Mapping the location of a mobile communications device systems and methods

• US 20070013560A1
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Casey, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,259,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/995.190
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention comprise systems and methods related to the provision of location based services via a mobile communications device. In different embodiments, a communication system is described, comprising a mobile communications device, a mobile communications base station, and a server computer system. The location of the device may be correlated with certain user preferences stored on the server computer system. In various embodiments, components of the larger system are described. In some cases, various location related mapping functions for a device are discussed. In other embodiments, systems and methods which provide for activities to be undertaken based on the location of a device are described. In still other embodiments, the disclosure addresses systems and methods of efficiently determining the location of a mobile device. In some embodiments, different notification schemes based on the location of a device and specified preferences are described. In various other embodiments, the disclosure addresses systems and methods for keyword monitoring based on the location of a device.

Claims

1. A system for mapping the location of a mobile communications device, which comprises:

the mobile communications device configured to;

receive a set of data identifying the location of the device;

transmit the set of data;

receive image data illustrating a map and the location of the device; and

display the image data on a screen coupled to the device;

a mobile communications base station, in communication with the mobile communications device via a wireless connection; and

a server computer system in communication with the base station, the server computer system configured to;

maintain a user profile of a user of the device, the user profile including information about the device, the user profile stored in a database of the server computer system;

receive the set of data;

associate the set of data with the user, and the user profile;

create the image data, wherein the image data is formatted for display on the device and the format is determined from the information about the device; and

transmit the image data to the device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of data comprises GPS coordinate data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS coordinate data comprises GPS codes and a GPS navigation message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the mobile communications device is further configured to transmit data which modifies the user profile;

and

the user profile may be modified by the user from the device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the user profile includes preferences of the user specifying the circumstances in which a location of each of a plurality of businesses and other points of interest will be displayed in the image data;

and

the image data includes a graphical representation of a selection of the locations of the plurality of businesses and other points of interest, wherein the selection is based on preferences in the user profile.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the selection are graphically represented as different icons in the image data, and the icons comprise hyperlinks to information about each of the selections.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the server computer system is further configured to store the set of data;

and

the image data includes a graphical representation of the historical locations of the device within a time period.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the time period is specified in the user profile.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the server computer system is further configured to receive an additional set of data identifying locations of a plurality of other mobile communications devices from the other mobile communications devices;

the user profile includes preferences of the user specifying the circumstances in which the location of each of the plurality of other mobile communications devices will be displayed in the image data; and

the image data includes a graphical representation of a selection of locations of the plurality of other mobile communications devices, wherein the selection is based preferences in the user profile.

10. A method of transmitting an image to a mobile communications device, which comprises:

providing a server computer system;

maintaining a user profile of a user of the mobile communications device, the user profile containing information about the device, the information stored in a database of the server computer system;

receiving a set of data identifying the location of the device transmitted from the device;

associating the set of data with the user, and the user profile;

creating image data illustrating a map containing the location of the device, wherein the image data is formatted for display on the device and the format is determined from the information about the device; and

transmitting the image data to the device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile communications device comprises a cellular telephone.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of data comprises GPS coordinate data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the GPS coordinate data comprises GPS codes and a GPS navigation message.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein,

the user profile includes preferences of the user specifying the circumstances in which a location of each of a plurality of businesses and other points of interest will be displayed in the image data;

and

the image data includes a graphical representation of a selection of the locations of the plurality of businesses and other points of interest, wherein the selection is based on preferences in the user profile.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the selection are graphically represented as different icons in the image data, and the icons comprise hyperlinks to information about each of the selections.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein,

the receiving step further comprises storing the data which specifies the location of the device in a database;

and

the image data includes a graphical representation of historical locations of the device within a time period.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the time period is specified in the user profile.

18. The method of claim 10, which further comprises receiving an additional set of data identifying locations of a plurality of other mobile communications devices and is transmitted from the other mobile communications devices, wherein,

the user profile includes preferences of the user specifying the circumstances in which the location of each of the plurality of other mobile communications devices will be displayed in the image data;

and

the image data includes a graphical representation of a selection of locations of the plurality of other mobile communications devices, wherein the selection is based preferences in the user profile.

19. The method of claim 10, which further comprises receiving an additional set of data from the device identifying a second location, wherein the image data includes a graphical representation of the second location and a suggested route to the second location.

20. A computer program embodied on at least one computer readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions executable by a computer to:

create a user profile of a user of a mobile communications device, the user profile containing information about the device;

receive a set of data identifying the location of the device transmitted from the device;

associate the set of data with the user, and the user profile;

create image data illustrating a map containing the location of the device, wherein the image data is formatted for display on the device and the format is determined from the information about the device; and

transmit the image data to the device.

21. The computer program recited in claim 20, which further comprises instructions executable to store the set of data in a database, wherein the image data includes a graphical representation of historical locations of the device within a time period.

22. The computer program recited in claim 20, which further comprises instructions executable to receive an additional set of data from the device identifying a second location, wherein the image data includes graphical representations of the second location and a suggested route to the second location.