U.S. patent application number 14/589315 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-23 for managing group of location based triggers.
The applicant listed for this patent is Nokia Corporation. Invention is credited to Pasi KATAJAINEN, Tommi A. LAINE, Jarno LUTTINEN, Ari-Petri Olavi RAUHALA.
Application Number | 20150111605 14/589315 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39364899 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150111605 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LAINE; Tommi A. ; et
al. |
April 23, 2015 |
MANAGING GROUP OF LOCATION BASED TRIGGERS
Abstract
A location-based triggering system and method allow
location-based triggers to be created and associated with POI,
landmark, and/or location-based information categories comprised of
a plurality of POIs, landmarks, and/or location-based information,
POI, landmark, and/or location-based information sub-categories, as
well as POI, landmark, and location-based information searches. A
trigger is created, where the trigger comprises trigger criteria.
At least one POI, landmark, and/or location-based information
database containing a plurality of POIs, landmarks, and/or
location-based information data is monitored for a match between
the trigger criteria and at least one POI, landmark, and/or
location-based information category. If a match exists, the trigger
is activated, thereby executing a related action or event.
Furthermore, additional search criteria can be combined with the
trigger criteria to enhance the LBT process.
Inventors: |
LAINE; Tommi A.; (Tampere,
FI) ; RAUHALA; Ari-Petri Olavi; (Tampere, FI)
; KATAJAINEN; Pasi; (Tampere, FI) ; LUTTINEN;
Jarno; (Tampere, FI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Nokia Corporation |
Espoo |
|
FI |
|
|
Family ID: |
39364899 |
Appl. No.: |
14/589315 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13925462 |
Jun 24, 2013 |
8953767 |
|
|
14589315 |
|
|
|
|
11593414 |
Nov 6, 2006 |
8509411 |
|
|
13925462 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/456.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/021 20130101;
H04L 51/20 20130101; H04L 67/26 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201; H04W
4/022 20130101; G06Q 30/0261 20130101; H04W 60/04 20130101; G06F
16/9537 20190101; H04L 67/18 20130101; H04M 3/42348 20130101; G06F
16/29 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/456.3 |
International
Class: |
H04W 4/02 20060101
H04W004/02; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08; H04L 12/58 20060101
H04L012/58; G06Q 30/02 20060101 G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: creating, by a mobile device, a
location-based trigger specifying one or more trigger criteria
including at least one criterion based, at least in part, on a
location of the device and one or more location-based information
categories associated with a plurality of points of interest;
comparing, by the device, the one or more trigger criteria with a
plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data; and
activating the trigger at the device when at least one of the
plurality of potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data matches the
one or more trigger criteria.
2. A method of claim 1, wherein the location-based information
categories include one or more objects of interest available or
applicable at one or more of the points of interest, and wherein
the one or more objects of interest are compared to the one or more
trigger criteria to activate the trigger at the device.
3. A method of claim 2, wherein the one or more objects of interest
includes one or more objects available for sale, for rent, or a
combination thereof, at the one or more of the points of
interest.
4. A method of claim 2, wherein the one or more objects of interest
includes one or more discount cards applicable at the one or more
of the points of interest.
5. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more location-based
information categories are associated with one or more contacts of
a user of the device, and the one or more contacts are associated
with one or more of the points of interest, and wherein the one or
more contacts are compared to the one or more trigger criteria to
activate the trigger at the device.
6. A method of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion is
based, at least in part, on one or more operation hours of the
plurality of points of interest, and wherein the one or more
operation hours are compared to the one or more trigger criteria to
activate the trigger at the device.
7. A method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring one or more
updates of the potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data, wherein
the one or more updates are compared to the one or more trigger
criteria to activate the trigger at the device.
8. A method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring one or more
updates of the trigger criteria, wherein the one or more updates
are compared to the potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data to
activate the trigger at the device.
9. A method of claim 1, wherein the trigger criteria are set by a
user to present a notification message to another user of the
device upon the match.
10. A method of claim 1, wherein the activating of the trigger
occurs upon one of entering and leaving a geographical area
associated with the one or more of the points of interest.
11. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least
one memory including computer program code for one or more
programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code
configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus
to perform at least the following, create at a mobile device a
location-based trigger specifying one or more trigger criteria
including at least one criterion based, at least in part, on a
location of the device and one or more location-based information
categories associated with a plurality of points of interest;
compare the one or more trigger criteria with a plurality of
potential trigger criteria-fulfilling data; and activate the
trigger when at least one of the plurality of potential trigger
criteria-fulfilling data matches the one or more trigger
criteria.
12. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the location-based
information categories include one or more objects of interest
available or applicable at one or more of the points of interest,
and wherein the one or more objects of interest are compared to the
one or more trigger criteria to activate the trigger at the
device.
13. An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more objects of
interest includes one or more objects available for sale, for rent,
or a combination thereof, at the one or more of the points of
interest.
14. An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more objects of
interest includes one or more discount cards applicable at the one
or more of the points of interest.
15. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more
location-based information categories are associated with one or
more contacts of a user of the device, and the one or more contacts
are associated with one or more of the points of interest, and
wherein the one or more contacts are compared to the one or more
trigger criteria to activate the trigger at the device.
16. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one criterion is
based, at least in part, on one or more operation hours of the
plurality of points of interest, and wherein the one or more
operation hours are compared to the one or more trigger criteria to
activate the trigger at the device.
17. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further
caused to: monitor one or more updates of the potential trigger
criteria-fulfilling data, wherein the one or more updates are
compared to the one or more trigger criteria to activate the
trigger at the device.
18. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further
caused to: monitor one or more updates of the trigger criteria,
wherein the one or more updates are compared to the potential
trigger criteria-fulfilling data to activate the trigger at the
device.
19. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the trigger criteria are set
by a user to present a notification message to another user of the
device upon the match.
20. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the activating of the trigger
occurs upon one of entering and leaving a geographical area
associated with the one or more of the points of interest.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 13/925,462, filed Jun. 24, 2013, which is a continuation of
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/593,414, filed Nov. 6, 2006, the
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
location-based services. More particularly, the present invention
relates to categorizing and managing groups of location-based
triggers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This section is intended to provide a background or context
to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description
herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not
necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued.
Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in
this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this
application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in
this section.
[0004] Location based triggering (LBT) can be utilized when
providing services for various users to define actions that are
triggered based on physical locations of objects, people, or any
other point of interest (POI). A trigger is generally activated
when certain criteria related to that trigger is met, and various
types of areas upon which a location-based trigger is based can be
defined. For example, a circular area is defined by at least one
center coordinate and a radius about the at least one center
coordinate. An area can also be defined by a group of predetermined
portions of a larger geographical area, such as a certain number of
blocks within a particular city. In addition, a trigger can be set
to activate for a user either upon entering a particular area or
upon leaving the particular area. Activation of a trigger, as
discussed above, occurs when certain trigger-related criteria is
fulfilled. Upon activation of the trigger, some other action or
event is triggered. For example, LBT can be used for launching a
reminder to a user, e.g., upon entering department store, a
notification reminding a user to buy a new umbrella is sent or
shown to the user.
[0005] A POI is a specific location point that a user and/or other
parties may find useful or interesting. A landmark can comprise a
personal POI, or some other favorite place. Both POIs and Landmarks
can be used in mapping and navigation software and applications. In
addition, conventional POIs can be acquired from web/mobile
business listings, city guides, etc., and are generally associated
with map data. POIs and landmarks can also be categorized, where
the categories can be as broad as "Restaurants" and "Public
services," or more specific, such as "Chinese restaurants" and
"Do-It-Yourself (DIY) shops." POIs and landmarks can also contain
or be associated with other types of information besides
location-related information, such as detailed descriptions of a
particular POI, a web address associated with the particular POI,
etc.
[0006] Conventionally, location-based triggers are tied to one or
more specific coordinates and a surrounding area. Therefore,
location-based triggers can be used to locate a specific place.
However, many foreseeable scenarios exist where a user is not
simply interested in a specific place, but rather a specific type
of place with which a trigger may be associated. For example, a
user may be interested in finding any gas station in a certain
vicinity near the user's current location, as opposed to a specific
gas station. Creating a single trigger and manually associating
that trigger with several individual places can be both cumbersome
and time consuming. Even the creation of a set of individual
triggers has drawbacks, such as limiting performance optimization
(i.e., memory and processing), because each individual trigger
within the set of individual triggers must be separately handled.
Furthermore, the usefulness and scope of LBT itself is limited when
only specific POIs, landmarks, or locations are used a basis for
triggers, as is the dynamic nature of LBT, where POIs that fulfill
a triggering criteria may be added or removed during lifetime of
the trigger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The various embodiments of the present invention allow
location-based triggers to be created and associated with POI,
landmark, and/or location-based information categories comprised of
a plurality of POIs, landmarks, location-based information, POI,
landmark, and/or location-based information sub-categories, as well
as POI, landmark, and location-based information searches. A
trigger is created, where the trigger comprises trigger criteria.
