Method for transmission of information to the user

• US 6,154,745 A
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kari, Janne, Rautila, Heikki
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/996,578
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/100-104, 707/200-206, 701/200, 701/208, 701/212, 705/14, 705/10, 705/26, 705/32, 709/219
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/918 Location
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications

Abstract

Method for transmission of information to the user, in which a search terminal (1) is used for sending an information query, which is received and processed. Further in the method, information is searched for, and the retrieved information is transmitted to the search terminal (1). The information is received and displayed to the user by the search terminal (1). A system for transmitting information to a user comprises a search terminal (1) for sending an information query, means (3, 4, 4'"'"', 4") for receiving and processing of the information query, means (3, 4, 4'"'"', 4'"'"') for retrieving information, means (2) for transmitting the information to the search terminal (1), and means (1) for receiving the information and presenting it to the user on the search terminal (1), The information retrieval is arranged to be conducted at least partly on the basis of the location and/or travel route of the user.

Claims

1. Method for the transmission of queried information to a mobile user having a current location and/or travel route, comprising the steps of:

sending an information query from a user search terminal of the mobile user to obtain specific information from a remote source of information,

receiving and processing the information query,

searching the remote source of information for the specific information queried by the information query,

when found, transmitting the specific queried information from the remote source of information to the user search terminal, and

receiving and displaying the specific queried information to the mobile user by the user search terminal,

and the further steps comprising;

providing a primary server for receiving and processing the information query and producing a search criterion for conducting the information search, said search criterion being based at least partly on information on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user included with the information query,

providing the remote source of information with several information servers for the information search, and

routing the information query sent by the user search terminal to the primary server, and then to an information server that is found suitable for the information search based at least partly on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user information of the search criterion, to obtain the specific information from the remote source of information.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said information source is provided with at least one user profile data base and further comprising the steps of:

storing user-specific information in at least one user profile data base; and

utilizing the information in the user profile data base as an additional search criterion in the information search.

3. Method according to claim 2, comprising the further step of storing user-specific information in the search terminal.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein said information source is provided with at least one service data base and further comprising the steps of:

storing service-specific information in at least one service data base; and

retrieving the service-specific information from said service data base.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the information query is sent from said user search terminal on one transmission channel, and the specific information is transmitted to said user search terminal on another channel.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein said transmissions are via Global System for Mobile Communications Small Message Service.

7. System for transmitting information to a mobile user having a current location and/or travel route, the system comprising:

a user search terminal for sending an information query to obtain specific information for the mobile user from a remote source of information,

means for receiving and processing the information query,

retrieval means, responsive to the processed information query, for retrieving the specific queried information from the remote source of information,

transmitting means for transmitting the retrieved specific queried information to the user search terminal, and

means for receiving the retrieved specific queried information and presenting it to the mobile user on the user search terminal,

and wherein said retrieval means comprises;

first means for arranging the information retrieval to be conducted using a search criterion based at least partly on information on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user included with the information query,

several servers at the remote source of information for storing information available for retrieval, and

second means for arranging for the information query to be routed to the first means, and then to a server, from among the several servers, that is found suitable for the information retrieval based at least partly on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user information of the search criterion, to obtain the specific queried information from the remote source of information.

8. System according to claim 7, further comprising at least one user profile data base for storing user-specific information, and means for arranging the information contained in the user profile data base to be used for the information retrieval.

9. System according to claim 8, further comprising means for arranging the user-specific information to be stored in the search terminal.

10. System according to claim 7, further comprising at least one service data base for storing information on suppliers of the service, and means for arranging the information contained in the service data base to be used in addition to the search criterion in the information retrieval, if necessary.

11. System according to claim 7, wherein said first means comprises at least one connection server, and further comprising means for setting up a data transmission connection between the search terminal and the connection server, and means for setting up a connection between the connection server and the several servers of the remote source of information.

12. System according to claim 7, further comprising means for arranging the transmission of information to be conducted at least partly in a wireless manner.

13. System according to claim 7, wherein:

said user search terminal comprises means for sending said information query on one transmission channel; and

said transmitting means comprises means for transmitting said retrieved specific information to the user search terminal on another transmission channel.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein said transmissions are via Global System for Mobile Communications Small Message Service.

16. Mobile station according to claim 11, wherein said means for adding information comprises at least one connection server, and further comprising means for setting up a data transmission connection between the sending and receiving means and the connection server, and means for setting up a connection between the connection server and the several servers.

17. Mobile station according to claim 16, further comprising means for arranging the transmission of information to be conducted at least partly in a wireless manner.

20. Mobile station according to claim 11, further comprising at least one service data base for storing information on suppliers of the service, and means for arranging the information contained in the service data base to be used in addition to the search criterion in the information retrieval.

15. Mobile station for remotely obtaining specific information for a mobile user, having a current location and/or travel route, from one of several servers containing such information, comprising:

sending means for sending an information query regarding the specific information to be obtained,

receiving means for receiving the specific information in response to the query, and

means for presenting the received specific information to the mobile user,

said mobile station for use in a system comprising;

means, remote from said sending means, for receiving and processing the information query,

means for retrieving the specific information queried, and

means for transmitting the retrieved specific information to the receiving means of the mobile station,

and wherein the mobile station further comprises;

means for adding information on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user to the information query as a search criterion for retrieving the specific information,

and the system further comprises;

several servers containing information of the type to be obtained, and

means for arranging the information query to be routed to a server, from among the several servers, that is found suitable for retrieving the information queried based at least partly on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user information of the search criterion, to obtain the specific information therefrom.

18. Mobile station according to claim 15, further comprising at least one user profile data base for storing user-specific information, and means for arranging the information contained in the user profile data base to be added to the means for adding information on the current location and/or travel route of the mobile user to the information query as a search criterion.

19. Mobile station according to claim 18, further comprising means for arranging the user-specific information to be stored in the mobile station.