CONTEXT-BASED REVERSE GEOCODING

• US 20110256881A1
• Filed: 04/20/2010
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Piemonte, Patrick, Huang, Ronald K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• 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 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, a mobile device can perform reverse geocoding based on context, in addition to latitude and longitude coordinates. The reverse geocoding can be used to determine in which geofence among multiple geofences the mobile device is located. Thus, the mobile device can be associated with a street address, a postal code, a named land feature, or a commercial, cultural, or political entity associated with the geofence. The context can include a pattern of movement, as well as an accuracy of the latitude and longitude coordinates. Information in the context can be compared to selection criteria of the geofence. A geofence having selection criteria that match the context the best can be selected.

Claims

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

determining a first location of the mobile device defined by a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate, the first location intersecting a first area defined by a first geofence and a second area defined by a second geofence;

calculating a traveling speed and direction of the mobile device;

based on the calculated traveling speed and direction of the mobile device, selecting one of the first geofence and the second geofence;

determining a second location of the mobile device based on the first location and the selected geofence; and

displaying the second location on a display screen of the mobile device.

2. A method executed on one or more computers, comprising:

receiving a current location of a mobile device and a context of the current location, the context including a pattern of movement of the mobile device;

identifying, from a plurality of geofences, two or more geofences intersecting the current location;

selecting a geofence from the two or more geofences using the context; and

determining that the mobile device is located in a geofenced area enclosed by the selected geofence.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing an intersection of the current location of the mobile device and the geofenced area enclosed in the selected geofence as a refined current location of the mobile device to the mobile device for display.

4. The method of claim 2, where each of the one or more geofences includes a virtual perimeter enclosing a geofenced area, the geofenced area corresponding to a geographic area.

5. The method of claim 2, where the context includes at least one of a speed of movement of the mobile device, a trajectory of the mobile device, and a moving direction of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 2, where selecting the geofence using the context includes:

identifying one or more historical movement patterns of mobile devices in each of the two or more geofences;

calculating match scores measuring matches between the historical movement patterns to the pattern of movement of the mobile device in the context; and

selecting the geofence based on the match scores.

7. The method of claim 2, where selecting the geofence includes:

identifying a fence size for each of the two or more geofences;

calculating match scores measuring matches between the fence sizes and the pattern of movement of the mobile device; and

selecting the geofence based on the match scores.

8. The method of claim 2, where:

each of the two or more geofences is associated with an address; and

determining that the mobile device is located in the geofenced area enclosed by the selected geofence includes determining that the mobile device is located at the address associated with the geofence.

9. The method of claim 2, where the address is one of a neighborhood name, a street name, and a landmark name.

10. The method of claim 2, where the current location of the mobile device includes a latitude, a longitude, and an altitude of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 2, where the current location has a size corresponding to an accuracy.

12. The method of claim 11, where the accuracy includes a horizontal accuracy and a vertical accuracy.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the accuracy using characteristics of a technology used for determining the current location.

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

determining a current location of the mobile device and a context of the current location, the context including a pattern of movement of the mobile device;

identifying two or more geofences intersecting the current location;

selecting a geofence from the two or more geofences using the context; and

determining that the mobile device is located in a geofenced area enclosed by the selected geofence.

15. The method of claim 14, where the current location having a size corresponding to a horizontal accuracy of the current location.

16. The method of claim 14, further including requesting, to a server, content related to the geofence for display on the mobile device.

17. A system comprising:

one or more computers configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving a current location of a mobile device and a context of the current location, the context including a pattern of movement of the mobile device and a horizontal accuracy of the current location;

identifying, from a plurality of geofences, two or more geofences intersecting the current location;

selecting a geofence from the two or more geofences using the context; and

determining that the mobile device is located in a geofenced area enclosed by the selected geofence.

18. The system of claim 17, where selecting the geofence from the two or more geofences using the context includes comparing the pattern of movement in the context with one or more selection criteria of the two or more geofences.

19. The system of claim 18, where selecting the geofence from the two or more geofences using the context includes denying virtual entry of the mobile device into a geofence having a specified selection criterion when the mobile device is physically located in a geographic area enclosed by the geofence having the specified selection criterion when the pattern of movement in the context fails to meet the specified selection criterion.

20. The system of claim 17, the operations further including providing content related to the geofence to the mobile device.

21. A computer program product, stored on a storage device, operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a current location of a mobile device and a context of the current location, the context including a pattern of movement of the mobile device and a horizontal accuracy of the current location;

identifying, from a plurality of geofences, two or more geofences intersecting the current location;

selecting a geofence from the two or more geofences using the context; and

determining that the mobile device is located in a geofenced area enclosed by the selected geofence.

22. The product of claim 21, where the pattern of movement includes a series of geofences that the mobile device has previously crossed.

23. The product of claim 21, where selecting the geofence from the two or more geofences using the context includes selecting the geofence based on the horizontal accuracy of the current location.

24. The product of claim 21, where the horizontal accuracy is determined using one of a global positioning system (GPS), triangulation using locations of wireless access points of a wireless local area network (WLAN), and triangulation using locations of cell towers of a cellular communications network.

25. The product of claim 21, where selecting the geofence from the two or more geofences using the context includes selecting the geofence based on a combination of the horizontal accuracy of the current location and the pattern of movement.