Method and apparatus for delivering local information to travelers

• US 6,014,090 A
• Filed: 12/22/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosen, Kenneth H., Salimando, Steven Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US08/995,623
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/901, 340/915, 340/995, 340/988, 455/33.1, 455/56.1, 455/89, 701/208, 701/211, 701/207
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Time-dependent, geographically localized information is provided to a mobile communication system. A geographic location identifier associated with a location of the mobile communication system is received. An address of a resource server is associated with the geographic location identifier; the resource server stores time-dependent, geographically localized information. The address of the resource server is sent to the mobile communication system.

Claims

1. A method for providing time-dependent, geographically localized information to a mobile communication system, comprising:

(a) receiving at a resolution server a geographic location identifier associated with a location of the mobile communication system;

(b) associating, at the resolution server, an address of at least one resource server with the geographic location identifier, the resource server storing time-dependent, geographically localized information; and

(c) sending the address of the resource server to the mobile communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) sending, to the mobile communication system, the time-dependent, geographically localized information from the resource server based on the address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the time-dependent, geographically localized information is received, in said receiving step (d), by the mobile communication system over a wireless telecommunications link.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a mobile phone; and

the time-dependent, geographically localized information consists of audio content received, in said receiving step (d), on the mobile phone over a wireless telecommunications link.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a radio; and

the time-dependent geographically localized information consists of audio content received, in said receiving step (d), on the radio of the mobile communication system.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a radio;

the address of the resource server associated in said associating step (b) is a radio frequency; and

the time-dependent geographically localized information consists of audio content received, in said receiving step (d), on the radio of the communication system which is tuned based on the radio frequency associated in step associating step (b).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a global positioning system (GPS); and

the geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system is received in said receiving step (a) from the GPS receiver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a bar code scanner; and

the geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system is received in said receiving step (a) from the bar code scanner scanning a bar code fixedly located apart from the mobile communication system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system is received in said receiving step (a) from a user of the mobile communication system viewing a mileage marker highway sign.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-dependent, geographically localized information includes a plurality of resource servers related to the geographic location identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the address of the resource server is associated with the geographic location identifier in said associating step (b) based on a predefined profile.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the address of the resource server associated in said associating step (b) is a uniform resource location (URL) associated with the resource server.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the resolution server is located with a user'"'"'s mobile communication device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one resource server includes a plurality of resource servers.

15. A method for providing time-dependent, geographically localized information to a mobile communication system, comprising:

(a) determining, at the mobile communication system, a geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system;

(b) sending the geographic location identifier from the mobile communication system to a resolution server;

(c) receiving, at the mobile communication system, a resource server address from the resolution server based on the geographic location identifier;

(d) sending the resource server address from the mobile communication system to a resource server; and

(e) receiving, at the mobile communication system, the time-dependent, geographically localized information from the resource server based on the resource server address.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a global positioning system (GPS); and

the geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system is determined in said determining step (a) using the GPS receiver.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a bar code scanner; and

the geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system is determined in said determining step (a) using the bar code scanner scanning a bar code fixedly located apart from the mobile communication system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system is determined in said determining step (a) by a user of the mobile communication system viewing a mileage marker highway sign.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a mobile phone; and

the time-dependent, geographically localized information consists of audio content received, in said receiving step (e), on the mobile phone over a wireless telecommunications link.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a radio; and

the time-dependent geographically localized information consists of audio content received, in said receiving step (e), on the radio of the communication system.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the time-dependent, geographically localized information includes a plurality of resource servers related to the geographic location identifier.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the address of the resource server is associated with the geographic location identifier in said associating step (b) based on a predefined profile.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the address of the resource server associated in said associating step (b) is a uniform resource location (URL) associated with the resource server.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a radio;

the address of the resource server received in said receiving step (c) is a radio frequency; and

the time-dependent geographically localized information consists of audio content received, in said receiving step (e), on the radio which is tuned based on the radio frequency received in step receiving step (c).

25. A method for providing time-dependent, geographically localized information to a mobile communication system, comprising:

(a) determining a geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system, the geographic location identifier including a resource server address;

(b) sending the resource server address to a resource server; and

(c) receiving the time-dependent, geographically localized information from the resource server corresponding to the resource server address.

26. A method for providing time-dependent, geographically localized information to a mobile communication system, comprising:

(a) determining a geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system;

(b) sending the geographic location identifier from the mobile communication system to a resolution server;

(c) selecting a resource server address;

(d) modifying the selected resource server address based on the geographic location identifier; and

(e) receiving the time-dependent, geographically localized information based on the modified resource server address.

27. An apparatus for providing time-dependent, geographically localized information to a mobile communication system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing a plurality of resource server addresses, said memory storing association instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to associate a resource server address from the plurality of resource server addresses based on a geographic location identifier associated with a location of the mobile communication system; and

a port to be coupled to a communication network and through which the geographic location identifier is received and through which time-dependent, geographically localized information is sent, said memory and said port being coupled to said processor.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein:

the mobile communication system includes a telecommunication receiver being coupled to the network through a wireless telecommunications link,

said apparatus is located with the mobile communication system and coupled to the telecommunication transceiver through said port.

29. A mobile apparatus, coupled to a telecommunication network, for providing a plurality of time-dependent, geographically localized information, comprising:

a geographic location device, said geographic location device determining a geographic location identifier associated with a location of said mobile apparatus; and

a telecommunication transceiver coupled to said geographic location device, said telecommunication transceiver sending the geographic location identifier to a telecommunication network, said telecommunications transceiver receiving time-dependent, geographically localized information based on the geographic location identifier.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said geographic location device is a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said geographic location device is a bar code scanner capable of scanning a bar code fixedly located outside said mobile apparatus.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein a user located with said mobile apparatus observes a mileage marker highway sign to determine the geographic location identifier.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said telecommunication transceiver sends the geographic location identifier and receives the time-dependent, geographic location information over a wireless telecommunications link.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

said telecommunication transceiver includes a mobile phone coupled to the telecommunication network by a wireless telecommunications link; and

the time-dependent, geographically localized information consists of audio content received on the mobile phone.

35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

said telecommunication transceiver includes a radio; and

the time-dependent geographically localized information consists of audio content received on a radio.

36. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a user interface device coupled to said telecommunication transceiver, the mobile communication system receiving the time-dependent, geographic localized information through said user interface device.

37. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

the telecommunication transceiver receives and sends a resource server address based on the geographic location identifier; and

the resource server address is a uniform resource location (URL) associated with the resource server.

38. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

the telecommunication transceiver includes a radio, the telecommunication transceiver receives and sends a resource server address based on the geographic location identifier; and

the resource server address is a radio frequency associated with the resource server; and

the time-dependent geographically localized information consists of audio content received on the radio of the telecommunication transceiver which is tuned based on the radio frequency.

39. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said user interface device is a mobile telephone and wherein the time-dependent, geographic location information received by said telecommunication transceiver consists of audio content.

40. An apparatus for providing time-dependent, geographically localized information to a mobile communication system, comprising:

means for receiving a geographic location identifier associated with the mobile communication system;

means for associating an address of a resource server based on the geographic location identifier, the resource server storing time-dependent, geographically localized information; and

means for sending the address of the resource server to the mobile communication system.