U.S. patent application number 11/049789 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-03 for systems and methods for obtaining location based information using a mobile communication device.
Invention is credited to Diego Kaplan.
Application Number | 20060172746 11/049789 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36757273 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060172746 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kaplan; Diego |
August 3, 2006 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OBTAINING LOCATION BASED INFORMATION USING
A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE
Abstract
A method for obtaining information related to services within a
certain area using a mobile communication device includes
downloading a menu of services based on a coarse determination of
the position of the mobile communication device, where each service
in the menu is associated with a telephone number. The associated
telephone number is used to connect to a networked based server
that stores information related to a plurality of services. Once
the menu of services and associated telephone numbers is
downloaded, a subscriber can select one of the services in order to
obtain information related to the service using the associated
number.
Inventors: |
Kaplan; Diego; (San Diego,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KYOCERA WIRELESS CORP.
P.O. BOX 928289
SAN DIEGO
CA
92192-8289
US
|
Family ID: |
36757273 |
Appl. No.: |
11/049789 |
Filed: |
February 2, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/456.3 ;
455/456.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/02 20130101; H04W
4/18 20130101; H04W 4/021 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/456.3 ;
455/456.1 |
International
Class: |
H04Q 7/20 20060101
H04Q007/20 |
Claims
1. A method for obtaining location based information for a mobile
wireless communication device, the method comprising: accessing a
network based server: obtaining coarse position information of the
mobile wireless communication device; providing the coarse position
information to the network based server; requesting a menu of
services from the network based server; receiving the menu of
services from the network based server based on the coarse position
information: receiving a service selection from a the menu;
initiating a communication to an information server associated with
the selected service; obtaining fine position information of the
mobile wireless communication device; providing the fine position
information to the information server; and receiving service
information corresponding to the selected service based on the fine
position information.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating the communication
with the information server comprises initiating a voice call to a
number associated with the selected service.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the providing the fine position
information comprises transmitting dual tone multi-frequency tones
indicative of the fine position information.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the service information comprises
at least one of pre-stored digital audio and dynamically generated
synthesized text-to-speech.
5. A mobile communication device comprising: a position
determination system; a processor coupled to the position
determination system; a radio coupled to the processor and
configured to transmit and receive signals; and a memory, coupled
to the processor and configured to store instructions, the
instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the
following steps: access a network based server; obtain coarse
position information of the mobile wireless communication device;
provide the coarse position information to the network based
server; request a menu of services from the network based server;
receive the menu of services from the network based server based on
the coarse position information; determine that a service has been
selected from the menu; initiate a communication with an
information server associated with the selected service using the
radio; obtain fine position information of the mobile wireless
communication device using the position determination system;
provide the fine position information to the information server;
and receive service information corresponding to the selected
service based on the fine information.
6. The mobile communication device of claim 5 wherein communication
initiated with the information server comprises a voice call to a
number associated with the selected service.
7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the fine
position information comprises dual tone multi-frequency tones
indicative of the fine position information.
8. The mobile communication device of claim 5, wherein the service
information comprises at least one of pre-stored digital audio and
dynamically generated synthesized text-to-speech.
9-14. (canceled)
15. A server for a mobile communication network, the server
comprising: a memory, configured to store instructions; a processor
coupled to the memory, and configured to execute the instructions
comprising: receiving a coarse position of a mobile wireless
communication device; providing a menu of services based on the
coarse position; receiving a service information request
corresponding to an item of the menu of services; receiving fine
position information of the mobile wireless communication device;
retrieving service information corresponding to the service
information request based on the fine position information; and
transmitting the service information to the wireless mobile
communication device
16. The server of claim 15, wherein the service information
comprises information stored in a database connected to the
server.
17. The server of claim 15, wherein wherein the server is
communicably coupled to the wireless mobile communication device
over a voice call connection.
18. The server of claim 17, wherein wherein the fine position
information comprises dual tone multi-frequency tones indicative of
the fine position information.
19. The server of claim 15, wherein wherein the service information
comprises pre-stored digital audio.
