Managing group of location based triggers

• US 8,509,411 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Laine, Tommi A., Rauhala, Petri O., Katajainen, Pasi, Luttinen, Jarno
• Primary Examiner(s): Jamal, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US11/593,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,472 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 379/207.02, 379/207.12
• US Class Current: 379/207.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events

Abstract

A location-based triggering system and method allow location-based triggers to be created and associated with POI, landmark, and/or location-based information categories comprised of a plurality of POIs, landmarks, and/or location-based information, POI, landmark, and/or location-based information sub-categories, as well as POI, landmark, and location-based information searches. A trigger is created, where the trigger comprises trigger criteria. At least one POI, landmark, and/or location-based information database containing a plurality of POIs, landmarks, and/or location-based information data is monitored for a match between the trigger criteria and at least one POI, landmark, and/or location-based information category. If a match exists, the trigger is activated, thereby executing a related action or event. Furthermore, additional search criteria can be combined with the trigger criteria to enhance the LBT process.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating, by a device, a location-based trigger comprising at least one trigger criteria reflecting one or more type identifiers of the location-based trigger, wherein the trigger is maintained for continued monitoring;

monitoring, by the device, a plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data may be dynamically updated during the monitoring and after being set;

comparing, by the device, the monitored plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data with the at least one trigger criteria; and

activating the trigger based, at least in part, on the comparison, wherein activating the trigger includes executing a user-specified executable action of the device, and the user-specified executable action includes sending a particular notification, created by the user, to the device,

wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data are stored in at least one of a dynamically updatable point of interest data structure, a dynamically updatable landmark data structure, and a dynamically updatable location-based information data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one trigger criteria is associated with at least one of a point of interest, a landmark, and location-based information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically updatable point of interest data structure, the dynamically updatable landmark data structure, and the dynamically updatable location-based information data structure reside in at least one of the device and a network server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger criteria and the executable action are specified by a user of the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a user of the device sets a trigger criteria to send a notification containing a message to a second user upon the second user fulfilling a prescribed condition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating of the trigger occurs upon one of entering and leaving a geographical area associated with the at least one trigger criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating of the trigger occurs when the comparison determines that the at least one trigger criteria is fulfilled by at least one of the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, and when additional search criteria associated with the at least one trigger criteria is satisfied.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the additional search criteria is obtained from at least one third party service provider.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the additional search criteria is obtained utilizing semantic-based web data.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following steps:

creating a location-based trigger comprising at least one trigger criteria reflecting one or more type identifiers of the location-based trigger, wherein the trigger is maintained for continued monitoring;

monitoring a plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data may be dynamically updated during the monitoring and after being set;

comparing the monitored plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data with the at least one trigger criteria; and

activating the trigger based, at least in part, on the comparison, wherein activating the trigger includes executing a user-specified executable action of the apparatus, and the user-specified executable action includes sending a particular notification, created by the user, to a device,

wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data are stored in at least one of a dynamically updatable point of interest data structure, a dynamically updatable landmark data structure, and a dynamically updatable location-based information data structure.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

creating a location-based trigger comprising at least one trigger criteria reflecting one or more type identifiers of the location-based trigger, wherein the trigger is maintained for continued monitoring;

monitoring a plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data may be dynamically updated during the monitoring and after being set;

comparing the monitored plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data with the at least one trigger criteria; and

activating the trigger based, at least in part, on the comparison, wherein activating the trigger includes executing a user-specified executable action of the apparatus, and the user-specified executable action includes sending a particular notification, created by the user, to a device,

wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data are stored in at least one of a dynamically updatable point of interest data structure, a dynamically updatable landmark data structure, and a dynamically updatable location-based information data structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one trigger criteria is associated with at least one of a point of interest, a landmark, and location-based information.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the activating of the trigger occurs upon one of entering and leaving a geographical area associated with the at least one trigger criteria.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the activating of the trigger occurs when the comparison determines that the at least one trigger criteria is fulfilled by at least one of the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, and when additional search criteria associated with the at least one trigger criteria is satisfied, the additional search criteria includes time information that must be fulfilled to activate the trigger.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the trigger criteria and the executable action are specified by a user of the apparatus.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a user of the device sets a trigger criteria to send a notification containing a message to a second user upon the second user fulfilling a prescribed condition.

15. A system, comprising:

a device, wherein the device is configured to perform at least the following;

receiving at least one trigger criteria reflecting one or more type identifiers of the trigger criteria, and creating a location-based trigger based on the at least one trigger criteria, wherein the trigger is maintained for continued monitoring;

receiving text string search data;

updating the at least one trigger criteria with the received text string search data;

monitoring a plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data may be dynamically updated during the monitoring and after being set;

comparing the monitored plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data with the at least one updated trigger criteria; and

activating the trigger based, at least in part, on the comparison, wherein activating the trigger includes executing a user-specified executable action of the device, and the user-specified executable action includes sending a particular notification, created by the user, to the device,

wherein the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data are stored in at least one of a dynamically updatable point of interest data structure, a dynamically updatable landmark data structure, and a dynamically updatable location-based information data structure.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the trigger criteria and the executable action are specified by a user of the device.

19. A method, comprising:

creating, by a device, a trigger comprising at least one trigger criteria, wherein the at least one trigger criteria comprises at least one category related to at least one characteristic associated with at least one of either a point of interest, a landmark, and location-based information;

monitoring a plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, wherein, the plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data may be dynamically updated during the monitoring and after being set;

comparing the monitored plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data with the at least one trigger criteria; and

activating the trigger when at least one of the monitored plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data matches the at least one trigger criteria.