Intelligent location-to-cell mapping using annotated media

• US 8,055,271 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahern, Shane P., King, Simon P., Naaman, Mor, Nair, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): Santiago Cordero; Marivelisse
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US11/671,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/418, 455/456.6, 709/217
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed are apparatus and methods for providing location information for a current location of a portable device, such as a camera-phone. In general, a current, generic location, e.g., cell ID, of the portable device is mapped to a more specific location description, e.g., the name of a specific city, that is defined by one or more users. In a specific implementation, one or more users of portable devices may be encouraged to contribute specific location descriptions with respect to media objects or the like that are managed on their portable devices. When a particular user ties a specific location to a media object or the like, the media object serves to also tie the particular user'"'"'s current generic location or cell ID to the media object. Thus, a plurality of media objects and their associated specific and generic location descriptions can be analyzed to determine a most relevant specific location description for a particular generic location or cell ID. The specific location that is tied to a generic location may be used in any number of applications, such as automatically associating such specific location with any media objects that are captured in the corresponding generic location, e.g., cell ID.

Claims

1. A method for mapping a specific location to a generic location of a mobile device, comprising:

for a generic location, obtaining a plurality of specific locations that were entered by a plurality of users to annotate a plurality of media objects on their mobile devices when the mobile devices were detected as being located at the generic location, wherein the specific locations include a plurality of descriptions of the generic location;

when a particular user'"'"'s mobile device has obtained a particular media object and been detected as being located at the generic location and it is determined that the particular user has not entered a specific location to annotate the particular media object, for the particular user automatically analyzing the specific locations that were obtained from users who belong to the particular user'"'"'s social network so as to select a first specific location for the generic location from among the specific locations from users who belong to the particular user'"'"'s network and annotating the particular media object with the first specific location; and

when a second particular user'"'"'s mobile device has obtained a second particular media object and been detected as being located at the generic location and it is determined that the second particular user and the users who belong to such second particular user'"'"'s social network have not entered a specific location to annotate the second particular media object, for the second particular user automatically analyzing the specific locations that were obtained from users who do not belong to the second particular user'"'"'s social network so as to select a second specific location for the generic location from among the specific locations from users who do not belong to such second particular user'"'"'s social network and annotating the second particular media object with the second specific location.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the generic location is a cellular tower identity (ID).

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first specific location is further based on location data for the generic location that is obtained from an external source.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the external source is a global positioning satellite (GPS) system.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the generic location is in the form of a cellular tower ID and the external source is a cellular phone provider service that provides location data that is mapped to cellular tower ID'"'"'s.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first specific location is selected from specific locations that conflict with each other by utilizing collision control so as to select the first specific location as most likely to be accurate.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first specific location'"'"'s description is downgraded to a less specific description if one or more specific locations were entered for a neighboring generic location and have a description that conflicts with the first specific location'"'"'s description.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the first specific location'"'"'s description is downgraded by removing a zipcode that conflicts with a conflicting zipcode of the one or more conflicting specific locations.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular media object is a digital photograph.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising presenting one or more points to a user each time the user enters a specific location for the generic location so as to motivate users to enter specific locations and presenting a reward to a user when such user has reached a particular number of points.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising selecting the first specific location from other specific locations that were entered by other users for another generic location that is near the generic location if specific locations are not entered for the generic location.

12. An apparatus for mapping a specific location to a generic location of a mobile device, comprising

at least one processor;

and

at least one memory, wherein at least one of the processor or memory is configured for;

for a generic location, obtaining a plurality of specific locations that were entered by a plurality of users to annotate a plurality of media objects on their mobile devices when the mobile devices were detected as being located at the generic location, wherein the specific locations include a plurality of descriptions of the generic location;

when a particular user'"'"'s mobile device has obtained a particular media object and been detected as being located at the generic location and it is determined that the particular user has not entered a specific location to annotate the particular media object, for the particular user automatically analyzing the specific locations that were obtained from users who belong to the particular user'"'"'s social network so as to select a first specific location for the generic location from among the specific locations from users who belong to the particular user'"'"'s network and annotating the particular media object with the first specific location; and

when a second particular user'"'"'s mobile device has obtained a second particular media object and been detected as being located at the generic location and it is determined that the second particular user and the users who belong to such second particular user'"'"'s social network have not entered a specific location to annotate the second particular media object, for the second particular user automatically analyzing the specific locations that were obtained from users who do not belong to the second particular user'"'"'s social network so as to select a second specific location for the generic location from among the specific locations from users who do not belong to such second particular user'"'"'s social network and annotating the second particular media object with the second specific location.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the generic location is a cellular tower identity (ID).

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the first specific location is selected from specific locations that conflict with each other by utilizing collision control so as to select the first specific location as most likely to be accurate.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the first specific location'"'"'s description is downgraded to a less specific description if one or more specific locations were entered for a neighboring generic location and have a description that conflicts with the first specific location'"'"'s description.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the first and second media objects are digital photographs.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the processor or memory is further configured for selecting the first specific location from other specific locations that were entered by other users for another generic location that is near the generic location if specific locations are not entered for the generic location.

18. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon that are arranged to perform the following operations:

for a generic location, obtaining a plurality of specific locations that were entered by a plurality of users to annotate a plurality of media objects on their mobile devices when the mobile devices were detected as being located at the generic location, wherein the specific locations include a plurality of descriptions of the generic location;

when a particular user'"'"'s mobile device has obtained a particular media object and been detected as being located at the generic location and it is determined that the particular user has not entered a specific location to annotate the particular media object, for the particular user automatically analyzing the specific locations that were obtained from users who belong to the particular user'"'"'s social network so as to select a first specific location for the generic location from among the specific locations from users who belong to the particular user'"'"'s network and annotating the particular media object with the first specific location; and

when a second particular user'"'"'s mobile device has obtained a second particular media object and been detected as being located at the generic location and it is determined that the second particular user and the users who belong to such second particular user'"'"'s social network have not entered a specific location to annotate the second particular media object, for the second particular user automatically analyzing the specific locations that were obtained from users who do not belong to the second particular user'"'"'s social network so as to select a second specific location for the generic location from among the specific locations from users who do not belong to such second particular user'"'"'s social network and annotating the second particular media object with the second specific location.

19. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the generic location is a cellular tower identity (ID).

20. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the first specific location is further based on location data for the generic location that is obtained from an external source.

21. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the external source is a global positioning satellite (GPS) system.

22. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the generic location is in the form of a cellular tower ID and the external source is a cellular phone provider service that provides location data that is mapped to cellular tower ID'"'"'s.

23. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the first specific location is selected from specific locations that conflict with each other by utilizing collision control so as to select the first specific location as most likely to be accurate.

24. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the first specific location'"'"'s description is downgraded to a less specific description if one or more specific locations were entered for a neighboring generic location and have a description that conflicts with the first specific location'"'"'s description.

25. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the first specific location'"'"'s description is downgraded by removing a zipcode that conflicts with a conflicting zipcode of the one or more conflicting specific locations.

26. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the first and second media objects are digital photographs.

27. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the computer program instructions stored thereon that are further arranged to select the first specific location from other specific locations that were entered by other users for another generic location that is near the generic location if specific locations are not entered for the generic location.