20. The server of claim 15, wherein wherein the service information
comprises dynamically generated synthesized text-to-speech.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The field of the invention relates generally to mobile
communication and ore particularly to providing location based
services to a mobile communication device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] When a mobile subscriber is traveling, especially when
traveling in an unfamiliar area, it can be useful for the
subscriber to be able to obtain information related to local shops,
or services such as weather reports, traffic reports, etc. In
particular, it would be very useful if the mobile subscriber could
obtain such information using their mobile communications device.
Mobile communications devices have become quite ubiquitous and
therefore, provide a convenient platform by which to obtain such
information.
[0003] Presently, the capability to push information to a mobile
communication device from a networked based system through the
wireless communication infrastructure exists. Similarly, the
ability to access information and pull it from a networked based
system using a mobile communication device also exists. What is
lacking in conventional systems is the ability to manage and
control what information is received by the mobile communication
device. Further, the methods for pushing or pulling information
mentioned above typically depend on some type of web based service.
Such services, however, can be costly and service can vary from
area to area. Use of such services also requires that the mobile
communication device include some form of browser application to
access the web based service. Use of such programs can tax the
already limited resources of the mobile communication device.
Further, because of display limitations, viewing the information
can be inconvenient and/or inefficient.
[0004] Location determination on mobile electronic devices can be
accomplished through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellites. Some mobile communication device implementations
include Assisted GPS (A-GPS.) In an A-GPS systems many of the
calculations necessary to determine position are performed
remotely, as apposed to on the mobile communication device.
Alternatively, many mobile wireless communication devices can
perform all calculations typically performed on a standalone GPS
receiver.
SUMMARY
[0005] A method for obtaining information related to services
within a certain area using a mobile communication device includes
downloading a menu of services based on a coarse determination of
the position of the mobile communication device, where each service
in the menu is associated with a telephone number. The associated
telephone number is used to connect to a networked based server
that stores information related to a plurality of services. Once
the menu of services and associated telephone numbers is
downloaded, a subscriber can select one of the services in order to
obtain information related to the service using the associated
number.
[0006] In one aspect, once the selection of a service is made, the
mobile device will call the associated number and a more accurate
location of the mobile device will be obtained. The mobile device
will then connect with the associated networked based server and
provide the more accurate location information. Based on the more
accurate location information, the server will access information
related to the type of service selected and provide it to the
mobile communication device for output to the user.
[0007] In another aspect, the location information can be provide
to a server using dual Dual-Tone Multi Frequency signals. In
another aspect, the server can be configured to convert the service
information into voice signals that the subscriber can listen to
using the mobile communication device.
[0008] These and other features, aspects, and embodiments of the
invention are described below in the section entitled "Detailed
Description."
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Features, aspects, and embodiments of the inventions are
described in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example for obtaining
a menu of services in accordance with one embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method
for obtaining location based information in accordance with one
embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method
for obtaining location based services in accordance with one
embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example wireless
communication system comprising a mobile communication device and a
network based server configured in accordance with one
embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another example mobile
communication device, configured to implement the method of FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example for obtaining
a menu of services in accordance with one embodiment of the systems
and methods described herein. In step 102, a mobile communication
device can access a network based server. The mobile communication
device can be, for example, a mobile telephone handset, personal
digital assistant, etc. Depending on the embodiment, the server can
be accessed by the mobile communication device by a variety of
communication methods, including data calls and voice calls. The
server can be co-located with a network base station. In this way
the server can transmit and receive signals from the mobile
communication device through a base station radio or radios.
Alternatively, the server can be remotely located and communicate
with the network base station over a communication link.
[0016] In step 104 the mobile communication device can request a
menu of services. The menu of services can be a list generated
based on a general or coarse location of the mobile communication
device. Alternatively, the menu can be generic, i.e. the same list
can be used regardless of location. The request can occur
responsive to a mobile communication device user's request for
services. Alternatively, the request can be generated by the mobile
communication device, e.g. the device can be configured to update
the menu of services every month, or when the device location
changes by, for example, more than 50 miles.
[0017] In step 106 the mobile communication device can optionally
obtain a coarse position. Coarse position can be determined by a
variety of methods. For example, coarse position can be determined
based on which base station or base stations the mobile
communication device is communicating with. When a mobile
communication device is communicating with a base station or base
stations it can in many cases be near the base station, depending
on the range of the mobile communication device. For example, in
embodiments that include a mobile communication device with limited
range the coarse position can be based on the location of the base
station. Coarse position can also be determined by a position
determination system such as a Global Positioning System (GPS)
receiver. GPS receivers receive signals from a series of satellites
and calculate position based on the received signals. GPS will be
discussed further below.
