PRIVACY-SENSITIVE COOPERATIVE LOCATION NAMING

• US 20110072034A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jenkins, Alexander James, Bator, Shannon W., Sturtevant, Reed Padi Maw, Patel, Ravi S., Goldberg, Aryeh, Sly, Matthew F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/008 Touring maps or guides to public transport networks
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A location database may be configured to store a set of subjective, arbitrary, and/or ephemeral names assigned to a location by various users. When a user of a device arrives at a particular location, the device may retrieve and present to the user the set of names assigned to the location. Moreover, the names may be associated with a privacy designation, which may permit an author of a location name to indicate whether the name of a location should be shared with the public or restricted to access by the user (or to a specified group of users, etc.) Other access criteria may also be specified, e.g., read-only access to a name for the public and read/write access to a particular group of users. Within the set of names of a location, particular names may be designated as authoritative, and may be presented to users with emphasis.

Claims

1. A method of associating names with locations using a device comprising a processor and having access to a location database, the method comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

upon receiving from the user a name of a location, store in the location database the location, the name, and a privacy designation selected from a set of privacy designations comprising a public designation and a private designation; and

upon detecting a current location of the user;

select from the location database at least one name of the current location having one of;

a public designation, and

a private designation that permits access by the user; and

present to the user the at least one name of the current location selected from the location database.

2. The method of claim 1, the location database configured to designate, among at least one name of a location, at least zero authoritative names of the location.

3. The method of claim 2:

the device having access to an authoritative location name source, and

the location database configured to identify a name derived from the authoritative location name source for a location as an authoritative name of the location.

4. The method of claim 2, presenting the names of the locations comprising:

presenting with emphasis the names designated as authoritative names of the location.

5. The method of claim 1, the location database configured to associate with respective locations an area designation representing an area associated with the name.

6. The method of claim 5, storing the location in the location database comprising:

receiving from the user an area designation of the name, and

storing the area designation with the location in the location database.

7. The method of claim 5:

the location database configured to associate with an area designation at least one user who is permitted to name the area designation; and

storing the location in the location database comprising;

identifying the user;

querying whether the user is permitted to name the area; and

upon verifying that the user is permitted to name the area, storing the name of the location in the location database.

8. The method of claim 1, detecting the current location of the user comprising:

detecting an approximate current location of the user;

presenting the approximate current location to the user; and

upon receiving from the user a selection of a more accurate current location, selecting the more accurate current location as the current location.

9. The method of claim 1:

the device comprising a geolocation component configured to detect a current location of the user, and

detecting the current location of the user comprising;

receiving the current location of the user from the geolocation component.

10. The method of claim 1, presenting to the user at least one name of the current location comprising:

calculating a distance of a location having a name to the current location of the user, and

presenting to the user the at least one name of the location sorted according to the distances of the locations of the names to the location of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

upon receiving from the user a name query;

querying the location database for locations matching the name query, and

upon finding at least one location matching the name query, presenting the names of the at least one location to the user.

12. The method of claim 11:

the name query comprising a name type filter selected from a set of name type filters comprising;

an all names filter having no restrictions on the names of the location,

an author identifier filter restricting the names of the location to names having an author identifier of at least one specified author; and

selecting names of a location from the location database comprising;

restricting the names of the location selected from the location database to names matching the name type filter.

13. The method of claim 12:

the location database configured to designate, among at least one name of a location, at least zero authoritative names of the location; and

the set of name type filters comprising an authoritative name filter restricting presented names of the location to authoritative names of the location.

14. The method of claim 12:

the location database comprising at least one author group comprising at least one author, and

the set of name type filters comprising an author group filter restricting presented names of the location to names having an author identifier of an author within at least one specified author group.

15. The method of claim 12:

the location database configured to associate with a name of a location at least one event; and

the set of name type filters comprising an event filter restricting presented names of the location to names associated with at least one specified event.

16. The method of claim 12:

the location database configured to associate with a name of a location a valid duration; and

the set of name type filters comprising a time filter restricting presented names of the location to names having a valid duration comprising a specified time.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising:

upon failing to find at least one location matching the name query;

query the user whether to name the current location of the user as the name query, and

upon receiving from the user a confirmation, storing the name and the current location of the user in the location database.

18. The method of claim 1:

the location database configured to associate with a name of a location at least one user who is permitted to view the name; and

selecting respective names of a location from the location database comprising;

querying whether the user is permitted to view the name; and

upon verifying that the user is permitted to view the name, selecting the name of the location from the location database.

19. A system configured to name locations using a device having a location detection component and having access to a location database, the system comprising:

a name setting component configured to, upon receiving from the user a name of a location, store in the location database the location, the name, and a privacy designation selected from a set of privacy designations comprising a public designation and a private designation; and

a name presenting component configured to, upon receiving from the location detection component a current location of the user;

select from the location database at least one name of the current location having one of;

a public designation, and

a private designation that permits access by the user; and

present to the user the at least one name of the current location selected from the location database.

20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor of a device having access to a location database configured to designate, among at least one name of a location, at least zero authoritative names of the location, and to associate with respective locations an area designation representing an area associated with the name, associate names with locations by:

upon receiving from the user for a name of a location, an area designation of an area of the location, and a privacy designation selected from a set of privacy designations comprising a public designation and a private designation, storing in the location database the location by;

querying whether the user is permitted to name the area, and

upon verifying that the user is permitted to name the area, storing the location, the area designation, the name, the privacy designation, and an author identifier identifying the user in the location database;

detecting a current location of the user by;

detecting an approximate current location of the user;

presenting the approximate current location to the user; and

upon receiving from the user a selection of a more accurate current location, selecting the more accurate current location as the current location;

upon detecting the current location of the user;

selecting from the location database at least one name of the current location having one of;

a public designation, and

a private designation and an author identifier identifying the user; and

presenting to the user the at least one name of the current location by;

calculating a distance of a location having a name to the current location of the user,

presenting to the user the at least one name of the location selected from the location database, the names sorted according to the distances of the locations of the names to the current location, and

emphasizing the names designated as authoritative names of the location; and

upon receiving from the user a name query;

querying the location database for locations matching the name query;

upon finding at least one location matching the name query, presenting the names of the locations to the user; and

upon failing to find at least one location matching the name query;

query the user whether to name the location of the user as the name query, and

upon receiving from the user a confirmation, storing the name and the location of the user in the location database.