System and method for executing user-definable events triggered through geolocational data describing zones of influence

• US 8,498,814 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2004
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groundspeak, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Groundspeak, Inc.
• Inventors: Irish, Jeremy, Alvord, Elias
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US10/774,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,462 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-213, 701/117, 701/409, 701/491, 701/462, 701/468, 701/526, 701/412, 701/426, 701/430, 463/9, 463/39
• US Class Current: 701/462
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for executing user-definable events triggered through geolocational data describing zones of influence is described. One or more zones of influence are defined. Each zone of influence is described by stored geolocational data and forms a logically enclosed physical space. One or more user-definable events are associated with each zone of influence. Each user-definable event specifies a trigger condition based on the stored geolocational data for the associated zone of influence. A location of a user device is identified based on further geolocational data and at least one user-definable event is triggered when the location of the user device substantially correlates to the stored geolocational data for the trigger condition of the at least one user-definable event.

Claims

1. A system for executing events triggered through geolocational data describing zones, the system comprising:

a storage medium configured to hold data in a cartridge script loadable into a wireless computing device, wherein the data comprises;

zone data configured to define one or more zones into the cartridge script by describing a plurality of points of static geolocational data; and

event data configured to define one or more location events into the cartridge script and to associate each location event with at least one zone; and

the wireless computing device configured to execute a scenario by triggering the location events stored on the cartridge script through movement of the wireless computing device, the wireless computing device comprising;

a locational module configured to continuously self-identify a location of the wireless computing device based on dynamic geolocational data determined in response to the movement; and

a processing module configured to determine a correlation between the dynamic geolocational data and the static geolocational data for one or more of the zones, and to trigger the location event associated with the zone based on the correlation.

2. A system according to claim 1, system further comprising:

further data in the cartridge script loaded in the wireless computing device comprising timed event data configured to specify one or more timed events each comprising a start time and a duration; and

the wireless computing device further comprising;

a timer module configured to measure an elapsed time beginning with the start time of each timed event;

an evaluation module configured to determine when the elapsed time substantially equals the duration of one or more of the timed events, and to trigger the timed event.

3. A system according to claim 1, the system further comprising:

further data in the cartridge script loaded in the wireless computing device comprising independent events each comprising one or more independent trigger conditions,; and

the wireless computing device further comprising;

an evaluation module configured to determine satisfaction of one or more of the independent trigger conditions, and to trigger the independent event associated with the satisfied independent trigger condition.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the zone data is configured to define each zone as discrete, adjoining, overlapping, and nested relative to at least one other zone in the zone data.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the zone data is configured to define at least one zone in the zone data as inheriting at least one location event from one or more other of the zones in the zone data.