LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

• US 20070244633A1
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Phillips, Alan, Schroth, Frank, Cunningham, Colin, Zielinski, Stefan, Smith, Allen, Palmer, Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0236 Threshold setting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 between user and terminal device

Abstract

Provided herein are methods and systems relating to location-based services such as social networking, providing demographic information, tracking mobile devices, providing business information, providing an adaptable user interface, remotely effecting a change on a portable electronic device, providing a geofence, outputting location-based information on a mobile device, varying transmissions to and from a mobile device, providing location-based alerts, verifying transactions and tailoring information to the behavior of a user.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method of providing a location-based service, comprising:

taking a picture using a portable electronic device; and

associating a location with the picture based on a location-determination facility associated with the portable electronic device.

31. A method of claim 30, further comprising storing the picture and the location information in a file.

63. The method of claim 30 wherein the portable electronic device includes a mobile phone.

64. The method of claim 30 wherein the portable electronic device includes one or more of a GPS enabled mobile phone, a CDMA enabled mobile phone, a GPRS enabled mobile phone, a mobile phone with browser capabilities, a GPS unit, a tracking unit, a portable electronic device with a compass, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, an MP3 player, a handheld device, a pager and a portable gaming device.

65. The method of claim 30 further comprising associating the location with a point of interest.

66. The method of claim 30 further comprising defining a geofence around the location.

67. The method of claim 66 wherein defining a geofence includes drawing the geofence on a screen of the portable electronic device using a pointing device.

68. The method of claim 66 further comprising sending an alert when a portable electronic facility enters the geofence.

69. The method of claim 66 further comprising sending an alert when a portable electronic facility exits the geofence.

70. The method of claim 66 further comprising sending an alert when a portable electronic facility remains within the geofence for a predetermined period of time.

32-60. -60. (canceled)

61. A system for providing a location-based service, comprising:

a portable electronic device including a digital camera for taking a picture; and

a location determination facility for determining a location of the portable electronic device and associating the location with the picture.

62. A system of claim 61, further comprising a file storage facility for storing the picture and the location information in a file.

71. The system of claim 61 wherein the portable electronic device includes a mobile phone.

72. The system of claim 61 wherein the portable electronic device includes one or more of a GPS enabled mobile phone, a CDMA enabled mobile phone, a GPRS enabled mobile phone, a mobile phone with browser capabilities, a GPS unit, a tracking unit, a portable electronic device with a compass, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, an MP3 player, a handheld device, a pager and a portable gaming device.

73. The system of claim 61 wherein the location determination facility further associates the location with a point of interest.

74. The system of claim 61 further comprising a user interface adapted to define a geofence around the location.

75. The system of claim 74 further comprising a point device adapted to draw the geofence on the user interface of the portable electronic device.

76. The system of claim 74 further comprising an alert facility that sends an alert when a portable electronic facility enters the geofence.

77. The system of claim 74 further comprising an alert facility that sends an alert when a portable electronic facility exits the geofence.

78. The system of claim 74 further comprising an alert facility that sends an alert when a portable electronic facility remains within the geofence for a predetermined period of time.