Apparatus, method and computer program product providing location-enhanced contact list

• US 20070249327A1
• Filed: 04/19/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nurmi, Mikko
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A device includes an interface to a communications network; at least one data processor; at least one memory coupled to the at least one data processor, the at least one memory storing a contact list; and a user interface coupled to the at least one data processor. The data processor is responsive to a user specifying a place to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is present at the specified place and, if so, to contact the other device via the interface to the communications network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a first mode of operation, specifying a place via a user interface of a device;

determining if another device is at the specified place; and

placing a call to the other device if the other device is determined to be at the specified place.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining uses GPS coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, where determining uses cell location information.

4. The method of claim 1, where specifying comprises using a contact list that is stored in a memory of the device and that is displayed to a user of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, where the contact list comprises at least one place name.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in a second mode of operation, specifying a name of person associated with another device;

determining a location of the other device; and

displaying the determined location using the user interface of the device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising an initial step of storing a name of the place in association with information that is descriptive of a location of the place.

8. The method of claim 7, where storing stores coordinates obtained from a GPS system in association with the name of the place.

9. The method of claim 7, where storing stores cell location information in association with the name of the place.

10. The method of claim 7, where storing stores user-specified location information in association with the name of the place.

11. The method of claim 1, where the device comprises a wireless communications device.

12. A computer program product embodied in at least one computer readable storage media and comprising program instructions execution of which by at least one data processor results in operations comprising:

in a first mode of operation, specifying a place via a user interface of a device;

determining if another device is at the specified place; and

placing a call to the other device if the other device is determined to be at the specified place.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, where the determining operation uses GPS coordinates.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, where the determining operation uses cell location information.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, where the specifying operation comprises using a contact list that is stored in a memory of the device and that is displayed to a user of the device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, where the contact list comprises at least one place name.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising operations of:

in a second mode of operation, specifying a name of person associated with another device;

determining a location of the other device; and

displaying the determined location using the user interface of the device.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising an initial operation of storing a name of the place in association with information that is descriptive of a location of the place.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, where the storing operation stores coordinates obtained from a GPS system in association with the name of the place.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, where the storing operation stores cell location information in association with the name of the place.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, where the storing operation stores user-specified location information in association with the name of the place.

22. The computer program product of claim 12, where the device comprises a wireless communications device.

23. A device, comprising:

an interface to a communications network;

at least one data processor;

at least one memory coupled to the at least one data processor, the at least one memory storing a contact list; and

a user interface coupled to the at least one data processor;

where

the data processor is responsive to a user specifying a place to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is present at the specified place and, if so, to contact the other device via the interface to the communications network.

24. The device of claim 23, where the interface to the communications network is comprised of a wireless interface.

25. The device of claim 23, where the interface to the communications network is comprised of a wired interface.

26. The device of claim 23, where the data processor uses GPS coordinates, received through the interface, to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is at the specified place.

27. The device of claim 23, where the data processor uses information based on cell location information, received through the interface, to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is at the specified place.

28. The device of claim 23, where the contact list comprises at least one place name.

29. The device of claim 23, where the data processor is further operable, in response to the user specifying a person associated with another device, to display on the user interface a location of a device associated with specified person.

30. The device of claim 23, where said contact list stores a name of the place in association with information that is descriptive of a location of the place.

31. The device of claim 30, where the information that is descriptive of a location of the place is obtained from a GPS system.

32. The device of claim 30, where the information that is descriptive of a location of the place is obtained from cell location information.

33. The device of claim 30, where the information that is descriptive of a location of the place is obtained from the user of the device via the user interface.