Location-based categorical information services

• US 8,738,039 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Christie, Gregory N., Borchers, Robert Edward, Forstall, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US13/673,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20130072235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.3, 455/418, 455/419, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A selection of a category of interest and location information is used to determine categorical information that is provided to a device. In some implementations, the device includes a touch-sensitive display and presents the categorical information on a map using an indicator. In some implementations, the categorical information can be shared and/or updated by others.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first device, a request for categorical information, the request specifying a category;

receiving, from a second device, a collection of shared categorical information;

determining relevant categorical information from the collection, the relevant categorical information comprising categorical data representative of a content item, wherein the categorical data is responsive to the category, and wherein the categorical data includes location information for the content item, wherein the location information satisfies a location-based conditional setting of the first device; and

providing, to the first device, the relevant categorical information for representation as a graphical object at a location in a map on a display, wherein the location corresponds to the location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical object comprises a virtual push pin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a proximity condition that the content item be located within a threshold distance from a position of the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a condition that the content item be located within a geographical parameter of the map on the display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing is automatic in response to the content item satisfying the location-based conditional setting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a selection of a manual update option on the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device sets access rights for the collection of shared categorical information, the access rights enabling sharing of the collection, and further comprising:

authenticating the first device against the access rights to allow the first device to share the collection.

8. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a device, a request for categorical information, the request specifying a category;

receiving, from an information service, relevant categorical information comprising categorical data representative of a content item, wherein the categorical data is responsive to the category, and wherein the categorical data includes location information for the content item, wherein the location information satisfies a location-based conditional setting of the device; and

displaying, by the device, a graphical object representing the content item at a location in a map on a display, wherein the location corresponds to the location information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical object comprises a virtual push pin.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the virtual push pin for a predetermined time period;

performing a first action in response to the predetermined time period being less than a threshold time period; and

performing a second action in response to the predetermined time period being greater than the threshold time period.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first action comprises displaying contact information of the content item on the map, and wherein the second action comprises initiating a telephone call to the content item.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a proximity condition that the content item be located within a threshold distance from a position of the device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a condition that the content item be located within a geographical parameter of the map on the display.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the displaying is automatic in response to the content item satisfying the location-based conditional setting.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the request comprises a selection of a manual update option on the device.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

setting access rights for a collection of categorical information to enable sharing of the collection; and

providing the collection to the information service for authenticating another device against the access rights to allow the another device to share the collection.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions that when executed cause an information service to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first device, a request for categorical information, the request specifying a category;

receiving, from a second device, a collection of shared categorical information;

determining relevant categorical information from the collection, the relevant categorical information comprising categorical data representative of a content item, wherein the categorical data is responsive to the category, and wherein the categorical data includes location information for the content item, wherein the location information satisfies a location-based conditional setting of the first device; and

providing, to the first device, the relevant categorical information for representation as a graphical object at a location in a map on a display, wherein the location corresponds to the location information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the graphical object comprises a virtual push pin.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a proximity condition that the content item be located within a threshold distance from a position of the first device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a condition that the content item be located within a geographical parameter of the map on the display.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the providing is automatic in response to the content item satisfying the location-based conditional setting.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the request comprises a selection of a manual update option on the first device.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second device sets access rights for the collection of shared categorical information, the access rights enabling sharing of the collection, and further comprising:

authenticating the first device against the access rights to allow the first device to share the collection.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions that when executed cause a device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting, by a device, a request for categorical information, the request specifying a category;

receiving, from an information service, relevant categorical information comprising categorical data representative of a content item, wherein the categorical data is responsive to the category, and wherein the categorical data includes location information for the content item, wherein the location information satisfies a location-based conditional setting of the device; and

displaying, by the device, a graphical object representing the content item at a location in a map on a display, wherein the location corresponds to the location information.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the graphical object comprises a virtual push pin.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the virtual push pin for a predetermined time period;

performing a first action in response to the predetermined time period being less than a threshold time period; and

performing a second action in response to the predetermined time period being greater than the threshold time period.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the first action comprises displaying contact information of the content item on the map, and wherein the second action comprises initiating a telephone call to the content item.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a proximity condition that the content item be located within a threshold distance from a position of the device.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a condition that the content item be located within a geographical parameter of the map on the display.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the displaying is automatic in response to the content item satisfying the location-based conditional setting.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the request comprises a selection of a manual update option on the device.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

setting access rights for a collection of categorical information to enable sharing of the collection; and

providing the collection to the information service for authenticating another device against the access rights to allow the another device to share the collection.

33. A system comprising an information service having one or more data processors configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first device, a request for categorical information, the request specifying a category of the first device;

receiving, from a second device, a collection of shared categorical information;

determining relevant categorical information from the collection, the relevant categorical information comprising categorical data representative of a content item, wherein the categorical data is responsive to the category, and wherein the categorical data includes location information for the content item, wherein the location information satisfies a location-based conditional setting of the first device; and

providing, to the first device, the relevant categorical information for representation as a graphical object at a location in a map on a display, wherein the location corresponds to the location information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the graphical object comprises a virtual push pin.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a proximity condition that the content item be located within a threshold distance from a position of the first device.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a condition that the content item be located within a geographical parameter of the map on the display.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the providing is automatic in response to the content item satisfying the location-based conditional setting.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the request comprises a selection of a manual update option on the first device.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the second device sets access rights for the collection of shared categorical information, the access rights enabling sharing of the collection, and the operations further comprising:

authenticating the first device against the access rights to allow the first device to share the collection.

40. A system comprising a mobile device having one or more processors configured to perform operations comprising:

transmitting, by a device, a request for categorical information, the request specifying a category;

receiving, from an information service, relevant categorical information comprising categorical data representative of a content item, wherein the categorical data is responsive to the category, and wherein the categorical data includes location information for the content item, wherein the location information satisfies a location-based conditional setting of the device; and

displaying, by the device, a graphical object representing the content item at a location in a map on a display, wherein the location corresponds to the location information.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the graphical object comprises a virtual push pin.

42. The system of claim 41, the operations further comprising:

receiving a selection of the virtual push pin for a predetermined time period;

performing a first action in response to the predetermined time period being less than a threshold time period; and

performing a second action in response to the predetermined time period being greater than the threshold time period.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the first action comprises displaying contact information of the content item on the map, and wherein the second action comprises initiating a telephone call to the content item.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a proximity condition that the content item be located within a threshold distance from a position of the device.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein the location-based conditional setting specifies a condition that the content item be located within a geographical parameter of the map on the display.

46. The system of claim 40, wherein the displaying is automatic in response to the content item satisfying the location-based conditional setting.

47. The system of claim 40, wherein the request comprises a selection of a manual update option on the device.

48. The system of claim 40, the operations further comprising:

setting access rights for a collection of categorical information to enable sharing of the collection; and

providing the collection to the information service for authenticating another device against the access rights to allow the another device to share the collection.