LOCATION-BASED OPERATIONS AND MESSAGING

• US 20110165889A1
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Guesman, Jason, Fiatal, Trevor
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Systems and methods for using location information to determine a medium to use for communications to a user of a mobile device are provided. The user'"'"'s mobile device provides location information to in intermediate computing device. That location information is accessed and used to determine, from a plurality of media, which to use for communications with the user. In various embodiments of the present invention, the user'"'"'s mobile device can receive location-based content and commands.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first mobile device configured to provide information concerning a physical location of the first mobile device;

an intermediate computing device configured to receive the information concerning the physical location of the first mobile device; and

a second mobile device configured to identify a communications medium to communicate with a user of the first mobile device based on at least the physical location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate computing device is hosted by a network service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises GPS-related information or A-GPS related information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile device is further configured to determine an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive location-related content based on at least the location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a content broadcaster configured to transmit location-related content to mobile devices at a location as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is configured to receive communications through multiple communication mediums serviced by multiple service providers;

wherein, the first mobile device provides an integrated environment for the user to access communications received through the multiple communication mediums serviced by multiple service providers.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein, intermediate computing device polls the first mobile device for up to date location information.

4. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

10. A location-based communication system comprising:

a first mobile device configured to provide information concerning a physical location of the first mobile device;

an intermediate computing device configured to receive the information concerning the physical location of the first mobile device and determine a communication medium for communications to a user of the first mobile device based on at least the physical location of the first mobile device; and

a second mobile device configured to receive an identification of the communication medium.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information comprises GPS-related information or A-GPS related information.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the second mobile device is further configured to determine an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive location-related content based on at least the location of the first mobile device, as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

12. (canceled)

15. A method for determining a medium for communications to a user of a first mobile device, comprising:

receiving information concerning an identification of the user of the first mobile device;

receiving location information from the first mobile device, wherein the location information identifies a physical location of the first mobile device;

providing the user information and the location information to a second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is configured to select a communication medium to use to communicate with the user, based on at least the location of the first mobile device;

wherein, communication received via the communication medium and other communication mediums at the first mobile device is accessible via an integrated user environment.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the location information to the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is configured to determine an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending the first mobile device location-related content based on at least the location of the first mobile device;

sending the first mobile device location—

based commands based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information is received from the first mobile device in response to a request by the second mobile device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information is received from the first mobile device as part of a regularly scheduled transmission of location information.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication mediums include, one or more of, email, instant messages, SMS text message, and voice mail message.

18. (canceled)

21-24. -24. (canceled)

27. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method for location-based operations, the method, comprising:

providing, location information of a mobile device to an intermediate computing device;

further providing updated location information of the mobile device, responsive to receiving polling requests from the intermediate computing device over a cellular network;

wherein, a user of the mobile device is accessible via multiple communication channels and the location information or the updated location information is used to select a communication medium for use in communicating with the user;

wherein, communications received via the multiple communication channels are accessible on the mobile device through an extensible communication application configured to display a user environment through which each service hosting the multiple communication channels are accessible.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, the user environment includes indications or links to the communications.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein, the intermediate computing device selects the communication medium.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein, the communication medium is selected by a second device, for the second device to communicate with the mobile device.