Geographical web browser, methods, apparatus and systems
First Claim
1. For use in a mobile data network environment comprising a packet switched data network, one or more network servers, a plurality of mobile units, and a plurality of wireless packet access stations coupled to the packet switched data network, wherein each wireless packet access station provides wireless access services, wherein a particular one of the mobile units comprises a processor, a memory, a user interface, and at least one wireless air interface comprising a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a protocol stack adapted to process wireless packet data transactions using a wireless packet data network protocol, wherein a particular user operates the particular mobile unit, and the particular mobile unit is in communication with at least a particular wireless packet access station when the particular mobile unit is located in a coverage area of the particular wireless packet access station, a method comprising:
- receiving a user interest indication associated with the particular user, wherein the user interest indication identifies one or more user preferences used to identify information that comports with the user interest indication;
receiving via the packet switched data network a location indication, wherein the location indication identifies at least an approximate geographical location of the particular mobile unit;
identifying an information item that comports with the user interest indication and is associated with the location identified in the location indication; and
causing information relating to the information item to be coupled via the packet switched data network to the particular wireless packet access station so that the particular wireless packet access station can wirelessly transmit the information relating to the information item via one or more unsolicited pushed messages using one or more packet headers addressed to the particular mobile unit without the need to continuously maintain an active user-interactive client-server application layer session between a network server of the one or more network servers and the particular mobile unit between a first time when the user interest indication is received to a second time when the particular mobile unit receives the one or more unsolicited pushed messages.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A geographical web browser allows a user to navigate a network application such as the Word Wide Web by physically navigating in geographical coordinates. For example, a geographical web browser is implemented in a mobile unit such as a dashboard computer. The mobile unit includes one or more transducers such as antennas and is operative to receive locally broadcast signals or to operate a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. As the mobile unit navigates into different physical localities, different web pages are displayed by the geographical web browser. For example, a user desiring to buy a house can set the web browser to a real estate web page. Instead of clicking on a hyperlink to access web pages of properties in an area, the user drives into a first area and automatically receives web pages relating to homes in that area. When the mobile unit crosses town and enters a second area, a new set of web pages is downloaded relating to properties in the second area. The geographical web browser, methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein enable improved road-navigation and traffic management, advertisement, and related services.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. For use in a mobile data network environment comprising a packet switched data network, one or more network servers, a plurality of mobile units, and a plurality of wireless packet access stations coupled to the packet switched data network, wherein each wireless packet access station provides wireless access services, wherein a particular one of the mobile units comprises a processor, a memory, a user interface, and at least one wireless air interface comprising a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a protocol stack adapted to process wireless packet data transactions using a wireless packet data network protocol, wherein a particular user operates the particular mobile unit, and the particular mobile unit is in communication with at least a particular wireless packet access station when the particular mobile unit is located in a coverage area of the particular wireless packet access station, a method comprising:
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receiving a user interest indication associated with the particular user, wherein the user interest indication identifies one or more user preferences used to identify information that comports with the user interest indication;
receiving via the packet switched data network a location indication, wherein the location indication identifies at least an approximate geographical location of the particular mobile unit;
identifying an information item that comports with the user interest indication and is associated with the location identified in the location indication; and
causing information relating to the information item to be coupled via the packet switched data network to the particular wireless packet access station so that the particular wireless packet access station can wirelessly transmit the information relating to the information item via one or more unsolicited pushed messages using one or more packet headers addressed to the particular mobile unit without the need to continuously maintain an active user-interactive client-server application layer session between a network server of the one or more network servers and the particular mobile unit between a first time when the user interest indication is received to a second time when the particular mobile unit receives the one or more unsolicited pushed messages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. For use in a mobile data network environment comprising a packet switched data network, one or more network servers, a plurality of mobile units including a particular mobile unit operated by a user, and a plurality of wireless packet access stations coupled to the packet switched data network, wherein each wireless packet access station provides wireless access services, wherein the particular mobile unit comprises a processor, a memory, a graphical user interface, and at least one wireless air interface comprising a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a protocol stack adapted to process wireless packet data transactions using a wireless packet data network protocol, the particular mobile unit is configured to wirelessly receive pushed information, read an application-program identifying field contained within the pushed information to identify a particular application program resident on the particular mobile unit, and to present to the user via the graphical user interface a selectable indication, such that when the selectable indication is selected by a user selection, further content related to the particular application program will be downloaded to the particular mobile unit, and the particular mobile unit is in communication with at least a particular wireless packet access station of the plurality of wireless packet access stations when the particular mobile unit is located in a coverage area of the particular wireless packet access station, a method comprising:
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causing a communication push message to be wirelessly transmitted to the particular mobile unit, wherein the communication push message includes the application-program identifying field that identifies the particular application program and contains information related to the further content available for downloading in response to the user selection, and the communication push message is not a server response message sent via a user-interactive client-server session and is not sent in response to a client request message coupled from the particular mobile unit substantially just prior to the communication push message being transmitted;
receiving a client-request packet wirelessly coupled from the particular mobile unit in response to the user selection, the client-request packet indicating a request to download the further content; and
sending the further content to the mobile unit in response to the client-request packet;
wherein the communication push message acts as a notification to allow the user to selectively download the further content only if the user is interested in receiving the further content. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. For use in a mobile data network environment comprising a packet switched data network, one or more network servers, a plurality of mobile units to include a particular mobile unit operated by a user, and a plurality of wireless packet access stations coupled to the packet switched data network, wherein each wireless packet access station provides wireless access services, wherein the particular mobile unit comprises a processor, a memory, a graphical user interface, and at least one wireless air interface comprising a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a protocol stack adapted to process wireless packet data transactions using a wireless packet data network protocol, the particular mobile unit is configured to wirelessly receive pushed information, and to present to the user via the graphical user interface a selectable indication, such that when the selectable indication is selected by a user selection, a further content available for downloading will be downloaded to the particular mobile unit, and the particular mobile unit is in communication with at least a particular wireless packet access station of the plurality of wireless packet access stations when the particular mobile unit is located in a coverage area of the particular wireless packet access station, a method comprising:
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identifying an information item that comports with a user interest indication;
causing a communication push message to be wirelessly transmitted to the particular mobile unit, wherein the communication push message contains information related to the further content in response to the user selection, wherein the information related to the further content relates to the information item that comports with the user interest indication, and the communication push message is not a server response message sent via a user-interactive client-server session and is not sent in response to a client request message coupled from the particular mobile unit substantially just prior to the communication push message being transmitted;
receiving a client-request packet wirelessly coupled from the particular mobile unit in response to the user selection, the request packet indicating a request to download the further content; and
sending the further content to the mobile unit in response to the client-request packet;
wherein the communication push message acts as a notification to allow the user to selectively download the further content only if the user is interested in receiving the further content.
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Specification