System and method for displaying location-specific images on a mobile device

• US 20060089792A1
• Filed: 10/25/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi, Gold, Jonathan A., Dorfman, Barnaby M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A system is provided for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display. The system generally comprises three components: a mobile device having a screen, a position identification system (e.g., a GPS receiver) that determines the position of the mobile device, and a database containing location-specific images taken at various locations. Each location-specific image is associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken. Based on the position of the mobile device as determined by the position identification system, a location-specific image is selected from the database and displayed on the screen of the mobile device. For example, when a user is using the mobile device as a car navigation system, a location-specific image of the user'"'"'s destination location can be selected and displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the destination location.

Claims

1. A system for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display, comprising:

a mobile device comprising a processor, memory, and screen;

a position identification system that determines the position of the mobile device; and

a location-specific images database including images taken at locations, each image being associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken;

wherein, the position of the mobile device is identified by the mobile device position identification system, and a location-specific image is selected from the images database based on the determined position of the mobile device and displayed on the screen of the mobile device.

2. The system of Claim 1, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a PDA, a portable computer, a navigation system, and a mobile computer communicator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the position identification system utilizes a device-based technology to determine the position of the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the position identification system comprises a GPS receiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-specific images database resides in the memory of the mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communications network, with which the mobile device interfaces; and

a mobile image system that interfaces with the wireless communications network, the mobile image system comprising the location-specific images database.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the position identification system utilizes a network-based technology to determine the position of the mobile device based on a link between the mobile device and the mobile image system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the position identification system utilizes a device-based technology and a network-based technology.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the mobile device further comprises an image capturing subsystem, and is capable of performing the steps comprising:

capturing an image;

associating the captured image with the determined position of the mobile device at the time when the image was captured so as to produce a location-specific image; and

transmitting the location-specific image over the wireless communications network to the location-specific images database in the mobile image system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-specific image is selected when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates associated with the image.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a directions system that performs the steps comprising:

receiving at the mobile device a destination location where a user of the mobile device wishes to go;

calculating directions from the determined position of the mobile device to the destination location; and

generating a directions program comprising the calculated directions to the designation location, the directions program further comprising instructions for displaying on the screen of the mobile device an image of the destination location based on the determined position of the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the image of the destination location is displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the destination location.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the directions program displays the image of the destination location on the screen of the mobile device upon a user request.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the directions program further comprises instructions for displaying on the screen of the mobile device one or more images of landmark locations along the directions toward the destination location, the one or more images being displayed based on the determined position of the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the images of landmark locations are displayed as a video clip.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a shopping system that performs the steps comprising:

receiving at the mobile device a shopping list, the shopping list comprising one or more items that a user of the mobile device wishes to purchase;

for each of the items in the list, identifying one or more businesses that carry the item;

for each of the one or more identified businesses, determining its geographic coordinates and identifying its location-specific image; and

generating a shopping list program comprising instructions for displaying on the screen of the mobile device an image of the one or more identified businesses based on the determined position of the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image of a business is displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the business.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the shopping list program further comprises instructions for issuing an audio signal to alert the user when the image of a business is displayed.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a wireless communications network, with which the mobile device interfaces; and

(b) a mobile image system that interfaces with the wireless communications network, the mobile image system comprising the location-specific images database, a user profiles database, and a recommendations server, wherein the recommendations server performs the steps comprising;

(i) receiving from the mobile device a request for a recommendations service;

(ii) accessing a profile of the user of the mobile device in the user profiles database to identify one or more favorite places of the user;

(iii) determining geographic coordinates of the one or more favorite places; and

(iv) generating a favorite places program comprising instructions for displaying on the screen of the mobile device an image of the one or more favorite places based on the determined position of the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the image of a favorite places is displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the favorite place.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the favorite places program further comprises instructions for issuing an audio signal to alert the user when the image of a favorite place is displayed.

