U.S. patent application number 14/924432 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-19 for technique for effective organization and communication of information.
The applicant listed for this patent is Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Toby C. Crain, Michael L. Obradovich, John D. Pirtle, Steven W. Schebesch.
Application Number | 20160142871 14/924432 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27396970 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160142871 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Obradovich; Michael L. ; et
al. |
May 19, 2016 |
TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNICATION OF
INFORMATION
Abstract
In a communication arrangement in accordance with the invention,
a server is employed to collect and organize information for mobile
device users according to the user profiles, e.g., personal
profile, business profile, vacation profile, etc., which reflect
different user personae. Moreover, with the server, incoming
messages for the user are organized and stored according to the
source of the messages and the user criteria established in the
user profiles. Further, information in a mobile device may be
organized using electronic information cards, referred to as
"E-cards," which facilitate, among others, transfer of information
from the mobile device to the server, or other mobile devices to
conduct various commercial and data transactions.
Inventors: |
Obradovich; Michael L.; (San
Clemente, CA) ; Schebesch; Steven W.; (Aliso Viejo,
CA) ; Pirtle; John D.; (Silverado, CA) ;
Crain; Toby C.; (Orange, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc. |
Las Vegas |
NV |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
27396970 |
Appl. No.: |
14/924432 |
Filed: |
October 27, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13406341 |
Feb 27, 2012 |
9185068 |
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14924432 |
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09910510 |
Jul 19, 2001 |
8126960 |
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13406341 |
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60226825 |
Aug 22, 2000 |
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60224448 |
Aug 10, 2000 |
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60221628 |
Jul 28, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/456.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 63/102 20130101;
H04M 3/493 20130101; H04M 3/53333 20130101; H04L 51/22 20130101;
H04L 2463/102 20130101; H04L 61/1547 20130101; H04L 63/0853
20130101; H04M 3/4211 20130101; H04M 3/42178 20130101; H04L 67/04
20130101; H04L 29/12122 20130101; H04L 67/42 20130101; H04W 8/20
20130101; H04M 3/42348 20130101; H04W 4/023 20130101; H04W 4/18
20130101; H04L 51/38 20130101; H04M 3/5335 20130101; H04L 51/12
20130101; H04L 67/30 20130101; H04M 2207/18 20130101; H04L 67/306
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 4/02 20060101
H04W004/02; H04W 8/20 20060101 H04W008/20; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08 |
Claims
1. A method for use in a server serving a user of a communication
device, the method comprising: receiving, through a communications
network, a request for information concerning one or more product
or service providers, and data indicative of a user profile and a
location of the communication device determined by the
communication device, the communication device being selected from
the group consisting of a mobile telephone, a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a tablet computing device, and a laptop computer;
collecting requested information from one or more sources based on
the received data; providing the requested information to the
communication device, the requested information including
information concerning at least a first product or service provider
in accordance with the user profile and a second product or service
provider not in accordance with the user profile, wherein the first
product or service provider and the second product or service
provider are selected in a vicinity of the location of the
communication device; and providing data for the communication
device to indicate to the user a location of the first product or
service provider relative to the location of the communication
device.
2.-64. (canceled)
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 09/910,510 filed on Jul. 19, 2001, which is to issue as U.S.
Pat. No. 8,126,960, the disclosure of which is incorporated by
reference, which claims the benefits under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S.
Provisional Application No. 60/221,628 filed on Jul. 28, 2000; U.S.
Provisional Application No. 60/224,448 filed on Aug. 10, 2000; and
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/226,825 filed on Aug. 22,
2000.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a communication system and method,
and more particularly to a system and method for providing
communication services to a user through a server.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Mobile devices such as personal communication systems (PCS)
and personal digital assistants (PDA) have been developed to
provide access to the Internet and other network-type services.
These devices incorporate wireless communications and modem
facilities, enabling a user to send and receive electronic mail
(e-mail), or to upload and download data through the Internet.
