Location based, software control of mobile devices

• US 9,071,938 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Vellanki, Vivekanand, Devi, Durga
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US13/764,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20130150083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/404.2, 455436-453, 370331-334, 370/310
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for controlling mobile computing devices such as laptops, PDAs and cellular telephones, based on their location. A mobile computing device may include a software-rendered map of defined geographic regions, location handlers for defining behavior of a mobile device in a given geographic region, and a location handling engine for determining when a new geographic zone has been entered and exited, and for executing and terminating location handlers accordingly.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile computing device of a plurality of mobile computing devices based on a location of the device, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining when the mobile computing device crosses a boundary from a first defined geographic zone into a second defined geographic zone , at least one of the first and second zones created for the mobile computing device, the at least one of the first and second zones created for the mobile computing device being different than geographic zones created for other mobile computing devices of the plurality of mobile computing devices, and the at least one of the first and second zones being polygons defined by coordinate vertices in a two dimensional plane, where lines between the coordinate vertices define the shape of the at least one of the first and second zones, the first and second zones associated with actual real world geographic zones on the Earth using a look-up table stored in association with the first and second zones; and

(b) altering a system setting of the mobile computing device upon crossing the boundary from a first defined geographic zone into a second defined geographic zone in said step (a).

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (a) comprises the step of receiving a plurality of coordinates, the coordinates defining a boundary between the first and second geographic zones.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (b) of altering a system setting of the mobile computing device comprises the step of connecting to wireless network.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said step of connecting to a wireless network comprises the step of connecting to one of a WWAN, a WiMax network, a WLAN and a WPAN.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (b) of altering a system setting of the mobile computing device comprises the step of altering the radio transmission of the mobile computing device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (b) of altering a system setting of the mobile computing device comprises the step of altering a multimedia property of the device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (b) of altering a system setting of the mobile computing device comprises the step of powering down the device.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the instruction within memory of the mobile computing device prior to said step (b) of determining when the mobile computing device crosses a boundary of a geographic zone.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving an instruction within memory of the mobile computing device to alter the system setting in said step (b) after said step (a) of determining when the mobile computing device crosses the boundary of between the first and second geographic zones.

10. A method of controlling a behavior of a mobile computing device of a plurality of mobile computing devices based on a location of the device, comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a request for one or more location handlers, for altering one or more system settings of the mobile computing device, upon the mobile computing device crossing a boundary of a geographic zone with which the one or more location handlers are associated, the geographic zone created for the mobile computing device and being different than other geographic zones created for other mobile computing devices of the plurality of mobile computing devices, and the geographic zone being a polygon defined by a plurality of x,y coordinate vertices in a two dimensional plane, where lines between the coordinate vertices define the shape of the geographic zone, the geographic zone associated with an actual real world geographic zone on the Earth using a look-up table stored in association with the geographic zone;

(b) receiving the one or more location handlers; and

(c) altering the one or more system settings of the mobile computing device in accordance with the one or more location handlers.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the step of categorizing the one or more location handlers, said step (c) of altering the system settings depending on which category of location handlers are applicable to the mobile computing device.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said step of categorizing the one or more location handlers comprises the step of categorizing the one or more handlers according to a group policy set up for the mobile computing device.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the mobile computing device is a laptop.

14. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the mobile computing device is a device from a group of mobile computing devices consisting of personal digital assistants, cellular telephones and computing devices incorporated into vehicles.

15. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (c) of altering the one or more system settings of the mobile computing device comprises the step of defining a software instruction for interacting with an operating system of a mobile computing device to cause the mobile computing device to disconnect from a first wireless network and connect to a second wireless network.

16. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (c) of altering the one or more system settings of the mobile computing device comprises the step of defining a software instruction for interacting with an operating system of the mobile computing device to cause a change in a multimedia setting of the mobile computing device.

