Method and apparatus for providing location-based information

• US 8,391,895 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aerrabotu, Naveen
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/343,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20100159955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/414.3, 455/436, 455/550.1, 455/404.1, 455/456.1, 455/130, 455/12.1, 455/3.06, 705/14.46, 705/14.42, 705/35, 709/239, 709/245, 709/242, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing location-based information to a wireless communication device is disclosed. The wireless communication device receives its geographic position information and provides its geographic position information to a web server while accessing a web service provided by the web server. Based on the geographic position information received from the wireless communication device, the web server provides geographic coordinates of locations relevant to the web service in the form of web geo-cookies. The wireless communication device maintains a database of the received geographic coordinates. When the wireless communication accesses a geographic map of a route or region, the wireless communication device determines if the geographic coordinates in the database lie within boundaries of the accessed map. The geographic coordinates that lie within boundaries of the received map are annotated and displayed on the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method for providing location-based information in a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the wireless communication device, geographic position information of the wireless communication device;

accessing, by the wireless communication device, a web service and providing the geographic position information to a web server providing the web service;

receiving, by the wireless communication device, geographic coordinates relevant to the web service from the web server;

maintaining a database in the wireless communication device including at least one of the geographic coordinates;

accessing, by the wireless communication device, a map of interest;

determining, by the wireless communication device, that one or more of the geographic coordinates in the database lie within boundaries of the map of interest;

annotating, by the wireless communication device, the map of interest at locations corresponding to the one or more geographic coordinates that lie within the boundaries of the map of interest; and

accessing, by the wireless communication device, the web server and providing updated geographic position information of the wireless communication device;

receiving web cookies from the web server including updated geographic coordinates based on the updated geographic position information; and

updating the geographic coordinates in the database based on the web cookies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the wireless communication device, the geographic position information comprises:

receiving the geographic position information from a location server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding, by the wireless communication device, the web service to a favorites list and tagging the web service as a location favorite.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein-the geographic coordinates are based on the geographic position information of the wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving the geographic coordinates based on the geographic position information comprises:

receiving the geographic coordinates that are prioritized based on their distance from the geographic position information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving the geographic coordinates based on the geographic position information comprises:

receiving the geographic coordinates that are within a pre-determined distance from the geographic position information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic coordinates relevant to the web service are coordinates of geographic locations associated with the web service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining the database in the wireless communication device comprises:

storing the received geographic coordinates in a non-volatile memory of the wireless communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the wireless communication device, the received geographic coordinates to a non-volatile memory of a remote server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing, by the wireless communication device, the map of interest comprises:

accessing the map of interest that is pre-stored in the wireless communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing, by the wireless communication device, the map of interest comprises:

receiving, by the wireless communication device, the map of interest from a location server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing, by the wireless communication device, the map of interest comprises:

accessing a geographic representation of a route or a region of interest to a user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the wireless communication device, the annotated map of interest.

14. A method in a location server for providing location-based information to a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the location server, geographic coordinates from the wireless communication device, wherein the geographic coordinates are relevant to a web service accessed by the wireless communication device and were received by the wireless communication device from a remote web server providing the web service;

maintaining, by the location server, a database of the geographic coordinates;

receiving, by the location server, a request for a map of interest from the wireless communication device;

invoking, by the location server, the requested map of interest;

determining, by the location server, that one or more of the geographic coordinates in the database lie within boundaries of the map of interest;

annotating, by the location server, the map of interest at locations corresponding to the one or more geographic coordinates that lie within the boundaries of the map of interest;

providing, by the location server, the annotated map of interest to the wireless communication device;

receiving updated geographic coordinates from the wireless communication device and automatically updating the geographic coordinates in the database.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the location server, a request from the wireless communication device for geographic position information of the wireless communication device; and

providing, by the location server, the geographic position information to the wireless communication device.

16. A wireless communication device for providing location information to a user, the wireless communication device comprising:

a receiver for determining geographic position information of the wireless communication device;

a transceiver unit for

accessing a web service,

providing the geographic position information to a web service providing the web service,

receiving web cookies from the web server that include geographic coordinates based on the geographic position information, and

receiving a map of interest from a location server;

a memory for maintaining a database of the geographic coordinates; and

a processor for

determining that one or more of the geographic coordinates in the database lie within boundaries of the map of interest and for annotating the map of interest at locations corresponding to the one or more geographic coordinates that lie within the boundaries of the map of interest, and

updating the geographic coordinates in the database based on the web cookies.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the geographic coordinates are latitude and longitude values of a geographic location.