Similarly, wireless telephones have been adapted to receive and
display textual messages.
[0004] However, users of the mobile devices have ever-increasing
demand for Internet access through a wireless communication
network. In response, more and more wireless communication
bandwidth is allocated to such devices to access multimedia (text,
audio and/or video) data from the Internet. As wireless
communication bandwidth and data transfer rates increase, the
increase in the volume of data available to a mobile device quickly
overwhelms the capacity of the mobile device. At the same time,
this flood of data also overwhelms a user as the user tries to
effectively utilize the data collected by the mobile device.
Without proper organization and presentation of the collected data,
useful and important data often goes unnoticed.
[0005] In addition, a user may use multiple mobile devices to
conduct daily life. Typically, each mobile device has its own
database. It is often desirable that data collected in one database
be replicated in other databases especially when the collected data
is useful and important to the user. However, due to the
incompatibility of the traditional mobile devices, the data
replication may only be accomplished by data reentry or re-visiting
of information sources. Disadvantageously, the data re-entry is
oftentimes labor intensive, and the re-visits are time consuming.
Moreover, the user may not be able to recall the previous
information sources from which the data was collected, and even if
the user is able to re-visit each of those information sources, the
data there may have been revised because of the time lag, thus
frustrating the data replication effort.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with the invention, a centralized
communication facility, e.g., a server connected to one or more
communication networks, is employed to collect and organize
information for a user of a mobile device. For each user, the
server collects and organizes the information based on user
profiles that reflect different user personae. By collecting and
organizing information according to the user profiles in the
server, the operation of the mobile device is simplified. In
addition, the amount of non-volatile memory required in the mobile
device may be reduced, as most of the information is stored in the
server, instead. The mobile device obtains the necessary
information from the server on an as needed basis.
[0007] In addition, the server provides different protocol driver
programs for various mobile devices for communications with the
server. This being so, the various incompatible mobile devices may
share the same information by efficiently downloading it from the
server, thereby obviating the need of data re-entry or re-visits of
information sources as in prior art. Specifically, during an
initial handshake with the server, the mobile device identifies
itself to the server, which then downloads the appropriate protocol
driver program to the mobile device for its communications with the
server.
[0008] In an illustrative embodiment, the aforementioned user
profiles include, e.g., a personal profile and a business profile.
A personal profile reflects the user's personal persona, which
includes personal information such as medical and financial
records. A business profile reflects a user's business persona,
which includes the user's business related information such as the
names of contacts with whom the user does business. A user may also
establish alternative profiles that reflect other user personae,
e.g., vacation or travel profiles. These alternative profiles may
include information that reflects a user's vacation or travel
preferences, e.g., names and addresses of hotels, restaurants,
airlines or airline schedules. This information may also be
categorized by location, or by type of entertainment, e.g.,
theaters, cinemas, etc.
[0009] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the
server may obtain, e.g., by searching a network of libraries,
information items concerning the location of, and directions to,
selected businesses or services. The information items may be
presented in textual and/or graphic format. The graphic format may
include indications of the locations of the selected businesses or
services on navigation maps, which are downloaded for display onto
the mobile device. The displayed business or service information
items may be selected based on a user profile. Thus, the
information items may include the names and locations of
restaurants, gas stations, places of interest, scenic viewing
areas, etc.
[0010] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the
server may be used to organize incoming messages to the user based
on the source of the messages and user criteria pre-established in
the user profiles. For example, the server may selectively perform
message storage or call forwarding when the user is not available.
In a message storage mode, messages may be identified by their
source and stored according to the user specified criteria. The
server may then provide different notifications to the user
depending upon the source of the messages. In a call forwarding
mode, calls originating from a party designated in a personal
profile may be directed to a personal message storage area.
