Method and apparatus for moving content to mobile devices

• US 8,170,784 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kindberg, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/525,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/200, 701/211, 701/300, 345/427, 345/632, 715/757
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for moving content to a mobile device (2). A data item (34) of a predetermined type is received at a first device (14), the data item (34) including a content URI for fetching content associated with the data item. Upon detecting that the data item (34) is of the predetermined type, the first device (14) generates a symbol (40) representing at least: a local address of a content-retrieval device (14) on a local wireless network, and an explicit or implicit identifier of the content associated with the data item. The symbol (40) is then read using the mobile device (2). The mobile device (2) decodes the symbol and transmits a request, containing the content identifier, to the content-retrieval device (14). On receiving the request, the content-retrieval device (14) uses—the content identifier in the request to obtain that content, and replies to the request with the obtained content.

Claims

1. A method of referencing a map to the coordinate space of a positioning system, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of real-world positions, associating the location of the real-world position in a coordinate space of the map, with a location in the coordinate space of the positioning system determined by taking at least one positioning-system reading at the real-world position; and

using the associated locations to determine a master transform for converting relative location information between said coordinate spaces, said relative location information serving to specify a location relative to the already-known locations of said plurality of real-world positions.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one said real-world position corresponds to a real-world feature marked on the map.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one said real-world position is a position estimated by a human as corresponding to a selected map location.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein selected map location is a map corner location.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein for at least one said real-world position the corresponding map location is estimated by a human.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the location of a said real-world position in the coordinate space of the positioning system is determined as an average of a plurality positioning-system readings taken at the real-world position.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the standard deviation of the readings used to determine said mean is determined and compared to a predetermined threshold value, the mean being discarded where the standard deviation of the readings is greater man the threshold value.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein further real-world positions are progressively added to said plurality and their locations in said coordinate spaces associated, the master transform being re-determined for each n further points added where n is an integer ≧

1.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said master transform is determined by a process comprising:

determining first vectors between locations of said real-world positions in the coordinate space of the positioning system;

determining second vectors between locations of said real-world positions in the coordinate space of the map;

determining, for each first vector, an individual angle and scaling transform for converting the vector to a corresponding one of the second vectors; and

deriving said master transform as an average of said individual transforms;

the master transform being usable to convert, between said coordinate spaces, relative location information having the form of said vectors.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining the location, in the coordinate space of the positioning system, of a further real-world position by taking at least one positioning-system reading at the real-world position;

determining, in the coordinate space of the positioning system, further first vectors between the location of said further real-world position and the locations of at least some of said plurality of real-world positions;

using said master transform to convert the further first vectors to corresponding further second vectors;

combining, in the coordinate space of the map, the second vectors and the locations of said at least some of said plurality of real-world positions whereby to derive a set of estimated locations for said further real-world position in the coordinate space of the map; and

processing said set of estimated locations to derive a mean and standard deviation for said further real-world position in the coordinate space of the map.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising

determining a standard deviation of the set of estimated locations;

and

providing a visual indication of said mean location and standard deviation in the form of an ellipse displayed on an image of the map.

12. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining, in the coordinate space of the map, a set of vectors between a specific map location and the locations of said real-world positions;

using said master transform to convert said set of vectors to a corresponding set of transformed vectors;

combining, in the coordinate space of the positioning system, the set of transformed vectors and the locations of said real-world positions whereby to derive a set of estimated locations for said specific map location in the coordinate space of the positioning system; and

processing said set of estimated locations to derive a mean value.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said specific map location is the location of one said real-world positions, the method further comprising

determining a standard deviation of the set of estimated locations;

determining a difference value, as a proportion of the standard deviation of said set of estimated locations, between the location of said one real-world position as determined using the positioning system and the mean derived using said set of estimated locations; and

rejecting the locations of said one real-world position in said coordinate spaces where said difference is greater than a predetermined threshold.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said specific map location is a map boundary location.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said map boundary location is a map corner.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein said positioning system is a GPS system.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the map is an image displayed on a display screen, the coordinate space of the map being the pixel space of the image.

18. Portable apparatus comprising:

a positioning system for deriving a location in a coordinate space of the positioning system corresponding to a current real-world position of the apparatus;

a user interface arranged to display a map and enable locations in the coordinate space of the map to be selected by/identified to a user;

a memory for storing locations in both said coordinate spaces; and

a processing arrangement arranged to associate the location in the coordinate space of the positioning system of a said current position of the apparatus with a corresponding location in the map coordinate space for a plurality of different said current positions, the processing arrangement being further arranged to use the associated locations to determine a master transform for converting relative location information between said coordinate spaces, said relative location information serving to specify a location relative to the already-known locations of said plurality of current positions.