Service discovery access to user location

• US 7,249,100 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Olkkonen, Mikko, Murto, Juhani
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US09/854,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20040213409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,261 Days
• Field of Search: 705/78, 705/50, 705/14, 705/18, 705/64, 705/67, 707/10, 707/3, 707/1, 707/7, 709/201, 709/217, 709/245, 709/244, 709/207, 709/219, 380/258, 726/1, 726/3, 455/414.2, 455/414.3
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed to enable a mobile phone or wireless PDA to discover Internet businesses and services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry using a user'"'"'s location or coordinates. The method facilitates the formation of a query to the UDDI registry for the wireless device user. The method obtains a location for the user. The method constructs a personal user profile of the user'"'"'s UDDI searching strategies, locations and Internet accessing preferences. The user profile can be used as a shortcut for online or offline queries to the UDDI registry or for accessing pages from web sites, or updating location information in response to the user'"'"'s entry of abbreviated inputs to the wireless device. The method is embodied as programmed instructions which may be executed within the user'"'"'s wireless device to query the UDDI registry. Alternately, method is embodied as programmed instructions which may be executed within a separate knowledge engine server to query the UDDI registry in response to commands (from the user'"'"'s wireless device. The server can be used to cache files accessed from web sites, for selective forwarding to the user'"'"'s wireless device.

Claims

1. A method to enable a wireless user device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

(a) receiving a query for discovering Internet businesses or services from the wireless user device at a network server location capable of contacting the UDDI registry;

(b) establishing a geographical location for the wireless user device;

(c) appending, at the network server location, the geographical location to an Internet business or a service discovery request;

(d) performing the Internet business or service discovery request by way of contacting the UDDI registry for identifying web sites dependent on the established geographical location;

(e) formulating, at the network server location, requests to access and retrieve files from the identified web sites; and

(e) caching files accessed from the identified web sites, at the network service location, for selective forwarding to the user'"'"'s wireless device;

wherein the selective forwarding comprises sorting and filtering the cached files in accordance with preferences of a user of the wireless user device maintained at the network server location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied as programmed instructions executed within a separate knowledge engine server to query the UDDI registry in response to commands from the user'"'"'s wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the geographical location of a wireless device includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the geographical location of a wireless device utilizes Mobile-Based Enhanced Observed Time Difference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the geographical location of a wireless device includes map information services/databases.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the geographical location of a wireless device utilizes a gateway mobile location center.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the geographical location of a wireless device includes receiving a cell ID associated with the wireless device, the cell ID indicating the geographical location of the wireless device.

8. A method to enable a wireless device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

(a) entering a location handle that will be associated with a geographic location of the wireless device;

(b) receiving location data and linking the location data to the location handle;

(c) entering at least one query term;

(d) sending a find_business XML inquiry to the UDDI registry in response to the entered query terms with appended location data;

(e) receiving back from the UDDI registry, a businessList message that contains a list of business names satisfying the find_business query and location data;

(f) storing the at least one query term and identifying the stored term with a search handle;

(g) replaying the search handle by the user using abbreviated means, wherein said replaying comprises appending the search handle with updated geographical location data; and

(h) receiving files sorted and filtered in accordance with preferences of the user of the wireless user device in response to replaying said updated search handle.

9. The method of claim 8, which further comprises:

(a) selecting an item from the returned businessList message;

(b) drilling down in the selected business'"'"' entity data;

(c) sending a find_service XML inquiry to the UDDI registry;

(d) receiving back from the UDDI registry, a serviceList message that contains a list of names of services offered by the selected business in the geographical location.

10. The method of claim 9, which further comprises:

(a) selecting an item from the returned serviceList message;

(b) drilling down in the selected service data;

(c) sending a get_serviceDetail_XML_inquiry to the UDDI registry;

(d) receiving back from the UDDI registry, a serviceDetail message that includes bindingTemplate data that contains the details of the selected service.

11. The method of claim 10, which further comprises:

including in the bindingTemplate data an accessPoint URL, which is the URL of the selected service on the web site of the selected business.

12. The method of claim 11, which further comprises displaying the accessPoint URL to the user.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the location data includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the location data utilizes Mobile-Based Enhanced Observed Time Difference.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the location data includes map information services/databases.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the location data utilizes data from a gateway mobile location center.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving location data includes receiving a cell ID associated with the wireless device, the cell ID indicating the geographical location of the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 11, which further comprises:

(a) storing the location handle in a user profile with the location data;

(b) providing the user with a shortcut for appending location data, in response to the user'"'"'s entry of abbreviated location handle to the wireless device.

