LOCATION AWARE RESOURCE LOCATOR

• US 20150067163A1
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bahnsen, Robert Bruce, Zimmer, Vincent J., Gittins, Robert S., Swanson, Robert, Bulusu, Mallik
• Granted Patent: US 9,686,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

Systems and methods providing a location-aware resource locator model for facilitating communication with networked electronic devices are generally disclosed herein. One embodiment includes a resource locator using a standard Uniform Resource Locator (URL) format, but enabling identification of one or many devices based on logical location information provided in the resource locator. The resource locator may also enable identification of the one or many devices based on logical proximity information (such as a logical term indicating a location property) relative to a dynamic location. Further disclosed embodiments include uses of a hierarchical structure to define logical terms and classes for use with a resource locator, and various location determination and lookup techniques used in connection with accessing an electronic device.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device having a plurality of instructions stored therein, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations that;

interpret a resource locator used to communicate with one or more devices among a network of devices, the resource locator providing one or more location-based terms;

access device information from a device information database using the location-based terms; and

identify the one or more devices in the network of devices using the device information.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the location-based terms include one or more proximity criterion terms for identifying the one or more devices in the network of devices based on proximity to a dynamic location.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a smartphone configured to communicate with the one or more devices in the network of devices using a wireless network connection.

4. The computing device of claim 1, the plurality of instructions further causing the processor to perform operations that:

determine location for the one or more devices; and

associate the location for the one or more devices with one or more location-based identifiers in the device information database.

5. The computing device of claim 1, the plurality of instructions further causing the processor to perform operations that:

establish communication with the identified one or more devices using the device information.

6. A method, comprising:

determining, with an electronic system, a physical location in a defined environment for a particular device, the particular device connected to a network of devices;

associating, in a data store, the physical location of the particular device with one or more location-based identifiers;

receiving and interpreting a resource locator, the resource locator providing one or more terms correlated to at least one of the one or more location-based identifiers; and

identifying the particular device in the network of devices using the location-based identifiers.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining proximity of devices in the network of devices relative to a dynamic location in the defined environment;

wherein the resource locator provides one or more proximity-based terms to indicate a criterion for identifying the one or more devices by proximity to the dynamic location; and

wherein identifying the one or more devices in the network of devices includes identifying the one or more devices including the particular device based on the proximity to the dynamic location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a physical location in the defined environment of an originator of the resource locator;

wherein the dynamic location comprises the physical location of the originator of the resource locator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the originator of the resource locator comprises a mobile device operated by a user, and wherein the dynamic location comprises a location of the mobile device operated by the user.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating a listing of one or more devices associated with the resource locator using the location-based identifiers, the listing of the one or more devices including the identification of the particular device.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the physical location in the defined environment of the particular device includes determining a physical location of the particular device in a three-dimensional space of a building.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location-based identifiers are logical terms defining spaces or objects within the three-dimensional space of the building.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein associating the physical location of the device includes storing data representing the physical location of the device in a device information database.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the resource locator is correlated to at least one of the one or more location-based identifiers in a location-based hierarchy, the location-based hierarchy providing a mapping of locations in the defined environment.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions, which when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

interpret a resource locator string, the resource locator string providing one or more terms associated with location-based information maintained for one or more devices in a network of devices; and

identify the one or more devices among devices within the network of devices based on the association between the location-based information and the one or more terms.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the instructions further causing the computer to:

determine location criterion of proximity-based terms provided by the one or more terms, the location criterion evaluated relative to a dynamic location and used to identify the one or more devices in the network of devices satisfying the location criterion.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the dynamic location comprises a location of an originator of the resource locator string.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the resource locator string is provided from a mobile device operated by a user, and wherein the dynamic location comprises a location of the mobile device operated by the user.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the location-based information comprises logical terms associated with coordinates in a three-dimensional space of a building.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the terms are associated with the location-based information in a location-based hierarchy of a defined environment for the one or more devices, the location-based hierarchy used to identify the one or more devices in the network of devices.

21. A system, comprising:

a device information database providing location information for a plurality of devices in a network; and

a device configured for communication with one or more particular devices of the plurality of devices using a location-specific resource locator;

wherein the location-specific resource locator is interpreted to resolve location terms included in the location-specific resource locator to the location information provided for the one or more particular devices.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a positioning system providing location information for a mobile device operated in a defined environment;

wherein the location-specific resource locator is further interpreted to resolve proximity criterion provided in the location terms relative to the location information for the mobile device, to identify the one or more particular devices based on the proximity to the mobile device.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the device is a mobile wireless device, the mobile wireless device providing one or more applications for providing the location-specific resource locator.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein location information provided from the device information database is used to produce a list of the one or more particular devices provided for the location-specific resource locator.