Use of previously-calculated position fix for location based query

• US 8,014,793 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kansal, Sachin, Paulson, Janell
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt; Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US11/704,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20080194273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computing device is provided for responding to a location-based query. The computing device receives the query, determines that a current position fix is unavailable, retrieves from memory a previously-calculated position fix calculated before receipt of the location-based query, and provides a response to the query based on the previously-calculated position fix.

Claims

1. A method for responding to a location-based query, comprising:

receiving a location-based query for a point of interest;

determining that a mobile device is unable to obtain a current position fix;

retrieving from memory a previously-calculated position fix calculated before receipt of the location-based query;

determining whether the previously-calculated position fix meets a criteria;

processing the location-based query based upon the previously-calculated position fix; and

providing a response to the query based on the previously-calculated position fix and whether the criteria is met, the response including displaying one or more points of interest and an indication that the previously-calculated position fix was used to process the location-based query, the displayed one or more points of interest are selectable to launch a navigation application configured to provide directions from the previously-calculated position fix to a selected point of interest;

wherein the criteria comprises at least one of;

a predetermined speed parameter at which the mobile computing device was traveling when the previously-calculated position fix was calculated;

whether the mobile computing device is in a different time zone from a time zone the mobile computing device was in when the previously-calculated position fix was calculated;

whether a general location of the mobile computing device is much different than the previously-calculated position fix; and

whether a location uncertainty factor for the previously-calculated position fix is above a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mobile device is unable to obtain a current position fix comprises determining that insufficient satellite data is available.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria comprises a predetermined time parameter since the previously-calculated position fix was calculated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the criteria is met is based on an estimate of a current position based on map data associated with the previously-calculated position.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the query comprises an indication that the previously-calculated position fix is unreliable based on whether the criteria is met.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically calculating position fixes regardless of whether a request for a position fix is received from an application or a user; and

updating the previously-calculated position fix based on each new periodically-calculated position fix.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is received from a user input device of a mobile computing device.

8. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a query for a point of interest;

a location determination circuit configured to provide location data for the mobile computing device;

a memory configured to store a first location data including a previously-calculated position fix; and

a processing circuit configured to determine that the location determination circuit is unable to calculate new location data and to respond to the query based on the first location data, the response including displaying one or more points of interest and an indication that the previously-calculated position fix was used to process the query, the displayed one or more points of interest are selectable to launch a navigation application configured to provide directions from the previously-calculated position fix to a selected point of interest;

the processing circuit is configured to determine whether the first location data meets a plurality of criteria, wherein the response to the query comprises an indication that the previously-calculated position fix is unreliable when the criteria are not met;

the plurality of criteria includes at least one of;

a predetermined speed parameter at which the mobile computing device was traveling when the first location data was calculated;

whether the mobile computing device is in a different time zone from a time zone the mobile computing device was in when the first location data was calculated;

whether a general location of the mobile computing device is much different than a location for the first location data; and

whether a location uncertainty factor for the first location data is above a predetermined threshold.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a smartphone.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the location determination circuit is configured to periodically calculate the location data regardless of whether a request for a location data is received from an application operable on the processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to update the first location data with the new periodically-calculated location data.

11. A mobile computing device for responding to a location-based query, comprising:

means for receiving a location-based query for a point of interest;

means for determining that the mobile computing device is unable to determine a current position fix;

means for retrieving from memory a previously-calculated position fix calculated before receipt of the location-based query;

means for determining whether the previously-calculated position fix meets a plurality of criteria;

means for processing the location-based query based upon the previously-calculated position fix; and

means for providing a response to the query based on the previously-calculated position fix and whether the criteria are met, the response including displaying one or more points of interest and an indication that the previously-calculated position fix was used to process the location-based query, the displayed one or more points of interest are selectable to launch a navigation application configured to provide directions from the previously-calculated position fix to a selected point of interest.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the means for determining that the mobile device is unable to determine a current position fix comprise means for determining that insufficient satellite data is available.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 11, further comprising:

means for periodically calculating position fixes regardless of whether a request for a position fix is received from an application or a user; and

means for updating the previously-calculated position fix based on each new periodically-calculated position fix.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein mobile computing device comprises a smartphone.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the criteria comprises a predetermined speed parameter at which the mobile computing device was traveling when the previously-calculated position fix was calculated.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the criteria further comprises whether the mobile computing device is in a different time zone from a time zone the mobile computing device was in when the previously-calculated position fix was calculated.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the criteria further comprises whether a general location of the mobile computing device is much different than the previously-calculated position fix.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria further comprises whether a location uncertainty factor for the previously-calculated position fix is above a predetermined threshold.