LOCATION-BASED COMMUNICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20110208817A1
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shaham, Amir, Toledano, Eyal, Oks, Eduard, Bregman-Amitai, Orna
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method for providing location-based messages comprises locating a suitable placeholder for a message within a physical surrounding using a handheld device provided with image acquisition apparatus, and associating a written or visual or audio message, or a combination of two or more of them, with an image that identifies said placeholder, said association being carried out in a server adapted to communicate with said handheld device.

Claims

1. A method for providing location-based messages, comprising locating a suitable placeholder for a message within a physical surrounding using a handheld device provided with image acquisition apparatus, and associating a written or visual or audio message, or a combination of two or more of them, with an image that identifies said placeholder, said association being carried out in a server adapted to communicate with said handheld device.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying a message placeholder using image acquisition apparatus provided in a handheld device, communicating with a server in which one or more messages are associated with said message placeholder, and retrieving said one or more messages therefrom.

3. A system for managing location-based messages, comprising:

a database suitable to associate one or more messages with one or more images that identify message placeholders;

computing means suitable to manage inputs and outputs of data and computing means suitable to locate and forward messages associated with a specific message placeholder;

communication apparatus suitable to receive data representative of message placeholders and of messages associated therewith from a handheld device, and to transmit data representative of a message to a handheld device.