Retrieval of location-related information
First Claim
1. A method of retrieving location-related information using a mobile device having both wide-area and short-range communication sub-systems, the method involving:
- obtaining a locality indicator using the wide-area communication sub-system;
obtaining local information using the short-range communication sub-system;
using the locality indicator and local information in combination to retrieve specific information having a relation to the current location of the mobile device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cell phone (20Z) is provided with a short-range wireless transceiver (28). This transceiver is used to pick up local information from local transmitters (51B). In many instances this local information is insufficient to locate the user, being, for example, information about the local branch of a business (50B) having many branches. However, by combining this local information with a locality indicator, such as current cell ID for the cell in which the cell phone (20Z) is camped, it is much more likely that the location of the user can be established without ambiguity. A service system (40) is provided that has a database (42) searchable by locality indicator and local information to provide the user'"'"'s current location. As well as, or alternatively to, providing user location, the database (42) can be used to provide information about the locality of the user or about the party controlling the local transmitter (51B) from which the local information was obtained.
153 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of retrieving location-related information using a mobile device having both wide-area and short-range communication sub-systems, the method involving:
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obtaining a locality indicator using the wide-area communication sub-system;
obtaining local information using the short-range communication sub-system;
using the locality indicator and local information in combination to retrieve specific information having a relation to the current location of the mobile device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A mobile device comprising:
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a wide-area communication sub-system;
a first data-capture arrangement for capturing a locality indicator using the wide-area communication sub-system;
a short-range communication sub-system;
a second data-capture arrangement for capturing local information using the short-range communication sub-system; and
an information-retrieval arrangement for using the captured locality indicator and local information in combination to retrieve specific information having a relation to the current location of the mobile device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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- 22. A method of providing an information service in which items of information derived from short-range wireless transmitters are stored together with respective locality indicators each indicating the locality of the transmitter from where the corresponding item of information was derived.
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24. A service system comprising:
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a database in which items of local information derived from short-range wireless transmitters are stored together with respective further information and respective locality indicators each indicating the locality of the transmitter from where the corresponding item of information was derived;
a communications interface for interfacing the service system with a communications infrastructure; and
a request handler for receiving a request via the communications interface for specific information having a relation to a location indicated by a locality indicator and local information included in the request, the request handler being operative to use said locality indicator and local information included in the request to find a match in the database and to return from the said further information associated with the match, the requested specific information. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification