Method of targeting a message to a communication device selected from among a set of communication devices

• US 20040192331A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sibecas, Salvador, Gorday, Robert Mark, Gorday, Paul Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,024,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method for sending messages from a particular device to one or more other devices communicants (300) uses the relative geographic location of the targeted devices as addressing criteria. The particular device forms or joins a network of potential communicants, and exchanges information to determine their relative geographic location with respect to that of the particular device (310, 320). The relative geographic location is preferably defined by a directional component and a range component. The communication device then selects for communication those devices that meet specific criteria, such as a specific direction and range, and transmits a message to the selected devices (330, 332, 334, 336).

Claims

1. A method of sending a message from a communication device to another communication device selected from a plurality of communication devices, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a network with the plurality of communication devices;

obtaining information on relative geographic locations, with respect to the communication device, for the plurality of communication devices;

selecting for communication at least one device from the plurality of communication devices based at least in part on the obtained relative geographic location information; and

transmitting a message to the at least one device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining information comprises the steps of deriving information on relative location from communication signals exchanged among at least some of the network of communication devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of deriving information comprises the steps of:

receiving signals communicated from the plurality of communication devices; and

deriving information on relative location from an analysis of characteristics of the signals received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting comprises the steps of:

presenting the relative geographic locations of the plurality of communication devices on an output device associated with the communication device; and

accepting an input indicative of relative location for the at least one device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of presenting the relative geographic locations comprises the step of displaying a particular icon representing the communication device and other icons representing the plurality of communication devices arranged about the particular icon according to the respective relative geographic locations.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of presenting the relative geographic locations comprises the step displaying a list of coordinates representing the plurality of communication devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of automatically choosing the at least one device based on direction relative to the communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the relative geographic location information comprises relative directional information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of automatically selecting only devices of the plurality of communication devices that are located in a specific direction relative to the communication device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific direction is one of in front of or behind the communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting comprises the step of encoding relative location information as an address component for selectively limiting recipients of the message.

12. In a particular vehicle having a particular direction of travel, a method of operating a vehicle messaging system, comprising the steps of:

joining a communication network comprising a plurality of vehicles having a direction of travel consistent with the particular direction of travel;

obtaining information on relative location for the plurality of vehicles;

selecting a subset of the plurality of vehicles that have a relative location, with respect to the particular vehicle, that satisfies a predetermined criteria; and

transmitting a message to the subset of the plurality of vehicles.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises a predetermined range and a predetermined direction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined direction is one of in front of or behind with respect to the particular direction of travel.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of transmitting comprises the step of encoding relative location information as an address component for selectively limiting recipients of the message.

16. In a particular vehicle having a particular direction of travel, a method of operating a vehicle messaging system, comprising the steps of:

forming a communication network comprising a plurality of vehicles having a direction of travel consistent with the particular direction of travel;

generating relative location information for the plurality of vehicles;

automatically selecting a subset of the plurality of vehicles characterized as located toward a specific direction and within a specific range of the particular vehicle, with respect to the particular direction of travel, based at least in part on the obtained relative location information; and

transmitting vehicular status information to the selected subset of the plurality of vehicles.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of automatically selecting comprises the step of selecting only those vehicles characterized as being behind the particular vehicle.

18. In a communication device, a method comprising the steps of:

forming a network with a plurality of other communication devices;

generating relative location information, with respect to the communication device, for the plurality of other communication devices;

displaying, on an output device associated with the communication device, a particular icon representing the communication device and other icons representing the plurality of other communication devices arranged about the particular icon according to the respective relative geographic locations;

accepting an input selecting at least one device from the plurality of other communication devices; and

transmitting a message to the at least one device selected.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of transmitting comprises the step of utilizing relative location information as an addressing criterion.