Data synchronization for devices supporting direction-based services

• US 8,200,246 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Khosravy, Moe, Novik, Lev
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOHLMAN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US12/483,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20090318168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

With the addition of directional information and gesture based input in a location based services environment, a variety of service(s) can be provided on top of user identification or interaction with specific object(s) of interest. For instance, a device can interact with various endpoints of a direction-based location service and any of the content or other information exchanged between clients and services can be synchronized for efficient exchange of information and efficient utilization of network bandwidth and resources. For example, change input is received by a device that alters, deletes or augments dynamically updateable information associated with a point of interest and the changes resulting from the change input are synchronized from the mobile device to a location based network service. Optionally, the synchronization can be according to a knowledge exchange to identify what should be synchronized prior to transmitting the updates.

Claims

1. A method for displaying point of interest information on a mobile device, comprising:

a mobile device identifying a plurality of possible points of interest that are determined to be substantially along a same direction at which the mobile device is pointing;

the mobile device detecting a gesture at the mobile device comprising a motion vector of the mobile device towards the selected point of interest and at a particular speed;

the mobile device determining, based at least in part on the speed associated with the motion vector, to select a point of interest from the plurality of possible points of interest rather than any other of the possible points of interest that are also determined to be substantially aligned with the same direction at which the mobile device is pointing, and such that at least the speed of the motion vector is used to distinguish at least the selected point of interest from at least one other point of interest that is determined to be in a substantially similar direction relative to the mobile device;

at the mobile device, displaying static information and dynamically updateable information associated with the selected point of interest and which is received from a location based network service in communication with the mobile device;

receiving change input that alters, deletes or augments the dynamically updateable information associated with the selected point of interest; and

synchronizing changes resulting from the change input from the mobile device to the location based network service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the static information from local memory of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the dynamically updateable information from local memory of the mobile device; and

automatically receiving updates to the dynamically updateable information via synchronization with the location based network service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying includes retrieving the static information and the dynamically updateable information from a local cache memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying a plurality of possible points of interest is

based on at least location information of the mobile device in combination with direction information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving change input that alters at least some of the dynamically updateable information associated with the point of interest.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving change input that deletes at least some of the dynamically updateable information associated with the point of interest.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving change input that augments at least some of the dynamically updateable information associated with the point of interest.

9. A computing system for displaying point of interest information for a mobile device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, implement a method that includes the following;

identifying a plurality of possible points of interest that are determined to be substantially along a same direction at which a mobile device is pointing;

detecting a gesture at the mobile device comprising a motion vector of the mobile device towards the selected point of interest and at a particular speed;

determining, based at least in part on the speed associated with the motion vector, to select a point of interest from the plurality of possible points of interest rather than any other of the possible points of interest that are also determined to be substantially aligned with the same direction at which the mobile device is pointing, and such that at least the speed of the motion vector is used to distinguish at least the selected point of interest from at least one other point of interest that is determined to be in a substantially similar direction relative to the mobile device;

displaying static information and dynamically updateable information associated with the selected point of interest and which is received from a location based network service in communication with the mobile device;

receiving change input that alters, deletes or augments the dynamically updateable information associated with the selected point of interest; and

synchronizing changes resulting from the change input from the mobile device to the location based network service.

10. The computing system recited in claim 9, wherein the mobile device comprises the at least one processor and the memory.

11. A storage device storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, implement a method that includes the following:

identifying a plurality of possible points of interest that are determined to be substantially along a same direction at which a mobile device is pointing;

detecting a gesture at the mobile device comprising a motion vector of the mobile device towards the selected point of interest and at a particular speed;

determining, based at least in part on the speed associated with the motion vector, to select a point of interest from the plurality of possible points of interest rather than any other of the possible points of interest that are also determined to be substantially aligned with the same direction at which the mobile device is pointing, and such that at least the speed of the motion vector is used to distinguish at least the selected point of interest from at least one other point of interest that is determined to be in a substantially similar direction relative to the mobile device;

displaying static information and dynamically updateable information associated with the selected point of interest and which is received from a location based network service in communication with the mobile device;

receiving change input that alters, deletes or augments the dynamically updateable information associated with the selected point of interest; and

synchronizing changes resulting from the change input from the mobile device to the location based network service.

12. The storage device recited in claim 11, wherein the mobile device comprises the storage device and the at least one processor.