[0018] In step 108 coarse position is provided to the server. The
server can, in one embodiment, tailor the menu of services based on
the coarse location. For example, in an embodiment, if the mobile
communication device is near a ski resort then ski resorts can be
included under travel services.
[0019] In step 110 the mobile communication device can receive the
menu of services from the server. The menu of services can be
received over the voice or data call used to access the network
based server in step 102. The menu can then be available so that
the user of the mobile communication device can access information
regarding locally available services. Selecting services from a
menu will be discussed below with respect to FIG. 2:
[0020] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method
for obtaining location based information in accordance with the
systems and methods described herein. In step 202 a service can be
selected from a menu. For example, the menu can be obtained from a
network based server, as described in FIG. 1. In another
embodiment, the menu can be preprogrammed into the mobile
communication device.
[0021] The menu can be displayed using a graphical user interface
on a mobile communication device. For example, the menu can be a
list of services, e.g. a list or lists of restaurants, recreation
areas, community services, entertainment, shopping, travel
services, banks, Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), etc. The list of
services can be a textual list. Alternatively, the menu can be
graphical, for example, shopping can be represented by an icon
representing packages, travel services can be represented by an
icon representing an airplane, banks and ATMs by a dollar sign
icon, etc.
[0022] The menu of services can be multiple layers deep and can
include both textual and graphical elements. For example, when a
user selects a graphical element, such as an airplane the graphical
user interface can then display a sub-menu of travel related
services, such as air travel, rental cars, and hotel
accommodations. In an embodiment, the user of a mobile
communication device can select between graphical and textual
menus.
[0023] In step 204 a call is placed to a telephone number
associated with the service selected in step 202. The call can, for
example, be a voice call. When the mobile communication device
places a telephone call to the telephone number associated with the
service the mobile communication device can be connected to a
server or servers. The server or servers can be connected to a
database that includes information about the service requested.
[0024] In step 206 a more accurate, or fine, position of the mobile
communication device can be obtained. The fine position only has to
be as accurate as necessary for the systems and methods described
herein. For example, to provide the user of a mobile communication
device with information about the location of an ATM, or other
service, accuracy of perhaps forty five feet may be adequate;
however, greater accuracy can be preferable or can be required,
depending on the embodiment. Additionally, however, accuracy that
is much worse than forty five feet can in many cases still be
useful in directing the user to an ATM, or other service. The
accuracy of the exact location determination can vary from
implementation to implementation, in some cases accuracy within 100
feet or more may be acceptable. Depending on the methods used to
determine the fine location, the accuracy of the fine location
determination may vary over time.
[0025] The fine position can be determined by using a GPS receiver.
Today's GPS receivers can be extremely accurate; however, certain
atmospheric factors and other sources of error can affect the
accuracy of GPS receivers. GPS receivers can be accurate to within
45 feet on average. GPS receivers that include Wide Area
Augmentation System (WAAS) capability can improve accuracy to less
than nine feet on average. Users can also get better accuracy with
Differential GPS (DGPS), which corrects GPS signals to within an
average of nine to fifteen feet. Depending on the accuracy required
for the specific implementation, GPS, GPS with WMS, or DGPS can be
three of the many ways to determine exact position.
[0026] The GPS receiver can be in the mobile communication device:
1) Standalone, where the device includes all required GPS
capability needed to determine position or location; and 2) network
assisted, where the network aids the device in determining
position.
[0027] For network assisted determination, the communication device
can include an antenna and associated GPS circuitry for receiving
the satellite signals over satellite communication channels. In
this implementation, the GPS circuitry decodes the satellite
signals. The satellite signals are then sent to a Position
Determination Entity (PDE) interfaced with the base station. The
PDE determines the position of the mobile communication device from
the decoded satellite signals and this information is transmitted
back to the mobile communication device.
[0028] For non-network assisted, a GPS processor internal to the
mobile communication device can be used in place of the PDE. The
GPS processor can be configured to process GPS signals received via
an antenna which are filtered and amplified in a GPS receiver and
demodulated in a GPS demodulator. Thus, the GPS processor can
generate position information when requested without the aid of a
network based position determination. GPS implementations using an
internal GPS processor and GPS implementations using a PDE are well
known and will not be described further.
