Environment-Interactive Context-Aware Devices and Methods
First Claim
1. A computer-program product comprising one or more computer-usable media having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code configured to be executed to implement a method for facilitating operation of a portable computing device, said method comprising:
- determining a location of the portable computing device, wherein the determining comprises;
receiving location information from a location provider, the location information pertaining to a current location of the portable computing device;
accessing one or more hierarchical tree structures each of which comprising multiple nodes that represent physical or logical locations, each node having a unique identifier; and
traversing at least one node on the one or more hierarchical tree structures responsive to the receiving of the location information to ascertain a device location;
acquiring digital data associated with the determined location and that can permit the portable computing device to interact with an application associated with a location environment; and
interacting with the application that queries the portable computing device about the current location by supplying the application with information that pertains to the determined location.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Location-aware methods and systems are described. In one embodiment, a portable computing device determines its location by accessing one or more hierarchical tree structures each of which comprising multiple nodes that represent physical or logical locations, and traversing at least one node on the one or more hierarchical tree structures to ascertain the location. The device then acquires digital data associated with the determined location and that can permit the device to interact with a location environment. The device then enables interaction with the location environment based, at least in part, on the acquired digital data.
42 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A computer-program product comprising one or more computer-usable media having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code configured to be executed to implement a method for facilitating operation of a portable computing device, said method comprising:
-
determining a location of the portable computing device, wherein the determining comprises; receiving location information from a location provider, the location information pertaining to a current location of the portable computing device; accessing one or more hierarchical tree structures each of which comprising multiple nodes that represent physical or logical locations, each node having a unique identifier; and traversing at least one node on the one or more hierarchical tree structures responsive to the receiving of the location information to ascertain a device location; acquiring digital data associated with the determined location and that can permit the portable computing device to interact with an application associated with a location environment; and interacting with the application that queries the portable computing device about the current location by supplying the application with information that pertains to the determined location. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
2. A computer-program product as recited in claim 2, wherein said accessing comprises locally accessing said one or more hierarchical tree structures.
-
11. A computer-program product comprising one or more computer-usable media having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code configured to be executed to implement a method for facilitating operation of a portable computing device, said method comprising:
-
determining a location of the portable computing device; generating a service query that is configured to identify services that are associated with the location; wirelessly sending the query to one or more servers; receiving a response from the one or more servers that contains digital data associated with applets that can be executed by the device and that provide a location-specific service; and locally executing the one or more applets to interact with a location environment. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A handheld computing device comprising:
-
a location service module configured to receive location information and ascertain a location associated with the location information; an applet manager operably associated with the location service module and configured to receive and manage applets that can be wirelessly received and that pertain to a location that is ascertained by the location service module; an applet runtime environment in which applets that are received can execute to enable a user of the device to interact with a location environment; an applet cache in which applets can be cached for use in connection with an ascertained location; and a network component configured to establish wireless communication with a network so that applets can be wirelessly received. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
Specification