Location-based operations and messaging

• US 20070293238A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Fiatal, Trevor, Guesman, Jason
• GRANTED PATENT: US 7,769,395 B2
• Time in patent office: 0 Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 29/12122 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/1547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/18 in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal wireless application services making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02 takes precedence; location based Web retrieval G06F16/9537
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles configuring for programme initiating G06F9/44505; information retrieval by personalized querying G06F16/9535
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Systems and methods for using location information to determine a medium to use for communications to a user of a mobile device are provided. The user'"'"'s mobile device provides location information to in intermediate computing device. That location information is accessed and used to determine, from a plurality of media, which to use for communications with the user. In various embodiments of the present invention, the user'"'"'s mobile device can receive location-based content and commands.

Claims

1. A location-based communication system comprising:

a first mobile device configured to provide information concerning a physical location of the first mobile device;

an intermediate computing device configured to receive the information concerning the physical location of the first mobile device; and

a second mobile device configured to determine a medium for communications to a user of the first mobile device based on at least the physical location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate computing device is hosted by a network service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises GPS-related information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises A-GPS-related information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile device is further configured to determine an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive location-related content based on at least the location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a content generator configured to generate the location-related content based on at least physical location.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a content broadcaster configured to transmit location-related content to mobile devices at a location as indicated by the information concerning physical maintained at the intermediate computing device

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive commands based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

10. A location-based communication system comprising:

a first mobile device configured to provide information concerning a physical location of the first mobile device;

an intermediate computing device configured to receive the information concerning the physical location of the first mobile device and determine a medium for communications to a user of the first mobile device based on at least the physical location of the first mobile device; and

a second mobile device configured to receive information concerning the communication medium.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information comprises GPS-related information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information comprises A-GPS-related information.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the second mobile device is further configured to determine an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive location-related content based on at least the location of the first mobile device, as indicated by the information concerning physical location maintained at the intermediate computing device.

15. A method for determining a medium for communications to a user of a first mobile device, comprising:

receiving information concerning an identification of the user of the first mobile device;

receiving location information from the first mobile device, wherein the location information identifies a physical location of the first mobile device; and

providing the user information and the location information to a second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is configured to determine a medium to use for communications to the user, based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the location information to the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is configured to determine an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending the first mobile device location-related content based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending the first mobile device location-based commands based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information is received from the first mobile device in response to a request by the second mobile device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information is received from the first mobile device as part of a regularly scheduled transmission of location information.

21. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for location-based operations comprising:

receiving information concerning an identification of a user of a first mobile device;

receiving location information from the first mobile device, wherein the location information identifies a physical location of the first mobile device; and

determining a medium for communications to the user, based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the program further comprises executable instructions to cause a determination of an alternative communication medium based on at least the location of the first mobile device.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the program further comprises executable instructions to cause a transmission of location-based content to the first mobile device.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the program further comprises executable instructions to cause a transmission of location-based commands to the first mobile device.