Providing Location-Based Services in a Distributed Environment Without Direct Control Over the Point of Access

• US 20170064500A1
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wayport, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wayport, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: KEELER, JAMES D.
• Application Number:
  US15/351,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064500A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method including executing, at a computing device, a location-based content retrieval application to transmit location information associated with the computing device to a location server and to receive location-based content from the location server in response to the location information. The method further includes generating a display output based on the location-based content, the display output including information based on a location of a computing device and an application of the computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing, at a computing device, a location-based content retrieval application to transmit location information associated with the computing device to a location server and to receive location-based content from the location server in response to the location information; and

generating a display output based on the location-based content, the display output including information based on a location of a second computing device and an application of the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes a screen name assigned to a particular user associated with the second computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a prompt for additional data; and

responsive to the prompt, receiving the additional data via user input at the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the display output includes an icon, wherein the icon comprises a first particular icon responsive to the application being a particular messaging application, and wherein the icon comprises a second particular icon responsive to the application being a particular gaming application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the display output indicates that a screen name assigned to a particular user associated with the second computing device is unknown responsive to the location based data not including the screen name.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display output includes a map.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the map identifies a location of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input at the computing device, the user input indicating a user preference, wherein the user preference indicates a category of information to include in the location-based content; and

transmitting the user preference to the location server, wherein the location-based content includes content related to the category of information responsive to transmitting the user preference.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user preference includes a restaurant preference indicating a particular restaurant.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display output includes an icon associated with the application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based content retrieval application comprises a plug-in of a browser, and wherein the computing device is configured to retrieve and display the location-based content in the browser in conjunction with internet content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plug-in is configured to be automatically executed by the computing device responsive to opening of the browser.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises a network address of an access point.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network address of the access point comprises a media access control address of the access point.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein executing the location-based content retrieval application further comprises retrieving the network address of the access point and sending the network address of the access point to the location server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the network address of the access point comprises an internet protocol address.

17. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

executing, at a computing device, a location-based content retrieval application to transmit location information associated with the computing device to a location server and to receive location-based content from the location server in response to the location information; and

generating a display output based on the location-based content, the display output including information based on a location of a second computing device and an application of the second computing device.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, further comprising detecting a first connection that provides the processor internet access.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

executing, at the processor, a location-based content retrieval application to transmit location information associated with the processor to a location server and to receive location-based content from the location server in response to the location information; and

generating a display output based on the location-based content, the display output including information based on a location of a computing device and an application of the computing device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein display output includes a map that identifies the location and an indicator that identifies the application.