Location-based content delivery

• US 7,196,639 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Joyce, Dennis P., Sutter, Michael J., Drake, Kevin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US10/847,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.24, 701/208, 701/211, 701/213, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 340/995.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• 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 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention provides for delivering content, such as information, advertisements, directions, and news, to a mobile terminal based on location. The mobile terminal is configured to determine its location and whether content is available based on internal records. If content is available, the mobile terminal may initiate correspondence with an application server to obtain the content. The mobile terminal may keep a table identifying the availability of content for defined locations. Preferably, the locations relate to cells within a wireless network wherein the mobile terminal will check for the availability of content for a given cell and request the content. The mobile terminal may check for the availability of content periodically or when the servicing cell changes.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal facilitating delivery of content to a user comprising:

communication electronics supporting communications with a wireless communication network; and

a system controller associated with the communication electronics to;

identify location indicia bearing on a location of the mobile terminal;

determine if content is available for the location of the mobile terminal, the content comprises location-based information about places or entities within the location; and

effect delivery of a message to a remote application service indicative of the mobile terminal being in the location where the content is available for delivery to the mobile terminal, responsive to determination that content is available for a given location.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 wherein the system controller is adapted to identify the location indicia by identifying a cell servicing the mobile terminal.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 wherein certain of the cells correspond to a generally recognizable locality.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1 wherein the system controller provides a table associating a plurality of locations with content availability indicia indicating if content is available for the plurality of locations and the system controller is further adapted to determine if the content is available using the table.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3 wherein the system controller is further adapted to effect an update request when an unknown cell is serving the mobile terminal and receive an update indicating the availability of content for the unknown cell.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4 wherein the system controller is further adapted to effect a request for a new or updated table upon entering a new location.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 2 wherein a corresponding base station identifies the cell.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 2 wherein the cell is at least one of a group consisting of one cell, a group of cells, and at least one sector within the cell.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1 wherein the system controller is further adapted to alert the user of the mobile terminal once the content is determined to be available and receive a response from the user indicating how to proceed.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1 wherein the system controller includes a device resident program adapted to identify the location indicia bearing on the location of the mobile terminal and determine if the content is available for the location of the mobile terminal.

11. A method for providing content to a mobile terminal based on location comprising:

receiving a message from the mobile terminal responsive to the mobile terminal determining that the content is available for a given location;

accessing the content associated with the given location; and

delivering the content to the mobile terminal, the content comprises location-based information about places or entities within the given location.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising obtaining location information for the mobile terminal from a positioning service and wherein accessing is based on the location information obtained from the positioning service.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising accessing a profile defining the content to provide to the mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining if the content is actually available;

delivering information to the mobile terminal indicating that the content associated with the given location is available; and

receiving a response from the mobile terminal to deliver the content to the mobile terminal prior to delivering the content to the mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the message from the mobile terminal identities a cell or base station servicing the mobile terminal.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the cell or base station correlates with a recognizable locality.

17. A computer readable medium comprising software for instructing a computer to:

receive a message from a mobile terminal responsive to the mobile terminal determining that content is available for a given location;

access the content associated with the given location; and

deliver the content to the mobile terminal, wherein the content comprises location-based information about places or entities within the given location.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to obtain location information for the mobile terminal from a positioning service and wherein the content that is accessed is based on the location information obtained from the positioning service.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to access a profile defining the content to provide to the mobile terminal.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising instructions to:

determine if the content is actually available;

deliver information to the mobile terminal indicating that the content associated with the given location is available; and

receive a response from the mobile terminal to deliver the content to the mobile terminal prior to delivering the content to the mobile terminal.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the message from the mobile terminal identifies a cell or base station servicing the mobile terminal.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the cell or base station correlates with a recognizable locality.

23. A system for providing content to a mobile terminal based on location comprising:

means for receiving a message from the mobile terminal responsive to the mobile terminal determining that the content is available for a given location;

mean for accessing the content associated with the given location; and

means for delivering the content to the mobile terminal, the content comprises location-based information about places or entities within the given location.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising means for obtaining location information for the mobile terminal from a positioning service and wherein the means for accessing is based on the location information obtained from the positioning service.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising means for accessing a profile defining the content to provide to the mobile terminal.

26. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

means for determining if the content is actually available;

means for delivering information to the mobile terminal indicating that content associated with the given location is available; and

mean for receiving a response from the mobile terminal to deliver the content to the mobile terminal prior to delivering the content to the mobile terminal.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the message from the mobile terminal identifies a cell or base station servicing the mobile terminal.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the cell or base station correlates with a recognizable locality.