22. A method of displaying a location-specific image on a mobile device based on the position of the mobile device, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a position of a mobile device;

(b) selecting a location-specific image from multiple location-specific images based on the received position of the mobile device, each location-specific image being associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken; and

(c) sending the selected image to the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the location-specific image is selected when the received position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates associated with the image.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving a user ID via the mobile device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step (b) comprises selecting a location-specific image based on the received user ID.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of determining supplemental information for the selected image based on the received user ID and sending the supplemental information to the mobile device.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the step (b) comprises accessing a user profile associated with the received user ID and selecting a location-specific image based on the user profile.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a search query from the mobile device;

wherein the step (b) comprises selecting a location-specific image based on the received search query.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (a) comprises receiving a position of a mobile device as entered into the mobile device by a user.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the step(a) comprises receiving a position of a mobile device from a GPS receiver.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (a) comprises receiving a position of a mobile device from a wireless communications network, with which the mobile device interfaces.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of:

determining a general geographic location of the mobile device based on an IP address associated with the mobile device; and

identifying a subset of location-specific images that correspond to the determined general geographic location of the mobile device;

wherein the step (b) comprises selecting a location-specific image from the identified subset of location-specific images based on the determined position of the mobile device.

33. A mobile device capable of displaying a location-specific image based on a determined position of the mobile device, the mobile device comprising:

(a) a screen; and

(b) a processor loaded with processor-executable instructions for performing the steps comprising;

(i) receiving a position of the mobile device as determined by a position identification system;

(ii) selecting a location-specific image from a set of location specific images based on the determined position of the mobile device; and

(iii) displaying the selected location-specific image on the screen.

34. The mobile device of claim 33, wherein the position identification system comprises a GPS receiver coupled with the mobile device, and the step (b)(i) comprises receiving a position of the mobile device as determined by the GPS receiver.

35. The mobile device of claim 33, further comprising a wireless network interface for establishing a wireless communications link between the mobile device and a mobile image system via a wireless communications network,

wherein the position identification system utilizes a network-based technology to determine the position of the mobile device based on a link between the mobile device and the mobile image system over the wireless communications network, and the step (b)(i) comprises receiving the position of the mobile device as determined according to the network-based technology.

36. The mobile device of claim 35, wherein the mobile image system comprises a location-specific images database containing the set of location-specific images, and the step (b)(ii) comprises selecting a location-specific image from the set of images as stored in the location-specific images database.

37. The mobile device of claim 33, further comprising a memory that is pre-loaded with the set of location-specific images, and the step (b)(ii) comprises selecting a location-specific image from the set of location-specific images in the memory.

38. A system for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display, comprising:

means for receiving a position of a mobile device;

a location-specific images database including images taken at locations, each image being associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken;

means for selecting a location-specific image from the images database based on the received position of the mobile device; and

means for sending the selected image to the mobile device.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for selecting a location-specific image selects a location-specific image when the received position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates associated with the image.

40. The system of claim 38, further comprises a directions system comprising:

means for receiving a destination location;

means for calculating directions from the received position of the mobile device to the destination location; and

means for generating a directions program comprising the calculated directions to the designation location, the directions program further comprising instructions for sending an image of the destination location to the mobile device based on the received position of the mobile device.

41. The system of claim 38, further comprises a shopping system comprising:

means for receiving a shopping list, the shopping list comprising one or more items that a user of the mobile device wishes to purchase;

means for identifying one or more businesses that carry each of the items in the list;

means for determining the geographic coordinates of each of the one or more identified businesses and identifying a location-specific image for each of the one or more identified businesses; and

means for generating a shopping list program comprising instructions for sending an image of the one or more identified businesses to the mobile device based on the received position of the mobile device.

42. The system of claim 38, further comprising a recommendations system comprising:

a user profile database including user profiles;

means for accessing a profile of a user upon receiving from the user a request for a recommendations service;

means for identifying one or more favorite places of the user based on the user profile;

means for determining geographic coordinates of the one or more favorite places; and

means for generating a favorite places program comprising instructions for sending an image of the one or more favorite places to the mobile device based on the determined position of the mobile device.