Geographical web browser, methods, apparatus and systems

• US 6,873,850 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Push Data LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Duncan Leo Mac Farlane, Eric M. Dowling, Mark Nicholas Anastasi
• Inventors: Mac Farlane, Duncan Leo, Dowling, Eric Morgan, Anastasi, Mark Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONTEE, JOY KIMBERLY
• Application Number:
  US10/294,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/422.1, 455/426.1, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/466, 455/11.1, 455/500, 455/550, 455/552.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/566, 455/569, 455/575.1, 340/995, 340/998, 707/10, 707/100
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A geographical web browser allows a user to navigate a network application such as the Word Wide Web by physically navigating in geographical coordinates and roaming through coverage areas of wireless LANs, microcells, and other such local broadcast domains. A mobile unit communicates with a network server via an air interface that supports wireless packet data. The mobile unit receives a broadcast transmission from a local broadcast domain entity that uses a low power local wireless protocol. The transmission includes a data packet that includes an indication related to information content. A content-selective information filter then compares a content-based filter parameter with the indication in the packet and selectively passes information related to the packet when a match is identified. In response to the identified match, a user is notified and given the option to request the content to be coupled from the mobile unit to the network server.

Claims

1. A geographical information system comprising:

a network server communicatively coupled to a base station node of a cellular communications network that supports wireless packet data connectivity;

a local broadcast domain entity, said local broadcast entity comprising a wireless local area packet network station with a coverage area substantially smaller than the coverage area of said base station, said local broadcast domain entity operative to communicate with one or more user mobile devices using a low power wireless data channel, said local broadcast domain entity further operative to broadcast a sequence of low power data packets onto said channel, wherein at least one of said broadcast packets has a set of destination address information encoded as an indication of one or more information classes, wherein said one or more information classes relates to content carried in said at least one packet, such that said one or more user mobile devices can selectively receive said at least one of said broadcast packets by comparing said indication to a content-selective parameter, and said broadcast domain entity is further operative to receive from a mobile user device a user-interest packet;

wherein said broadcast domain entity couples said user-interest packet to said network server, said network server performs a database search to find information qualified by information contained in the user-interest packet and the locality of the local broadcast domain, and the network server couples the results of the search to the mobile user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server couples the results of the search to the mobile user device via the local broadcast domain entity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server couples the results of the search to the mobile user device via the base station node.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the local broadcast domain entity involves a wireless local area network station with a transmission radius selected from between fifty feet and two miles.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the local broadcast domain entity involves a wireless local area network station that uses a low power radio channel defined by a cordless phone air interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the local broadcast domain entity involves a wireless local area network station that uses a low power radio channel defined by a spread spectrum air interface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station further supports cellular communications voice telephony connections.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a virtual session server, whereby the virtual session server maintains a session logon in an inactive state while no physical path is currently supporting communication of the session, and the virtual session server switches the session to an active state when a physical path is established to carry session communications packets.

9. Mobile apparatus comprising:

a cellular radio transceiver communicatively coupleable to a cellular base station via a cellular communications air interface protocol that supports wireless packet data connectivity, said transceiver operative to communicate with a network server using said cellular communications air interface protocol;

a wireless local area packet network transceiver communicatively coupleable to a local broadcast domain entity via a low power wireless local area network protocol, wherein said wireless local area packet network transceiver has a transmission radius substantially lower than the transmission radius of the cellular radio transceiver and is adapted for wireless local area communications;

a network interface module coupled to local wireless packet network transceiver, said network interface module operative receive one or more advertisement packets from said broadcast domain, said network interface module further comprising an information-content selective packet filter and one or more information-content parameters, wherein said information-content selective packet filter is operative to compare said one or more information-content parameters to at least one of said received advertisement packets, and said network interface module is configured to automatically generate an information-request packet and transmit it via the cellular radio transceiver to request further information when said comparing indicates an affirmative correspondence.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said cellular air interface protocol further supports voice telephony connections, and said wireless packet data connectivity comprises Internet connectivity.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said further information is queried based on one or more of said information-content parameters.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said further information queried based on information contained in one or more broadcast packets passes through said packet filter.

13. A client-side method comprising the steps of:

communicating with a network server via a cellular communications air interface protocol that supports wireless packet data connectivity;

displaying application data provided by said network connection;

receiving a broadcast packet, said broadcast packet including an indication of one or more information classes and being broadcast via a short range wireless local area packet network channel to a set of receivers located within a local geographical coverage area that is substantially smaller than transmission coverage area of the cellular communications air interface protocol;

extracting said indication of one or more information classes;

comparing said indication to one or more content-selective parameters to determine when said one or more information classes fall into an information domain defined by the one or more content-selective parameters;

when said comparison step indicates affirmatively, automatically generating an information-request packet and transmitting said information-request packet via the cellular communications air interface in order to request information related to at least one of said information classes.

14. A method for use in a mobile unit, the method comprising:

communicating with a network server via an air interface that supports wireless packet data connectivity;

receiving a broadcast transmission from a local broadcast domain entity that uses a low power local wireless protocol, wherein said transmission has encoded therein an indication of one or more information classes related to information content;

selectively receiving said broadcast transmission with a content-selective information filter by comparing at least one stored content-based information class filter parameter with the indication and selectively passing information related to the broadcast transmission when a correspondence is identified; and

in response to said correspondence, automatically transmitting to said network server an information request packet that is related to said content-selective information-filter output in order to request further related application display data to be downloaded from network server via said air interface.

15. A method for use in a mobile unit, the method comprising:

communicating with a network server via a cellular radio transceiver in communication with a cellular network base station, whereby said cellular network base station communicates according to a cellular communications air interface protocol that supports wireless packet data connectivity;

receiving a local broadcast transmission from a local broadcast domain entity that uses a low power local wireless protocol that has a coverage area substantially smaller than the coverage area of the cellular network base station, wherein said local broadcast transmission has encoded therein an indication of one or more, information classes related to information content carried in said local broadcast transmission, said transmission further comprising at least one pointer to further information associated with said one or more information classes;

selectively receiving said broadcast transmission with a content-selective information filter by comparing at least one stored information class filter parameter with the indication and selectively passing information related to the broadcast transmission when a correspondence is identified; and

for information that is received through the content-selective information filter, storing the pointer into a user-selectable format on a graphical user interface;

upon user selection from the graphical user interface, transmitting information related to the pointer to said network server in order to request further related information to be downloaded via said air interface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting information related to the pointer to said network server is performed via said cellular radio transceiver and application data is received in response thereto via said cellular radio transceiver.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting information related to the pointer to said network server is performed via broadcast domain entity using said low power local wireless protocol and application data is received in response thereto via said cellular radio transceiver.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said pointer comprises a URL.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said graphical user inter face comprises a pick list.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said user selection causes an interrupt to be generated from a user I/O device and the transmitting is performed in response to said interrupt.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said user selection involves a mouse click that provides user selectivity in web navigation.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the pointer is used to display a user selectable hyperlink, and the user selection involves the user selecting the hyperlink using a user input device, and the pointer is then transmitted to the network server using a standard-request packet.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said user selection involves a voice command that provides user selectivity in web navigation.

24. Mobile unit apparatus, comprising:

a receiver coupled to an air-interface antenna, said receiver receiving a low power broadcast packet from a local broadcast domain entity, said broadcast packet comprising an indication of one or more information classes and application layer data for use by one or more mobile units located within said broadcast domain;

an information content selective packet filter coupled to receive one or more information-content parameters and operative to selectively pass said broadcast packet to produce a packet-filter output, whereby information related to said broadcast packet is selectively passed through said filter when said indication aligns with said one or more information-content parameters; and

a display device coupled to receive information related to the output of said packet filter and operative to display an image related to said broadcast packet on said display device.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said apparatus is mounted in a vehicle, said broadcast packet comprises information related to a local service supplied in an area surrounding said local broadcast domain entity.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising said vehicle.

27. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said apparatus is mounted within a hand-held enclosure, said broadcast domain packet comprises information related to an item supplied in an area surrounding said local broadcast domain entity.

28. The apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising:

a transmitter operative to transmit a user-interest packet to said local broadcast domain entity, said user-interest packet indicative of a solicitation for a broadcast-packet corresponding to an information class.