Location/status-addressed radio/radiotelephone

• US 6,853,849 B1
• Filed: 05/30/1996
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Tognazzini, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US08/655,133
• Time in Patent Office: 3,176 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/426, 455/457, 455/433, 455/456, 455/12.1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/414, 455/82, 455/412, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/426.1, 455/126.2, 455/412.1, 455/416, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/556, 455/156.2, 342/457, 342/352, 342/357, 340991-9951
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

Point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communications are established based on a database query broadcast to all stations. Stations satisfying the query respond and communications are established with the station(s) responding. The database query is preferably directed to location, status or history of the station being queried. Responding stations may be displayed on a moving map and establishing communications with a responding station can be established by touching an icon of the station on a touch screen display.

Claims

1. Apparatus for establishing communications between a calling station and one or more called stations based on information stored at a called station, at least one called station comprising:

a. a memory storing information in a database;

b. a receiver for receiving a communications request including a query specifying at least one criterion for searching said database;

c. a comparator for comparing information stored in said database with said at least one criterion; and

d. a transmitter for responding to said communications request only when said information stored in said database satisfies said at least one criterion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a global positioning satellite receiver for storing current location information in said database.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which said communications request includes at least one criterion based on location of said called station with respect to calling station.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a proximity detector for providing relative location information about nearby objects based on apparatus location, and a computing device for calculating location information independent of said apparatus location using location information provided by said proximity detector and information provided by said global positioning satellite receiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a touch-screen display which displays current location information in a moving map display.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one status detector for storing information about the status of said apparatus in said database.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which said communication request includes at least one criterion based on status.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, in which said database stores information about history of said apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, in which said communications request includes at least one criterion based on history.

10. Apparatus for establishing communications between a calling station and one or more called stations based on information stored in a database at a called station, a calling station comprising:

a. an input device for specifying a query for searching information stored in said database at one or more called stations; and

b. a transmitter for broadcasting a communications request including said query; and

c. a receiver for receiving a response from one or more called stations having information in said database which satisfies said query.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a global positioning satellite receiver for storing current location information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a touch-screen display which displays current location information in a moving map display.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

a receiver for receiving a response from at least one station having a database containing information which satisfies said query, said response including information about the location of said at least one station,

a global positioning satellite receiver for storing location of said apparatus information,

a touch-screen display which displays location of said apparatus information in a moving map display and also information about the location of said at least one station.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which said touch screen display initiates a communications request when a location on said touch screen display displaying information about the location of said at least one station is touched.

15. Apparatus for establishing communications between a calling station and one or more called stations based on information stored at a called station, at least one of said one or more called stations comprising:

a. a computer connected to a bus;

b. a memory connected to said bus, storing information in a database;

c. a receiver connected to said bus for receiving a communications request including a query specifying at least one criterion for searching said database; and

d. a transmitter connected to said bus,

in which said computer is configured for comparing information stored in said database with said at least one criterion, and for responding to said communications request when said information stored in said database satisfies said at least one criterion.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 installed in a vehicle in which said computer controls vehicle functions and in which an authorized user may preempt control of said vehicle functions over said receiver when said transmitter responds to said communications request.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 installed in a vehicle having a hands free telephone in which said computer activates said hands free telephone under control of a request received over said receiver when said transmitter responds to said communications request.

18. A system for communicating between an originating station and one or more called stations, comprising:

a. a network for connecting stations;

b. a plurality of stations, at least some of which include a database;

c. a network channel for sending a communications request including a query specifying at least one criterion from said originating station to all stations and for receiving back a response from those stations at which said information stored in said database satisfies said at least one criterion; and

d. a network communications channel for communications between said originating station and those stations at which said information stored in said database satisfies said at least one criterion.

19. The system of claim 18 in which said network is a cellular network.