Storage and retrieval of location based information in a distributed network of data storage devices
DCFirst Claim
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1. A method of storing and/or retrieving location-based information, the method comprising:
- storing, in a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of remote user terminals, data defining a plurality of first localities in relation to which information storage is accessible; and
selecting ones of said first localities to represent second localities for which information is to be stored and/or retrieved such that;
i) said first and second localities bear a predetermined locational relationship; and
ii) said first and second localities bear a predetermined relationship in size.
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Abstract
A method of storing and/or retrieving location-based information comprises: storing, in a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of remote user terminals, data defining a plurality of first localities in relation to which information storage is accessible, and selecting ones of the first localities to represent second localities for which information is to be stored and/or retrieved such that i) the first and second localities bear a predetermined locational relationship, and ii) the first and second localities bear a predetermined relationship in size.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of storing and/or retrieving location-based information, the method comprising:
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storing, in a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of remote user terminals, data defining a plurality of first localities in relation to which information storage is accessible; and
selecting ones of said first localities to represent second localities for which information is to be stored and/or retrieved such that;
i) said first and second localities bear a predetermined locational relationship; and
ii) said first and second localities bear a predetermined relationship in size. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of storing location-based information, the method comprising:
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defining, in a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of remote user terminals, a plurality of data access nodes each of which is responsible for a predefined locality, said plurality of nodes including a higher level node responsible for a larger locality and lower level nodes responsible for smaller localities which overlap said larger locality, indexing references to information sources containing locality-specific information at said data access nodes, different information source references being indexed at said higher level node than at said lower level nodes; and
transmitting said references from said indexing nodes on request. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method of storing location-based information, the method comprising:
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defining, in a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of remote user terminals, a plurality of data access nodes each of which is responsible for a predefined locality;
indexing references to information sources containing locality-specific information at said data access nodes, one or more of such references being repeatedly indexed at different of said nodes; and
transmitting said references from said data access nodes on request.
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19. A method of retrieving information for presentation to a user, the method comprising:
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defining a locality of interest to the user in dependence on both a location of the user and a speed of travel of the user; and
selecting, in a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of remote user terminals, information sources from which locality-specific information may be retrieved, on the basis of the defined locality of interest. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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- 24. Apparatus for storing location-based information, said apparatus comprising a distributed network of data storage devices accessible simultaneously from a plurality of user terminals and defining data access nodes which are referentially interlinked, each said data access node being provisioned with a locality for which it is responsible, and means for comparing the size of an input locality in relation to which information storage is to be accessed and a locality for which the access node is responsible.
Specification