System and method for naming a location based on user-specific information

• US 8,750,892 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scenera Mobile Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Original Assignee: Scenera Mobile Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Singh, Munindar P., Singh, Mona
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US11/425,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20070298812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,911 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.2, 455/422.1, 709/219, 709/203, 701/208, 342/457, 342/450, 342/453, 707/5, 707/6
• US Class Current: 455/456
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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

Abstract

A system for naming a location includes a mobile communication device equipped with a position locator system that is configured to identify a location of the device, a first data store for storing general information that is managed by or for an entity other than the user and that is related to the location, a second data store for storing user-specific information that is managed by or for the user, and a name generation module. According to aspects of one embodiment, the name generation module is configured to receive the location of the mobile communication device, to retrieve from the first data store general information relating to the location, and to generate a name for the location based on an atemporal correlation between the general information and the user-specific information.

Claims

1. A system for naming a location, the system comprising:

a mobile communication device associated with a user comprising a position locator system configured to identify a location of the mobile communication device;

a first data store for storing general information relating to the location, wherein the general information is managed by or for an entity other than the user;

a second data store for storing user-specific information that is managed by or for the user; and

a name generation module configured to receive the location of the mobile communication device, to retrieve from the first data store general information relating to the location, to generate at least one name for the location based on an atemporal correlation between the general information relating to the location and the user-specific information, to provide the at least one name for the location for selection by the user, and to provide for storing the name selected by the user for the location in the second data store from the at least one name.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first data store includes geographical information that maps the location to an address, and at least one directory that maps an address to address-specific information including at least one of a telephone number, electronic message address, name, and business name.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user-specific information includes at least one of an address book that organizes contact information for a plurality of contacts, a call log that stores call information, a message log that stores message information, and a calendar that stores events.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the name generation module includes a matching module configured to compare the general information relating the location to the user-specific information and to detect when a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with a portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a name based on the general information for the location when no portion of the user-specific information substantially matches any portion of the general information.

7. A mobile communication device comprising:

a communication interface coupled to a network;

a position locator system configured to identify a location of the mobile communication device; and

a name generation module configured to receive the location of the mobile communication device, to use the location to retrieve general information relating to the location over the network via the communication interface, wherein the general information is managed by or for an entity other than the user, to generate at least one name for the location based on an atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information relating to the location and user-specific information that is managed by or for a user of the mobile communication device, to provide the at least one name for the location for selection by the user, and to provide for storing the name selected by the user for the location from the at least one name.

8. The device of claim 7 further comprising a data store for storing the user-specific information.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the user-specific information includes at least one of an address book that organizes contact information for a plurality of contacts, a call log that stores call information, a message log that stores message information, and a calendar that stores events.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the name generation module includes a matching module configured to compare the general information relating the location to the user-specific information and to determine when a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the matching module compares the general information to the user-specific information in a specified order.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the specified order comprises the user-specific information in the address book, the call log, the message log, and the calendar.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the matching module alters the specified order according to a name selection pattern of the user.

14. The device of claim 10 wherein the matching module ceases comparing when it determines that a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information and wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with the portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches the portion of the general information relating to the location.

15. The device of claim 10 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with any portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the name generation module is further configured to generate an ordered list of suggested names comprising identified user-specific names associated with each portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the ordered list comprises unique user-specific names.

18. The device of claim 10 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a name based on the general information for the location when no portion of the user-specific information substantially matches any portion of the general information.

19. The device of claim 10 wherein the matching module is further configured to determine an approximate match between a portion of the general information and a portion of the user-specific information.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with the portion of the user-specific information and a general information name associated with the portion of the general information when the portion of the general information approximately matches the portion of the user-specific information.

21. The device of claim 10 wherein the general information relating to the location comprises address data associated with a plurality of positions at or near the location.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the name generation module is configured to generate a list of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and the suggested names are ordered according to a position'"'"'s proximity to the location.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein the name generation module is configured to generate a list of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and the suggested names are ordered according to a degree to which the user-specific information associated with the suggested name correlates to the address data associated with the position.

24. The device of claim 8 wherein the name generation module is configured to store the generated name and the location in the data store in response to the user selecting the name, such that the name can be retrieved when the user returns to the location or when the user wishes to share the name with another user.

25. A server for naming a location comprising:

a communication interface for communicating with a mobile communication device associated with a user over a network; and

a name generation module configured to receive a location of the mobile communication device over the network via the communication interface, to use the location to retrieve general information relating to the location over the network via the communication interface, wherein the general information is managed by or for an entity other than the user, to generate at least one name for the location based on an atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information relating to the location and user-specific information that is managed by or for a user of the mobile communication device, to provide the name to the mobile communication device over the network via the communication interface, and to provide for storing the name selected by the user for the location from the at least one name.

26. The server of claim 25 further comprising a data store for storing the user-specific information.

27. The server of claim 25, wherein the user-specific information is stored in a data store for the mobile communication device, and is received by the server over the network via the communication interface.