17. A computer-readable medium, not including a modulated data signal, the computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for programming a processor of a mobile computing device to perform a method of controlling a behavior of the mobile computing device based on a location of the device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a plurality of different geographic zones for a plurality of different mobile computing devices including the mobile computing device, at least one of the plurality of different geographic zones having a non-circular shape defined by coordinate vertices in a two dimensional plane, the plurality of different zones associated with actual real world geographic zones on the Earth using a look-up table stored in association with the plurality of different zones;

(b) determining when the mobile computing device crosses a boundary of a geographic zone received in said step (a); and

(c) executing one or more instructions, associated with the one or more geographic zones, for interacting with an operating system of the mobile computing device to alter one or more system settings of the mobile computing device upon crossing the boundary of the geographic zone in said step (b).

18. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said step (c) of executing one or more instructions to alter one or more system settings of the mobile computing device comprises the step of altering a wireless network to which the mobile computing device is connected.

19. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said step (c) of executing one or more instructions to alter one or more system settings of the mobile computing device comprises the step of altering a multimedia property of the mobile computing device.

20. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said step (a) of receiving one or more defined geographic zones comprises the step of receiving a pair of overlapping geographic zones, and wherein said step (c) of executing one or more instructions comprises the step of executing a first instruction associated with the first geographic zone and a second instruction associated with the second geographic zone, the method further comprising the step of resolving any conflict between the first and second instructions.

21. A mobile computing device of a plurality of mobile computing devices, the mobile computing device operating based on a location of the device, the mobile computing device comprising:

a sensor for determining when the mobile computing device crosses a boundary from a first defined geographic zone into a second defined geographic zone, at least one of the first and second zones created for the mobile computing device, the at least one of the first and second zones created for the mobile computing device being different than geographic zones created for other mobile computing devices of the plurality of mobile computing devices, and the at least one of the first and second zones being polygons defined by coordinate vertices in a two dimensional plane, where lines between the coordinate vertices define the shape of the at least one of the first and second zones, the first and second zones associated with actual real world geographic zones on the Earth using a look-up table stored in association with the first and second zones; and

a processor for altering a system setting of the mobile computing device upon crossing the boundary from a first defined geographic zone into a second defined geographic zone in said step (a).

22. The mobile computing device recited in claim 21, wherein the processor alters the system setting by connecting to wireless network.

23. The mobile computing device recited in claim 21, wherein the processor alters the system setting by altering the radio transmission of the mobile computing device.

24. The mobile computing device recited in claim 21, wherein the processor alters the system setting by altering a multimedia property of the device.

25. The mobile computing device recited in claim 21, wherein the processor alters the system setting by powering down the device.

26. A mobile computing device of a plurality of mobile computing devices, a behavior of the mobile computing device being controlled based on a location of the device, the mobile computing device comprising:

a transmitter sending a request for one or more location handlers, for altering one or more system settings of the mobile computing device, upon the mobile computing device crossing a boundary of a geographic zone with which the one or more location handlers are associated, the geographic zone created for the mobile computing device and being different than other geographic zones created for other mobile computing devices of the plurality of mobile computing devices, and the geographic zone being a polygon defined by a plurality of x,y coordinate vertices in a two dimensional plane, where lines between the coordinate vertices define the shape of the geographic zone, the geographic zone associated with an actual real world geographic zone on the Earth using a look-up table stored in association with the geographic zone;

a receiver receiving the one or more location handlers; and

a processor altering the one or more system settings of the mobile computing device in accordance with the one or more location handlers.

27. The mobile computing device recited in claim 26, wherein the mobile computing device is a laptop.

28. The mobile computing device recited in claim 26, wherein the mobile computing device is a device from a group of mobile computing devices consisting of personal digital assistants, cellular telephones and computing devices incorporated into vehicles.

29. The mobile computing device recited in claim 26, wherein the processor alters the one or more system settings of the mobile computing device by defining a software instruction for interacting with an operating system of a mobile computing device to cause the mobile computing device to disconnect from a first wireless network and connect to a second wireless network.

30. The mobile computing device recited in claim 26, wherein the processor alters the one or more system settings of the mobile computing device by defining a software instruction for interacting with an operating system of the mobile computing device to cause a change in a multimedia setting of the mobile computing device.