METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING POSITION-RELATED INFORMATION TO MOBILE RECIPIENTS

• US 20110250907A1
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc., Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Giniger, Michael L., Hilton, Warren Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system for providing position-related information to a mobile user includes a mobile unit and a central site server. The mobile unit includes circuitry for determining present position information from position signals which may emanate from, for example, GPS satellites. The mobile unit further includes circuitry for establishing a wireless bidirectional communications link with the central site server via a terrestrial network, which may be accessed via a cellular telephone network. The central site server includes circuitry for receiving the present position information from the mobile unit. A table stored at the central site server includes different response information in correspondence with possible positions of the mobile unit. The response information may further be in correspondence with user preferences. The central site server uses the received present position information to retrieve corresponding response information from the table, and sends the retrieved response information to the mobile unit via the bidirectional communications link. The mobile unit further includes circuitry, such as a loudspeaker, for supplying the response information to the mobile user. In another aspect of the invention, communications between the mobile unit and the central site server are encrypted. Furthermore, the mobile unit may include components for preventing position information from being supplied to the loudspeaker, thereby eliminating distracting noise from being presented to the user.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device for selectively reporting position information, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive position signals;

a processor coupled to the receiver and responsive to the position signals to determine position information indicative of a present position of the mobile communication device;

a modulator/demodulator configured to transmit the position information to a destination over a communication network; and

a position reporting enabling unit configurable by a user to selectively enable and disable transmission of the position information while the mobile communication device is operational.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the position reporting enabling unit selectively enables and disables transmission of the position information according to a command signal input by the user of the mobile communication device.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the position reporting enabling unit comprises an enable/disable switch configurable by the user to selectively enable and disable transmission of the position information.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor periodically determines the position information in accordance with a refresh interval.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the position reporting enabling unit overrides the refresh interval when transmission of the position information is disabled.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface that permits a user of the mobile communication device to communicate over a communication network, wherein the modulator/demodulator transmits communication signals received from the user interface and supplies received communication signals to the user interface.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

8. A method of selectively reporting position information from a mobile communication device, comprising:

receiving position signals;

determining position information in response to the position signals, the position information indicating a present position of the mobile communication device;

transmitting the position information to a destination over a communication network; and

selectively enabling and disabling, in accordance with a setting configurable by a user of the mobile communication device, the transmission of the position information while the mobile communication device is operational.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein selectively enabling and disabling the transmission of the position information is performed in accordance with a command signal input by the user of the mobile communication device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein selectively enabling and disabling the transmission of the position information is performed in accordance with an enable/disable switch configurable by the user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the position information is performed periodically in accordance with a refresh interval.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein selectively enabling and disabling the transmission of the position information overrides the refresh interval when transmission of the position information is disabled.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting communication signals received from a user via a user interface over the communication network; and

supplying communication signals received over the communication network to the user via the user interface.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the received position signals are global positioning system (GPS) signals.

15. A mobile communication device for selectively reporting position information, comprising:

means for receiving position signals;

means for determining position information in response to the position signals, the position information indicating a present position of the mobile communication device;

means for transmitting the position information to a destination over a communication network; and

means for selectively enabling and disabling, in accordance with a setting configurable by a user of the mobile communication device, the transmission of the position information while the mobile communication device is operational.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the means for selectively enabling and disabling is configured to selectively enable and disable the transmission of the position information in accordance with a command signal input by the user of the mobile communication device.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the means for selectively enabling and disabling comprises switching means configurable by the user to toggle between an enable and disable state.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the means for determining position information periodically determines the position information in accordance with a refresh interval.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the means for selectively enabling and disabling the transmission of the position information overrides the refresh interval when transmission of the position information is disabled.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 15, further comprising:

user interface means for permitting a user of the mobile communication device to communicate over a communication network, wherein the means for transmitting the position information transmits communication signals received from the user interface means and supplies received communication signals to the user interface means.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the received position signals are global positioning system (GPS) signals.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for selectively reporting position information from a mobile communication device, the computer-readable medium comprising:

program code to receive position signals;

program code to determine position information in response to the position signals, the position information indicating a present position of the mobile communication device;

program code to transmit the position information to a destination over a communication network; and

program code to selectively enable and disable, in accordance with a setting configurable by a user of the mobile communication device, the transmission of the position information while the mobile communication device is operational.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the program code to selectively enable and disable is configured to selectively enable and disable the transmission of the position information in accordance with a command signal input by the user of the mobile communication device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the program code to selectively enable and disable is configured to selectively enable and disable the transmission of the position information in accordance with a switch configurable by the user to toggle between an enable and disable state.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the program code to determine position information periodically determines the position information in accordance with a refresh interval.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the program code to selectively enable and disable the transmission of the position information overrides the refresh interval when transmission of the position information is disabled.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising:

program code to operate a user interface that permits a user of the mobile communication device to communicate over a communication network, wherein program code to transmit the position information transmits communication signals received from the user interface and supplies received communication signals to the user interface.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the received position signals are global positioning system (GPS) signals.

29. A mobile unit for use in a position information distribution system that includes a central site server, the mobile unit comprising:

receiver circuitry configured to receive position signals and determine present position information from the position signals;

a RF modulator/demodulator configured to send the present position information to a central site server via a bidirectional communications link;

a control unit configured to receive response information from the central site server via the bidirectional communications link, wherein the response information is selected from the group including at least one of information about a point of interest to the mobile user or information about a topic of interest to the mobile user; and

a switch configured to enable or disable the determination of the present position information, wherein the switch does not affect whether power is applied to other components of the mobile unit.

30. The mobile unit of claim 29, wherein the response information further includes at least one of information about an art display, information about a zoological display, historic information, information about a natural wonder, information about an urban setting and information about a theme park.

31. The mobile unit of claim 29, further comprising:

an input device configured to generate a selection signal to select the point of interest.

32. The mobile unit of claim 31, wherein the input device comprises a keypad and the selection signal corresponds to an alphanumeric entry on said keypad.

33. The mobile unit of claim 31, wherein the input device comprises a microphone and the selection signal comprises a voice signal.

34. The mobile unit of claim 29, wherein the mobile unit comprises at least one of a digital wireless phone or a laptop computer.

35. The mobile unit of claim 29, wherein the receiver circuitry comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the response information provided to the mobile user includes audio information.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein the response information provided to the mobile user includes image and/or video content.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein the response information provided to the mobile user includes text content.