Location specific reminders for wireless mobiles

• US 6,957,076 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2001
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hunzinger, Jason F.
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/998,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20020086680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/458, 455/460, 455/461, 455/462, 455/18, 455/459, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/412.2, 340/825.49, 340/825.69, 340/905, 340/902, 340/904, 340/995, 340/996, 342/357, 701208-211, 701/201
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system allows users of wireless mobile terminals to set reminders, alerts, or other actions to be triggered based on location or dynamics. Such location information may include, but is not limited to, a specific location description such as latitude, longitude and a radius describing a generally circular region in which the terminal is located. The system monitors the location information until the programmed conditions are satisfied. Once the location condition is satisfied the system of the present invention triggers the programmed reminder.

Claims

1. A method of providing a terminal with location-based actions in a communications network comprising:

storing at least a first set of location information;

associating a terminal action with said first set of location information; and

executing the associated terminal action when a current terminal location information is within a specified range of the first set of location information;

applying to a comparison between the current terminal location information and the first set of location information a step selected from the group consisting of hysteresis, delay, proximity threshold, distance threshold, signal condition change threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a direction specification associated with said terminal action,

comparing said terminals direction of motion relative to said first set of location information with said direction specification associated with said terminal action,

executing said terminal action only if said direction specification matches with current terminal direction of motion relative to said stored first set of location information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said direction specification parameter is selected from the group consisting of exiting, entering, and both entering and exiting.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising applying hysteresis to direction changes to avoid thrashing.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first set of location information is the current location information of said terminal when the user is associating said terminal action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating said terminal action with a set of location information is done after storing said location information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a description with each set of stored location information; and

selecting a stored set of location information to associate with said action based on the associated description.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said location information consists of at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of base station identifier, pilot signal strength, pilot signal Pseudo Noise offset, multi-path profile, signal conditions, location identification, location name and area name.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining said location information without an active connection to said network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said location information is represented using at lest one of the parameters selected from the group consisting of radius, network parameter, geometric shape, size, range, orientation, and height.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining time information;

associating said action with both said first set of location information and said time information; and

executing said stored terminal action only if said time information matches a current time.

12. A mobile terminal providing location-based actions for use in a communications network comprising:

a memory which stores at least a first set of location information;

a processor which associates a terminal action with said first set of location information and executes the associated terminal action when a current terminal location information is within a specified range of the first set of location information;

wherein

the processor further applies to a comparison between the current terminal location information and the first set of location information a step selected from the group consisting of hysteresis, delay, proximity threshold, distance threshold, signal condition change threshold.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor further defines a direction specification associated with said terminal action and compares said terminals direction of motion relative to said first set of location information with said direction specification associated with said terminal action, then executes said terminal action only if said direction specification matches with current terminal direction of motion relative to said stored first set of location information.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein said direction specification parameter is selected from the group consisting of exiting, entering, and both entering and exiting.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the processor applies hysteresis to direction changes to avoid thrashing.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein said first set of location information is the current location information of said terminal when the user is associating said terminal action.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor associates said terminal action with a set of location information after storing said location information.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor further associates a description with each set of stored location information and selects a stored set of location information to associate with said action based on the associated description.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein said location information consists of at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of base station identifier, pilot signal strength, pilot signal Pseudo Noise offset, multi-path profile, signal conditions, location identification, location name and area name.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor further determines said location information without an active connection to said network.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein said location information is represented using at least one of the parameters selected from the group consisting of radius, network parameter, geometric shape, size, range, orientation, and height.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the processor further obtains time information and associates said action with both said first set of location information and said time information, wherein the processor executes said stored terminal action only if said time information matches a current time.