Integrating geographical contextual information into mobile enterprise applications

• US 7,283,846 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Ebert, Peter, Vogler, Hartmut, Spriestersbach, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Lana
• Assistant Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US10/208,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20030148775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/432.2, 455/432.3, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/458.6, 455/457, 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/419
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 92/08 between user and terminal device

Abstract

A location context-aware mobile system determines the location of a mobile device and updates a user interface based on the location of the device. By using the location of the mobile device to reduce the amount of information required to be entered by a user in a business process application, the system increases the feasibility of providing business process applications on mobile devices such as mobile telephones.

Claims

1. A location context-aware system integrating geographical contextual information, the location context-aware system comprising:

a backend enterprise server executing an enterprise application, the enterprise application including an enterprise user interface;

a mobile device configured to interact with the enterprise application via manual input;

a location service operable to determine location context information of the mobile device;

a mobile application server in communication with the backend enterprise server and the mobile device, the mobile application server configured to generate a simplified user interface based on the enterprise user interface and the location context information, the simplified user interface comprising at least one field of the enterprise user interface which is pre-populated or not rendered based on the location context information, and further configured to transmit the simplified user interface to the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the enterprise user interface is configured to input customer data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile application server generates a simplified user interface by hiding a user input field of the enterprise user interface from the user.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile application server generates a simplified user interface by populating a user input field of the enterprise user interface with a value.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile application server generates a simplified user interface by providing a selection of possible values for a user input field of the enterprise user interface.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a mobile telephone.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone and the location service is network-based, handset-assisted.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone and the location service is handset-based, network-assisted.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a geographical information service application, wherein the mobile application server generates a simplified user interface by querying the geographical information service application to determine business process data related to the location context information of the mobile device.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein the enterprise user interface is an interface with which to input customer data to a customer relationship management application.

11. A method of modifying a user interface of an enterprise application using location context information, the method comprising:

executing an enterprise application, the enterprise application including an enterprise user interface;

determining location context information of a mobile device;

providing the enterprise user interface to a mobile application server;

generating a simplified user interface at the mobile application server based on the enterprise user interface and the location context information, the simplified user interface comprising at least one field of the enterprise user interface which is pre-populated or not rendered based on the location context information;

transmitting the simplified user interface from the mobile application server to the mobile device; and

accepting a manual input on the mobile device via the simplified user interface, the manual input interacting with the enterprise application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein determining the location context information of the mobile device includes querying a location.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the location service is based on the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the simplified user interface further comprises hiding a user input field of the enterprise user interface from display.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein generating the simplified user interface further comprises populating a user input field of the enterprise user interface with a set value.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein determining location context information of the mobile device includes querying a geographical information service application with a query that includes a geographical location.

17. A computer program tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for providing a location context-aware user interface of an enterprise application on a mobile device, the computer program comprising:

an execution code segment to execute an enterprise application, the enterprise application including an enterprise user interface

a location determination code segment to determine location context information of a mobile device;

a provision code segment to provide the enterprise user interface to a mobile application server;

a user interface generation code segment to generate a simplified user interface at the mobile application server based on the enterprise user interface and the location context information, the simplified user interface comprising at least one field of the enterprise user interface which is pre-populated or not rendered based on the location context information;

a transmission code segment to transmit the simplified user interface from the mobile application server to the mobile device; and

an accepting code segment to accept a manual input on the mobile device via the simplified user interface, the manual input interacting with the enterprise application.