[0011] In accordance with still yet another aspect of the
invention, electronic information cards, referred to as "E-cards,"
may be used to organize data in the mobile device and to exchange
selected data between the server and the mobile device. E-cards may
contain information from selected user profiles. For example, a
personal E-card may contain information items related to financial
records, such as credit card numbers, bank accounts and balances
from the user personal profile. A business E-card may contain
information items from the user business profile which are related
to business. With the E-card arrangement, selective user
information can be distributed among different recipients in an
efficient manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Further aspects, features and advantages of the invention
will become apparent from the following detailed description taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing illustrative
embodiments of the invention, in which;
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement in accordance with the
invention where a centralized communication server is used to help
handle the communication needs of a mobile device user;
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates an arrangement for transferring
information items between a first mobile device user and a second
mobile device user in accordance with the invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary functions performed by the
server of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates profiles of the mobile device user stored
in a memory in the server of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates contents of the memory in the server of
FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence of events after a mobile
device is turned on to communicate with the server of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates a database of a library server in
accordance with the invention;
[0020] FIG. 8 illustrates a directory page containing categories of
registered businesses in accordance with the invention;
[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of a registered
business;
[0022] FIG. 10 illustrates a display containing navigation
information in accordance with the invention;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a flow chart depicting the processing of e-mail
messages to the user in accordance with the invention;
[0024] FIG. 12 illustrates a dropped-down menu administered by an
event manager in the mobile device in accordance with the
invention;
[0025] FIG. 13 illustrates a personal communication device (PCD)
which is a mobile device in accordance with the invention;
[0026] FIG. 14 illustrates a display of selectable options on the
PCD of FIG. 13;
[0027] FIGS. 15A-15F jointly illustrate a personal electronic
information card (E-card) in accordance with the invention;
[0028] FIGS. 16A-16C jointly illustrate a business E-card in
accordance with the invention;
[0029] FIG. 17A illustrates an arrangement for conducting a credit
card transaction using the PCD of FIG. 13;
[0030] FIG. 17B illustrates a display of records of credit card
transactions on the PCD of FIG. 13;
[0031] FIG. 18 illustrates a functional schematic of the PCD of
FIG. 13;
[0032] FIG. 19 illustrates a display arrangement of the PCD of FIG.
13;
[0033] FIG. 20 illustrates an E-card for access to a vehicle;
[0034] FIG. 21 is a flow chart depicting the process whereby a
driver is afforded access to the vehicle based on the information
on the E-card of FIG. 20; and
[0035] FIG. 22 illustrates an arrangement whereby car-mail in
accordance with the invention is communicated to and from a vehicle
through a communications network.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement embodying the principles
of the invention, where server 105 is employed to collect and
organize information for users of mobile devices. Advantageously,
with the inventive arrangement, the burden of a mobile device in
maintaining vast quantities of information is mostly shifted onto
server 105 and is thus substantially reduced. In addition, the user
information in server 105 may be distributed to different mobile
devices upon the user's request, thereby facilitating sharing of
the same information among the devices.
[0037] In FIG. 1, server 105 includes processor 107, memory 109 and
interfaces 112 and 128. Interface 112, including modem facilities,
is used to connect server 105 to a communication network, such as
Internet 170. Through processor 107, server 105 may communicate
with other servers connected to Internet 170. For example, server
105 may request library servers to search for particular
information items. Memory 109 is used to store data collected for
the users served by server 105. The organization of memory 109 is
fully disclosed below.
[0038] As would be appreciated, the processing functions of
processor 107 are not limited to functions solely thereon, but may
be distributed among other processors connected to processor 107.
Similarly, memory 109 may also be distributed among other memories
and need not be in physical proximity to processor 107.
[0039] Through interface 128, server 105 may communicate with
mobile devices through wireless communication network 110. These
mobile devices include personal communication devices (PCDs) 120
and 130 which are fully described below. It suffices to know for
now that the PCD, like a conventional PALM PDA, includes a user
interface, touch-screen display and wireless communication
capability. PCDs 120 and 130 may also communicate with each other
independent of network 110 using the well known Bluetooth
technology. The Bluetooth technology was developed to unify the
electronics world to allow a variety of cellular phones, PDAs and
computers to communicate with one another over short distances in a
wireless manner. Each PCD also includes a well known GPS device
(not shown) for utilizing signals from a well known global
positioning system (GPS) for determining the position of the
PCD.