At least one dynamically updatable POI, landmark, and/or
location-based information database and/or data structure
containing a plurality of POIs, landmarks, and/or other
location-based information data is monitored for a match between
the trigger criteria and at least one POI and/or landmark category.
If a match exists, the trigger is activated, thereby executing a
related action or event. Furthermore, additional search criteria
can be combined with the trigger criteria to enhance the LBT
process. It should be noted that this ability to tie a trigger to
multiple categories instead of one specific POI, landmark, or
object increases the chance of trigger criteria being fulfilled. In
turn the usability of LBT is also increased. Moreover, the
possibility to select multiple, suitable places for a
location-based trigger is faster and more convenient when compared
to creating a number of separate location-based triggers.
[0008] These and other advantages and features of the invention,
together with the organization and manner of operation thereof,
will become apparent from the following detailed description when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like
elements have like numerals throughout the several drawings
described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is an overview diagram of a system within which the
present invention may be implemented;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mobile telephone that can
be used in the implementation of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the telephone
circuitry of the mobile telephone of FIG. 2;
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates an example result according to the use of
one embodiment of the present invention; and
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart describing a method of
location-based triggering performed in accordance with the various
embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a system 10 in which the present invention can
be utilized, comprising multiple communication devices that can
communicate through a network. The system 10 may comprise any
combination of wired or wireless networks including, but not
limited to, a mobile telephone network, a wireless Local Area
Network (LAN), a Bluetooth personal area network, an Ethernet LAN,
a token ring LAN, a wide area network, the Internet, etc. The
system 10 may include both wired and wireless communication
devices.
[0015] For exemplification, the system 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes
a mobile telephone network 11 and the Internet 28. Connectivity to
the Internet 28 may include, but is not limited to, long range
wireless connections, short range wireless connections, and various
wired connections including, but not limited to, telephone lines,
cable lines, power lines, and the like.
[0016] The exemplary communication devices of the system 10 may
include, but are not limited to, a mobile device 12, a combination
PDA and mobile telephone 14, a PDA 16, an integrated messaging
device (IMD) 18, a desktop computer 20, and a notebook computer 22.
The communication devices may be stationary or mobile as when
carried by an individual who is moving. The communication devices
may also be located in a mode of transportation including, but not
limited to, an automobile, a truck, a taxi, a bus, a boat, an
airplane, a bicycle, a motorcycle, etc. Some or all of the
communication devices may send and receive calls and messages and
communicate with service providers through a wireless connection 25
to a base station 24. The base station 24 may be connected to a
network server 26 that allows communication between the mobile
telephone network 11 and the Internet 28. The system 10 may include
additional communication devices and communication devices of
different types.
[0017] The communication devices may communicate using various
transmission technologies including, but not limited to, Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division
Multiple Access (FDMA), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP), Short Messaging Service (SMS), Multimedia
Messaging Service (MMS), e-mail, Instant Messaging Service (IMS),
Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, etc. A communication device may communicate
using various media including, but not limited to, radio, infrared,
laser, cable connection, and the like.
[0018] FIGS. 2 and 3 show one representative mobile device 12
within which the present invention may be implemented. It should be
understood, however, that the present invention is not intended to
be limited to one particular type of mobile telephone 12 or other
electronic device. The mobile device 12 of FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a
housing 30, a display 32 in the form of a liquid crystal display, a
keypad 34, a microphone 36, an ear-piece 38, a battery 40, an
infrared port 42, an antenna 44, a smart card 46 in the form of a
UICC according to one embodiment of the invention, a card reader
48, radio interface circuitry 52, codec circuitry 54, a controller
56 and a memory 58. Individual circuits and elements are all of a
type well known in the art, for example in the Nokia range of
mobile telephones.
