Providing location information to website providers

• US 8,244,832 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: McGuire, Russell Spaid
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scott, Randy
• Application Number:
  US11/445,007
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 455/414.1, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A system, a method and computer-readable for providing the location of client devices to website providers. An application residing on a client device is provided. The application may present content, such as a web page, received over a communications network. The application is configured to generate a request for information describing the location of the client device. In response to this request, a location service may obtain the location of the client device and may communicate this location to a website provider. The website provider may generate a web page for display by the application. This web page may contain content selected based on the location of the client device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating web pages based on the location of a client device, said method comprising:

establishing communication with a client device of a user over a communications network, wherein said client device includes a web-page browser and a location service;

remotely detecting said location service on said client device;

incident to said detecting, requesting authorization from said client device to obtain a location for said client device from said location service;

transmitting executable code to said client device over said communication network, wherein execution of said executable code enables a web-page provider to interface with said location service on said client device;

receiving said location from said client device incident to execution of said executable code; and

generating, by said web-page provider, a web page for display on the web-page browser of the client device that includes a user-editable form that is automatically populated with said location of the user and that allows the user to request assistance or service at or by said location of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said client device is at least one of a mobile telecommunication device or a computer laptop.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said client device includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said location service utilizes information from said GPS receiver to obtain said location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting on the client device a user-selectable link, wherein user selection of said link indicates user consent to said authorization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said authorization contains information for use in obtaining said location from said location service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said location service utilizes information from a wireless network provider to obtain said location.

8. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon to perform the method of claim 1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said location service resides at least in part on said client device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said web-page browser is a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) browser.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said executable code is script.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said script is Java Script.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication of the location of said client device to said web-page provider is by indirect communication via a plurality of devices on said communications network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said plurality of devices includes said client device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said form includes a request for roadside assistance at said location.