Efficient method of location-based content management and delivery

• US 20080086464A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Craxel, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Craxel, Inc.
• Inventors: Enga, David
• Granted Patent: US 11,341,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for generating a spatial hierarchical identifiers that corresponds to a spatial hierarchy used on a server, the program includes a recording medium readable by the computer; and the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including identifying a position using a position indication system, and generating an identifier within the computer and independent of the server, wherein the identifier identifies first regions within the first spatial hierarchy on the server corresponding to the position.

Claims

1. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for generating a spatial hierarchical identifiers that corresponds to a spatial hierarchy used on a server, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

identifying a position using a position indication system; and

generating an identifier within the computer and independent of the server, wherein the identifier identifies first regions within the first spatial hierarchy on the server corresponding to the position.

2. The program of claim 1, wherein the computer is a mobile communication device.

3. The program of claim 1, wherein the identifying the position indicates a position of a mobile device relative to a surface.

4. The program of claim 1, wherein the identifying the position indicates a point on the surface of the earth.

5. The program of claim 1, wherein the position indication system is a global positioning system.

6. The program of claim 1, further performing the processes including:

generating a second identifier for identifying second regions within a second spatial hierarchy corresponding to the position, wherein the first spatial hierarchy is different than the second spatial hierarchy.

7. The program of claim 6, wherein the computer is a mobile communication device.

8. The program of claim 6, wherein the regions of the first and second spatial hierarchies have different boundaries.

9. The program of claim 6, wherein the identifying the position indicates a position of a mobile device relative to a surface.

10. The program of claim 6, wherein the position indication system is a global positioning system.

11. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for generating a spatial hierarchical identifier, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

receiving a position from a computer on a network; and

generating an identifier within the computer and independent of the server, wherein the identifier identifies first regions within the first spatial hierarchy on the server corresponding to the position.

12. The program of claim 11, wherein the computer is a mobile communications device.

13. The program of claim 11, wherein the computer includes a web browser.

14. The program of claim 11, further performing the process of generating a second identifier for identifying second regions within a second spatial hierarchy corresponding to the position, wherein the first spatial hierarchy is different than the second spatial hierarchy

15. The program of claim 14, wherein the regions of the first and second spatial hierarchies have different boundaries.

16. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for associating content with an area of influence, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

associating content with a location and an area;

generating a spatial hierarchy identifier associated with both the location and the area; and

associating content with the spatial hierarchy identifier.

17. The program of claim 16, wherein the content is associated to an identifier for a deepest region of the spatial hierarchy that completely contains the area.

18. The program of claim 16, wherein only regions containing the area associated with the content are recursively subdivided.

19. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for associating content with at least one hierarchical spatial identifiers, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes includes;

associating content with a position;

generating first regions of a surface;

creating first identifiers for each of the first regions;

generating second regions of the surface that are different than the first regions;

creating second identifiers for each of the second regions; and

associating content to at least one of the first and second identifiers.

20. The program of claim 19, wherein the content is associated to an identifier for the deepest region that completely contains the position associated with the location-specific information.

21. The program of claim 19, wherein only regions containing the position associated with the content are recursively subdivided.

22. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for determining at least one resource associated with a section of a spatial hierarchy, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

generating first recursive regions of a surface;

creating a first identifiers for each of the first regions;

associating resources with sections of the spatial hierarchy; and

searching the spatial hierarchical identifiers to determine a resource associated with a particular spatial hierarchical identifier.

23. The program of claim 22, wherein the spatial hierarchical identifiers are sorted by depth in the spatial hierarchy.

24. The program of claim 22, wherein the searching the assigned spatial hierarchical identifiers further includes

searching the assigned spatial hierarchical identifiers to determine the resources associated with spatial hierarchical identifiers that are prefixes of the particular spatial hierocracy identifier;

and

searching the assigned spatial hierarchical identifiers to determine the resources associated with spatial hierarchical identifiers of which the particular spatial hierarchical identifier is a prefix.

25. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for routing requests associated with a section of a spatial hierarchy to one or more resources associated with a section of a spatial hierarchy, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

receiving a first request associated with a position from a requestor;

retrieving the list of resources associated with a section of a spatial hierarchy based upon the position;

routing a second request to the resources on the retrieved list.

26. The program of claim 25, wherein the second request is a derivative of the first request.

27. The program of claim 25, further performing the processes including:

gathering the results of the second request; and

returning the results to the requester.

28. The program of claim 25, further performing the processes including:

determining if multiple resources are associated with a same section of a spatial hierarchy; and

choosing one of the multiple resources associated with the same section of a spatial hierarchy to route the request.

29. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for responding to a request associated with a first section of a first spatial hierarchy and responding to requests associated with the same first section of the first spatial hierarchy, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

receiving information;

positioning information within a first data structure of a section of the first spatial hierarchy;

receiving a request associated with the first section of the first spatial hierarchy; and

traversing the first data structure performing the request.

30. The program of claim 29, further performing the process of transmitting a response to the requestor.

31. The program of claim 29, wherein the request is associated with a position.

32. The program of claim 29, wherein the request is associated with the first spatial hierarchy identifier.

33. The program of claim 29, wherein the request is associated with two or more different spatial hierarchy identifiers.

34. The program of claim 29, wherein the traversing the data structure includes:

finding a node within the first data structure that matches the spatial hierarchy identifier associated with location-specific information;

creating nodes specified within the spatial hierarchy identifier; and

storing the location-specific information in the first data structure at the identified node.

35. The program of claim 29, wherein the traversing the data structure includes:

visiting all nodes within the first data structure that match the spatial hierarchy identifier; and

comparing information in each of the visited nodes against the search criteria.

36. The program of claim 29, wherein the information is object-oriented.

37. The program of claim 29, further performing the processes including:

positioning the information within a second data structure of a second spatial hierarchy, wherein the second data structure is associated with the first data structure; and

traversing the second data structure performing the request.

38. The program of claim 37, wherein the traversing the second data structure includes:

visiting all nodes within the second data structure that match the spatial hierarchy identifier; and

comparing information in each of the visited nodes against the search criteria.

39. A program storing computer-readable instructions therein for instructing a computer to perform analytical steps for invoking a listening agent associated with a section of a spatial hierarchy, the program comprising:

a recording medium readable by the computer; and

the computer instructions stored on said recording medium instructing the computer to perform the processes including;

associating a listening agent with a section of the spatial hierarchy;

receiving a request associated with the section of the spatial hierarchy;

traversing the section of the spatial hierarchy to perform the requested operation; and

activating the listening agent to evaluate the request to determine if one of an instruction and data matches a criteria of the listening agent.

40. The program of claim 39, further performing the process of transmitting generating notifications when the criteria is matched.