the location of at least one of the devices;

means for determining second location information, the second information associating with the location of the mobile station;

processor means for processing the first location information and second location information for generating third information, said third information being based on relative locations of the mobile station and the at least one device; and

an interface via which the third information is transported after the transportation is triggered by a predefined event.

50. A system as claimed in claim 49, wherein the transportation is triggered when the mobile station and the at least one device are located in a predefined manner relative to each other.

51. A system as claimed in claim 49 or 50, wherein the processor means keep track of the locations of the devices of the group.

52. A system as claimed in any of claims 49 to 51, wherein the mobile station transmits and/or receives information signals via a wireless interface.

53. A system as claimed in any of claims 49 to 52, wherein the first location information and/or the second location information is determined based on data produced by a location determination system that associates with the communication system the mobile station subscribes to.

54. A system as claimed in any of claims 49 to 53, wherein the first location information and/or the second location information is determined based on data produced by a location determination system that is external to the communication system the mobile station subscribes to.