[0029] In step 208, position information can be provided to the
server. The position information can be provided over the voice
call placed in step 204. In one embodiment, Dual Tone
Multi-Frequency (DTMF) tones, also known as touch-tones, can be
used to transmit the position information. DTMF tones are the
audible sounds you hear when you press keys on your phone. The
method of generating DTMF tones to transmit position information
can be automated. Additionally, other methods can be used to
transmit the position information over the voice call.
[0030] The term "position" is used in this specification and the
claims that follow to refer to the position of the device in terms
of latitude and longitude, as is typically provided by a GPS
receiver. In certain embodiments, the altitude, speed, and
direction are also provided by a GPS receiver. For the purposes of
this specification and the claims that follow, "location" is a
translation of the position to an area. For example, the present
position of a mobile device may reveal that the device is "located"
in the city of San Diego. Thus, the position of the mobile device
is the latitude and longitude coordinates of the device and the
location is San Diego.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method
for obtaining location based information from the point of view of
the server in accordance with the systems and methods described
herein. In step 302 a server receives service information. As
discussed above, the service information requested by the mobile
communication device can include, for example, information about
restaurants, recreation areas, community services, entertainment,
shopping, travel services, banks, ATMs, etc.
[0032] In step 304 the server receives more accurate position
information. As discussed above, the more accurate position
information only has to be as accurate as necessary for the systems
and methods described herein and can be obtained by using a GPS
receiver, or other position location determination device.
[0033] In step 306 the server can access service information based
on the more accurate position information. The information can be
stored in a database connected to the server. In an embodiment, the
server can provide, for example, a list of near by ATMs. The ATMs
can be listed in order from the nearest to the farthest. The list
can be limited by a set number of ATMs, or list all ATMs within a
certain radius of the current location.
[0034] In step 308 the service information can be converted to a
voice signal. The conversion to a voice signal can occur in a
variety of ways. In one embodiment, for example, the information
can be stored as a digital representation of a sound file that
comprises a voice signal. Many types of sound files can be used,
depending on the embodiment. Some examples of sound files that are
common on personal computers, and can be used with the systems and
methods described herein, include .wav, .mp3, etc. The sound file
can then be "played" and the resulting sound can be transmitted to
the mobile communication device over a voice channel. In another
embodiment, the service information can be stored as text and
converted to a voice signal using text-to-speech conversion.
Text-to-speech conversion and storage of sound files are well known
and will not be discussed further herein.
[0035] In step 310 the voice signal can be provided to the mobile
communication device. For example, if the voice signal is stored as
text, the text can be converted to speech using text-to-speech
conversion and the voice signal can be transmitted to the mobile
communication device. Alternatively, if the voice signal is stored
as a sound file, the sound file can be converted to sound and the
sound, which can comprise a voice signal, can be transmitted.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example wireless
communication system 400 comprising a mobile communication device
402 and a network based server 410 configured in accordance with
one of the systems and methods described herein. Mobile
communication device 402 communicates with a base station 404 using
a communication signal 406. Communication signal 406 can be an
analog or a digital signal.
[0037] Base station 404 is connected to a Mobile Telephone
Switching Office (MTSO) 408. MTSO 408 handles mobile communication
device 402 connections to the normal land-based phone system, and
can control base stations, such as base station 404, in a given
region. Server 410 can actually comprise one or more servers,
routers, computers, software algorithms, etc., as required to
perform the functions described herein.
[0038] In one embodiment, server 410, can be connected to MTSO 408.
Server 410 can be connected to MTSO 408 over a variety of
communication connections. For example, server 410 can be connected
to MTSO 408 over a normal land-based telephone system.
Alternatively, server 410 can be co-located near the MTSO and
connected to the MTSO without the use of the normal land-based
telephone system. In one embodiment, server 410 can be co-located,
while in another embodiment, server 410 can be at several different
locations.
[0039] In an embodiment that uses multiple servers connected using
the normal land-based telephone system each server can be accessed
through a different telephone number. For example, one server can
be dedicated to information about the location of banks, while
another server can be dedicated to information about hotel
accommodations. Thus, telephone number called can be determined
based on which service the user of the mobile communication device
would like to access (step 204).
