System for communicating through maps

• US 6,654,800 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2000
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mobilecomnetworks Incorporated
• Inventors: Rieger, Charles J. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/524,888
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/203, 709/238, 370/352, 370/354
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/88 Mark-up to mark-up conversion conversion for visualization in web browsing G06F16/9577
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An HTTP server connected to the World Wide Web is described. The system allows a user to post arbitrary information to any geographical region simply by outlining the region on a map in the system'"'"'s graphical user interface and attaching the information to the outlined region. Any user of the system can browse and receive these geographically relevant postings simply by identifying a point or region of interest on one of the system'"'"'s maps. Users with registered accounts can elect to receive automatic email of postings that are relevant to one or more of their primary geographical coordinates. Mobile users can condition their cell phones or other communications devices to check into the system periodically to receive geographically relevant postings as they travel. The system can be used for communications with a geographically identified group, for governmental and commercial communications with a particular population, and for advertising, among other uses.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

means for storing and managing a plurality of postings, each posting including a source identification tag, an information body, and a broadcast descriptor, said broadcast descriptor identifying a geographical region of said each posting, wherein said geographical region is defined by a closed region on a map; and

means for receiving-and accepting a plurality of requests from mobile and stationary users, each request from a user including a user identification tag and an antenna descriptor, said antenna descriptor identifying a geographical location of said user; and

means for processing said each request by identifying and sending to said user postings having geographical regions that contain said geographical location of said user, wherein said means for processing said each request operates on all requests of said users; and

means for processing a subsequent request from said user, said subsequent request including a user identification tag and an antenna descriptor specifying a subsequent geographical location of said user, said subsequent geographical location being a current location of said user, wherein said means for processing said subsequent request sends to said user other postings having geographical regions that contain said subsequent geographical location of said user, wherein said other postings do not include any posting previously sent to said user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing and managing a plurality of user accounts corresponding to said stationary and mobile users, each said user account including at least one user identification tag and corresponding antenna descriptor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said means for processing said each request by identifying and sending includes means for sending postings via email to users associated with said plurality of user accounts.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for accepting definitions of, and removing definitions of, said postings and said plurality user accounts via a graphical user interface; and

means for displaying said postings and information related to said plurality of user accounts via said graphical user interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said graphical user interface displays geographical maps to depict at least one of a broadcast descriptor and an antenna descriptor, wherein said mobile and said stationary users use said graphical user interface to draw on said geographical maps with interactive drawing tools to define said at least one of a broadcast descriptor and an antenna descriptor.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for automatically creating and maintaining a transient user account for a transient user that does not have a user account of said plurality of user accounts, said transient user account including at least one user identification tag and corresponding antenna descriptor, and serving as a temporary user account until timed out and garbage collected after a predefined period of inactivity of said transient user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said antenna descriptors of said transient user accounts enable said system to find and send postings to a mobile transient user based on global positioning system (GPS) coordinate data from a mobile communications device of said mobile transient user.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said user accounts have associated user preferences, said user preferences including logical filters specifying further characteristics of said postings that must be present for said postings to be sent to the corresponding user.

9. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for storing said postings having geographical regions that contain said geographical location of a particular user in a user account of said particular user; and

means for permitting said particular user to define criteria to determine when postings stored in a user account of said particular user are to generate email to said particular user.

10. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for restricting the posting authority of any said user account by accepting and storing a plurality of authorized region descriptors and unauthorized region descriptors, any said authorized region descriptor optionally having at least one of an associated posting password and posting category restriction list;

wherein the system requires said at least one of said posting password and said category restriction list to be respected by any posting having geographical regions that contain said geographical location of a particular user in a user account of said particular user before said system will accept and store said posting.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said geographical region is a closed region defined on a map by latitude and longitude.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said geographical region is further defined by vertical distance from sea level.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a server connected to a wide-area network.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a server coupled to the Internet.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is an HTTP server connected to the Internet, wherein said mobile and said stationary users interact with the system via standard Web browsers.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for maintaining a record for a particular user of which said postings having geographical regions that contain said geographical location of said particular user, wherein said record does not maintain duplicates of said postings having geographical regions that contain said geographical location of said particular user.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said each posting further includes a password, said password being required to be used by any user requesting to view said information body of said posting.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said each posting includes an optional activation time period, said activation time period including a start time and a stop time, said start time and said stop time governing the duration of an availability a respective posting to users.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for recording user transaction data, said user transaction data including information related to a duration of contact a respective user has with the system, and a record of actions performed within said duration by said respective user.