METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING USERS WITH INFORMATION RELATING TO A POSITION

• US 20090285393A1
• Filed: 07/04/2007
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steinar Østhassel
• Original Assignee: Steinar Osthassel
• Inventors: Østhassel, Steinar
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for providing information to a user, comprising: a first database; a first module configured to receive information to be entered in said first database from an information provider, said information including at least data representative of a plurality of geographical codes and data representative of at least one categorical code; a second module configured to receive an information request from a user, said information request including at least data representative of a geographical position and data representative of a categorical preference; and a third module configured to enter information received by said first module in said first database, and to search said first database based on requests received by said second module, retrieve entries where a geographical code corresponds with said geographical position and a categorical code corresponds with said categorical preference, and transmit a presentation of retrieved entries to said user.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A system for providing information to a user, comprising:

a first database;

a first module configured to receive information to be entered in said first database from an information provider, said information including at least data representative of a plurality of geographical codes defining the information'"'"'s relevance to respective geographical areas, and data representative of at least one categorical code;

a second module configured to receive an information request from a user, said information request including at least data representative of a geographical position and data representative of a categorical preference; and

a third module configured to enter information received by said first module in said first database, and to search said first database based on requests received by said second module, retrieve entries where a geographical code corresponds with said geographical position and a categorical code corresponds with said categorical preference, and transmit a presentation of retrieved entries to said user;

wherein said geographical codes are chosen from a system of geographical codes representing a plurality of geographical levels, and said categorical preference includes a plurality of categorical codes, each of which is associated with a geographical preference representing one or more of said geographical levels.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein said first module is further configured to transmit to an information provider a request for information in the form of a markup language input form and receive information submitted by said information provider by means of said input form.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein said first module is further configured to receive data representing a location on a computer network, download data from said location, and extract said plurality of geographical codes and at least one categorical code from tags included in said downloaded data.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein said data representing a location is a URI of a web page associated with said information provider, and said data downloaded from said location is at least part of the data avail able from said web page.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein said geographical code is, or is representative of, at least one of an address, a postal code, a city, a region and a country.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein said categorical code is representative of a type of goods or a type of services.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein said categorical code is UNSPSC.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein said geographical position is provided by positioning means associated with a terminal operated by said user and said categorical preference is included in a user profile stored on said terminal.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein said positioning means is a GPS receiver or a cellphone capable of receiving or deriving positioning information from a cellphone network with which it is communicating.

44. The system of claim 35, wherein said geographical levels includes a first level of geographical codes referring to local areas, a second level of geographical codes referring to regional areas, and a third level of geographical codes referring to national areas.

45. The system of claim 35, wherein said presentation of retrieved entries is transmitted to said user as information that fulfills the criteria indicated in the request, or as one or more hyperlink references to information that fulfills the criteria indicated in the request.

46. The system of claim 35, wherein said second module is further configured to transmit to a user an invitation to request information in the form of a markup language input form and receive a request for information submitted by said user by means of said input form.

47. The system of claim 35, wherein said first module is further configured to receive a request for assignment of a geographical code from an information provider;

said system further comprising;

a fourth module configured to generate a geographical code in response to said request and to transmit data representative of said geographical code to said information provider.

48. The system of claim 47, further comprising:

a second database; and

wherein said fourth module is either configured to enter said generated geographical code as part of an information provider profile in said second database, and to transmit an association with said information provider profile to said information provider as said data representative of said geographical code.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein said association is an information provider identification code representing said information provider profile, or a URI, a prefix part of a URI or a domain name associated with said information provider and stored in said information provider profile.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein said fourth module is further configured to encrypt said geographical code and to transmit said encrypted code to said information provider as said data representative of said geographical code.

51. The system of claim 35, wherein said second module is further configured to receive a request for establishment of a user profile including a categorical preference from a user;

said system further comprising;

a third database;

a fifth module configured to generate a user identification code, enter said user identification code and said categorical preference as part of a user profile in said third database, and transmit said user identification code to said user such that said user identification code can be used as said data representative of a categorical preference in a request for information.

58. The method of claim 49, wherein said categorical code is UNSPSC.

52. Method for providing information to a user, comprising;

receiving information from at least one information provider, said information including at least data representative of a plurality of geographical codes defining the information'"'"'s relevance to respective geographical areas and data representative of at least one categorical code;

entering said geographical code and said categorical code in a first database;

receiving an information request from a user, said information request including at least data representative of a geographical position and data representative of a categorical preference;

searching said first database based on said request;

retrieving entries where a geographical code corresponds with said geographical position and a categorical code corresponds with a categorical preference; and

transmitting a presentation of retrieved entries to said user;

wherein said geographical codes are chosen from a system of geographical codes representing a plurality of geographical levels, and said categorical preference includes a plurality of categorical codes, each of which is associated with a geographical preference representing one or more of said geographical levels.

53. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

transmitting a request for information to an information provider in the form of a markup language input form; and

receiving information that is submitted by said information provider by means of said input form.

54. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

receiving data representing a location on a computer network;

downloading data from said location; and

extracting said plurality of geographical codes and at least one categorical code from tags included in said downloaded data.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein said data representing a location is a URI of a web page associated with said information provider, and said data downloaded from said location is at least part of the data available from said web page.

56. The method of claim 52, wherein said geographical code is, or is representative of, at least one of an address, a postal code, a city, a region and a country.

57. The method of claim 52, wherein said categorical code is representative of a type of goods or a type of services.

59. The method of claim 52, wherein said geographical position is provided by positioning means associated with a terminal operated by said user and said categorical preference is included in a user profile stored on said terminal.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein said positioning means is a GPS receiver or a cellphone capable of receiving or deriving positioning information from a cellphone network with which it is communicating.

61. The method of claim 52, wherein said geographical levels includes a first level of geographical codes referring to local areas, a second level of geographical codes referring to regional areas, and a third level of geographical codes referring to national areas.

62. The method of claim 52, wherein said presentation of retrieved entries is transmitted to said user as information that fulfills the criteria indicated in the request, or as one or more hyperlink references to information that fulfills the criteria indicated in the request.

63. The method of claim 52, further comprising;

transmitting to a user an invitation to request information in the form of a markup language input form; and

receiving a request for information submitted by said user by means of said input form.

64. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

receiving a request for assignment of a geographical code from an information provider; and

generating a geographical code in response to said request; and

transmitting data representative of said geographical code to said information provider.

65. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

entering said generated geographical code as part of an information provider profile in a second database; and

transmitting an association with said user profile to said information provider as said data representative of said geographical code.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein said association is an information provider identification code representing said information provider profile, or a URI, a prefix part of a URI or a domain name associated with said information provider and stored in said information provider profile.

67. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

encrypting said geographical code; and

transmitting said encrypted code to said information provider as said data representative of said geographical code.

68. The method of claim 52, further comprising:

receiving a request for establishment of a user profile including a categorical preference from a user;

generating a user identification code;

entering said user identification code and said categorical preference as part of a user profile in a third database; and

transmitting said user identification code to said user such that said user identification code can be used as said data representative of a categorical preference in a request for information.