METHOD, INTERFACE AND APPARATUS FOR DISCOVERING A LOCATION OF A DEVICE

• US 20090106778A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Chesnais, Pascal, Pomeroy, Stephen, Watlington, John, Wheeler, Patrick Sean
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A system, method, Application Programming Interface (API) and device for discovering a location of a device, for example, to provide location information for a Location Based Service (LBS). The device includes a memory, a display, and a processor operably coupled to the memory and the display. The processor may be arranged to provide a user interface (UI) on the display, retrieve location cues in response to a location request, forward location cues to a location server and receive location information back from the location server. The location information may be a location query page associated with a new place ID if the location cues do not correspond to the location server cues or the location information may be a previously discovered place ID associated with the server location cues if one or more of the location cues correspond to one or more of the server'"'"'s location cues.

Claims

1. An Application Programming Interface (API) stored on a processor readable memory medium, the API comprising:

a portion arranged to receive location cues from a device as a portion of a request for location information;

a portion arranged to compare the location cues to a database of location cues;

a portion arranged to return a location query page associated with a new place ID if the location cues do not correspond to the database location cues; and

a portion arranged to return a previously discovered place ID associated with at least one database location cue and arranged to associate any of the location cues that do not correspond to the at least one database location cue with the previously discovered place ID if one or more of the location cues correspond to one or more of the database location cues.

2. The API of claim 1, comprising a portion arranged to expand the location cues and compare the expanded location cues to the database location cues, wherein the portion arranged to return the previously discovered place ID associated with the database location cues is arranged to return the previously discovered place ID if one or more of the expanded location cues correspond to one or more of the database location cues.

3. The API of claim 1, comprising a portion arranged to share the previously discovered place ID with a further device in response to a location request from the further device that includes one or more location cues that correspond to one or more of the database location cues that correspond to the previously discovered place ID.

4. The API of claim 1, wherein the device is a device of a user and wherein the database location cues include temporal cues related to a time of acquiring the database location cues and user identification information identifying the user associated with the database location cues, the API comprising a portion arranged to share the place ID with a further device of the user in response to a location request from the further device that includes temporal cues that are within a predetermined time of one or more of the database temporal cues.

5. The API of claim 1, wherein the location cues include a context, wherein the portion arranged to return the previously discovered place ID is arranged to return the place ID at a location resolution determined from the context.

6. The API of claim 1, wherein the location cues include an absolute location identification, wherein the API comprises a portion arranged to convert the absolute location identification to an area identification, wherein the portion arranged to compare the location cues is arranged to compare the area identification to area identifications stored in the database.

7. The API of claim 6, wherein each of the area identifications is represented by a C-Square string.

9. The API of claim 1, wherein if two or more of the location cues correspond to different place IDs stored in the database, the API comprising a portion arranged to merge the different place IDs into one place ID, wherein the portion arranged to return the previously discovered place ID returns the one place ID.

8. (canceled)

10. A method of providing location information to a Location Based Service (LBS), the method comprising acts of:

receiving location cues from a device as a portion of a request for location information;

comparing the location cues to a database of location cues;

returning a location query page associated with a new place ID if the location cues do not correspond to the database location cues; and

returning a previously discovered place ID associated with the database location cues and associating any of the location cues that do not correspond to database location cues with the previously discovered place ID if one or more of the location cues correspond to one or more of the database location cues.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising an act of expanding the location cues and comparing the expanded location cues to the database location cues, wherein the act of returning the previously discovered place ID associated with the database location cues comprises an act of returning the previously discovered place ID if one or more of the expanded location cues correspond to one or more of the database location cues.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising an act of sharing the place ID with a further device in response to a location request from the further device that includes one or more location cues that correspond to one or more of the database location cues that correspond to the place ID.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the device is associated with a user and wherein the database location cues include temporal cues related to a time of acquiring the database location cues and user identification information identifying the user associated with the database location cues, the method comprising an act of sharing the place ID with a further device of the user in response to a location request from the further device that includes temporal cues that are within a predetermined time of one or more of the database temporal cues.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the location cues include a context, wherein the act of returning the previously discovered place ID comprises an act of returning the place ID at a location resolution determined from the context.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the location cues include an absolute location identification, the method comprising an act of converting the absolute location identification to an area identification, wherein the act of comparing the location cues comprises an act of comparing the area identification to area identifications stored in the database.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the area identifications is represented by a C-Square string.

17. A device for accessing a Location based Service (LBS), the device comprising:

a memory;

a display; and

a processor operably coupled to the memory and the display, wherein the memory configures the processor to;

provide a user interface (UI) on the display;

retrieve location cues in response to a location request;

forward location cues to a location server; and

receive location information back from the location server, wherein the location information is a location query page associated with a new place ID if the location cues do not correspond to the location server cues and wherein the location information is a previously discovered place ID associated with the server location cues if one or more of the location cues correspond to one or more of the server'"'"'s location cues.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the memory configures the processor to:

store the server location cues and corresponding place IDs in the memory;

query the server location cues stored in the memory prior to forwarding the location cues to the location server; and

return a previously discovered place ID associated with the location cues stored in the memory as the location information if the location cues correspond to one or more of the location cues stored in memory.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the memory configures the processor to associate any of the location cues that do not correspond to location cues stored in the memory with the previously discovered place ID if one or more of the location cues correspond to one or more of the location cues stored in the memory.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the memory configures the processor to forward to the location server the associated one or more of the location cues that do not correspond to one or more of the location cues stored in the memory.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the memory configures the processor to convert a location cue that includes absolute location information into a bounding area designation that encompasses the absolute location information.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the memory configures the processor to:

expand the bounding area designation and compare the expanded bounding area designation to the location cues stored in the memory; and

return the previously discovered place ID if the expanded bounding area designation corresponds to one or more of the location cues stored in the memory.

26. The device of claim 17, wherein the location cues include a context, wherein the memory configures the processor to return the previously discovered place ID at a location resolution determined from the context.

27. The device of claim 17, wherein if two or more of the location cues correspond to different place IDs stored in the memory, the memory configures the processor to merge the different place IDs into one place ID and return the one place ID as the previously discovered place ID.

29. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is a cell phone and wherein the LBS is a location aware call log that provides a record of calls placed at the previously discovered place ID.

30. The device of claim 17, wherein the UI includes a web browsing function and wherein the memory configures the processor to forward the previously discovered place ID to a web page currently being viewed by the device such that the web page view is customized based on the previously discovered place ID.

21. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

28. (canceled)