[0040] Server 410 can also be connected to a database, or databases
412. Database 412 can include data about the services accessible by
the system, e.g. information about restaurants, recreation areas,
community services, entertainment, shopping, travel services,
banks, Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), etc. Database 412 can
actually comprise multiple databases in one location or distributed
across servers/locations. For example, a different database can be
connected to each server where multiple servers are used.
Alternatively, a different database can be maintained for each
service, with various databases connected to one or more
servers.
[0041] A text-to-voice converter 414 can be connected to server 410
or servers. Text-to-voice converter 414 can be used to transmit
information requested by a user. For example, the information can
be transmitted over a voice call.
[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of mobile
communication device 500 configured in accordance with the systems
and methods described herein. Mobile communication device 500 can
include an antenna 502 configured to transmit wireless signals,
receive wireless signals, or both. Antenna 502 is shown as an
external antenna; however, it will be appreciated that antenna 502
can be an external antenna, an internal antenna, or some
combination of external and internal antennas. Additionally,
antenna 502 can be a plurality of antennas, an array of antennas,
etc.
[0043] Antenna 502 can be connected to a position determination
system 510. The position determination system can comprise a GPS
receiver. Generally GPS receivers determine position based on
information received from satellites. In another embodiment the
position determination system 510 can comprise Differential GPS
(DGPS.) A DGPS is a system designed to improve the accuracy of GPS
position determination by measuring small changes in variables to
provide satellite positioning corrections. The DGPS can, in another
embodiment comprise a Wide Area Augmentation System (WMS) GPS
Receiver. WMS is basically a DGPS implemented by the Federal
Aviation Administration. Integration of GPS types of functionality
into a mobile device is well known, and therefore will not be
explained in detail here. Moreover, it will be understood that GPS
based position and/or location services can, for example, be
standalone, network assisted, or network based. It will also be
understood that the systems and methods described herein can use
any system or method that can provide information to determine
motion.
[0044] Other position determination systems can be used, e.g.,
triangulation can be used to determine the location and velocity of
a mobile communication device relative to a plurality of base
stations within a communication system. For example, triangulation
between multiple base stations can be used to estimate
position.
[0045] Position determination system 510 can be connected to a
processor 506. Processor 506 can be configured to receive the
signals processed by the position determination system.
Additionally, processor 506 can be configured to execute
instructions that implement the systems and methods described
herein.
[0046] Processor 506 can be configured to the control radio 512.
For example, processor 506 can be configured to cause radio 512 to
transmit the signals necessary to make a voice call. Additionally,
processor 506 can cause radio 512 to transmit position information.
Processor 506 can comprise a microprocessor, digital logic, or a
digital signal processor (DSP). Additionally, processor 506 can
comprise a mobile station modem (MSM) or an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC). Processor 506 can also be a combination
of devices, for example, a microprocessor, a digital signal
processor, and digital logic.
[0047] Processor 506 can be connected to memory 508, which can be
configured to store instructions that implement the systems and
methods described. The instructions, when executed by processor 506
control the operation of mobile telephone handset 500.
Additionally, memory 508 can store data for processing by processor
506. Data stored can include position data, a menu of services,
telephone numbers associated with the menu of services, etc. Memory
508 can be, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM), Flash memory,
a hard drive, or some combination thereof. Further, memory 508, or
a portion thereof, can be removable. Memory 508 can be a device
packaged separately from the processor 506. In another embodiment
memory 508 can be packaged with processor 506 in a single
device.
[0048] It will further be understood that while antenna 502 is
described above as a "single" antenna 502, the antenna can be a
single antenna, an array of antenna, etc. The single antenna, array
of antenna, etc. can be used to transmit and/or receive signals for
both position determination system 104 and radio 112. Antenna 502
is shown as an external antenna, it can be an external antenna, an
internal antenna, or a combination of external and internal
antennas.
[0049] While certain embodiments of the inventions have been
described above, it will be understood that the embodiments
described are by way of example only. Accordingly, the inventions
should not be limited based on the described embodiments. Rather,
the scope of the. inventions described herein should only be
limited in light of the claims that follow when taken in
conjunction with the above description and accompanying
drawings.
* * * * *