Method and apparatus for accessing location based services by determining current location information and virtual location information of portable terminal in a wireless communication network

• US 8,649,804 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoo, Ji Yeon
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US13/558,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20130053070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4144, 455418-420, 4554561-457, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/404.2, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

A method for accessing a location-based social network service in a portable terminal is provided. The method includes determining whether virtual location information is used when the location-based social network service is requested, obtaining virtual access location information of the portable terminal when it is determined that the virtual location information used, and accessing the location-based social network service using the obtained virtual access location information.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a location-based social network service in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether virtual location information is selected by a user when the location-based social network service is requested;

obtaining virtual access location information of the portable terminal when it is determined that the virtual location information is selected by the user; and

accessing the location-based social network service using the obtained virtual access location information,

wherein the virtual access location information comprises location information of actual space corresponding to a virtual access location displayed on the portable terminal that has been selected by the user to access the location-based social network service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the virtual access location information of the portable terminal comprises:

determining whether contents are received from a contents provider;

determining whether the contents include location information when it is determined that the contents are received;

extracting one or more sets of location information included in the contents when it is determined that the contents include the location information; and

receiving from the user a command to select a set of location information, which the user intends to use, among the extracted one or more sets of location information when accessing the location-based social network service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether the contents are received comprises:

receiving the virtual access location information from the user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether the contents include the location information comprises:

extracting an image of an actual space from replayed contents when replaying the contents when it is determined that the contents do not include the location information;

searching for the extracted image; and

obtaining the virtual access location information from the search result.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the extracting of the image comprises capturing the image of the actual space corresponding to the location information which the user intends to use when accessing the location-based social network service from the replayed contents.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the location-based social network service comprises:

using the location-based social network service which is different from accessing using the current location information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the virtual location information is used comprises:

accessing a location-based social network service using the current location information when it is determined that the virtual location information is not used.

8. A portable terminal configured to accessing a location-based social network service, the portable terminal comprising:

an input unit configured to generate an input signal of a user command;

a display unit configured to display contents;

a wireless communication unit configured to transmit and receive the contents;

a storage unit configured to store the received contents;

a location information acquisition unit configured to receive a signal that is used in determining current location information of the portable terminal; and

a controller configured to control to obtain virtual access location information of the portable terminal, and to access the location-based social network service using the obtained virtual access location information, when it is determined that a user has selected the virtual location information, and

after determining whether the user has selected the virtual location information, operating the location-based social network service program,

wherein the virtual access location information comprises location information of actual space corresponding to a virtual access location displayed on the portable terminal that has been selected by the user to access the location-based social network service.

9. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller controls to determine whether the contents are received from a contents provider when obtaining the virtual access location information, to determine whether the contents include the virtual access location information when it is determined that the contents are received, to extract one or more sets of virtual access location information included in the contents when it is determined that the contents include the virtual access location information, and to receive from the user a command to select a set of virtual access location information, which the user intends to use when accessing the location-based social network service, among the extracted one or more sets of virtual access location information.

10. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller controls to receive the virtual access location information from the user when it is determined that the contents are not received when determining whether the contents are received.

11. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller controls to extract an image of an actual space from replayed contents when replaying the contents, search for the extracted image, and obtain the virtual access location information from the search result when it is determined that the contents do not include the virtual access location information when determining whether the contents include the virtual access location information.

12. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller controls to capture the image of the actual space corresponding to the location information which the user intends to use when accessing the location-based social network service from the replayed contents when extracting the image.

13. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller uses the location-based social network service which is different from accessing using the current location information.

14. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller accesses a location-based social network service using the current location information when it is determined that the virtual location information is not used when determining whether the virtual location information is used.