Resource location through location history

• US 20070077889A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lusher, Elaine, Blight, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for locating resources available to portable electronic devices which are enabled for short range wireless communications. The system and method include creating and accessing a resource and access location history database accessible via the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for locating access to wireless resources, comprising:

a portable electronic device including a short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

a database program running on the portable electronic device, the database program configured to store a history of wireless station information and available resource information, the wireless station information being representative of wireless stations coming in communications with the short range RF transceiver as the portable electronic device is being moved through an environment, and

the available resource information being correlated with the wireless station information and the available resource information being representative of the resources available through the wireless stations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a handheld computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the short range RF transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the short range RF transceiver is a IEEE 802.11 transceiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless station information includes the type of wireless transceiver being used by the wireless station.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless station information includes an address of the wireless station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless station information includes information representative of the location of the wireless station.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless station information includes a timestamp representative of a time that the portable device was in range of the wireless station.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource information includes a resource identifier.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource information includes a resource description.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource information includes keywords relating to the resource.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource information includes attributes for an object oriented data description.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource information includes a listing of associated wireless stations.

14. A method of locating access to resources in an environment, comprising:

roaming within an environment with a portable electronic device having a short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

scanning for wireless enabled devices within range of the RF transceiver of the portable device;

storing wireless station information relating to the wireless enabled devices in a database;

storing available resource information relating to the resources available through the wireless station in the database; and

accessing, on the portable electronic device, the database including the wireless station information and the available resource information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

querying the database for a specified resource.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

performing a keyword search of the database.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing location information relating to accessing the specified resource.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the location information includes a set of directions.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the location information includes a map.

20. A method of locating access to resources in an environment, comprising:

moving through an environment with a portable electronic device having a short range radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

receiving information relating to wirelessly accessible resources;

storing the information in a database on the device; and

accessing the database information according to a specific query.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the environment is a metropolitan area.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the environment is a shopping district.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the environment is a shopping mall.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the environment is an office building.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the environment is a corporate campus.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the environment is an academic campus.

27. An electronic device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a memory configured to store wireless access point information comprising location information for a wireless access point; and

a processor configured to provide a navigational tool which directs the user to the wireless access point based on the location information.

28. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the wireless access point information further comprises resource information available at the wireless access point.

29. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to receive wireless access point information from the wireless access point via the wireless transceiver.

30. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with the wireless access point via a short-range wireless technology.

31. The electronic device of claim 30 wherein the short-range wireless technology is an IEEE 802.11 technology.

32. The electronic device of claim 27, further comprising a global positioning system receiver, wherein the navigational tool directs the user to the wireless access point based on signals from the global positioning system receiver.

33. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the electronic device is a portable computer.

34. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the electronic device is a handheld computer.

35. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the navigational tool directs the user to the wireless access point by displaying a map.

36. A method, comprising:

storing wireless access point information comprising location information for a wireless access point; and

directing a user to the wireless access point based on the location information.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising storing resource information available at the wireless access point.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising receiving the wireless access point information from the wireless access point via a wireless transceiver.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising communicating with the wireless access point via a short-range wireless technology.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising receiving signals from a global positioning system receiver, and directing the user to the wireless access point based on signals from the global positioning system receiver.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising directing the user to the wireless access point by providing a map on a display.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising directing the user to the wireless access point by providing the map on the display of a handheld computer.

43. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a radio frequency transceiver;

a location determination circuit configured to provide a geographic location of the portable electronic device; and

a program running on the portable electronic device, the program configured to store wireless access point information for a plurality of wireless access points, wherein the wireless access point information comprises location information for the wireless access points.

44. The portable electronic device of claim 43, wherein the portable electronic device is configured to download a database comprising location information for a plurality of wireless access points.

45. The portable electronic device of claim 43, wherein the program is further configured to store additional wireless access point information based on wireless access point information received via the radio frequency transceiver.

46. The portable electronic device of claim 43, wherein the portable electronic device is a handheld device, wherein the location determination circuit comprises a global positioning system receiver, and wherein the wireless access point information is associated with short range wireless access points.