Mobile communication system enabling location associated messages

• US 6,625,456 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2000
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Busso, Roberto, Granstam, Bo Gustaf, Leijon, Mattias
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/658,609
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/456, 455/403, 455/412, 455/433, 455/435, 455/517, 455/414, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Mobile communication system (MS) comprising a plurality of mobile terminals (MT), being adapted for communicating with a dedicated server (DS) has been described. The mobile communication system comprises position means (PSS) for locating the geographical position of individual mobile terminals. The dedicated server is being adapted to store message data on-line in an information database (IDB) and link such message data to a first set of locations, the dedicated server is furthermore being adapted to engage in on-line search sessions with individual searching mobile terminals for forwarding stored message data to such searching mobile terminals upon request and in accordance with a user specified search profile involving a particular set of locations associated with the message and/or with an enquiring mobile.

Claims

1. Mobile communication system (MS) comprising

a plurality of mobile terminals (MT), a plurality of base-station subsystems (BSS) for communicating wirelessly with the mobile terminal, each base station subsystem being adapted for communicating with a network subsystem (NSS), comprising a switching centre (MSC), the mobile switching centre (MSC) being adapted for communicating with other mobile switching centres and with a dedicated server (DS) over the network, the mobile communication system comprises

position means (PPS) for locating the geographical position of individual mobile terminals,

the dedicated server being adapted to store message data in an information database (IDB) and link said message data to a first set of locations,

the dedicated server (DS) being adapted to engage in on-line search sessions with individual searching mobile terminals for forwarding stored message data to such searching mobile terminals upon request and in accordance with a user specified search profile, in which a second set of locations are defined,

whereby data messages linked to the first set of locations overlapping or falling within the second set of locations will be presented to the searching mobile and whereby at least one of the first and second set of locations is associated with the actual position of a mobile terminal as given by the position means (PSS), and whereby

the message data is adapted to be created on a mobile terminal (MT) and issued to the dedicated server on-line.

2. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the stored message data is linked to the set of locations at which the message data was created or issued to the server.

3. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the stored message data is linked to the set of locations following the position of the mobile terminal on which the message was created or issued to the server.

4. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the search profile additionally involves that persons according to a predetermined list created by the user is used as a search parameter.

5. Mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein the search profile is associated with the identification codes of terminals on a specified list comprising a personal list of the user of the terminal in question.

6. Mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein the search profile is associated with a specified time interval.

7. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is adapted selectively to hide the exact position of the terminal from the dedicated server or prevent data being indicative of the exact position of the terminal from being visible in the information database in the dedicated server.

8. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the server is adapted to filter out messages from an individual user according to a certain profile, involving parameters comprising time, location, total amount of messages and content.

9. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, in which the data size and the amount of message linked locations linked to messages are subject to a tariff system.

10. Mobile communication system according to claim 1, in which a user may obtain the exclusive right to assign messages to a particular set of locations existing on the dedicated server.