[0040] For example, a PCD user may want to visit a fast-food
restaurant, e.g., a McDonald's, in the surrounding area, but does
not know where one is located. The user may then through PCD 120
enter a request to server 105 to locate the McDonald's in the local
area. The location of PCD 120 is determined by the aforementioned
GPS device therein. Such location information is provided to server
105, along with the search request including search criteria.
Server 105 may then search its own libraries and/or other library
servers connected to Internet 170. The search results are then
sorted and filtered by processor 107 before they are transmitted to
PCD 120 via network 110. The search results may include the
address, telephone number and directions to each restaurant within
a specified distance from the user, for example. The user may also
expand or refine the search criteria to determine additional
information items or restrict the amount of information items
received. The user may further request server 105 to record the
search results for future reference. Thus, the information items
once obtained may be retained in server 105 for future use, or for
distribution to other devices to share the information items.
[0041] In FIG. 2 server 192, similar to server 105, serves the user
of PCD 130, although it would be appreciated that server 105 may
provide service for multiple users including the user of PCD 130.
Nevertheless, in this example, server 192 is the server for the
user of PCD 130, and the user of PCD 120 may want to share
information items, stored in server 105 for him/her, with the user
of PCD 130. To that end, the user of PCD 120 may issue a request
through network 110 to server 105 for forwarding a copy of the
selected information items to server 192 for the user of PCD 130.
After server 192 receives the information items from server 105
through Internet 170, server 192 then sends a signal, notifying PCD
130 of the receipt of the items. Upon receiving the notification,
the user of PCD 130 may request server 192 to download the received
information items thereto immediately or at a later time.
Advantageously, the transfer of information items between the users
does not interfere with their use of PCDs 120 and 130. That is, the
users may freely utilize the respective PCDs during the information
item transfer which involves servers 105 and 192 only.
[0042] FIG. 3 illustrates some exemplary functions performed by
processor 107 in server 105, which include function 305 tracking a
list of active mobile devices served by server 105, e-mail
directory function 308, search function 311, navigation function
314, maps function 317, traffic function 321, weather function 324
and directory listings function 327. Specifically, function 305
includes compiling and updating a list of mobile devices currently
in communication with server 105. Function 308 includes processing,
distributing and maintaining e-mail communication for each user
served by server 105. Function 311 includes searching library
databases for specified information items. Function 314 includes
planning and providing a route between a given source and
destination point. Function 317 includes searching databases for
maps given designated locations. Function 321 includes obtaining
and evaluating traffic information items given designated
locations. Function 324 includes obtaining and evaluating weather
information items given designated locations. Function 327 includes
processing information items for listing in different
directories.
[0043] With the above functions, for example, server 105 may be
used to plan a route from a source location to a destination
location, which includes current traffic and weather conditions on
the route. The user may utilize PCD 120 to request server 105 to
plan such a route. To that end, server 105 obtains source and
destination locations from the user through navigation function
314, accesses maps through maps function 317, and extracts
information items that are used in formulating the route. The
resulting route and navigation instructions may be displayed on PCD
120, which include specific turn-by-turn directions and mileage
indications. The resulting route may be based on the mode of
transportation, e.g., use of a car or public transportation,
walking or biking. Thus, the route is determined depending on such
factors as weight restrictions on roads and bridges, the
limitations of public transportation, the presence, or lack of,
sidewalks, or bicycle paths. The route determination may also take
into account roadblocks artificially instituted by the user to
avoid certain areas such as an area having a high crime rate. In
addition, current traffic and weather conditions may be considered
in the route determination by using traffic function 321 and
weather function 324, respectively.
