Method for using information of a station for providing information, communications terminal, master station, and station of an information provider

• US 20040029594A1
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Brandes, Axel, Hahlweg, Cornelius
• Application Number:
  US10/381,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20040029594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Proposed are a method for using information of a station (1) of an information provider, a communications terminal (5), a master station (15), and the station (1) of the information provider, which allow a location information code to be queried from the station (1) of the information provider in a terminal-independent manner. In this context, the intention is for the information of the information provider to be usable in the form of location information in an application (10), in particular a navigation application, that can be used by the communications terminal (5). A location information code associated with the location information is queried by the station (1) from the master station (15). In the case that the communications terminal (5) queries the location information from the station (1), the location information code is transmitted by the station (1) to the communications terminal (5). Together with a query of the associated location information, the received location information code and an application code associated with the application (10) that is usable by the communications terminal (5) are transmitted by the communications terminal (5) to the master station (15). The location information associated with the location information code is processed by the master station (15) as a function of the application code, in such a way, that it can be used by the application (10) after being transmitted the communications terminal (5).

Claims

1. A method for using information of a station (1) of an information provider in the form of location information, in particular location coordinates, in an application (10), in particular a navigation application, that can be used by a communications terminal (5),

wherein a location information code associated with the location information is queried by the station (1) from a master station (15);

in the case that the communications terminal (5) queries the location information from the station (1), the location information code is transmitted by the station (1) to the communications terminal (5);

together with a query of the associated location information, the received location information code and an application code associated with the application (10) that is usable by the communications terminal (5) are transmitted by the communications terminal (5) to the master station (15); and

the location information associated with the location information code is processed by the master station (15) as a function of the application code, in such a way, that it can be used by the application (10) after being transmitted to the communications terminal (5).

2. The method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the location information associated with the location information code is encoded by the master station (15) as a function of the application code in such a way that the location information can be uniquely decoded by the application (10).

3. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2,

wherein the processed location information is transmitted by the master station (15) to the communications terminal (5) as location information data, in particular as location coordinate information, which are associated with the location information associated with the location information code as a function of the application code and stored in the master station (15.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, 2 or 3,

wherein the location information code is transmitted by the station (1) to the communications terminal (5) over a first communication network (20), in particular the Internet.

5. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the processed location information is transmitted by the master station (15) to the communications terminal (5) over a second communication network (25), in particular a mobile radio network.

6. A communications terminal (5) for carrying out a method according to one of the preceding claims,

wherein an application (10) is provided, which transmits a location information query, in particular a location coordinate query, together with a location information code queried from a station (1) of an information provider and an application code associated with the application (10), to a master station (15) with the aid of a first transmitting device (30);

a first receiving device (35) is provided which, subsequent to the query, receives location information from the master station (15) that is processed for use by the application (10), and passes the processed location information on to the application (10) for processing.

7. The communications terminal (5) as recited in claim 6,

wherein the first receiving device (35) feeds the processed location information received to a decoding device (40) of the application (10) which uniquely decodes the processed location information.

8. The communications terminal (5) as recited in claim 6 or 7,

wherein the application (10) is a navigation application and feeds the processed location information received to a route guidance unit (45) in order to generate route guidance information regarding a destination characterized by the processed location information.

9. The communications terminal (5) as recited in claim 6, 7 or 8,

wherein a second transmitting device (50) and second receiving device (55) are provided which form an interface to a first communication network (20), in particular the Internet, for communication with the station (1);

and

the first receiving device (35) and the first transmitting device (30) form an interface to a second communication network (25), in particular a mobile radio network, for communication with the master station (15).

10. The communications terminal (5) as recited in one of the claims 6 through 9,

wherein the communications terminal (5) is designed to be mobile.

11. A master station (15) for carrying out a method according to one of the claims 1 through 5,

wherein a third receiving device (60) is provided which receives a location information code and an application code from a communications terminal (5);

a comparator device (65) is provided which determines location information which is associated with the location information code and stored in a memory (70);

a processing device (75) is provided which processes the determined location information as a function of the application code; and

a third transmitting device (80) is provided which sends the processed location information to the communications terminal (5).

12. The master station (15) as recited in claim 11,

wherein location information data, in particular location coordinate information, are stored in the memory (70) in association with the location information code and with the application code and correspond to the processed location information;

and

the processing device (75) takes the coordinate information from the memory (70), and delivers it to the third transmitting device (80).

13. The master station (15) as recited in claim 11 or 12,

wherein an encoding device (85) is provided which encodes the location information as a function of the application code.

14. The master station (15) as recited in claim 11, 12, or 13,

wherein a fourth receiving device (90) is provided which receives location information from a station (1) of an information provider;

and

the comparator device (65) determines a location information code which is associated with the received location information and stored in the memory (70); and

a fourth transmitting device (95) is provided which sends the location information code to the station (1).

15. The master station (15) as recited in one of the claims 11 through 14,

wherein the data exchange between the station (1) and the master station (15) is carried out over a third communication network (100), and the data exchange between the communications terminal (5) and the master station (15) is carried out over a second communication network (25), in particular a mobile radio network.

16. A station (1) of an information provider for carrying out a method as recited in one of the claims 1 through 5,

wherein a fifth receiving device (105) is provided which receives a query for a location information code, in particular a query for a location coordinate code, of a communications terminal (5);

and

a fifth transmitting device (110) is provided which sends the queried location information code to the communications terminal (5).

17. The station (1) as recited in claim 16,

wherein a sixth transmitting device (115) is provided which sends the location information to a master station (15) together with a query for a location information code;

and

a sixth receiving device (120) is provided which thereupon receives from the master station (15) the location information code associated with the location information.