Wireless communication device and method for automatic time updates in personal information management applications

• US 20040203848A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Anil K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,950,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location

Abstract

A wireless communication device includes an applications processor to operate one or more personal information management (PIM) applications. Upon initial registration or when transiting to a new location, a baseband processor of the device automatically derives the local time using a time-zone database and current location information received from the communication network. The PIM applications operating within the device are updated with the local time. The device may receive location-based services such as advertisements that depend on the current location.

Claims

1. A method for operating personal information manager (PIM) applications on a wireless communication device comprising:

deriving a local time from current location information received from a network; and

updating at least one of the PIM applications operating on the device with the local time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining when the device is residing in a new time zone based on the current location information, and deriving the local time when the device is residing in the new time zone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the device has a mobility management state associated therewith, the mobility management state being one of either an idle state, an active state or a standby state, the method comprising refraining from updating the at least one of the PIM applications when the mobility manager is in the idle state.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein, when the device in the standby state, the device is registered with the network, and

the method further comprises performing a routing area update procedure to receive routing area identity information from the network as the current location information, and

wherein the local time is derived from the routing area identity information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the routing area identity information is received through a base station of a packet radio network supporting packetized wireless communications, the routing area identity information being stored at a support node of the network coupled with the base station.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein:

when the device is in the active state, the device communicates with the network from within a cell, and

the method further comprises performing a cell-update procedure to receive a cell identity of the cell from the network,

wherein the cell identity comprises the current location information, and

wherein the local time is derived using the cell identity.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining routing area identity information from the cell identity;

comparing the routing area identity information with prior routing area identity information stored in the device; and

modifying the local time when the determined routing area identity information differs from the prior routing area identity information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein deriving comprises deriving the local time by correlating the current location information with time-zone information stored within the device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein deriving comprises correlating the current location information with the time-zone information using a look-up-table (LUT) stored within the device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein deriving further comprises determining a difference between a new time zone associated with the current location information and a prior time zone, and adding the difference to a current time stored within the device to generate the local time.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the current location information from the network;

when the current location information differs from prior location information stored within the device, determining whether the current location information is associated with a different time zone than the prior location information;

when the current location information is not associated with the different time zone, the method comprises refraining from deriving the local time and updating the PIM applications; and

when the current location information is associated with the different time zone, deriving the local time and updating the PIM applications.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the network is a circuit-based network and the current location information is comprised of a location area code (LAC).

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a location-based service particular to the current location information.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the PIM applications include at least one of a calendar application, a scheduling application, an email application, an alarm application and a tasking application.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a location service request to the network during an initial registration; and

in response to the location service request, receiving the current location information,

wherein the location service request includes a requested quality of service (QOS) level for subsequent communications with the network.

16. A wireless communication device comprising:

an applications processor to operate a plurality of personal information manager (PIM) applications; and

a baseband processor to derive a local time from current location information received from a network and to update at least one of the PIM applications with the local time.

17. The device of claim 16 further comprising a storage element to store a mobility management state associated therewith, the mobility management state being one of either an idle state, an active state or a standby state, and wherein the baseband processor refrains from updating the PIM applications when the device is in the idle state,

wherein when the device is in the standby state, the device is registered with the network and the baseband processor receives routing area identity information from the network, the routing area identity information comprising the current location information, the baseband processor derives the local time from the routing area identity information.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein, when the device is in the active state, the device communicates with the network from within a cell and the baseband processor receives a cell identity of the cell from the network, the cell identity comprising the current location information,

and wherein the baseband processor derives the local time from the cell identity.

19. The device of claim 16 further comprising a memory to store time-zone information for use by the baseband processor in deriving the local time from the current location information.

20. The device of claim 16 wherein the applications processor operates the PIM applications, including at least one of a calendar application, a scheduling application, an email application, an alarm application and a tasking application.

21. A method of operating a wireless communication system comprising:

providing current location information to a wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device derives a local time from the current location information and stored time-zone information to update personal information management applications thereon with the local time; and

providing a location-based service particular to the current location information.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein a location server tracks the current location information for the wireless communication device and provides the current location information to a service provider, and wherein the location based service includes either an advertisement or a coupon sent from the service provider in response to the current location information for the wireless communication device.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

tracking a state of the wireless communication device with a mobility manager, the wireless communication device being in either an idle, standby, or active state;

sending the wireless communication device routing area identification information as the current location information when the device is in the standby state; and

sending the wireless communication device cell identity information as the current location information when the device is in the active state.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

receiving a location service request from the wireless communication device, the location service request including a requested quality of service level for subsequent communications; and

providing the current location information to the wireless communication device in response to the location service request.