[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates use of part of memory space of memory 109
in server 105. In this embodiment, the memory space is divided into
partitions designated to different users, respectively. Each
partition includes user profiles concerning different personae of
the user associated with the partition. Information items for the
user are stored in memory 109 according to the user profiles. For
example, information items relevant to the personal aspect of the
user may be collected and organized in a personal profile. These
information items may include contact information of people known
socially to the user, or the names of places that are of interest
to the user. On the other hand, information items relevant to the
business aspect of the user may be collected and organized in a
business profile. These information items may include business
contact information of clients, vendors, sales personnel, customer
service personnel, and contractors; and information concerning
restaurants and establishments for entertaining clients, business
practices, etc.
[0045] Still other profiles can be established to reflect the
user's personae with regard to vacationing, travelling or hobbies,
e.g., golf and tennis. In the vacation profile, for example, server
105 may record information items regarding restaurants, hotels and
areas of interest at designated vacation areas that the user has
visited or intends to visit.
[0046] Each profile may be further categorized to organize the
information in a manner that facilitates the presentation of the
collected information. For example, a profile may include
categories for restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. These
categories may be further categorized into, e.g., restaurant types.
As would be appreciated, the categories of each profile may be
specified by the user and can be selected differently for each user
profile.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, exemplary profiles are created and
stored in memory 109 for a user. These profiles include the user's
personal profile 210, business profile 220 and vacation profile
240. Although illustrated as disjoint memory areas, it would be
appreciated that the stored information items in each profile may
be sequentially stored in memory 109 and may be tagged
appropriately to indicate the placement of an information item in a
particular profile.
[0048] In this illustrated example, personal profile 210 includes
files such as address book 211, medical records 212, financial
records 213, inventory 214, dining 215, current events 215 and
storage 217. Address book 211 may include information items such as
names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of
persons who are the user's relatives and friends. Medical records
212 may include information items such as the user's current
medical records, current medication and medications that should be
avoided. Medical records 212 may also include information items
concerning persons whom should be contacted in case of an
emergency, e.g., doctor, hospital, family members, etc. Financial
records 213 may include information items such as the user's credit
card numbers, banking account numbers and balances, names and
quantity of stocks and bonds and purchase price, and retirement
account information. Inventory 214 may include information items
such as serial numbers or warranty information or replacement costs
on the user's video cameras, digital cameras, lap top computers,
television sets, etc. This information may be useful if a device is
lost or stolen. Dining 215 may include information items such as
contact information of restaurants for personal dining. This file
may further be divided into types of restaurants such as luxury or
fast food. Current events 216 may include information items such as
new items from different news sources which are of interest to the
user. For example, news items may be from different newspapers or
sources and may be further divided into type of news, such as
sports, stocks, front page, etc. Storage 217 may include personal
messages left by those attempting to contact the user. Messages may
be left in textual, audio, and/or video format.
[0049] Business profile 220, similar to personal profile 210,
includes files such as address book 221, dining 222, current events
223, hotels, 224, airlines, 226, calendar 226 and storage 227.
Address book 221, dining 222 and current events 223 are similar to
those described in regard to personal profile 210. Address book 221
may include information items for contacting business associates,
contractors, vendors, suppliers, etc. Similarly, dining 222 may
include information items concerning restaurants for business
dining. Current events 223 include business related news items. For
example, attorneys may collect articles from law journals, and
doctors may collect articles from medical journals in this file.
Hotels 224 and airlines 225 may include contact information for
arranging business-related hotels, airlines and auto rentals.
Further, information items concerning corporate rates of hotels,
airlines and auto rentals may be included in these files as well.
Also included may be user business identification numbers, e.g.,
frequent flyer numbers and priority club numbers. Calendar 226
includes information items such as meetings, appointments, delivery
dates, etc. Similar to storage 217, storage 227 includes
business-related messages in text, audio and/or video format left
for the user.
