Location processing apparatus, systems, and methods

• US 7,245,258 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Deshpande, Nikhil M., Velhal, Ravindra V., Deshmukh, Jeetendra G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULL, FRED H
• Application Number:
  US10/877,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20050285789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 342/451, 342/450, 701/208
• US Class Current: 342/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0221 Receivers

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods may provide operating system-independent geolocation information. A compact software and/or firmwave environment may be established prior to loading and/or initializing the main operating system. This environment, sometimes known as a pre-boot environment, may determine geolocation information and/or may provide user access to configuration information and methods, even when the operating system is absent or unavailable.

Claims

1. An apparatus, including:

a processor coupled to an operating system to execute the operating system and to determine operating system-independent geolocation information; and

an operating system-independent geolocation stack in a firmware services environment, the operating system-independent geolocation stack coupled to the processor to continue to provide at least one of the operating system-independent geolocation information or a set of sensor data at a time when a status associated with the operating system comprises at least one of missing, inaccessible, or inoperable.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an acquisition module to couple to the memory and to provide the set of sensor data to the operating system-independent geolocation stack in the firmware services environment.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further including:

a receiver to receive the set of sensor data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operating system-independent geolocation stack in the firmware services environment is included in at least one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, or a computer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a switch to initiate access to the operating system-independent geolocation information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a module to communicate the operating system-independent geolocation information to at least one of the operating system, a network, or a wireless computation platform.

7. A system, including:

a processor coupled to an operating system to execute the operating system and to determine operating system-independent geolocation information;

an operating system-independent geolocation stack in a firmware services environment, the operating system-independent geolocation stack coupled to the processor to continue to provide at least one of the operating system-independent geolocation information or a set of sensor data at a time when a status associated with the operating system comprises at least one of missing, inaccessible, or inoperable; and

a display operatively coupled to the processor to display data associated with the operating system-independent geolocation information.

8. The system of claim 7, further including:

an acquisition module to couple to the operating system-independent geolocation stack in the firmware services environment to provide a set of sensor data to the operating system-independent geolocation stack in the firmware services environment.

9. The system of claim 8, further including:

a user interface module operatively coupled to the operating system-independent geolocation stack in the firmware services environment to acquire user preferences associated with access to the operating system-independent geolocation information during at least one of a time period prior to loading the operating system, a time period while loading the operating system, or a time period after loading the operating system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface module is adapted to acquire user preferences associated with a plurality of providers of the set of sensor data.

11. The system of claim 8, further including:

an omnidirectional antenna operatively coupled to the acquisition module to receive a set of geolocation signals.

12. The system of claim 7, further including:

a firmware services environment module operatively coupled to the processor to store the operating system-independent geolocation information and to communicate the operating system-independent geolocation information to at least one of the operating system or an operating system-independent geolocation information recipient.

13. A method, including:

providing operating system-independent geolocation information to a device, wherein the device includes an operating system, at a time when a status associated with the operating system comprises at least one of missing, inaccessible, or inoperable.

14. The method of claim 13, further including:

calculating the operating system-independent geolocation information from a set of sensor data.

15. The method of claim 13, further including:

storing the operating system-independent geolocation information in a location stack in an operating system-independent accessible interface.

16. The method of claim 13, further including:

accessing the operating-system-independent geolocation information prior to loading the operating system.

17. The method of claim 13, further including:

accessing the operating system-independent geolocation information responsive to a switch activation after loading the operating system.

18. A method, including:

operating a location-aware, operating system-independent firmware layer in a device having an operating system, wherein the operating system-independent firmware layer is capable of providing operating system-independent geolocation information to the device at a time when a status associated with the operating system comprises at least one of missing, inaccessible, or inoperable.

19. The method of claim 18, further including:

accessing geolocation information stored in the operating system-independent firmware layer after the operating system has become inactive.

20. The method of claim 18, further including:

placing the operating system in a standby mode.

21. The method of claim 18, further including:

removing the operating system.

22. The method of claim 18, further including:

constructing a provider stack to include a plurality of geolocation information providers.

23. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

providing operating system-independent geolocation information to a device, wherein the device includes an operating system, at a time when a status associated with the operating system comprises at least one of missing, inaccessible, or inoperable.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

combining a set of sensor data received from a plurality of providers into aggregated geolocation data.

25. The article of claim 24 wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

displaying location data associated with the aggregated geolocation data on a display after loading the operating system.

26. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving configuration information associated with access to the operating system-independent geolocation information prior to loading the operating system.

27. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving configuration information associated with access to the operating system-independent geolocation information after loading the operating system.