System and method for providing position alerting with a mobile device

• US 20040259573A1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheng, Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US10/250,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20040259573A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A cellular device connects with a network of base stations. Each base station covers a corresponding service area, and broadcasts unique identifying information in a standard manner. A portable computing platform is used as a POI database and server for the cellular device, and establishes a communications link with the cellular device. A trip scheduler is provided in the cellular device that interfaces with the POI database server over the communications link to enable a user to extract POI data from the POI database. The POI data includes a POI identifier for a POI, and a related base station identifier that uniquely identifies a target base station having a service area that covers the POI. The cellular device monitors base stations to determine when the cellular device enters into the service area of the target base station, and then provides an alert to the user indicative of the POI.

Claims

1. A method for providing point of interest (POI) alerting to a user of a cellular device, the cellular device capable of connecting with a network of base stations, each base station covering a corresponding service area, the method comprising:

enabling the user to select at least a first POI;

determining a first base station having a first service area that at least partially covers the first POI;

utilizing the cellular device to determine when the user enters into the first service area; and

in response to the cellular device entering into the first service area, providing a first alert to the user about the first POI.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the cellular device to determine when the user enters into the first service area comprises:

the cellular device tracking a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the first base station and a corresponding RSSI of a second base station that is within the receiving range of the cellular device; and

determining the RSSI of the first base station exceeds the corresponding RSSI of the second base station.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the RSSIs are running average RSSIs.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the cellular device to determine when the user enters into the first service area comprises detecting the cellular device camping on the first base station.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to acknowledge the first alert.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

determining when the cellular device exits the first service area; and

in response to exiting the first service area, providing a second alert to the user for the first POI;

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing the second alert to the user only if the first alert is not acknowledged.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the first POI with a start time; and

providing a third alert to the user when the start time is exceeded.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a fourth alert to the user at regular intervals when the start time is exceeded.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the first POI with a stop time; and

providing a fifth alert to the user when the stop time is exceeded.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein enabling the user to select the at least first POI and determining the first base station having the first service area that at least partially covers the first POI comprises:

providing a computing platform comprising a POI database and associated server, the POI database containing a plurality of POIs and associating each POI with a base station identifier that uniquely identifies a base station having a corresponding base station area that at least partially covers the POI;

providing a communications link between the cellular device and the computing platform;

providing a trip scheduler that enables the user to interface with the POI database and associated server to select the first POI and generate related POI data, the POI data including a POI identifier for the first POI and a first base station identifier corresponding to the first base station;

providing a POI data loading interface on the cellular device to load the POI data into memory of the cellular device; and

utilizing the communications link and the POI data loading interface to send at least a portion of the POI data to the cellular device;

wherein the first base station transmits first base station identification information that corresponds to the first base station identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the computing platform is a portable computing platform.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing an entry in the POI database to associate a first telephone number with the first POI;

extracting the first telephone number from the POI database according to the first POI;

utilizing the communications link and the POI data loading interface to send the first telephone number to the cellular device; and

providing a POI dialer to enable the user to call the first telephone number with the cellular device by selecting the first POI.

14. A point of interest (POI) alerting system comprising:

a cellular device; and

a portable computing platform;

the cellular device comprising;

a first central processing unit (CPU);

first communications circuitry to enable the first CPU to communicate with the portable computing platform; and

a first memory to provide first program code and working data to the first CPU, the first program code executable by the first CPU and including;

a POI data loading interface for loading POI data into the first memory of the cellular device, the POI data received from the portable computing platform via the first communications circuitry;

wherein the POI data includes at least a first POI identifier with an associated first base station identifier corresponding to a first base station;

a service area identifying module for monitoring base stations to determine if the cellular device enters into a first service area of the first base station; and

a first alerting module for causing a first alert to be provided about the first POI according to the POI data when the service area identifying module indicates that the cellular device has entered into the first service area;

the portable computing platform comprising;

a second central processing unit (CPU);

second communications circuitry to enable the second CPU to communicate with the cellular device; and

a second memory comprising;

a POI database containing a plurality of POIs and associating each POI with a base station identifier that uniquely identifies a base station having a corresponding base station area that at least partially covers the POI;

a POI database server executable by the second CPU to extract the POI data from the POI database according to provided queries; and

a POI data serving module executable by the second CPU for providing the POI data to the cellular device via the second communications circuitry.

15. The POI alerting system of claim 14 wherein the first program code further comprises an acknowledge module to enable acknowledgment of the first alert for the first POI.

16. The POI alerting system of claim 15 wherein the service area identifying module is further capable of determining when the cellular device exits the first service area, and the first program code further comprises a second alerting module for providing a second alert for the first POI according to the POI data in response to exiting the first service area.

17. The POI alerting system of claim 16 wherein the second alerting module only provides the second alert for the first POI if the first alert for the first POI is not acknowledged.

18. The POI alerting system of claim 14 wherein the first memory further includes a start time associated with the first POI identifier, and the first program code further includes a third alerting module for providing a third alert when the start time is exceeded.

19. The POI alerting system of claim 18 wherein the first program code further includes a fourth alerting module for providing a fourth alert at regular intervals when the start time is exceeded.

20. The POI alerting system of claim 14 wherein the first memory further includes a stop time associated with the first POI identifier, and the first program code further includes a fifth alerting module for providing a fifth alert when the stop time is exceeded.

21. The POI alerting system of claim 14 wherein the first program code further includes a trip scheduler to enable a user to interface with the POI database server via the first communications circuitry to generate queries to extract the POI data.

22. The POI alerting system of claim 14 wherein the second memory further includes a trip scheduler executable by the second CPU to enable a user to interface with the POI database server to generate queries to extract the POI data.

23. The POI alerting system of claim 14 wherein the first program code further comprises a POI dialer to enable a user to call a first telephone number associated with the first POI identifier.

24. A point of interest (POI) alerting system comprising:

a cellular device; and

a portable computing platform;

the cellular device comprising;

a first central processing unit (CPU);

first communications circuitry to enable the first CPU to communicate with the portable computing platform; and

a first memory comprising;

a POI data loading interface for interfacing with corresponding software on the portable computing platform via the first communications circuitry; and

a service area identifying module for monitoring base stations to determine a current service area of the cellular device;

the portable computing platform comprising;

a second central processing unit (CPU);

second communications circuitry to enable the second CPU to communicate with the cellular device; and

a second memory comprising;

a POI database containing a plurality of POIs and associating each POI with a base station identifier that uniquely identifies a base station having a corresponding base station area that at least partially covers the POI;

a POI database server executable by the second CPU to extract POI data from the POI database according to provided queries; and

a POI data serving module executable by the second CPU for interfacing with the POI data loading interface via the second communications circuitry.

25. The POI alerting system of claim 24 wherein the first memory further comprises an alerting module to provide a first POI alert according to the POI data obtained by the POI data loading interface from the portable computing platform, the first POI alert further determined according to the current service area.

26. The POI alerting system of claim 24 wherein the second memory further comprises an alerting module to provide a first POI alert according to the current service area obtained by the POI data serving module from the cellular device, the first POI alert further determined according to the POI data.

27. The POI alerting system of claim 24 wherein the first memory further includes a trip scheduler executable by the first CPU to enable a user to interface with the POI database server via the first communications circuitry to generate queries to extract the POI data.

28. The POI alerting system of claim 24 wherein the second memory further includes a trip scheduler executable by the second CPU to enable a user to interface with the POI database server to generate queries to extract the POI data.

29. The POI alerting system of claim 24 wherein the first memory further comprises a POI dialer to enable a user to call a first telephone number contained in the POI data.