[0050] Vacation profile 240 includes files such as address book
241, dining 242, hotels 243, airlines 244 and storage 245 which
pertain to vacations or leisure travel, but are otherwise similar
to those described in regard to personal profile 210 and business
profile 220. For example, address book 241 contains information
items concerning travel agents, and contacts at vacation locations;
dining 242 contains information items concerning restaurants at the
vacation locations; hotels 243 contains information items
concerning hotels at the vacation locations; airlines 244 contains
information items concerning airlines and/or auto rentals for
traveling to the vacation locations; and storage 245 contains
messages to the user concerning vacations and leisure travel. Thus,
with the vacation profile, information items that were obtained
about a vacation location, which may be a long time ago, can be
easily recalled.
[0051] FIG. 5 illustrates the partitioning of the memory space of
memory 109 to contain the profiles of a plurality of users. In this
illustrative example, profiles 210, 220 and 240 are associated with
a first user; profiles 250, 260 and 270 are associated with a
second user; profiles 290, 295 and 296 are associated with a third
user; and so on and so forth.
[0052] Further illustrated in memory 109 is utility file 135. File
135 represents a library of protocol driver programs for known
mobile devices. These driver programs when run on the mobile
devices enable the mobile devices to communicate messages with
server 105 in a more efficient format. In an initial handshake with
server 105, a mobile device identifies itself to server 105
pursuant to a common, wireless messaging protocol which may be
inefficient. After the handshake, server 105 selects from file 135
the latest protocol driver program for that particular mobile
device and downloads same to the mobile device. The latter then
runs the downloaded driver program, enabling the mobile device to
efficiently communicate with server 105 pursuant to the protocol
specified by the driver program. Using file 135 to maintain a
library of driver programs is advantageous in that information
items can be freely shared among mobile devices which may be
incompatible with one another. For example, if a user wants to
share certain information items in a first mobile device with a
second incompatible mobile device, the user can simply use the
second device to communicate with server 105 to have the same
information items downloaded from server 105 to the second device.
The download is efficient through use of the appropriate protocol
driver program provided by server 105, without requiring any
special, initial installation on the part of the second device.
[0053] FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence of events when a mobile
device, e.g., PCD 120 in this instance, communicates with server
105 after PCD 120 is turned on. Specifically, on initial power up,
PCD 120 sends at a basic rate an identification (ID) message in a
common wireless messaging format, which identifies its mobile
device type and model to server 105, as indicated at step 340.
Server 105 processes the received ID message, and searches file 135
for the latest protocol driver program corresponding to the
identified PCD 120, as indicated at step 343. Server 105 at step
346 downloads the latest driver program to PCD 120. At step 349 PCD
120 re-configures its input/output (I/O) interface in accordance
with the driver program. PCD 120 then notifies server 105 of the
completion of its re-configuration, as indicated at step 352. Such
notification is sent to server 105 in the format and at the rate
pursuant to the new protocol specified by the driver program. Upon
receiving such a notification, server 105 is ready to communicate
with PCD 120 using the new protocol.
[0054] As mentioned before, server 105 may search other library
servers connected to Internet 170 for relevant information items.
One such library server, denoted 140, is shown in FIG. 7. In this
instance, the database in server 140 is organized and presented in
multiple levels identified by top-level domains (TLD) in accordance
with the Internet Domain Name System (DNS). For example,
information items in such a database are organized in the "dot
org," "dot net," and "dot corn" domains. It would be appreciated
that as the number of TLD names increases, the data organization in
server 140 can be easily expanded to include the added TLD
names.
[0055] In this illustrative embodiment, the "dot net" domain, e.g.,
Xyellowpages.net 145, includes links to the sites of a network of
registered businesses. The site of each registered business, e.g.,
Gary's Shoes site 172, is listed under Xyellowpages.net 145 and can
be accessed via a hyperlink.
