Correlating activities with the location of a mobile communications device systems and methods

• US 7,336,964 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Casey, Steven M
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cho; Un C.
• Application Number:
  US11/180,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20070015521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/414.1, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention comprise systems and methods related to the provision of location based services via a mobile communications device. In different embodiments, a communication system is described, comprising a mobile communications device, a mobile communications base station, and a server computer system. The location of the device may be correlated with certain user preferences stored on the server computer system. In various embodiments, components of the larger system are described. In some cases, various location related mapping functions for a device are discussed. In other embodiments, systems and methods which provide for activities to be undertaken based on the location of a device are described. In still other embodiments, the disclosure addresses systems and methods of efficiently determining the location of a mobile device. In some embodiments, different notification schemes based on the location of a device and specified preferences are described. In various other embodiments, the disclosure addresses systems and methods for keyword monitoring based on the location of a device.

Claims

1. A system for correlating activities using the location of a mobile communications device, which comprises:

the mobile communications device configured to;

receive a set of data identifying the location of the device; and

transmit the set of data;

a mobile communications base station, in communication with the mobile communications device via a wireless connection; and

a server computer system in communication with the base station, the server computer system configured to;

maintain a user profile for a user of the device, wherein the user profile includes a listing of locations of a plurality of businesses and other points of interest, and the user profile is stored in a database of the server computer system;

receive the set of data;

associate the set of data with the user of the device;

receive a listing of tasks to be completed by the user of the device;

correlate the location of the device with the listing of locations and listing of tasks to identify a subset of the listing of locations where the tasks are to be completed;

generate, after the subset of locations is identified, a suggested route through the subset of locations, the suggested route based at least in part on respective priority attributes associated with tasks to be performed at one or more of the plurality of other locations; and

transmit data which includes the suggested route.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of data comprises GPS coordinate data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS coordinate data comprises GPS codes and a GPS navigation message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the mobile communications device is further configured to transmit data which modifies the user profile;

and

the user profile may be modified by the user from the device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile further includes a plurality of preference levels corresponding to the plurality of businesses and other points of interest, and the correlation includes consideration of the preference levels.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the listing of tasks is populated by data from a personal calendar embodied on a computer readable medium.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the data which includes the suggested route is image data comprising a map illustrating the location of the device, the other locations to be visited by the user, and the suggested route;

the image data is formatted for display on the device; and

the device is configured to receive the image data, and display the image data on a screen coupled to the device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data which includes the suggested route includes hyperlinks to information for one or more of the subset of locations.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the correlating step comprises:

correlating the location of the device with a first task of the listing of tasks and the listing of locations to identify a first location among the listing of locations; and

correlating the location of the device with a second task of the listing of tasks and the listing of locations to identify a second location among the listing of locations; and

the suggested route passes through the first location and the second location.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein,

the first task is assigned a higher priority than the second task;

the second location is closer to the location of the device than the first location; and

the suggested route passes through first location before the second location.

11. A method for correlating activities using the location of a mobile communications device, which comprises:

maintaining a user profile for a user of the device, wherein the user profile includes a listing of locations of a plurality of businesses and other points of interest, and the user profile is stored in a database of the server computer system;

receiving a set of data identifying the location of the device, the data transmitted from the device and stored in the database;

associating the set of data with the user of the device;

receive a listing of tasks to be completed by the user of the device;

correlating the location of the device with the listing of locations and the listing of tasks to identify a subset of the listing of locations where the tasks are to be completed, wherein the subset is identified before a suggested route is generated;

generate, after the subset of locations is identified, a suggested route from the location of the device though the subset of locations, the suggested route based at least in part on respective priority attributes associated with tasks to be performed at one or more of the plurality of other locations; and

transmitting data which includes the suggested route.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile communications device comprises a cellular telephone.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of data comprises GPS coordinate data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the GPS coordinate data comprises GPS codes and a GPS navigation message.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein

the user profile may be modified by the user from the device;

and

the data transmitted from the device further comprises data which modifies the user profile.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the listing of a plurality of other locations to be visited by the user is populated by data from a personal calendar embodied on a computer readable medium.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the user profile further includes a plurality of preference levels corresponding to the plurality of businesses and other points of interest; and

the correlation includes consideration of the preference levels.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the listing of tasks is populated by data from a personal calendar embodied on a computer readable medium.

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

receiving an additional set of data identifying a destination location

wherein the correlating step further comprises correlating the destination location and the suggested route terminates at the destination location.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the data is image data comprising a map; and

the image data is formatted for display on the device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the subset of locations are graphically represented as icons.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the image data depicts one or more of the subset of locations to be visited by the user as icons comprising hyperlinks to further information on a respective location.

23. A computer readable medium, computer program comprising instructions executable by a computer to:

create a user profile for a user of the device, wherein the user profile includes a listing of locations of a plurality of businesses and other points of interest;

receive a set of data identifying the location of the device;

associate the set of data with the user of the device;

receive a listing of tasks to be completed by the user of the device;

correlate the location of the device with the listing of locations and the listing of tasks to identify a subset of the listing of locations where the tasks are to be completed;

create data which includes both the location of the device and a suggested route through the subset of locations, the suggested route based at least in part on respective priority attributes associated with tasks to be performed at one or more of the plurality of other locations; and

transmit the created data.

24. The computer readable medium recited in claim 23, which further comprises instructions executable to:

receive an additional set of data identifying a destination location

wherein the correlating step further comprises the destination location.

25. The computer readable medium recited in claim 24, wherein the created data comprises image data including a map.