Location processing apparatus, systems, and methods

• US 20050285789A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Deshpande, Nikhil M., Velhal, Ravindra V., Deshmukh, Jeetendra G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,245,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/450
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0221 Receivers

Abstract

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to provide operating system-independent geolocation information.

Claims

1. An apparatus, including:

a processor to couple to an operating system to determine operating system-independent geolocation information; and

a memory to couple to the processor and to store the operating system-independent geolocation information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an acquisition module to couple to the memory and to provide a set of sensor data to the memory.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further including:

a receiver to receive the sensor data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory is included in one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, and a computer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a switch to initiate access to the operating system-independent geolocation information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a module to communicate the operating system-independent geolocation information to one of the operating system, a network, and another device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the module comprises a firmware services environment.

8. A system, including:

a processor to couple to an operating system to determine operating system-independent geolocation information;

a memory to couple to the processor and to store the operating system-independent geolocation information; and

a display to display data associated with the operating system-independent geolocation information.

9. The system of claim 8, further including:

an acquisition module to couple to the memory and to provide a set of sensor data to the memory.

10. The system of claim 8, further including:

a user interface module to acquire user preferences associated with access to the operating system-independent geolocation information during one of a time period prior to, during, and after loading the operating system.

11. The system of claim 8, further including:

a user interface module to acquire user preferences associated with a plurality of providers of a set of sensor data.

12. The system of claim 8, further including:

a firmware services environment module to store the operating system-independent geolocation information and to communicate the operating system-independent geolocation information to the operating system.

13. The system of claim 12, further including:

an operating system-independent geolocation information recipient coupled to one of the firmware services environment module and the operating system to receive a set of geolocation data.

14. The system of claim 8, further including:

an omnidirectional antenna to receive a set of geolocation signals.

15. A method, including:

providing operating system-independent geolocation information to a device including an operating system.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

calculating the operating system-independent geolocation information from a set of sensor data.

17. The method of claim 15, further including:

storing the operating system-independent geolocation information in a location stack in an operating system-independent accessible interface.

18. The method of claim 15, further including:

accessing the operating-system-independent geolocation information prior to loading the operating system.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the operating system has a status selected from one of missing, inaccessible, and inoperable.

20. The method of claim 15, further including:

accessing the operating-system-independent geolocation information responsive to a switch activation after loading the operating system.

21. A method, including:

operating a location-aware, operating system-independent firmware layer in a device having an operating system.

22. The method of claim 21, further including:

the operating system becoming inactive; and

accessing geolocation information stored in the operating system-independent firmware layer.

23. The method of claim 21, further including:

placing the operating system in a standby mode.

24. The method of claim 21, further including:

removing the operating system.

25. The method of claim 21, further including:

constructing a provider stack to include a plurality of geolocation information providers.

29. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving configuration information associated with access to the operating system-independent geolocation information prior to loading the operating system.

30. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving configuration information associated with access to the operating system-independent geolocation information after loading the operating system.

26. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

providing operating system-independent geolocation information to a device including an operating system.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

combining a set of sensor data received from a plurality of providers into aggregated geolocation data.

28. The article of claim 27 wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

displaying location data associated with the aggregated geolocation data on a display after loading an operating system.