[0056] To provide ease of finding related businesses and Internet
sites, Xyellowpages.org 165 collates registered business sites into
categories. The categories may include, e.g., entertainment,
financial services, medical services, recreation, travel, etc. FIG.
8 illustrates an exemplary page listing business categories under
Xyellowpage.org 165 that may be displayed on PCD 120. In this
illustrative example, Xyellowpage.org groups related business
information into specified functional categories. For example,
Automotive category 365 includes all businesses related to
automotive products; Food, Gas & Beverages category 370
includes all businesses related to food, gas and beverages; and
Recreation category 380 includes all registered businesses related
to recreation. As would be appreciated, businesses listed on
xyellowpages.org 165 may be included in more than one category.
[0057] Further illustrated are icons keys for exemplary functions
of weather 385, traffic 390 and maps 395. These keys enable the
user to directly access these functions to obtain current weather
and traffic conditions and maps. These keys direct server 105 to
retrieve the corresponding information and present it to the
user.
[0058] Referring back to FIG. 7, the "dot corn" domain, e.g.,
Xyellowpages.com 150, includes a collection of pages describing any
businesses having a TLD as the "dot corn."
[0059] FIG. 9 illustrates a site advertising a selected registered
business, e.g., Gary's Shoes site 172, which may be accessed from
Xyellowpages.org 165 under the category "Shoes." It should be noted
that this site may also be accessed via a hyperlink under
Xyellowpages.net 141 as mentioned before. As shown in FIG. 9, site
172 includes contact information for the Gary's Shoes business. In
addition, site 172 may contain hyperlinks for accessing more
detailed information concerning the business. In this example,
other businesses registered under the "Shoes" category may be
quickly accessed by clicking the Next Ad arrow 398 or Previous Ad
arrow 399. Advantageously, using arrow 398 and arrow 399, a user
need not return to the page of FIG. 8 to access information items
of other businesses within the "Shoes" category as would be in
prior art where the "drill down" approach is embraced.
[0060] Thus, through server 105, a user may collect information
items that have been learned or acquired, which may be needed in
the future. Even more detailed knowledge of an acquired information
item may be obtained by server 105 accessing searchable libraries.
Thus, once an information item is learned or acquired, a user may
retrieve not only the original information item, but also
additional information concerning the original information item.
The retrieved information items may be stored in one or more user
profiles.
[0061] For example, a user may want to locate a particular business
or service because there is a preference for the desired type of
business or service or there may be a prearranged account with the
desired business or service. The name of the desired business or
service can be entered or retrieved from the stored information and
a library search can be initiated to learn the locations of the
desired business or service in a general area. When the locations
of the desired businesses or services are known, then the distance,
and direction, from the current location to the desired stations
can be determined. Hence, the user profiles concerning selected
information item are increased and the knowledge learned is used to
confidently plan a route to a desired business while bypassing
other undesired business that provide the same goods or services.
The results of the searched libraries may also be stored into one
or more selective user profiles.
[0062] For example, a user may use PCD 120 to request server 105 to
provide information items concerning the location of service
facilities, e.g., gas stations, within a given area while the user
is in business. In response, server 105 searches libraries of
registered businesses, e.g., Xyellowpages.org 165, other libraries
connected to Internet 170, and the user business profile, e.g.,
business profile 220, for the gas stations. FIG. 10 illustrates the
results of such a search which are presented to the user on the
touch-screen display of PCD 120. The search results which are
numerically indexed in column 1000 are sorted by distance from the
user's current position. Such a current position may be determined
using the aforementioned GPS device in PCD 120 and communicated to
server 105 as part of the search request. It would be appreciated
that the list may be sorted on other parameters such as status or
direction, etc. by touching the corresponding header identifier on
the screen using, say, a stylus. For example, when the header
identifier STATUS is selected, the gas stations with the "open"
status may be displayed ahead of the stations with the "closed"
status.
[0063] As shown in FIG. 10, the directions, statuses, names and
addresses, and telephone numbers of the selected gas stations are
listed in columns 1035, 1040, 1045 and 1050, respectively.