19. The method of claim 8, which further comprises pasting a user location into the at least one query term search by pressing a hotkey button connected to the wireless device.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the location data is updated in accordance with the geographic location of the wireless device.

21. A method to enable a wireless device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

(a) entering a search handle in a user'"'"'s wireless device that will be associated with the user'"'"'s search strategy;

(b) entering a location handle that will be associated with the user'"'"'s location;

(c) entering query terms in the wireless device as at least part of a business name;

(d) transmitting the search handle, location handle and query terms to a knowledge engine server;

(e) searching web sites using URLs contained in stored binding templates;

(f) retrieving documents resulting from the search of the web sites;

(g) applying a location filter prescribed by the user and stored in the user'"'"'s profile, to limit the returned documents to only those of particular interest or location to the user;

(h) sorting the documents in a list having an order established in accordance with user'"'"'s profile or location; and

(i) storing the filtered documents and the sorted list in a cache for later, selective forwarding to the user'"'"'s wireless device.

22. The method of claim 21, which further comprises receiving the user'"'"'s selections from the list and updating the user'"'"'s profile with the user'"'"'s preferences or location.

23. The method of claim 22, which further comprises associating the search handle with the user'"'"'s selections and with the user'"'"'s search strategy;

storing that association in user'"'"'s profile.

24. The method of claim 23, which further comprises providing the user with a shortcut for accessing pages from web sites, in response to the user'"'"'s entry of an abbreviated search handle to the wireless device.

25. A system to enable a wireless device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, programmed to perform the steps of;

forming a query to the UDDI registry on the wireless device;

establishing a geographical location for the wireless device;

appending the geographical location to a service discovery request so that responses to the query are dependent on the established geographical location; and

caching files accessed from web sites, for selective forwarding to the user'"'"'s wireless device, wherein said selective forwarding comprises sorting and filtering the cached files in accordance with preferences of a user of the wireless user device maintained at the network server location.

26. A system to enable a wireless device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, programmed to perform the steps of;

entering a location handle that will be associated with a geographic location of the wireless device;

receiving location data and linking the location data to the location handle;

entering at least one query term;

sending a find_business XML inquiry to the UDDI registry in response to the entered query terms with appended location data;

receiving back from the UDDI registry a businessList message that contains a list of business names satisfying the find_business query and location data;

storing the at least one query term and identifying the stored term with a search handle;

replaying the search handle by the user using abbreviated means, wherein said replaying comprises appending the search handle with updated geographical location data; and

receiving files sorted and filtered in accordance with preferences of the user of the wireless user device in response to replaying said updated search handle.

27. A system to enable a wireless device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, programmed to perform the steps of;

entering a search handle in a wireless device that will be associated with the user'"'"'s search strategy;

entering a location handle that will be associated with the user'"'"'s location;

entering query terms in the wireless device as at least part of a business name;

transmitting the search handle, location handle and query terms to a knowledge engine server;

searching web sites using URLs contained in stored binding templates;

retrieving documents resulting from the search of the web sites;

applying a location filter prescribed by the user and stored in the user'"'"'s profile, to limit the returned documents to only those of particular interest or location to the user;

sorting the documents in a list having an order established in accordance with user'"'"'s profile or location; and

storing the filtered documents and the sorted list in a cache for later, selective forwarding to the user'"'"'s wireless device.

28. A system to enable a wireless device to discover Internet businesses or services by accessing the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, comprising:

a processor;

a hotkey switch;

a memory coupled to the processor, programmed to perform the steps of;

entering a location handle that will be associated with a geographic location of the wireless device, wherein the geographical location is further associated with the hotkey switch;

receiving location data and linking the location data to the location handle and hotkey switch;

entering at least one query term;

appending geographical location to the query through the activation of the hotkey switch;

sending a find_business XML inquiry to the UDDI registry in response to the entered query terms with appended location data;

receiving back from the UDDI registry, a businessList message that contains a list of business names satisfying the find_business query and location data;

storing the at least one query term and identifying the stored term with a search handle;

replaying the search handle by the user using abbreviated means, wherein said replaying comprises appending the search handle with updated geographical location data; and

receiving files sorted and filtered in accordance with preferences of the user of the wireless user device in response to replaying said updated search handle.