DETERMINING TIME ZONE BASED ON LOCATION

• US 20110250902A1
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Ronald K., Grainger, Morgan
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems of determining a time zone based on location is disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a mobile device can store one or more geometric shapes using latitude and longitude coordinates. The geometric shapes can be associated with time zones. The mobile device can determine a current location. The mobile device can identify a geometric shape in which the mobile device is currently is located. The mobile device can determine the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.

Claims

1. A method executed on a mobile device, comprising:

storing one or more geometric shapes using latitude and longitude coordinates, the one or more geometric shapes being associated with time zones;

determining a current location of the mobile device;

identifying a geometric shape from the one or more geometric shapes, the identified geometric shape including the current location of the mobile device; and

determining that the mobile device is located in the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time zone is represented using an offset from a standard time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offset reflects a daylight savings setting local to the identified geometric shape.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current location of the mobile device includes determining the current location of the mobile device using a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a current location of the mobile device includes:

determining an identifier of a current wireless access gateway; and

determining the current location using the identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the current location of the mobile device is represented as a geographic area.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining that the mobile device is located in the time zone includes:

determining that the geographic area intersects a plurality of geometric shapes, each of the plurality of geometric shapes including a portion of the geographic area;

identifying the geometric shape from the plurality of geometric shapes, the geometric shape including a largest portion of the geographic area; and

setting a current time of the mobile device according to the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the one or more geometric shapes using the latitude and longitude coordinates includes storing the one or more geometric shapes as polygons using the latitude and longitude coordinates of vertices of the polygons.

9. A system, comprising:

a mobile device configured to perform operations comprising;

storing one or more geometric shapes using latitude and longitude coordinates, the one or more geometric shapes being associated with time zones;

determining a current location of the mobile device;

identifying a geometric shape from the one or more geometric shapes, the identified geometric shape including the current location of the mobile device; and

determining that the mobile device is located in the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the time zone is represented using an offset from a standard time.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the offset reflects a daylight savings setting local to the identified geometric shape.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the current location of the mobile device includes determining the current location of the mobile device using a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the determining a current location of the mobile device includes:

determining an identifier of a current wireless access gateway; and

determining the current location using the identifier.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the current location of the mobile device is represented as a geographic area.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein determining that the mobile device is located in the time zone includes:

determining that the geographic area intersects a plurality of geometric shapes, each of the plurality of geometric shapes including a portion of the geographic area;

identifying the geometric shape from the plurality of geometric shapes, the geometric shape including a largest portion of the geographic area; and

setting a current time of the mobile device according to the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein storing the one or more geometric shapes using the latitude and longitude coordinates includes storing the one or more geometric shapes as polygons using the latitude and longitude coordinates of vertices of the polygons.

17. A computer program product stored on a storage device, which, when activated, is operable to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

storing one or more geometric shapes using latitude and longitude coordinates, the one or more geometric shapes being associated with time zones;

determining a current location of the mobile device;

identifying a geometric shape from the one or more geometric shapes, the identified geometric shape including the current location of the mobile device; and

determining that the mobile device is located in the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.

18. The product of claim 17, wherein the time zone is represented using an offset from a standard time.

19. The product of claim 18, wherein the offset reflects a daylight savings setting local to the identified geometric shape.

20. The product of claim 17, wherein the current location of the mobile device is represented as a geographic area.

21. The product of claim 20, wherein determining that the mobile device is located in the time zone includes:

determining that the geographic area intersects a plurality of geometric shapes, each of the plurality of geometric shapes including a portion of the geographic area;

identifying the geometric shape from the plurality of geometric shapes, the geometric shape including a largest portion of the geographic area; and

setting a current time of the mobile device according to the time zone associated with the identified geometric shape.