SOURCE SWITCHING FOR DEVICES SUPPORTING DYNAMIC DIRECTION INFORMATION

• US 20090315766A1
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Novik, Lev, Khosravy, Moe
• Application Number:
  US12/476,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20090315766A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.640
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• 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 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

With the addition of directional information in the environment, a variety of service(s) can be provided on top of user identification or interaction with specific object(s) of interest by pointing at the objects. Sometimes either the device user and/or the publishers of content cannot complete a content exchange due to connectivity to data or services becoming lost. A device provisioned for pointing or direction based services losing connectivity to a first network while engaging pointing based services. In response, one or more other sources for the pointing based services are identified on a second network or device to which the device can connect and the device automatically connects to the second network or device to receive the pointing based services, or data for use with the pointing based services (e.g., GPS information, point of interest data, direction data, etc.), from the one or more other sources.

Claims

1. A method for a device provisioned for pointing based services, comprising:

receiving point of interest data from one or more pointing based services based on pointing information associated with at least one direction of the device via a first network;

losing connectivity to the first network;

identifying at least one other source of point of interest data to which the device can connect via a second network; and

automatically connecting to the second network to receive the point of interest information from the at least one other source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying includes automatically searching for an on-site data store of point of interest information pertaining locally to the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying includes automatically searching for a data store of point of interest information pertaining to points of interest of a physical structure where the device is located.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying includes automatically identifying at least one other computing device having stored thereon point of interest data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

requesting permission to receive the point of interest data from the at least one other computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying includes automatically identifying at least one other computing device having access to point of interest data to which the at least one other computing device can connect via a third network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving point of interest data from one or more pointing based services based on pointing information associated with at least one direction of the device via the second network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the losing connectivity includes losing connectivity to a long range wireless communications network and the identifying includes identifying at least one other source of point of interest data to which the device can connect via a short range wireless communications network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the losing connectivity includes losing connectivity to a mobile device communications network and the identifying includes identifying at least one other source of point of interest data to which the device can connect via Bluetooth.

10. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a memory that stores at least information related to at least direction information representing information pertaining to orientation of the device, position information representing information pertaining to location of the device and point of interest information representing information pertaining to points of interest substantially within interactive range of the device;

a positional component for receiving the position information as a function of a location of the portable electronic device;

a directional component that measures the direction information as a function of an orientation of the portable electronic device; and

a switching component that switches among at least two sources for the position information when at least one source of the at least two sources for the position information is not delivering position information to the device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the switching component switches among at least two sources for the direction information when at least one source of the at least two sources for the direction information is not operating.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the switching component switches among at least two sources for the point of interest information when at least one source of the at least two sources for the point of interest information is unavailable.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

at least one processor configured to process the position information and the direction information to determine at least one identifier of at least one point of interest within scope of the device, to receive information corresponding to the at least one identifier of the at least one point of interest, and to display information if the device interacts with the at least one point of interest with the device.

14. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

at least one processor configured to process the position information and the direction information to determine at least one identifier of at least one point of interest within scope of the device, to receive advertisement content corresponding to the at least one identifier of the at least one point of interest, and to render the advertisement content if the device interacts with the at least one point of interest with the device.

15. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

a pointer that visually indicates the orientation of the portable electronic device based upon which the directional component outputs the direction information.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the directional component is a digital compass that outputs the direction information.

17. A method for a pointing based services enabled device, comprising:

determining direction information as a function of a direction for the device;

determining position information as a function of a position for the device;

receiving pointing based services based on the direction information and position information via a first network;

losing connectivity by the device to the first network;

identifying at least one other source for the pointing based services to which the device can connect on a second network; and

automatically connecting to the second network to receive the pointing based services from the at least one other source.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining motion information as a function of movement of the device and the receiving includes receiving pointing base services based on the direction information, position information and the motion information.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the connecting includes automatically connecting to a nearby device that hosts the pointing based services.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the connecting includes automatically connecting via Bluetooth.