Transferring messages in a communications network

• US 8,892,138 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2009
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Ekberg, Christian, Mecklin, Tomas
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/511,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20130190020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/41.2, 4554561-459, 4554041-4042, 455517-519, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/466
• 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: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transferring a message from a wireless communication device to another communication device. A communications device generates a message using the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device determines a geographical location and an orientation of the wireless communication device. A geographical region is determined using the geographical location and orientation, and a remote server determines the presence of an entity associated with the other communication device in the selected geographical region. The message is then transferred to the other communication device.

Claims

1. A server for use in a wireless communications network, the server comprising circuitry configured as:

a receiver configured to receive, from a first communication device, information usable to identify a target geographical region, the received information including a geographical location of the first communication device, and data describing a flight sector of the first communication device;

a presence function configured to determine the presence of an entity associated with a second communication device, the entity being located in the target geographical region; and

a transmitter configured to perform one of;

sending a message to the second communication device; and

sending an address associated with the second communication device to the first communication device.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured as a geographical region determination function configured to determine a geographical region of the first communication device using the received geographical location and the data describing the flight sector of the first communication device.

3. The server of claim 1:

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a message from the first communication device; and

wherein the transmitter is configured to forward the message to the second communication device.

4. A first mobile communication device for use in a wireless telecommunications network, the first mobile communication device comprising circuitry configured as:

a message generating function for allowing a user of the device to generate a message;

a geographical location function configured to determine a geographical location of the first communication device;

a motion detection determination function configured to determine a flight sector of the first communication device; and

a transmitter configured to send the message to a second communication device associated with an entity located in a target geographical region determined using the determined geographical location and the determined flight sector.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the message responsive to the first communication device moving along the flight sector.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the determined geographical location and the determined flight sector to a remote server.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the transmitter is configured to send the generated message to the second communication device by sending the generated message to the remote server for forwarding by the remote server to the second communication device.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 6:

wherein the circuitry is further configured as a receiver configured to receive, from the remote server, an address of the second communication device; and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the generated message to the second communication device using the received address.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 4:

wherein the circuitry is further configured as a geographical region module configured to determine the target geographical region relative to the geographical location of the first communication device and the flight sector of the first communication device; and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the determined geographical region to a remote server.

10. A method of transferring a message from a first wireless communication device to a second communication device, the method being implemented by a remote server and comprising:

receiving, from the first wireless communication device, a geographical location of the first wireless communication device and data describing a flight sector of the first wireless communication device;

determining a target geographical region of the first communication device using the geographical location and the data describing the flight sector; and

determining the presence of an entity in the target geographical region, the entity being associated with the second communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transfer of the message to the second communication device is performed responsive to the first wireless communication device moving along the flight sector.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein a distance between the target geographical region and the geographical region of the first wireless communication device is determined based on the data describing the flight sector, which includes a velocity of the first wireless communication device along the flight sector.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the entity associated with the second communication device is the second communication device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising one of the following:

forwarding a message from the first communication device to the second communication device;

or

sending an address of the second communication device to the first communication device, thereby allowing the first communication device to send a message to the second communication device.

15. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising program instructions for communicating between mobile communication devices, the computer program product comprising computer program code which, when run on a first mobile communication device, configures the first mobile communication device to:

generate a message for a second mobile communication device;

determine a geographical location of the first communication device;

determine a flight sector of the first communication device; and

send a message to the second communication device, the second communication device being associated with an entity located in a target geographical region determined using the determined geographical location and the flight sector.

16. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, said computer program product comprising program instructions for facilitating communication between mobile communication devices, the computer program product comprising computer program code which, when run on an application server, configures the application server to:

receive from a first communication device information usable to identify a target geographical region, the received information including a geographical location of the first communication device, and data describing a flight sector of the first communication device;

determine the presence of an entity associated with a second communication device, the entity being located in the target geographical region; and

either send a message to the second communication device or send an address associated with the second communication device to the first communication device.