System and methods for remotely accessing a selected group of items of interest from a database

• US 6,415,291 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Civix-Ddi LLC
• Original Assignee: Civix-Ddi LLC
• Inventors: Bouve, W. Lincoln, Semple, William T., Oxman, Steven W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US09/816,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20010054036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/10, 707/1-6, 707/104.1, 707/10.3, 701/201-208, 701/209-213, 709/217-219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A user can access a common database from a remote communications port, at any qualified location, to generate a map or other positional information which locates selected items of interest, e.g., businesses, stores, architectural sites, and the like. The database contains information representing the items of interest, including, for each of the items of interest, positional coordinates, a geographic vicinity, and a selected category. The positional coordinates discretely locate the vicinity, while the vicinity specifies the exact locations of the items of interest in the selected category. For example, a user in New York can select the display of sporting shops in the area surrounding Chicago O'"'"'Hara International Airport selectively. A user can also access a port and display locations of items of interest within the same vicinity as the user and relative to the user'"'"'s position. The database can be modified from qualified remote locations to change, or add to, the information therein. An advertisement can be tagged to the display or print out as an association with the selected items of interest.

Claims

1. A system for determining the position of one or more items of interest in a selected category, comprising:

a database for storing information about the items of interest, the information including, for each of the items of interest, at least one associated category and spatial detail defining a geographic position; and

a plurality of ports for accessing the database through the Internet, each port having a user interface for accepting inputs by a user of the system and for indicating to the user the geographic position of one or more of the items of interest, the user inputs defining the category associated with items of interest.

2. A system of claim 1, wherein the items of interest comprise one or more business categories.

3. A system of claim 1, wherein the port comprises a computer display.

4. A system of claim 1, wherein the port comprises a printer.

5. A system of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises additional detail about at least one item of interest, such that the user can access the additional detail through the user interface.

6. A system of claim 5, wherein the additional detail comprises information about the one item of interest.

7. A system of claim 6, wherein the additional detail comprises an advertisement about the one item of interest.

8. A system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ports comprises a graphic display.

9. A system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ports comprises a voice-recognition user interface to accept inputs from the user.

10. A system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ports comprises a speaker for indicating to the user the position of at least one item of interest.

11. A system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ports repeatedly updates its geographic position as input to the system.

12. A system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ports automatically updates and displays its position for the user.

13. A system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the ports comprises a GPS receiver for defining a geographic position of the user.

14. A method for determining the position of one or more items of interest in a selected category, comprising:

storing information about the items of interest in a database, the information including, for each of the items of interest, at least one associated category and spatial detail defining a geographic position; and

supplying information about at least one of the items of interest to one of a plurality of ports, connected to the database at least in part through the Internet, in response to inputs at the one port, wherein a user at the port may locate the one item of interest.

15. A method of claim 14, wherein the step of supplying comprises relaying information through a cellular communications link to a phone.

16. A method of claim 14, further comprising the step of hierarchically displaying geographical information at the one port in response to user inputs at the port.

17. A method of claim 14, wherein the step of supplying comprises relaying information through a cellular communications link to a laptop computer.

18. A method of claim 14, wherein the step of supplying comprises supplying the information items within a radius about the one port.

19. A method of claim 18, further comprising selecting the radius at the remote port.

20. A method of claim 14, further comprising inputting a distinct address at the remote port.

21. A method of claim 14, wherein the step of supplying information comprises supplying advertising information about a business.

22. A method of claim 21, further comprising storing the advertising information in a database and updating the advertising information remotely from the database.

23. A method of claim 21, wherein the step of supplying information comprises supplying one or more of video clips and digitized images related to the one item of interest.