METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATION IDENTIFICATION AND PRESENTATION

• US 20150038168A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Lau, Chung, Tong, Peter P., Thomas, C. Douglass
• Granted Patent: US 9,219,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Method and apparatus to analyze and present location information in an easy-to-digest manner are disclosed. In one embodiment, each piece of location information can include a piece of location-designating information and a piece of location-related information. Location-designating information is primarily for identifying location. Location-related information is information related to location-designating information. The location-designating information and the location-related information can be supplied by a mobile device. With the help of location-related information, each piece of location-designating information can be more accurately transformed into a label to help identify a location. The amount of location information can be reduced. All of the location-designating information pertaining to a given area can be consolidated into one piece of location-designating information related to the label. Consolidation of some of the information may not occur if a piece of location-related information changes by more than a preset value. To better present location information in an easy-to-digest manner, location information can be compared to standards. Presentation can be on a display with respect to a reference location.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a display;

a satellite receiver to receive signals related to location from a plurality of satellites;

a sensor to sense an attribute of an environment where the mobile electronic device is located;

a storage device to store at least instructions;

hardware to execute at least a portion of the instructions,

wherein the instructions include at least;

instructions to access at least data based on a first measurement from the satellite receiver receiving the signals;

instructions to access at least data based on a second measurement from the sensor sensing the attribute;

instructions to analyze at least the data based on the first measurement and the data based on the second measurement to determine a location of the mobile electronic device;

instructions to present a geographic area with a plurality of points of interest on the display;

instructions to associate the location to a position on the geographic area; and

instructions to present a symbol at the position on the geographic area.

2. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to change the position of the symbol on the geographic area to track movement of the mobile electronic device.

3. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 2, wherein whether at least a particular point of interest is one of the plurality of points of interest on the display depends on movement of the mobile electronic device.

4. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second measurement from the sensor sensing at least wireless signals with a frequency in the Ghz range.

5. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1 further comprising wireless transmitting electronics, wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to receive a message from a user of the mobile electronic device, and to have the wireless transmitting electronics wirelessly transmit the message with data regarding the location to be received by another device.

6. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to change the geographic area, and instructions to change the presenting of at least one of the plurality of points of interest in view of the geographic area being changed.

7. An mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1 wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to help a user set a particular point of interest to be one of the plurality of points of interest being presented.

8. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to present another symbol on the geographic area, and the another symbol is selectable by a user to cause a website to be presented on the display.

9. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 8, wherein the another symbol is selectable by clicking the another symbol.

10. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to electronically search for data in a database based on words provided by a user to the mobile electronic device.

11. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 10, wherein the mobile electronic device to access the database wirelessly.

12. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions in the storage device further include instructions to electronically search for a point of interest in the vicinity of the location based on words provided by a user to the mobile electronic device.

21. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 1,

wherein the geographic area is a first geographic area,

wherein the location of the mobile electronic device is a first location and is associated with a first time, and

wherein the instructions in the storage device include at least:

instructions to present both the first time and the symbol on the display;

instructions to determine a second location of the mobile electronic device, with the second location being associated with a second time;

instructions to present a second geographic area on the display, with at least one of the plurality of points of interest in the first geographic area not being presented in the second geographic area;

instructions to associate the second location to a second position on the second geographic area; and

instructions to present a symbol at the second position on the second geographic area, together with the second time, on the display.

22. A mobile electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the wireless signals include WiFi signals.

13. An article comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a handheld electronic device having a display, wherein the instructions are executable to;

access at least data based on a first measurement from a satellite receiver receiving signals related to location from a plurality of satellites, the satellite receiver in the handheld electronic device;

access at least data based on a second measurement from a sensor sensing an attribute of an environment where the handheld electronic device is located, the sensor in the handheld electronic device;

analyze at least the data based on the first measurement and the data based on the second measurement to determine a location of the handheld electronic device;

present a geographic area with a plurality of points of interest on the display;

associate the location to a position on the geographic area; and

present a symbol at the position on the geographic area.

14. An article as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to change the position of the symbol on the geographic area to track movement of the handheld electronic device.

15. An article as recited in claim 13, wherein the second measurement from the sensor sensing at least wireless signals with a frequency in the Ghz range.

16. An article as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to receive a message from a user of the handheld electronic device, and to wirelessly transmit the message with data regarding the location to be received by another device.

17. An article as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to present another symbol on the geographic area, and the another symbol is selectable by a user to cause a website to be presented on the display.

18. An article as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to electronically search for data in a database based on words provided by a user to the handheld electronic device.

19. An article as recited in claim 18, wherein the handheld electronic device to access to the database wirelessly.

20. An article as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to electronically search for a point of interest in the vicinity of the location based on words provided by a user to the handheld electronic device.

23. An article as recited in claim 13,

wherein the geographic area is a first geographic area,

wherein the location of the handheld electronic device is a first location and is associated with a first time, and

wherein the instructions are further executable to:

present both the first time and the symbol on the display;

determine a second location of the handheld electronic device, with the second location being associated with a second time;

present a second geographic area on the display, with at least one of the plurality of points of interest in the first geographic area not being presented in the second geographic area;

associate the second location to a second position on the second geographic area; and

present a symbol at the second position on the second geographic area, together with the second time, on the display.

24. An article as recited in claim 15, wherein the wireless signals includes WiFi signals.