Portable Electronic Devices and Methods for Downloading Applications or Events Based on Presence of Portable Electronic Devices Having a Common Element Being in a Defined Region at a Same Time

• US 20090063624A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nordstrom, Anna, Andreasson, Markus, Stavenow, Bengt
• Application Number:
  US12/059,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063624A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Methods, portable electronic devices and servers are provided for downloading applications to a portable electronic device from a server based presence of a certain number of portable electronic devices having a common element in a defined region at a same time. The at least one application or event is stored at the server. The at least one application or event is associated with portable electronic devices having a common element. Current position information is received from the portable electronic devices having the common element. At least one of the at least one stored applications or events is downloaded from the server to the portable electronic devices if the certain number of the portable electronic devices having the common element are within the defined region at the same time

Claims

1. A portable electronic device configured to communicate with and download applications or receive events from a server configured to store at least one application or event, the portable electronic device comprising:

a location circuit configured to determine a current position of the portable electronic device and provide the current position of the portable electronic device to the server; and

a data manager configured to receive a link to the at least one application or event from the server responsive to the provided current position information and download the at least one stored application or event using the received link if a certain number of portable electronic devices having a common element are within a defined region at a same time.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one application or event communicates with other applications, enhances or modifies the portable electronic device and/or rewards a user of the portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the common element comprises a type of portable electronic device and/or a trait associated with a user of the portable electronic device.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the defined region is associated with a static event having a specific location and a specific time and wherein the data manager is configured to receive a link to the at least one application or event if a certain number of portable electronic devices are in the specific location at the specific time.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one stored application or event is predefined for the certain number of portable electronic devices having the common element and wherein the data manager is configured to download the at least one stored application or event when the certain number of portable electronic devices are within the defined region.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the at least one application or event has an associated fixed period of time and/or a fixed location.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is associated with a unique device identifier and wherein the location circuit is further configured to periodically determine a current position of the portable electronic device and transmit the current position of the portable electronic device and the unique device identifier to the server.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the unique device identifier is associated with the common element and wherein the data manager is further configured to:

transmit the current position of the portable electronic device and the unique device identifier to the server; and

receive the link to the at least one application or event from the server if it is determined that a certain number of portable electronic devices having the common element are within the defined region at a same time.

9. A server configured to download applications to a portable electronic device based on a certain number of portable electronic devices having a common element being with a defined region at a same time, the server comprising:

a storage circuit configured to store at least one application or event, the at least one application or event being associated with portable electronic devices having a common element; and

a communications circuit configured to receive current position information associated with the portable electronic device from the portable electronic device and download a link to at least one of the at least one stored applications or events to the portable electronic device if the certain number of portable electronic devices having the common element are in the defined region at the same time.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the at least one application or event communicates with other applications, enhances or modifies the portable electronic device and/or rewards a user of the portable electronic device.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the common element comprises a type of portable electronic device and/or a trait associated with a user of the portable electronic device.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the defined region is associated with a static event having a specific location and a specific time and wherein the communications circuit is configures to transmit a link to the at least one application or event if a certain number of portable electronic devices are in the specific location at the specific time.

13. The server of claim 9, wherein the at least one stored application or event is predefined for the certain number of portable electronic devices having the common element and wherein the communications circuit is configured to download the at least one stored application or event when the certain number of portable electronic devices are within the defined region.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the at least one application or event has an associated fixed period of time and/or a fixed location.

15. A method for downloading applications to a portable electronic device from a server based presence of a certain number of portable electronic devices having a common element in a defined region at a same time, the method comprising:

storing at least one application or event at the server, the at least one application or event being associated with portable electronic devices having a common element;

receiving current position information from the portable electronic devices having the common element; and

downloading at least one of the at least one stored applications or events from the server to the portable electronic devices if the certain number of the portable electronic devices having the common element are within the defined region at the same time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one application or event communicates with other applications, enhances or modifies the portable electronic device and/or rewards a user of the portable electronic device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the common element comprises a type of portable electronic device and/or a trait associated with a user of the portable electronic device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the defined region is associated with a static event having a specific location and a specific time and wherein the method further comprises receiving a link to the at least one application or event if a certain number of portable electronic devices are in the specific location at the specific time.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one stored application or event is predefined for the certain number of portable electronic devices having the common element and wherein the method further comprises downloading the at least one stored application or event when the certain number of portable electronic devices are within the defined region.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one application or event has an associated fixed period of time and/or a fixed location.