Method and apparatus for distributing information

• US 7,023,814 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotzin, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US10/449,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20040240403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370/310, 370/312, 370/315, 370/401, 370/310.2, 370/329, 370/330, 370/331, 370/332, 370/335, 370/336
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1642 Formats specially adapted for sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communication unit, system, and corresponding method are arranged for distributing information. The communications unit comprises: a receiver to receive a message originating from an information source for distribution to one or more target communications units; a controller coupled to a memory to store the information in the memory; and a transmitter having short range communications capabilities to transmit the information to individual communications units to facilitate distribution to the one or more target communications units on an opportunistic basis.

Claims

1. A method of distributing information comprising:

receiving at a communications unit information originated from an information source, the information including one or more messages for distribution to one or more target communications units, the receiving the information further comprising receiving the information at a carrier communications unit that is precluded from accessing the one or more messages; and

forwarding, from the communications unit, the information to individual communications units to facilitate distribution to the one or more target communications units on an opportunistic basis regardless of present connectivity between the individual communications units and the one or more target communications units using short range communications capabilities of the communications unit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the information at the communications unit further comprises receiving the information at one communications unit of the one or more target communications units.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the information at the communications unit further comprises receiving the information using the short range communications capabilities of the communications unit when proximate to the information source.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the information at the communications unit further comprises receiving the information using wide area network communications capabilities of the communications unit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the information at the communications unit further comprises receiving a message identifying the one or more target communications units.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the receiving a message identifying the one or more target communications units further comprises receiving one of an address for a target communications unit and a group address for a plurality of target communications units.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving the information at the communications unit further comprises receiving a time deadline for forwarding the information to the one or more target communications units.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising, reporting a message failure to the information source from the communications until when the information has not been forwarded within the time deadline.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that the communications unit is likely to be proximate to a target communications unit of the one or more target communications units.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the determining that the communications unit is likely to be proximate to a target communications unit further comprises checking a database of contacted communications units corresponding to the communications unit.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the database of contacted communications units further comprises contact times.

12. A communications unit arranged and constructed for distributing information, the communications unit comprising:

a receiver to receive a message originating from an information source, the message including information for distribution to one or more target communications units, the message further comprising a time frame for forwarding the information to a portion of the one or more target communications units;

a controller, coupled to the receiver and a memory, to store the information in the memory; and

a transmitter having short range communications capabilities and cooperatively operating with the controller to transmit the information to individual communications units to facilitate distribution to the one or more target communications units on an opportunistic basis.

13. The communications unit of claim 12 further being a carrier communications unit that is precluded from disclosing the information to a user of the communications unit.

14. The communications unit of claim 12 further being one communications unit of the one or more target communications units and further comprising a user interface for presenting the information to a user of the communications unit.

15. The communications unit of claim 12 wherein the receiver further has short range communications capabilities that are used to receive the message when proximate to the information source.

16. The communications unit of claim 12 wherein the receiver further has wide area network communications capabilities that are used to receive the message.

17. The communications unit of claim 12 wherein the receiver receives the message, the message identifying the one or more target communications units.

18. The communications unit of claim 17 wherein the receiver receives the message identifying the one or more target communications units and the message further comprises one of an address for a target communications unit and a group address for a plurality of target communications units.

19. The communications unit of claim 12 wherein the transmitter in cooperation with the controller further reports a message failure to the information source when the information has, not been forwarded within the time frame.

20. The communications unit of claim 12 wherein the memory further comprises a database having data indicative of other communications units that are possible target communications units.

21. The communications unit of claim 20 wherein the database further includes data indicative of the likelihood that the other communications units will be accessible within a time frame to transmit the information to the other communications units.

22. The communications unit of claim 20 wherein the data is accessible to the information source for determining whether the communications unit is likely to be proximate to a target communications unit of the one or more target communications units.

23. A system for distributing information to a target audience, the system comprising:

a message source to provide a message for distribution to one or more target communications units and a group address for the one or more target communications units;

a database including a cross reference between individual communications units and other communications units that the individual communications units have a history of being but may not currently be able to establish short range communications with;

a controller, coupled to the message source and the database, for selecting one or more of the individual communications units, regardless of present connectivity, that may be utilized to facilitate distribution of the message to the one or more target communications units; and

a transceiver for transmitting the message to the one or more individual communications units.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the transceiver has short range communications capabilities and transmits the message to each of the one or more individual communications units using the short range communications capabilities when the each of the one or more individual communications units is within range.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the transceiver obtains and the controller updates the database with any cross reference data provided by the each of the one or more individual communications units.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the transceiver transmit the message further including an address corresponding to at least one of the one or more target communications units.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the transceiver further receives a message failure from one of the each of the one or more individual communications units when the message could not be forwarded to a target communications unit within a prescribed time frame.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the transceiver includes wide area network capabilities and, responsive to the message failure and cooperatively with the controller uses the wide area network capabilities to forward the message to the target communications unit.

29. The system of claim 23 wherein the transceiver includes wide area network capabilities and transmits the message, using the wide area network capabilities, to an individual communications unit for forwarding to other target communications units.

30. The system of claim 23 wherein a portion of the one or more individual communications units are carrier units, the carrier units precluding access to the message by the user of the carrier unit.

31. The system of claim 23 wherein the transceiver receives an acknowledgement from one of the one or more target communications units when the message has been received by the one of the one or more target communications units.

32. A method of distributing information comprising:

receiving at a communications unit information originated from an information source, the information comprising messages for distribution to one or more target communications units and a group address for the one or more target communications units; and

forwarding, from the communications unit, the information to one or more individual communications units to facilitate distribution to the one or more target communications units on an opportunistic basis regardless of present connectivity between the one or more individual communications units and the one or more target communications units using short range communications capabilities of the communications unit.

33. A communications unit arranged and constructed for distributing information, the communications unit comprising:

a receiver to receive a message originating from an information source, the message including information for distribution to one or more target communications units;

a controller, coupled to the receiver and a memory, to store the information in the memory and to preclude disclosure of the information to a user of the communication device; and

a transmitter having short range communications capabilities and cooperatively operating with the controller to transmit the information to individual communications units to facilitate distribution to the one or more target communications units on an opportunistic basis regardless of present connectivity between the one or more individual communications units and the one or more target communications units.

34. A system for distributing information to a target audience, the system comprising:

a message source to provide a message for distribution to one or more target communications units;

a database including a cross reference between individual communications units and other communications units that the individual communications unit has a history of being but may not currently be able to establish short range communications with;

a controller, coupled to the message source and the database, for selecting one or more of the individual communications units that may be utilized to facilitate distribution of the message to the one or more target communications units, a portion of the one or more individual communications units being carrier units that preclude access to the message by the user of the carrier unit; and

a transceiver for transmitting the message to the one or more individual communications units.