[0019] The various embodiments of the present invention allow
location-based triggers to be created and associated with POI,
landmark, and/or location-based information categories comprised of
a plurality of POIs, landmarks, and/or location-based information,
POI, landmark, and/or location-based information sub-categories, as
well as POI, landmark, and location-based information searches. The
triggers can be associated with and support multiple categories
simultaneously (e.g., a trigger can be tied to the categories
"Shopping" and "DIY stores"). In addition, an action or event can
be triggered by the trigger when either one, a subset, or all of
the criteria associated with one or more categories are met. It
should be noted that this ability to tie a trigger to multiple
categories instead of one specific POI, landmark, or object
increases the chance of trigger criteria being fulfilled. In turn
the usability of LBT is also increased. Moreover, the possibility
to select multiple, suitable places for a location-based trigger is
faster and more convenient when compared to creating a number of
separate location-based triggers. As described above, an object to
which a trigger is tied does not have to be limited to conventional
POIs and landmarks. For example, the location-based information
associated with a contact can comprise another location source,
where a category of contacts, where each contact is associated with
location-based information can be utilized as a category in
accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention.
Therefore, any data comprising location or position-based
information, or any data associated with location or position-based
information can be searched by the various embodiments of the
present invention.
[0020] Location-based trigger criteria fulfillment, according to
the various embodiments of the present invention, can also be
enhanced with defined searches such as a free text search. For
example, a user can enter a text string which is used as criteria
to fulfill a trigger associated with a particular place having a
relation to the subject of the text string (e.g., a trigger for any
place, either POI, landmark, or other object associated with
location-based information where the word "power tool" is found to
be associated with the place).
[0021] An example use case is as follows: If a user needs to buy an
umbrella, simply selecting one shop is not meaningful, while
selecting several individual shops can be cumbersome. With the
various embodiments of the present invention, the user can generate
a trigger for POIs associated with a "shopping" category. The
search can be further enhanced by also utilizing a text search in
connection with the "shopping" category POI search, such as
indicating the term "accessories" as additional criteria. The user
can then be sure that his or her trigger criteria is fulfilled
correctly.
[0022] Another example use case is as follows: A user wishes to
purchase or rent a DVD/video, where several movie rental locations
near the user's home carry the DVD/video. Instead of selecting all
of the suitable movie rental locations, the user can simply select
a "DVD/video rental" category and indicate some suitable radius
around his home as trigger criteria. FIG. 4 illustrates a possible
result of the user's query utilizing the trigger criteria.
[0023] The example use case described above can be further enhanced
by adding more complex search criteria. For example, if the user
wishes to by a new windshield wiper blade for his or her car, and
he or she owns a discount card for a particular automotive supply
store, the user can create a search indicating a desired category
to be "shopping." In addition, the search can include text
indicating the name of the particular automotive supply store.
Furthermore, the user can tie this search to a triggering note,
e.g., "Remember to buy new windshield wiper blade" that will be
sent to a device utilized by the user, such as a personal digital
assistant (PDA) or a mobile device. Additional information may be
associated with the trigger criteria. Referring to the above
example, an opening time of the automotive supply store can be
added as an additional piece of search criteria/triggering
condition that must be fulfilled before the trigger is fired. In
this scenario for example, the trigger can be set to send the
triggering note when the user is physically near one of the
identified, particular automotive stores which is open at that same
time. If the user is near one of the identified, particular
automotive stores, but the store is not open for business, the
trigger will not be activated.
[0024] It should be noted that an additional searching or search
criteria need not be limited to the functionality of a device upon
which the additional searching or search criteria is being
performed and/or entered. Other data and information available from
third party services providers and sources could be utilized as
additional triggering criteria. For example, the various
embodiments of the present invention can be utilized in conjunction
with data gleaned from a semantic web browser. Moreover, additional
trigger-fulfilling data is dynamically updatable in nature, were
the trigger-fulfilling data can be added, updated, and/or deleted
within their respective databases and/or data structures after a
user has already set a particular trigger. In other words, the
triggering criteria can be fulfilled, for example, by additional
trigger-fulfilling data added or identified by a third party
service provider after the trigger criteria has already been set by
the user.
[0025] It should also be noted that the various embodiments of the
present invention can be implemented to perform remote triggering.
Remote triggering describes a use case scenario where a user
receives a get/set reminder indicating a desired action or event
when a third party enters or leaves a certain geographical area.
For example, a first user can set triggering criteria to send a
notification containing a message, "When you go to the shopping
mall remember to buy me a new frying pan" to a second user, upon
the second user leaving the home of the first and second users.
[0026] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of LBT in
connection with the various embodiments of the present invention.
