Displaying location-specific images on a mobile device

• US 8,473,200 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi, Dorfman, Barnaby M., Gold, Jonathan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US13/182,387
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/213, 701/207, 701408-409, 701/428, 701/516, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 340988-9951, 340990-991, 340/993, 342450-451, 382/104, 705/26, 379/88.17, 707/E17.11
• US Class Current: 701/428
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A system is provided for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display. The system generally comprises three components: a mobile device having a screen, a position identification system (e.g., a GPS receiver) that determines the position of the mobile device, and a database containing location-specific images taken at various locations. Each location-specific image is associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken. Based on the position of the mobile device as determined by the position identification system, a location-specific image is selected from the database and displayed on the screen of the mobile device. For example, when a user is using the mobile device as a car navigation system, a location-specific image of the user'"'"'s destination location can be selected and displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the destination location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying a location-specific image on a mobile device, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving information identifying a location of the mobile device;

receiving a user identification information (user ID) of the mobile device;

accessing a user profile associated with the received user ID, the user profile comprising information corresponding to at least one of preferences or past behavior of the user;

selecting a location-specific image from a plurality of location-specific images based at least in part upon the identified location of the mobile device and based at least in part on at least one of the preferences or past behavior of the user, each location-specific image being associated with geographic coordinates of a location at or near which the image was taken; and

sending the selected image to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to display a location-specific image corresponding to a current location of the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location-specific image is selected when the identified location of the mobile device comes within a specified distance from the geographic coordinates associated with the image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at least one recommended location proximate to the current location of the mobile device based at least one of demographic information, user preferences, or information associated with past behavior derived from the user profile; and

wherein selecting the location-specific image comprises selecting an image associated with the at least one recommended location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining supplemental information for the selected image based on the received user ID; and

sending the supplemental information to the mobile device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a search query from the mobile device; and

wherein selecting the location-specific image is based further on the received search query.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said receiving a location of a mobile device includes at least one of receiving a location of a mobile device as entered into the mobile device by a user, receiving a location of a mobile device from a GPS receiver, or receiving a location of a mobile device from a wireless communications network with which the mobile device interfaces.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a general geographic location of the mobile device based on an IP address associated with the mobile device;

identifying a subset of location-specific images that correspond to the determined general geographic location of the mobile device; and

wherein selecting the location-specific image comprises selecting the location-specific image from the identified subset of location-specific images based on the determined general geographic location of the mobile device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an image captured by the mobile device and associated with a location at which the image was taken; and

storing the image with the associated location.

4. A mobile device, comprising:

a device processor;

a display screen; and

device memory storing instructions that, when executed by the device processor, cause the mobile device to;

receive information identifying a location of a mobile device;

receiving a user identification information (user ID) of the mobile device;

access a user profile associated with the received user ID, the user profile comprising information corresponding to at least one of preferences or past behavior of the user;

select a location-specific image from a plurality of location-specific images based at least in part upon the identified location of the mobile device and based at least in part on at least one the preferences or the past behavior of the user, each location-specific image being associated with geographic coordinates of a location at or near which the image was taken; and

display a location-specific image corresponding to a current location of the mobile device.

6. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the location identification system comprises a GPS receiver coupled with the mobile device, and the location of the mobile device is determined by the GPS receiver.

12. The mobile device of claim 4, further comprising:

a wireless network interface for establishing a wireless communications link between the mobile device and a mobile image system via a wireless communications network,

wherein the location identification system utilizes a network-based technology to determine the location of the mobile device based on a link between the mobile device and the mobile image system over the wireless communications network.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive location information for a mobile device;

receive a user identification information (user ID) of the mobile device;

access a user profile associated with the received user ID, the user profile comprising information corresponding to at least one of preferences or past behavior of the user;

select a location-specific image from a plurality of location-specific images based at least in part upon the received location information and based at least in part on at least one of the preferences or past behavior of the user, each location-specific image being associated with geographic coordinates of a location at or near which the image was taken; and

send the selected image to the mobile device, wherein the mobile device configured to display a location-specific image corresponding to a current location of the mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computer to:

receive a search query from the mobile device; and

wherein selecting the location-specific image is based further on the received search query.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computer to:

determine supplemental information for the selected image based on the received user ID; and

send the supplemental information to the mobile device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computer to:

determine a general geographic location of the mobile device based on an IP address associated with the mobile device;

identify a subset of location-specific images that correspond to the determined general geographic location of the mobile device; and

wherein selecting the location-specific image further comprises selecting the location-specific image from the identified subset of location-specific images based on the determined general geographic location of the mobile device.