Method and apparatus for obtaining localized electronic feeds in a mobile device

• US 20070097929A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dunko, Gregory, East, Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A wireless communication device is configured to use location information available within the device to tailor the retrieval of electronic feed content. For example, the device may automatically use its current location to retrieve localized news feeds, localized podcasts, localized web pages, etc. In one embodiment, the device retrieves electronic feed content and then filters that content based on the location information to identify locally relevant content that may be displayed or otherwise made available to a user of the device. In another embodiment, the device provides all or part of its location information to a remote content server, and the content server sends localized content based on that information. In at least one embodiment, the device establishes and terminates subscriptions to localized feeds as needed responsive to changes in the device'"'"'s current location. Further, the device may store or otherwise track locations and retrieve localized content for prior locations.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication device, a method of tailoring electronic feed content retrieval comprising:

obtaining location information from a location determining function of the wireless communication device; and

using the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content comprises retrieving electronic feed content and filtering the retrieved electronic feed content based on the location information to identify electronic feed content that is relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content comprises sending current location information from the wireless communication device to one or more content servers, and, in return, receiving electronic feed content or corresponding links that are relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the location information to establish subscriptions to one or more electronic feeds associated with the localized electronic feed content, and selectively terminating said subscriptions responsive to a change in the current location of the wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising using saved location information to retrieve electronic feed content localized to one or more previous locations of the wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying selected previous locations for which localized electronic feed content retrieval is desired based on a frequency or duration of the wireless communication device being in a particular location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying the selected previous locations for which localized electronic feed content retrieval is desired based on the frequency or duration of the wireless communication device being in a particular location further comprises identifying the selected previous locations based on a prior subscription history associated with a particular location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining location information from a location determining function of the wireless communication device comprises querying the location determining function via a content retrieval function of the wireless communication device, and receiving all or part of the location information at the content retrieval function responsive to said query.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining location information from a location determining function of the wireless communication device comprises reading all or part of the location information from memory used directly or indirectly by the location determining function to store the location information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location determining function of the wireless communication device comprises one of an autonomous location determining function, a network-assisted location determining function, and a network-supported location determining function.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein using the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content comprises using the location information to retrieve podcast content that is relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein using the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content comprises using the location information to retrieve one or more of locally-relevant electronic news feeds, locally-relevant podcast feeds, and locally-relevant web pages.

13. In a wireless communication device having an electronic content retrieval function, a method of electronic content retrieval comprising providing current location information available within the wireless communication device to the electronic content retrieval function for use in retrieving electronic content relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

14. A wireless communication device comprising one or more processing circuits configured to:

obtain location information from a location determining function of the wireless communication device; and

use the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to use the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content by retrieving electronic feed content and filtering the retrieved electronic feed content based on the location information to identify electronic feed content that is relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to use the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content by sending current location information from the wireless communication device to one or more content servers, and, in return, receiving electronic feed content or corresponding links that are relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to use the location information to establish subscriptions to one or more electronic feeds associated with the localized electronic feed content, and selectively terminate said subscriptions responsive to a change in the current location of the wireless communication device.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to use saved location information to retrieve electronic feed content localized to one or more previous locations of the wireless communication device.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 18, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to identify selected previous locations for which localized electronic feed content retrieval is desired based on a frequency or duration of the wireless communication device being in a particular location.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 19, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further configured to identify the selected previous locations based on a prior subscription history associated with a particular location.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits implement a content retrieval function that is configured to obtain the location information by querying the location determining function.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits implement a content retrieval function that is configured to obtain the location information by reading all or part of the location information from memory used directly or indirectly by the location determining function to store the location information.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the location determining function of the wireless communication device comprises one of an autonomous location determining function, a network-assisted location determining function, and a network-supported location determining function.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits use the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content by using the location information to retrieve podcast content that is relevant to a current location of the wireless communication device.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processing circuits use the location information to retrieve localized electronic feed content by using the location information to retrieve one or more of locally-relevant electronic news feeds, locally-relevant podcast feeds, and locally-relevant web pages

26. In an electronic feed content server, a method of tailoring electronic feed content retrieval comprising:

receiving location information for a wireless communication device requesting electronic feed content;

identifying localized electronic feed content based on the location information; and

providing a return response for the wireless communication device that includes or identifies the localized electronic feed content.