At least one trigger is created at 500. Created triggers are
maintained in a triggering system residing in either a user
terminal/device or a network/network element. At 530, the
triggering system monitors all residing POI, landmarks, and
location-based information databases and/or data structures, which
can reside in the user terminal/device or in a server of the
network, for suitable trigger locations. At 540, the triggering
system attempts to match suitable POIs and/or landmarks
categorizations with the at least one trigger set in the triggering
system. If at least one POI, landmark, or location-based
information categorization matches the at least one trigger, any of
the POIs, landmarks, and/or location-based information comprising
the at least one POI, landmark, and/or location-based information
categorization can be used to satisfy triggering criteria and
activate the trigger at 550, and consequently, execute any related
action or event. If the trigger created is tied to a search, the
search can be executed once, immediately after the creation of the
trigger to get the current trigger criteria at 510. When the
information regarding a particular POI, landmark, and/or other
category information in a database and/or data structure is
modified and/or added, an update-search is executed to update the
trigger criteria. This search can be incrementally performed so
that only modified data in modified databases and/or data
structures are captured. This aids in speeding up the operation and
improves performance of the triggering system.
[0027] It should be noted that various user interfaces can be
utilized in conjunction with the various embodiments of the present
invention. For example, a mobile device such as a PDA or mobile
telephone can be utilized to interface with the triggering system
described above. Alternatively, a web browser implemented on a
personal computer can also be used as a front end to the triggering
system, where the web browser can access standard HyperText Markup
Language (HTML)-based documents or a semantic web browser can
utilize semantic web documents and addressing using Resource
Description Framework (RDF), Web Ontology Language (OWL),
Extensible Markup Language (XML), extensible HTML, etc.
[0028] In addition, triggers can be created on a user interface,
where trigger category selectors are provided for all categories
found in one or more POI, landmark, and/or location-based
information databases and/or data structures. As described above,
multiple categories can be selected, where one or more of the POI,
landmark, and/or location-based information databases and/or data
structures are accessed at any one time, and additional criteria
can be utilized in conjunction with the trigger categories. For
example, a geographical area can be defined (e.g., a centralized
geographical location and a radius substantially about the
centralized geographical location), where only places inside that
geographical area are available for triggering. In addition,
triggers can be added to search criteria (e.g., defined searches)
or to search results.
[0029] The various embodiments of the present invention provide
more end-user friendly use cases and work flows for users. In
addition, the various embodiments of the present invention take
into account POI and/or landmark life-times in a more dynamic way.
Therefore, newly created POIs and landmarks that match trigger
criteria are taken into consideration when attempting to fulfill
the trigger criteria. Moreover, if a particular POI, landmark,
and/or location-based information is removed from a database and/or
data structure or no longer comprises a valid location, the trigger
criteria defined at least in part by the particular POI and/or land
mark is not necessarily invalidated (unless no other POIs and/or
landmarks that can fulfill the trigger criteria exist).
[0030] It should be noted that a consideration to be taken into
account with the various embodiments of the present invention,
where devices, e.g., mobile devices, having limited power sources
are utilized, is that more processing power or memory is needed
depending on a particular implementation. Proximity
detection/mapping can be utilized in such scenarios so that GPS
circuitry, for example, is powered up only when the device is able
to receive specified radio network cell data close to a specified
trigger criteria area. The Open Mobile Alliance Secure User Plane
Location (OMA SUPL) 2.0 standard includes such proximity mapping
(i.e., converting some defined geological area to a corresponding
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/Wideband Code
Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) cell info). However such proximity
mapping is limited to one geographical area. As described above,
the various embodiments of the present invention can require
multiple geographical areas to be mapped, as well as the updating
of geographical areas during a life time of a particular trigger.
Therefore, the SUPL 2.0 standard can be adapted for multiple area
definition retrieval.
[0031] The present invention is described in the general context of
method steps, which may be implemented in one embodiment by a
program product including computer-executable instructions, such as
program code, executed by computers in networked environments.
Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects,
components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable
instructions, associated data structures, and program modules
represent examples of program code for executing steps of the
methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such
executable instructions or associated data structures represents
examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions
described in such steps.
[0032] Software and web implementations of the present invention
could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with
rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various database
searching steps, correlation steps, comparison steps and decision
steps. It should also be noted that the words "component" and
"module," as used herein and in the claims, is intended to
encompass implementations using one or more lines of software code,
and/or hardware implementations, and/or equipment for receiving
manual inputs.
[0033] The foregoing description of embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
present invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications
and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may
be acquired from practice of the present invention. The embodiments
were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the
present invention and its practical application to enable one
skilled in the art to utilize the present invention in various
embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the
particular use contemplated.
* * * * *