Method and apparatus in a wireless communication system for creating a learning function

• US 6,263,209 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Souissi, Slim, Hill, Thomas Casey, Smith, Dwight Randall, Breeden, Robert Louis, Reed, John Douglas, Olson, Carl Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/362,544
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/457, 455/38.2, 455/404, 455/567, 701/200, 701/204, 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 701/300, 342/450, 342/357.01
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A wireless communication system conducts (402) communications between a fixed portion (102) of the wireless communication system and a portable subscriber unit (122) carried by a user; and records (404) a relevant aspect of the communications, thereby producing recorded information. The system determines (405) a current time of day and a current position of the user and makes (406) a comparison of the recorded information with the current time of day and the current position of the user to determine whether an alert is necessary, and generates (412) the alert when the comparison determines the alert is necessary.

Claims

1. A method in a portable subscriber unit for creating a learning function and generating an alert response to learned information, the method comprising the steps of:

communicating with a fixed portion of the wireless communication system a plurality of times and in a plurality of locations;

recording the plurality of times and the plurality of locations in a memory, thereby producing recorded information; and

extracting further information from said recorded information, including relative locations of selected destination and travel times between the selected destination, wherein said travel times are determined from actual travel times experiences by the portable subscriber unit in the past.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

pre-recording a schedule of planned activities of the user, thereby creating a pre-recorded schedule, and

comparing said further information with the pre-recorded schedule to determine whether an alert is necessary.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the fixed portion of the wireless communication system uses base stations configured for short range (local) coverage, and

wherein the recording step comprises the step of determining the plurality of locations from transmitter identification codes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

cooperating with the fixed portion of the wireless communications system to maintain a database of public information based upon said recorded information from the communications of a plurality of portable subscriber units operating in the wireless communication system; and

providing for a user a map between two points, in response to a request from the user, wherein the map comprises segments including at least one of a total estimated transit time between the two points, and an estimated transit time for each of the segments.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving information transmitted from a base station at an entrance to a predetermined area, said information describing an event which will affect said predetermined area at a specific future time;

storing said information;

periodically checking whether a current time is closer than a predetermined time to said specific future time;

determining whether the portable subscriber unit is still within said predetermined area, in response to learning that the current time is closer than said predetermined time to said specific future time; and

sending the alert describing said event, in response to learning in the determining step that the portable subscriber unit is still within said predetermined area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

cooperating with the fixed portion of the wireless communication system to maintain a database of public information based upon said recorded information from the communication of a plurality of portable subscriber units operating in the wireless communication system;

accessing the database of public information; and

determining whether the alert is necessary, based upon the public information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the cooperating step comprises the step of updating the database of public information in real-time, in response to an occurrence of an unforeseen event.

8. A portable subscriber unit carried by a user in a wireless communication system for creating a learning function and generating an alert in response to information learned, the portable subscriber unit comprising:

a receiver for receiving communications;

a user interface for interfacing with the user; and

a processing system comprising a memory and coupled to the user interface and to the receiver for processing the communications, wherein the processing system is programed to;

control the receiver to communicate with a fixed portion of the wireless communication system a plurality of times and in a plurality of locations;

record the plurality of times and the plurality of locations in the memory, thereby producing recorded information; and

extract further information from said recorded information, including relative locations of selected destination and travel times between the selected destinations, wherein said travel times are determined from actual travel times experienced by the portable subscriber unit in the past.

9. The portable subscriber until of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further programmed to:

pre-recorded a schedule of planned activities of the user, thereby creating a pre-recorded schedule, and

compare said further information with the pre-recorded schedule to determine whether an alert is necessary.

10. The portable subscriber unit of claim 8,

wherein the fixed portion of the wireless communication system uses base stations configured for short range (local) coverage, and

wherein the processing system is further programmed to determine the plurality of locations from transmitter identification codes.

11. The portable subscriber unit of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further programmed to:

cooperate with the fixed portion of the wireless communication system to maintain a database of public information based upon said recorded information from the communications of a plurality of portable subscriber units operating in the wireless communication system; and

provide a user a map between two points, in response to request from the user, wherein the map comprises segments including at least one of a total estimated transit time between the two points, and an estimated transit time for each of the segments.

12. The portable subscriber unit of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further programmed to:

control the receiver to receive information transmitted from a base station at an entrance to a predetermined area, said information describing an event which will affect said predetermined area at a specific future time;

store said information;

periodically check whether a current time is closer than a predetermined time to said specific future time;

determine whether the portable subscriber unit is still within said predetermined area, in response to learning that the current time is closer than said predetermined time to said specific future time; and

send the alert describing said event, in response to learning in the determining step that the portable subscriber unit is still within said predetermined area.

13. The portable subscriber unit of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further programmed to:

cooperate with the fixed portion of the wireless communications system to maintain a database of public information based upon said recorded information from the communications of a plurality of portable subscriber units operating in the wireless communication system;

access the database of public information; and

determine whether the alert is necessary, based upon the public information.

14. The portable subscriber unit of claim 13, wherein the processing system is further programmed to cooperate with the fixed portion of the wireless communication system to update the database of public information in real-time, in response to an occurrence of an unforeseen event.