SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR TRIGGERING LOCATION BASED VOICE AND/OR DATA COMMUNICATIONS TO OR FROM MOBILE RATIO TERMINALS

• US 20100291907A1
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Seeker Wireless Pty., Limited
• Inventors: Drane, Christopher Ridgway, Brown, Stephen Frank, Scott, Craig Andrew, MacNaughtan, Malcolm David
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• 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 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Systems, methods and devices for monitoring the location of mobile radio terminal users for the purpose of detecting when they approach within range of one or more target locations in order to trigger voice and/or data communications to or from the network or other mobile radio terminals.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method of monitoring zone statuses for a plurality of mobile radio terminals comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of zones to a plurality of mobile radio terminals, each zone having a zone profile;

storing each zone profile;

receiving a message containing a zone status update, wherein a zone status is determined by measuring radio signal parameters and comparing the radio signal parameters with at least one zone profile; and

if the zone status has changed, transmitting content associated with the zone to a mobile radio terminal.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein providing a plurality of zones further comprises the steps of:

associating at least one zone with at least one mobile radio terminal; and

provisioning the at least one zone to the associated at least one mobile radio terminal.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein associating at least one zone with at least one mobile radio terminal further comprises the steps of:

determining a subscriber profile; and

filtering a plurality of zones to determine zones corresponding to the subscriber profile.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the subscriber profile is stored in a subscriber profile database.

44. A processor executable program embodied on one or more processor readable medium for performing the method of claim 10.

11. (canceled)

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the content is an advertisement.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the content is game content.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the content is community based information.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein providing a plurality of zones consists of transmitting zones to the plurality of mobile radio terminals via SMS.

15. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. A method of monitoring and managing zone profiles stored on a plurality of mobile radio terminals comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of zones, each zone having a zone profile;

associating at least one of the zones with a plurality of mobile radio terminals, wherein associating at least one of the zones with a plurality of mobile radio terminals comprises the steps of;

determining whether a current location of the associated mobile radio terminal is sufficiently known;

if the current location is not sufficiently known, transmitting a request to the associated mobile radio terminal for radio signal measurements;

calculating the current location for the associated mobile radio terminal based on received radio signal measurements;

evaluating zone priorities based on the current location and determining whether any zone updates are required;

if zone updates are required, transmitting a zone to the associated mobile radio terminal;

receiving a message containing a zone status update from the associated mobile radio terminal, wherein the zone status is determined by measuring radio signal parameters and comparing the radio signal parameters with the zone profile of the transmitted zone; and

if the zone status has changed, triggering an action associated with the transmitted zone.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the action is transmitting a set of zones to the associated mobile radio terminal.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the set of zones is a hierarchical set of zones.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the set of zones is at least one large scale zone and at least one small scale zone.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the set of zones is a plurality of advertising zones.

32. The method of claim 21 wherein determining whether a current location is sufficiently known is performed at an interval.

33. The method of claim 21 wherein determining whether a current location is sufficiently known is not performed if the associated mobile radio terminal has remaining memory capacity.

49. A processor executable program embodied on one or more processor readable medium for performing the method of claim 21.

22. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. A method of monitoring a zone status comprising the steps of:

receiving a zone having a zone profile;

storing the zone;

determining a zone status by measuring radio signal parameters and comparing the radio signal parameters with the zone profile; and

if the zone status has changed and a minimum dwell time of a mobile radio terminal has been reached, triggering an action associated with the zone.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the minimum dwell time is at least 5 minutes.

50. A processor executable program embodied on one or more processor readable medium for performing the method of claim 35.

37-43. -43. (canceled)

45-48. -48. (canceled)