28. The server of claim 25 wherein the user-specific information includes at least one of an address book of the user that organizes contact information for a plurality of contacts, a call log that stores call information, a message log that stores message information, and a calendar that stores events.

29. The server of claim 25 wherein the name generation module includes a matching module configured to compare the general information relating the location to the user-specific information and to determine when a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information.

30. The server of claim 29 wherein the matching module compares the general information to the user-specific information in a specified order.

31. The server of claim 30 wherein the specified order comprises the user-specific information in the address book, the call log, the message log, and the calendar.

32. The server of claim 30 wherein the matching module alters the specified order according to a name selection pattern of the user.

33. The server of claim 29 wherein the matching module ceases comparing when it determines that a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information and wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with the portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches the portion of the general information relating to the location.

34. The server of claim 29 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with any portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

35. The server of claim 34 wherein the name generation module is further configured to generate an ordered list of suggested names comprising identified user-specific names associated with each portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

36. The server of claim 35 wherein the ordered list comprises unique user-specific names.

37. The server of claim 29 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a name based on the general information for the location when no portion of the user-specific information substantially matches any portion of the general information.

38. The server of claim 29 wherein the matching module is further configured to determine an approximate match between a portion of the general information and a portion of the user-specific information.

39. The server of claim 38 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify a user-specific name associated with the portion of the user-specific information and a general information name associated with the portion of the general information when the portion of the general information approximately matches the portion of the user-specific information.

40. The server of claim 25 wherein the general information relating to the location comprises address data associated with a plurality of positions at or near the location.

41. The server of claim 40 wherein the name generation module is configured to generate a list of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and the suggested names are ordered according to a position'"'"'s proximity to the location.

42. The server of claim 40 wherein the name generation module is configured to generate a list of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and the suggested names are ordered according to a degree to which the user-specific information associated with the suggested name correlates to the address data associated with the position.

43. The server of claim 25 wherein the name generation module is configured to store the generated name and the corresponding location in the data store in response to the user selecting the name, such that the name can be retrieved when the user returns to the location or when the user wishes to share the name with another user.

44. A method of naming a location at which a user is present with a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

retrieving general information relating to the location, the general information managed by or for an entity other than the user;

comparing the retrieved general information relating the location to user-specific information managed by or for the user;

identifying an atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information and the user-specific information;

generating at least one name for the location based on the atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information and the user-specific information;

providing the at least one name for the location for selection by the user; and

storing the name selected by the user for the location from the at least one name.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein retrieving the general information includes identifying geospatial coordinates associated with the location and using the geospatial coordinates to retrieve general information associated with the coordinates.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein the user-specific information includes at least one of an address book of the user that organizes contact information for a plurality of contacts, a call log that stores call information, a message log that stores message information, and a calendar that stores events.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein identifying the atemporal correlation includes determining when a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein generating the name includes identifying a user-specific name associated with any portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein generating the name further includes generating an ordered list of suggested names comprising identified user-specific names associated with each portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the ordered list comprises unique user-specific names.

51. The method of claim 47 wherein comparing the general information to the user-specific information includes comparing the general information to the user-specific information in a specified order.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein the specified order in which the user-specific information comprises the user-specific information in the address book, the call log, the message log, and the calendar.

53. The method of claim 44 wherein the general information relating to the location comprises address data associated with a plurality of positions at or near the location and wherein generating the name comprises creating a list of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and the suggested names are ordered according to a position'"'"'s proximity to the location.

54. The method of claim 44 wherein the general information relating to the location comprises address data associated with a plurality of positions at or near the location and wherein generating the name comprises creating a list of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and the suggested names are ordered according to a degree to which the user-specific information associated with the suggested name correlates to the address data associated with the position.

55. The method of claim 44 further comprising storing the generated name and the corresponding location in response to the user selecting the name, such that the name can be retrieved when the user returns to the location or when the user wishes to share the name with another user.

56. The method of claim 44 further comprising ceasing the comparison when a first atemporal correlation is identified, wherein the name generated for the location is based on the first atemporal correlation.

57. The method of claim 44 wherein identifying the atemporal correlation includes determining an approximate match between a portion of the general information and a portion of the user-specific information and wherein generating the name includes identifying a user-specific name associated with the portion of the user-specific information and a general information name associated with the portion of the general information.

58. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing programing instruction for naming a location at which a user is present with a mobile communication device, the program instructions for performing a method comprising:

retrieving general information relating to the location, the general information managed by or for an entity other than the user;

comparing the retrieved general information relating the location to user-specific information managed by or for the user;

identifying an atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information and the user-specific information;

generating at least one name for the location based on the atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information and the user-specific information;

providing the at least one name for the location for selection by the user; and

storing the name selected by the user for the location from the at least one name.

59. The computer readable medium of claim 58 wherein the instructions for identifying the atemporal correlation includes detecting when a portion of the general information substantially matches a portion of the user-specific information.

60. The computer readable medium of claim 59 wherein the instructions for generating the name includes identifying a user-specific name associated with a portion of the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion of the general information relating to the location.