Location-based task notification

• US 20040203847A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Knauerhase, Robert C., Deshpande, Nikhil M.
• Application Number:
  US10/112,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203847A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In one aspect of the invention is a method to notify users of wireless devices that tasks in their task list can be satisfied based on the user'"'"'s location. A user enters a plurality of tasks in a wireless device. As the user travels with the wireless device, the user may pass providers that can satisfy tasks on the user'"'"'s task list. If the user does, then the user is notified of such information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of an area in which a user is traveling with a wireless device having a task list with tasks;

determining if a corresponding provider exists within a proximity of the area; and

if a corresponding provider exists in the proximity of the area, causing the user to be notified that at least one of the tasks on the task list can be satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity of the area comprises a predetermined distance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity of the area comprises a prediction range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said causing the user to be notified that at least one of the tasks on the task list can be satisfied comprises triggering pager functionality of the wireless device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said causing the user to be notified that at least one of the tasks on the task list can be satisfied additionally comprises causing task information to be provided to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the task information comprises:

at least one task on the task list that can be satisfied;

a provider that can satisfy each of the at least one task; and

a location of each provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining if a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area comprises receiving a signal from a corresponding provider that exists within proximity of the area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining if a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area comprises:

registering a current location of the wireless device with a location-based services server;

receiving notification from the location-based services server that a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a signal from one of at least one wireless device, the signal indicative of a location of the one wireless device, and the wireless device having at least one task in a task list;

registering the location of the wireless device;

determining if any corresponding providers exist;

if corresponding providers exist, determining if the corresponding providers exist in proximity to the location of the wireless device; and

if corresponding providers exist in proximity to the location of the wireless device, then causing a user of the wireless device to be notified that at least one task on the task list can be satisfied.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining if the corresponding providers exist in proximity to the location of the wireless device comprises determining if the registered location of the wireless device is within a specified distance of the corresponding providers.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining if any corresponding providers exist comprises comparing tasks corresponding to the providers to the at least one task in the task database.

12. An apparatus comprising:

receiving functionality to receive an indication of a wireless device'"'"'s location;

a proximity calculator to determine if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device; and

a notifier to cause a user of the wireless device to be notified if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the proximity calculator determines if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device by comparing the location of the wireless device to a location of the corresponding provider, the location of the corresponding provider being determined by periodically receiving a signal from the wireless device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the proximity calculator determines if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device by determining if the location of the wireless device is within a prediction range from the location of the corresponding provider.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the proximity calculator determines if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device by comparing the location of the wireless device to a location of the corresponding provider, the location of the corresponding provider being determined from a signal generated by the corresponding provider.

16. A system comprising:

a location detection mechanism to determine the location of a wireless device;

a location-based task notifier communicatively coupled to the location detection mechanism to determine if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device based on the location of the wireless device, and to cause a user of the wireless device to be notified if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device; and

a reminder unit communicatively coupled to the location-based task notifier to notify a user of the wireless device that a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the device, and to notify the user of that fact.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system comprises a location-based services server, and the location detection mechanism determines the location of the wireless device from a provider database.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the location detection mechanism additionally registers the location of the wireless device based on the received signal.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the system comprises a wireless device, and the location-based task notifier determines if a corresponding provider is in proximity to the wireless device by comparing the location of the wireless device to a location of the corresponding provider, the location of the corresponding provider being determined by periodically receiving a signal from the wireless device.

20. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the following:

receive an indication of an area in which a user is traveling with a wireless device having a task list with tasks;

determine if a corresponding provider exists within a proximity of the area; and

if a corresponding provider exists in the proximity of the area, cause the user to be notified that at least one of the tasks on the task list can be satisfied.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the proximity of the area comprises a prediction range.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein said determining if a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area comprises receiving a broadcast from a corresponding provider that exists within proximity of the area.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein said determining if a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area comprises:

registering a current location of the wireless device with a location-based services server;

receiving notification from the location-based services server that a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area.

24. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a machine-readable medium having instructions encoded thereon, which when executed by the processor, are capable of directing the processor to;

receive indication of an area in which a user is traveling with a wireless device having a task list with tasks;

determining if a corresponding provider exists within a proximity of the area; and

if a corresponding provider exists in the proximity of the area, causing the user to be notified that at least one of the tasks on the task list can be satisfied.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the proximity of the area comprises a prediction range.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said determining if a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area comprises:

registering a current location of the wireless device with a location-based services server;

receiving notification from the location-based services server that a corresponding provider exists within proximity of the area.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an indication of a wireless device'"'"'s location;

means for determining if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device; and

means for causing a user of the wireless device to be notified if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for determining if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device comprises means for comparing the location of the wireless device to a location of the corresponding provider, the location of the corresponding provider being determined from by periodically receiving a signal from the wireless device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the means for determining if a corresponding provider exists in proximity to the wireless device comprises means for determining if the location of the wireless device is within a prediction range from the location of the corresponding provider.