Wi-Fi broadcast of links

• US 20100080201A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Gloria, Rosenblatt, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/286,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20100080201A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for transmitting wide fidelity (Wi-Fi) signals to an electronic device. These Wi-Fi signals may contain content specific links that may be relevant to the surroundings of a user. The user may be able to select these links by interfacing with the electronic device to view media content relevant to the user. The Wi-Fi signals may be transmitted from a base station. The base station can be configured by an operator of the base station to transmit any type of link deemed relevant to a user of the electronic device. Additionally, the base station may be configured to transmit location information to the electronic device for use with a positioning program in the device.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a base station configured to transmit on a wireless network;

one or more location pointers corresponding to one or more links to information retrievable by receiving devices of the one or more location pointers; and

location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a Wi-Fi network configured to operate using one or more IEEE 802.11 wireless network standards.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more links to information comprise a specific address for an Internet location.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the base station provides a wide area network connection useable by the receiving devices of the one or more location pointers to access the specific address for the Internet location corresponding to the corresponding location pointer.

31. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station are transmitted wirelessly.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station are adapted to convey a distance between a receiver of the location coordinates and the base station.

5. An electronic device comprising:

a network interface adapted to receive;

one or more location pointers corresponding to links to information transmitted from a base station; and

location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station; and

a display adapted to display the location pointers and a representation of a map corresponding to the current location of the electronic device.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is adapted to navigate to one or more Internet addresses corresponding to the one or more location pointers.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein navigation to the one or more Internet addresses is accomplished using a wide area network connection transmitted from the base station.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein navigation to the Internet address is accomplished using a wide area network connection internal to the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the wide area network connection internal to the electronic device corresponds to an EDGE connection or a 3G connection.

10. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is adapted to utilize the location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station to determine the location of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the display is adapted to display a pin location corresponding to the determined location of the electronic device on the representation of the map.

12. A computer program stored on a tangible computer readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions operable to cause a processor to:

provide a setup page adapted to list one or more display names and destinations corresponding to one or more location pointers, wherein the one or more location pointers correspond to one or more links to information;

provide editing capability for editing the one or more display names and destinations; and

provide an add function for adding at least one location pointer to the setup page.

13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to transmit the one or more location pointers from a server to various base stations communicatively coupled to the server.

14. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the one or more links to information correspond to one or more Internet addresses.

15. The computer program of claim 12, wherein editing the one or more display names alters the name of the one or more location pointers transmitted from a base station.

16. The computer program of claim 12, wherein editing the one or more destinations alters the one or more links to information of the one or more location pointers.

17. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

transmitting one or more location pointers corresponding to one or more links to information from a base station; and

transmitting from the base station location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more links to information comprise specific addresses for one or more Internet locations.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising providing a network connection useable to access an address for the one or more Internet locations corresponding to the one or more location pointers.

20. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving in a device one or more location pointers corresponding to one or more links to information and location coordinates corresponding to the location of a known point.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more links to information comprise specific addresses for one or more Internet locations.

22. The method of claim 20, comprising determining if a transmitter of the location pointers provides a network connection useable by the device to access addresses for one or more Internet locations corresponding to the one or more location pointers, and utilizing the wide area network connection if provided to access the addresses for the one or more Internet locations corresponding to the one or more location pointers.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising utilizing using an internal network connection internal to the electronic device if the transmitter of the location pointers does not provide a network connection useable by the device to access the addresses of the one or more Internet locations corresponding to the one or more specified location pointers.

24. The method of claim 20, comprising utilizing the location coordinates corresponding to the location of the known point to determine the location of the electronic device.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising displaying a pin location corresponding to the determined location of the electronic device on a representation of a map generated in the device.

26. An electronic device, comprising:

a base station configured to transmit one or more location pointers on a wireless network, wherein the one or more location pointers correspond to one or more links to information retrievable by receiving devices of the one or more location pointers.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the wireless network is a Wi-Fi network configured to operate using one or more IEEE 802.11 wireless network standards.

28. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein each of the one or more links to information comprise a specific address for an Internet location.

29. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the base station provides a wide area network connection useable by the receiving devices of the one or more location pointers to access the specific address for the Internet location corresponding to the corresponding location pointer.

30. An electronic device, comprising:

a base station configured to transmit location coordinates corresponding to the location of the base station.