INTEGRATING POSITION-DETERMINING AND WI-FI FUNCTIONS

• US 20090191892A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Kelley, Sean V.
• Application Number:
  US12/020,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20090191892A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Techniques are described for leveraging position-determining functions and Wi-Fi functions on a device by integrating these functions. In one or more implementations, Wi-Fi data is provided on a electronic device configured with Wi-Fi and position-determining functionality. This Wi-Fi data is then used to facilitate the device accessing a Wi-Fi network available within a geographical region associated with the device. In at least some implementations, the facilitating is associated with identifying and/or selecting one or more potential Wi-Fi networks to access by integrating the Wi-Fi data with received positioning data and map data on the device. In at least some embodiments, the facilitating is associated with communicatively linking to a selected Wi-Fi network.

Claims

1. A position-determining device comprising one or modules to:

determine a geographic position; and

identify a coverage area for a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) hotspot based on the determined geographic position.

2. A position-determining device as recited in claim 1, wherein the position-determining device includes data that comprises:

map data for the determination; and

Wi-Fi data describing the coverage area and location of the Wi-Fi hotspot.

3. A position-determining device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more modules are further configurable to facilitate the position-determining device to access the Wi-Fi hotspot.

4. A position-determining device as recited in claim 3, wherein to facilitate the position-determining device to access the Wi-Fi hotspot comprises automatically selecting the Wi-Fi hotspot

5. A position-determining device as recited in claim 3, wherein to facilitate the position-determining device to access the Wi-Fi hotspot comprises one or both of:

prompting a user to select the Wi-Fi hotspot;

or

providing information to assist the user to select the Wi-Fi hotspot.

6. A position-determining device as recited in claim 3, wherein to facilitate the position-determining device to access the Wi-Fi hotspot comprises providing navigational instructions from a current position to the determined geographic position that is within the coverage area.

7. A position-determining device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or modules are further executable to notify a user when the position-determining device is leaving the coverage area.

8. A method comprising:

providing data on a device, the data comprising wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) data and map data;

calculating, on the device, a current position for the device;

identifying, on the device, one or more Wi-Fi hotspots based on the current position; and

facilitating the device to access at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein providing comprises one or both of:

downloading, on the device, at least a portion of the data via a Wi-Fi network or wireless cellular network;

or

automatically discovering at least a portion of the data via a Wi-Fi radio on the device or another device communicatively linked with the device.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the Wi-Fi data includes a location and coverage area for individual Wi-Fi hotspots.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein facilitating comprises automatically selecting at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots for the device to access, wherein automatically selecting is based at least in part on criteria associated with the Wi-Fi data and one or more user preferences.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein facilitating comprises assisting a user to select at least one of Wi-Fi hotspots for the device to access by one or more of:

prompting the user to cause the device to search for individual Wi-Fi hotspots that are communicatively available;

prompting the user to select at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots;

or

providing information to assist the user to select at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the information is associated with one or both of:

the Wi-Fi data;

or

one or more points of interest in the geographical region.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein facilitating comprises providing navigational instructions to assist a user in navigating to a position within a coverage area of at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots.

15. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein facilitating comprises one or both of:

prompting a user to cause the device to communicatively link with at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots;

or

automatically communicatively linking the device with at least one of the Wi-Fi hotspots.

16. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the device comprises a mobile phone configured with global positioning satellite (GPS) functionality.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that are executable to:

configure a position-determining device to identify a Wi-Fi hotspot prior to determining that the Wi-Fi hotspot is communicatively available, wherein the Wi-Fi hotspot is associated with a coverage area that includes a region, and wherein the region includes the positioning-determining device'"'"'s current position; and

facilitating the device to access the Wi-Fi hotspot.

18. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein configuring comprises one or more of:

integrating map data and positioning data on the position-determining device to identify the region;

providing, on the position-determining device, Wi-Fi data for the region, wherein the Wi-Fi data designates the coverage area;

or

integrating the map data and the Wi-Fi data to discover the Wi-Fi hotspot.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the current position is calculated by the position-determining device.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein facilitating comprises notifying a user of the Wi-Fi hotspot.

21. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein facilitating comprises selecting the Wi-Fi hotspot from multiple potential Wi-Fi hotspots identified by the position-determining device.

22. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the Wi-Fi hotspot is selected based at least in part on one or more of:

a proximity of the Wi-Fi hotspot to the position-determining device;

a proximity of the Wi-Fi hotspot to one or more points of interest in the region;

or

an access cost of the Wi-Fi hotspot.

23. A position-determining device comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

one or modules stored in the memory and executable on the processor to;

calculate a current position for the position-determining device;

identify a route between the current position and a destination position;

identify one or more Wi-Fi hotspot coverage areas along the route; and

depict at least one of the one or more Wi-Fi hotspot coverage areas on a map.

24. A position-determining device as recited in claim 23, wherein the one or more modules are further executable to provide a user with navigational instructions from the current position to the destination position.

25. A position-determining device as recited in claim 23, wherein the one or more modules are further executable to notify a user when the device is entering one or more of the expected coverage areas.