HANDHELD OBJECT SELECTOR

• US 20040167707A1
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bragansa, John Michael, Ballantyne, Wayne Wiggins, Miranda-Knapp, Carlos Antonio
• Granted Patent: US 6,795,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

An object selection apparatus (100) has a geo-location processor (108) that determines the location of a device (120) at the time of an input by a user. The object selection apparatus (100) also has a bearing determination processor (104) that determines a bearing from the device (120) at the time of the user input. The object selection apparatus (100) also has a geo-content retrieval system (118) that retries information that relates to a set of objects that correspond to the location and bearing of the device (120) that was determined at the time of the input.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a location of a device at a time of an input from a user;

determining a bearing from the device at the time; and

retrieving information relating to a set of objects that correspond to the determined location and bearing of the device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving comprises the step of transmitting the location and the bearing to a geo-content server.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a bearing comprises:

pointing a handheld device, wherein the handheld device has an alignment shape and an embedded compass and wherein the embedded compass is aligned with the alignment shape; and

determining the bearing as reported by the compass.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alignment shape comprises an antenna attached to the handheld device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a search area, wherein the search area is bounded by a clockwise bearing vector, a counterclockwise bearing vector and a radius and wherein the clockwise bearing vector and counterclockwise bearing vector are offset from the bearing, and wherein the set of objects lie within the search area.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

increasing the search area by changing one of the clockwise bearing vector, the counter clockwise vector and the radius.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of determining if a desired object is contained within the set of objects, and wherein the step of increasing is performed in response to a determination that the desired object is not contained within the set of objects.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining and the step of increasing is repeated until the desired object is determined to be within the set of objects.

9. An object selector, comprising:

a geo-location processor for determining a location of a device at a time of an input from a user;

a bearing determination processor for determining a bearing from the device at the time; and

a geo-content retrieval system for retrieving information relating to a set of objects that correspond to the determined location and bearing of the device.

10. The object selector according to claim 9, wherein the geo-content retrieval system comprises:

a wireless link; and

a geo-content server, wherein the geo-content server communicates the information relating to the set of objects via the wireless link.

11. The object selector according to claim 9, wherein the bearing determination processor comprises:

an alignment shape; and

an embedded compass, wherein the embedded compass is aligned with the alignment shape.

12. The object selector according to claim 11, wherein the alignment shape comprises an antenna attached to the handheld device.

13. The object selector according to claim 9, wherein the geo-content server comprises a search area calculator for determining a search area, and wherein the search area is bounded by a clockwise bearing vector, a counterclockwise bearing vector, and a radius and wherein the clockwise bearing vector and the counterclockwise bearing vector are offset from the bearing, and wherein the set of objects lies within the search area.

14. The object selector according to claim 13, wherein the search area calculator further increases the search area by changing at least one of the clockwise bearing vector, the counter clockwise vector and the radius.

15. The object selector according to claim 14, wherein the geo-content server further comprises a contained object identifier for determining if a desired object is contained within the set of objects, and wherein the geo-content server further increases the search area in response to a determination that the desired object is not contained within the set of objects.

16. The object selector according to claim 15, wherein the geo-content server repeatedly determines if the desired object is contained within the set of objects, and while the desired object is not contained within the set of objects, the geo-content server increases the search area until the desired object is determined to be within the set of objects.

17. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer instructions for a device performing the steps of:

determining a location of a device at a time of an input from a user;

determining a bearing from the device at the time; and

retrieving information relating to a set of objects that correspond to the determined location and bearing of the device.