System and method of sorting information based on a location of a mobile station

• US 6,970,871 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Rayburn, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Wassum, Luke S
• Application Number:
  US10/120,982
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1-206, 4554561-4563
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for locating the present location of a mobile station and sending consumer information to the mobile station sorted based on distance between the establishments represented by the consumer information and the present location of the mobile station. The consumer information may be sorted so as to contain information of a certain classification or characteristic. Furthermore, the consumer information may be sorted according to user defined guidelines. The user of the mobile station may ask for a particular type of business close to the user'"'"'s current location. This instant information system may match a user'"'"'s location, defined preferences, and retailer'"'"'s promotions to send the user instant information for goods or services.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed on a server comprising:

determining that a mobile station has traveled a predetermined distance;

selecting a set of coupons;

sending at least a portion of the set of coupons to the mobile station;

sorting at least a portion of the set of coupons sent to the mobile station, the sorting based on a current location of the mobile station, so as to establish a sorted set of coupons; and

outputting at least a portion of the sorted set of coupons.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile station performs the step of sorting at least a portion of the set of coupons sent to the mobile station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of outputting at least a portion of the sorted set of coupons includes displaying the at least a portion of the sorted set of coupons.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the current location of the mobile station.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the current location of the mobile station includes determining the location using a Global Positioning System.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the current location of the mobile station is based on user input.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user input includes an electronic scheduler.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the at least a portion of the sorted set of coupons comprises displaying the at least a portion of the sorted set of coupons on the mobile station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupons selected represent establishments within a pre-determined distance from the current location of the mobile station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sorting comprises sorting based on distance between establishments represented by the set of coupons and the current location of the mobile station, the distance being greater than a first pre-determined distance and less than a second pre-determined distance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein sorting comprises sorting the set of coupons based on user defined guidelines.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein sorting comprises sorting the set of coupons based on at least one past location of the mobile station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein sorting the least a portion of the set of coupons includes:

determining a trajectory of the mobile station based on at least the one past location and the current location of the mobile station; and

identifying coupons from establishments located within a predetermined distance of the trajectory.

14. A mobile consumer information system comprising in combination:

a processor;

a database of consumer information, the consumer information being for respective establishments at respective geographic locations;

location determining device;

data storage medium;

wherein the processor, the database of consumer information and data storage medium are within a server; and

a set of machine language instructions stored in the data storage medium and executable by the processor in response to a consumer information request from a mobile station, to perform functions including;

applying the location determining device to determine a present geographic location of the mobile station;

determining that the mobile station has traveled a predetermined distance;

selecting from the database a set of consumer information for a set of establishments; and

sending at least a portion of the set of consumer information to the mobile station.

15. The mobile consumer information system of claim 14, wherein selecting from the database a set of consumer information for a set of establishments comprises searching the database for establishments within a pre-determined distance from the present geographic location of the mobile station.

16. The mobile consumer information system of claim 14, wherein the set of machine language instructions is further executable to sort the set of consumer information into a list of consumer information based on geographic proximity of the establishments to the present geographic location of the mobile station.

17. The mobile consumer information system of claim 16, wherein the sorting of the consumer information into a list comprises sorting consumer information for an establishment closest to the present geographic location at a beginning of the list.