Method, device and system for enhancing location information

• US 9,351,109 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Shatsky, Alexander, Martin-Cocher, Gaelle Christine
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US14/478,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20140378162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/3.02, 455/3.04, 705/5, 705/7, 705/14.66, 705/14.69, 705/14.52, 705/14.53, 705/14.58, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• 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, system and apparatus for obtaining enhanced location information for a mobile device. The mobile device is configured to allow a determination of its location, for example via GPS. Location data for the mobile device, exemplarily obtained via GPS, may be further specified using context information for the mobile device. Additional data is obtained and processed to obtain context information for the mobile device. Enhanced location information is determined for the mobile device at least in part based on processing the location data in association with the context information. Additional data may comprise, for example, ambient noise, speech, images or text.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing location information for a mobile device, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the mobile device, location data indicative of a location of said mobile device;

obtaining, utilizing one or more sensors of the mobile device, additional data, said additional data comprising context information, the context information comprising at least one of information regarding whether the mobile device is moving, information regarding a surrounding environment of the mobile device, and information related to an activity that a user of the mobile device is engaged in, said context information usable by at least one of the mobile device and a computing device coupled to the mobile device for further specifying the location of the mobile device;

processing said additional data to obtain said context information; and

determining enhanced location information for said mobile device, based at least in part on processing said location data in association with said context information, wherein the enhanced location information represents an improved location accuracy relative to the location information, and wherein processing said location data in association with said context information comprises further distinguishing the location data using the context information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional data comprises audio data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional data comprises visual data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional data comprises text data.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the audio data comprises ambient noise and processing said audio data comprises obtaining context information from said ambient noise.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein processing said audio data comprises obtaining context information from an audio level.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the audio data comprises speech data and processing said speech data comprises obtaining context keywords from said speech data.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more types of additional data are processed to obtain context information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more types of additional data are assigned a ranking and processed in an order at least in part based on said ranking, wherein said ranking is based on one or more of the following:

relevance for desired context information, age of data, time of acquisition, data accuracy, user preference, privacy settings, processing capability.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining location history for the mobile device and wherein determining the location information is based at least in part on processing said location history.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining user validation and wherein determining enhanced location information is based at least in part on said user validation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining additional data comprises acquiring additional data.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of additional data to obtain context information is performed by one or more of the mobile device, a peer mobile device, a communicatively linked remote server or terminal.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing to determine enhanced location information is performed by one or more of the mobile device, a peer mobile device, a communicatively linked remote server or terminal.

15. A system for comprising:

a mobile device configured to obtain location data indicative of a location of said mobile device, obtain additional data from one or more sensors of mobile device, said additional data comprising context information, the context information comprising at least one of information regarding whether the mobile device is moving, information regarding a surrounding environment of the mobile device, and information related to an activity that a user of the mobile device is engaged in—

a computing device configured to;

receive said additional data from the mobile device; and

,

process said additional data to obtain said context information and to determine enhanced location information for said mobile device, based at least in part on processing said location data in association with said context information, wherein the enhanced location information represents an improved location accuracy relative to the location information, and wherein processing said location data in association with said context information comprises further distinguishing the location data using the context information.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said mobile device further comprises processor configured to process audio data.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said said processor is further a video configured to process visual data.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said processor is further configured to process text data.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile device comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein one or more of the plurality of sensors is an audio sensor configured to obtain audio data.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the mobile device comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein one or more of the plurality of sensors is a visual sensor configured to obtain visual data.

21. A mobile device configured for enhancing location information, the system comprising:

one or more sensors;

a processor operably coupled to the one or more sensors, the processor configured to;

obtain location data indicative of a location of said mobile device;

obtain, utilizing the one or more sensors, additional data, said additional data comprising context information, the context information comprising at least one of information regarding whether the mobile device is moving, information regarding a surrounding environment of the mobile device, and information related to an activity that a user of the mobile device is engaged in; and

,

process said additional data to obtain said context information and to determine enhanced location information for said mobile device, wherein determining enhanced location information is based at least in part on processing said location data in association with said context information, wherein the enhanced location information represents an improved location accuracy relative to the location information, and wherein processing said location data in association with said context information comprises further distinguishing the location data using the context information.

22. A non-transitory computer program product for obtaining enhanced location information for a mobile device, comprising code which, when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device, is configured to:

obtain, at the mobile device, location data indicative of a location of said mobile device;

obtaining, utilizing one or more sensors of the mobile device, additional data, said additional data comprising context information, the context information comprising at least one of information regarding whether the mobile device is moving, information regarding a surrounding environment of the mobile device, and information related to an activity that a user of the mobile device is engaged in, said context information usable by at least one of the mobile device and a computing device coupled to the mobile device for further specifying the location of the mobile device;

process said additional data to obtain said context information; and

determine enhanced location information for said mobile device, based at least in part on processing said location data in association with said context information, wherein the enhanced location information represents an improved location accuracy relative to the location information, and wherein processing said location data in association with said context information comprises further distinguishing the location data using the context information.