POSITION-BASED AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION OF PORTABLE DEVICE

• US 20080261616A1
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Inseego Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Inseego Corp.)
• Inventors: Wu, John Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,565,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4415 Self describing peripheral devices
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A method for automatically configuring a portable device comprises determining a position of the portable device and automatically configuring the portable device based on the determined position.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a portable device, comprising:

determining a position of the portable device; and

automatically configuring the portable device based on the determined position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a position is based on a global positioning system (GPS) determination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a position is based on a determination using a cellular network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the portable device includes selecting one or more peripherals for use by the portable device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more peripherals includes a printer or a network connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring the portable device includes configuring access to resources available at the current position of the portable device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein configuring access to resources includes at least one of the following:

selecting a mode of network access, configuring access rights to one or more files, and disabling one or more ports or peripherals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring the portable device includes selecting a profile based on the position from one or more profiles stored on the portable device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a position of the portable device includes determining whether the position has changed from an earlier position.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the position has changed from an earlier position is determined upon startup of the device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the position has changed from an earlier position is determined substantially continuously.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the position is one of a plurality of areas.

13. A portable device, comprising:

a location module adapted to determine a current position of the portable device; and

a processor adapted to automatically configure the portable device based on the current position.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the location module is adapted to use the global positioning system (GPS).

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the location module is adapted to use a cellular network to determine a current position.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is adapted to automatically configure the portable device by selecting one or more peripherals for use by the portable device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the one or more peripherals includes a printer or a network connection.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is adapted to configure the portable device by configuring access to resources available at the current position of the portable device.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the processor is adapted to configure access to resources by at least one of the following:

selecting a mode of network access, configuring access rights to one or more files, and disabling one or more ports or peripherals.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is adapted to configure the portable device by selecting a profile based on the position from one or more profiles stored on the portable device.

21. The device of claim 13, wherein the location module is adapted to determine whether the position has changed from an earlier position.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the location module determines whether the position has changed from an earlier position upon startup of the device.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the location module determines whether the position has changed from an earlier position substantially continuously.

24. The device of claim 13, wherein the position is one of a plurality of areas.

25. A computer program product, embodied on a computer-readable medium, for configuring a portable device, comprising:

computer code for determining a position of the portable device; and

computer code for automatically configuring the portable device based on the determined position.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer code for determining a position uses a global positioning system (GPS) determination.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer code for determining a position uses a cellular network to determine the position.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer code for configuring includes computer code for selecting one or more peripherals for use by the portable device.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the one or more peripherals includes a printer or a network connection.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer code for configuring the portable device includes computer code for configuring access to resources available at the current position of the portable device.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the computer code for configuring access to resources includes computer code for at least one of the following:

selecting a mode of network access, configuring access rights to one or more files, and disabling one or more ports or peripherals.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer code for configuring the portable device includes computer code for selecting a profile based on the position from one or more profiles stored on the portable device.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer code for determining a position of the portable device includes computer code for determining whether the position has changed from an earlier position.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the computer code for determining whether the position has changed from an earlier position is adapted to determine upon startup of the device.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the computer code for determining whether the position has changed from an earlier position is adapted to determine substantially continuously.

36. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the position is one of a plurality of areas