Creating a virtual link between a physical location and its web representation

• US 7,299,256 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2001
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Pradhan, Salil, Smith, Mark T, Morgan, Jeffrey A
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOUDHURY, AZIZUL Q
• Application Number:
  US09/836,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,408 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web

Abstract

A web navigation system includes a virtual link creator that creates an electronic file that contains positional data of a physical location and a web address of a web page associated with the physical location. A virtual link server system receives the electronic file. The server system can transmit the electronic file to any remote receiver system that is near the physical location via a communication network. A receiver system, capable of communicating with the server system and accessing external Internet, receives the electronic file from the server system when the receiver system is near the physical location such that the web address of the web page is virtually posted at the physical location without employing a physical object to host the web address at the physical location. A system for creating such a virtual link is also described. Also described is a system for virtually posting a web address of a web page associated with a physical location.

Claims

1. A system for creating a link between a physical location and its web page, comprising:

a user interface that receives positional data related to a physical location of a receiver system;

a virtual beacon comprising an electronic file containing positional data and a web address related to a physical location having a web page;

an association module coupled to the user interface to create a link between the positional data related to the physical location of the receiver system and the virtual beacon comprising the electronic file containing the positional data and the web address related to the physical location having the web page such that the receiver system near the physical location having the web page can receive the electronic file to access the web page without browsing, wherein the virtual beacon is not a physical object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the positional data received is in the form of address of the physical location and the user interface converts that into the positional data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface also receives a range data that specifies access range from the physical location within which the receiver system can receive the electronic file.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprises a wireless transceiver that sends the electronic file wirelessly to a remote server system, wherein the remote server system stores the electronic file and sends the electronic file to the receiver system, wherein the system further comprises a web gateway that sends the electronic file to a remote server system via an external Internet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface also receives a time data that indicates a range of times when the electronic file can be sent, and a tag data that indicates the name or label of the web address.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning module that provides the positional data of the current position of the system.

7. A system for posting a web address of a web page associated with a physical location, comprising:

a virtual link creator that creates a virtual beacon comprising an electronic file that contains positional data and a web address related to a physical location having a web page;

a virtual link server system that receives the virtual beacon comprising the electronic file and transmits the electronic file to any mobile receiver system at or near the physical location related to the virtual beacon position via a communication network such that the web address of the physical location having the web page is virtually posted at the physical location having the web page via the virtual beacon without employing a physical object to host the web address.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual link creator further comprises

a user interface that receives user input of the positional data of the physical location, the web address of the web page, and other property data, wherein the electronic file also includes the other property data;

an association module that creates the electronic file that includes the positional data and the web address.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual link creator further comprises

a wireless transceiver that sends the electronic file to the virtual link server system;

a web gateway that sends the electronic file to the virtual link server system via an external Internet when the virtual link server system is also coupled to the external Internet;

a positioning module that provides the positional data of the current position of the virtual link creator.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the property data include a range data that specifies access range within which the receiver system can receive the electronic file when near the physical location, a time data that indicates a range of times when the electronic file can be sent, and a tag data that indicates the name or label of the web address.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual link server system only sends the electronic file to remote receiver systems that are at or near the physical location although the electronic file is not located adjacent to the physical location.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual link server system further comprises

a store that stores the electronic file;

an email server that sends the electronic file in email form;

a web server that sends the electronic file in web page form;

a gateway that interfaces with the external communication network to receive the electronic file, and interfaces with other communication networks to send the electronic file in the email or web page form.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual link server system further comprises a filtering module that receives, from the requesting receiver system, the positional data of the current position of the receiver system and a request for any electronic file with a positional data indicating a position at or near the current position of the receiver system, wherein the filtering module then causes all electronic files stored in the store with the positional data indicating a position at or near the current position of the receiver system to be sent via one of the email server and the web server to the requesting receiver system based on the range data of the respective electronic files.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the filtering module does not cause any electronic file stored in the store with the positional data indicating a position not at or near the current position of the receiver system to be sent to the receiver system.

15. A web navigation system, comprising:

a virtual link creator that creates a virtual beacon comprising an electronic file that contains positional data and a web address related to a physical location having a web page associated therewith;

a virtual link server system that receives the virtual beacon comprising the electronic file, wherein the server system can transmit the virtual beacon comprising electronic file via a communication network;

a receiver system having position data capabilities related to a current physical location of said receiver system, said receiver system capable of communicating with the server system and external Internet, said receiver system providing the position data to said server system and receiving the virtual beacon comprising the electronic file from the server system, said server system monitoring the position data from said receiver system and providing a virtual beacon comprising the electronic file and the web address when the receiver system is near the physical location such that the web address of the web page is virtually posted at the physical location without employing a physical object to host the web address at the physical location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual link server system sends the electronic file to the receiver system when the receiver system informs the virtual link server system of its current position and when the virtual link server system determines that the receiver system is at or near the physical location by comparing the positional data of the current position of the receiver system with the positional data in the electronic file.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual link creator further comprises

a user interface that receives user input of the positional data of the physical location, the web address of the web page, and other property data, wherein the electronic file also includes the other property data;

an association module that creates the electronic file that includes the positional data and the web address;

a wireless transceiver that sends the electronic file to the virtual link server system;

a web gateway that sends the electronic file to the virtual link server system via an external Internet when the virtual link server system is also coupled to the external Internet;

a positioning module that provides the positional data of the current position of the virtual link creator.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the property data include a range data that specifies access range within which the receiver system can receive the electronic file when near the physical location, a time data that indicates a range of times when the electronic file can be sent, and a tag data that indicates the name or label of the web address.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual link server system further comprises

a store that stores the electronic file;

an email server that sends the electronic file in email form;

a web server that sends the electronic file in web page form;

a gateway that interfaces with the external communication network to receive the electronic file from the virtual link creator, and interfaces with other communication networks to send the electronic file in the email or web page form to the receiver system;

a filtering module that receives, from the requesting receiver system, the positional data of the current position of the receiver system and a request for any electronic file with a positional data indicating a position at or near the current position of the receiver system, wherein the filtering module then causes all electronic files stored in the store with the positional data indicating a position at or near the current position of the receiver system to be sent via one of the email server and the web server to the requesting receiver system based on the range data of the respective electronic files.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the filtering module does not cause any electronic file stored in the store with the positional data indicating a position not at or near the current position of the receiver system to be sent to the receiver system.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the receiver system further comprises

a positioning module that determines the current position of the receiver system;

a wireless transceiver that sends a request for the electronic file to the virtual link server system, wherein the request includes the positional data of the current position of the receiver system, wherein the transceiver also receives the electronic file from the virtual link server system;

a virtual link projector that displays the names of the web addresses contained in all electronic files received from the virtual link server system;

a web access module that uses a selected web address to access the corresponding web page via the external Internet.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the receiver system further comprises

an orientation module that determines the orientation of the receiver system, wherein the positional data of the current position of the receiver system includes the orientation of the receiver system;

a user interface that allows the receiver system to receive user input of (1) the positional data of the receiver system and (2) an access range data that specifies an access range of the receiver system in receiving electronic files.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the virtual link projector further comprises

a display that displays the names of the web addresses in all electronic files received by the receiver system;

a digital horizon module that specifies the access range of the receiver system in receiving the electronic files;

a vectoring filter that uses the orientation from the orientation module to filter out electronic files within the access range but not in the direction pointed by the receiver system.