Handheld object selector

• US 6,795,768 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ballantyne, Wayne Wiggins, Miranda-Knapp, Carlos Antonio, Bragansa, John Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/370,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20040167707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200-201, 701/205-209, 701/213-217, 701/220-221, 701/224-225, 701/300-301
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

An object selection apparatus (100) has a geo-location processor (108) that determines the location of a device (120) at the time of an input by a user. The object selection apparatus (100) also has a bearing determination processor (104) that determines a bearing from the device (120) at the time of the user input. The object selection apparatus (100) also has a geo-content retrieval system (118) that retries information that relates to a set of objects that correspond to the location and bearing of the device (120) that was determined at the time of the input.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

determining a location of a device at a time of an input from a user;

determining a bearing from the device at the time;

determining a search area, the search area bounded by a clockwise bearing vector, a counterclockwise bearing vector and a radius, the clockwise bearing vector and counterclockwise bearing vector offset from the bearing;

determining a set of objects that lie within the search area;

determining if a desired object is contained within the set of objects;

in response to a determination that the desired object is not contained within the determined set of objects, increasing the search area by changing at least one of the clockwise bearing vector and the counter clockwise vector; and

retrieving information relating to a set of objects that correspond to the determined location and bearing of the device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving comprises the step of transmitting the location and the bearing to a geo-content server.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a bearing comprises:

pointing a handheld device, wherein the handheld device has an alignment shape and an embedded compass and wherein the embedded compass is aligned with the alignment shape; and

determining the bearing as reported by the compass.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alignment shape comprises an antenna attached to the handheld device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining if a desired object is contained within the set of objects and the step of increasing are repeated until the desired object is determined to be within the set of objects.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining if a desired object is contained within the set of objects comprises accepting an input from a user, the input indicating one of that the desired object is contained within the set of objects and that the desired object is not contained within the set of objects.

7. An object selector comprising:

a geo-location processor for determining a location of a device at a time of an input from a user;

a bearing determination processor for determining a bearing from the device at the time; and

a search area calculator for determining a search area, the search area bounded by a clockwise bearing vector, a counterclockwise bearing vector, and a radius and wherein the clockwise bearing vector and the counterclockwise bearing vector are offset from the bearing;

a contained object identifier that determines if a desired object is contained within the set of objects and causes, in response to a determination that the desired object is not contained within the set of objects, the search area calculator to change at least one of the clockwise bearing vector and the counter clockwise vector so as to change the size of the search area;

a geo-content retrieval system for retrieving information relating to a set of objects that correspond to the determined location and bearing of the device.

8. The object selector according to claim 7, wherein the geo-content retrieval system comprises:

a wireless link; and

a geo-content server, wherein the geo-content server communicates the information relating to the set of objects via the wireless link.

9. The object selector according to claim 7, wherein the bearing determination processor comprises:

an alignment shape; and

an embedded compass, wherein the embedded compass is aligned with the alignment shape.

10. The object selector according to claim 9, wherein the alignment shape comprises an antenna attached to the handheld device.

11. The object selector according to claim 7, wherein the contained object identifier repeatedly determines if the desired object is contained within the set of objects, and while the desired object is not contained within the set of objects, causes the search area calculator to change at least one of the clockwise bearing vector and the counter clockwise vector so as to change the size of the search area.

12. The object selector according to claim 7, further comprising a user input that accepts an input from a user, the input indicating one of that the desired object is contained within the set of objects and that the desired object is not contained within the set of objects, and wherein the contained object identifier determines if a desired object is contained within the set of objects in dependence upon the input.

13. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer instructions for a device performing the steps of:

determining a location of a device at a time of an input from a user;

determining a bearing from the device at the time;

determining a search area, the search area bounded by a clockwise bearing vector, a counterclockwise bearing vector and a radius, the clockwise bearing vector and counterclockwise bearing vector offset from the bearing;

determining a set of objects that lie within the search area;

determining if a desired object is contained within the set of objects;

increasing, in response to a determination that the desired object is not contained within the set of objects, the search area by changing one of the clockwise bearing vector and the counter clockwise vector; and

retrieving information relating to a set of objects that correspond to the determined location and bearing of the device.