Indicators 1020 are also displayed, indicating those gas stations
which also satisfy the user business profile in this instance.
Arrows 1030 and 1010 indicate that there are non-viewable listed
information items and these arrows allow the user to scroll the
displayed list to display the non-viewable information items. The
user, having information on the distance, direction and status of
the gas stations, may confidently plan the route to the selected
station.
[0064] In an alternative embodiment, based on the table of FIG. 10,
server 105 provides a map on the display of PCD 120, with
indications of the listed gas stations and the current route that
the user is traversing, and may also suggest a route to any such
gas station selected by the user, which entails minimal diversion
from the user's current route.
[0065] In another alternative embodiment, server 105 may further
determine the status of a selected gas station based on the
estimated time of arrival at the selected gas station. The
estimated time of arrival may be determined based on the user's
current route, speed and position. In this embodiment, server 105
may determine that the gas station the user has selected based on
current information may no longer be open at the time of arrival.
Server 105 may warn the user of this change in status.
[0066] In yet another alternative embodiment, server 105 may track
the position of the user and dynamically update traffic and weather
conditions. In this embodiment, as a user traverses a route, server
105 may warn the user of changes in traffic patterns and weather
conditions.
[0067] It should be noted at this point that the user may provide
to server 105 the names of facilities, such as restaurants, gas
stations, shopping malls, department stores, etc., which are
encountered or observed along a route. Server 105 may then
correlate the user entered information items with at least one list
of restaurants, gas stations, service facilities, etc., to
determine more specific information on the user entered information
item. The more specific information on the entered restaurant, gas
station, shopping mall or department store may then be collected
and collated into an elected user profile.
[0068] The user may also save the sources of information items of
interest using bookmarks for repeatedly accessing such sources.
Server 105 may record where, and in which files, information may be
found within searched libraries. For example, universal resource
locators (URLs) for accessing web pages may be bookmarked under a
selected user profile. The user may then recall information
collected without re-entering the address sequence.
[0069] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, server
105 also provides a central location for messages that are received
or transmitted by a user. Messages such as e-mail messages and
audio messages received by a user may be stored on server 105 to
simplify the message retrieval process. For example, centralization
of e-mail messages is advantageous as it simplifies the management
of e-mail messages of multiple Internet service provider (ISP)
sites with which the user is registered. As can be appreciated, a
user may have multiple e-mail addresses because the user may have
personal e-mail addresses with one or more ISPs at a home location
and an additional e-mail address with at least one ISP at a work or
a business location. Further, many Internet services provide free
e-mail service simply by registering for their service. These
Internet services use their own e-mail address to provide updates
to news or chat groups the user has expressed an interest. Hence,
the user must access each ISP or Internet service independently to
retrieve e-mail messages. When an ISP requires proprietary software
to access the ISP or to process e-mail message, the user's
retrieval of e-mail messages is limited to those times when the
user is logged onto the mail server managed by the ISP. The
traditional way of retrieving e-mail messages by accessing mail
servers of different ISPs and Internet services is both
time-consuming and cumbersome.
[0070] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, server
105 centralizes the e-mail retrieval process. Each ISP or Internet
service receiving e-mail messages addressed to the user forwards
the received e-mail message to a single e-mail address assigned to
the user by server 105. Server 105 upon receiving a forwarded
e-mail message stores the message according to a message source
identifier and criteria established by the user. Server 105, after
storing the message, provides a notification of the received
message to the user. The user may then selectively view e-mail
messages from multiple ISP sources without accessing each ISP or
Internet service mail server. Furthermore, server 105 stores the
received e-mail messages according to the user profiles. Thus,
messages related to vacation resorts are stored in the user
vacation profile, and message related to business are stored in the
user business profile. The vacation e-mail messages may be read at
leisure while the business e-mail messages may be read immediately.
Thus, by centralizing the e-mail retrieval process in server 105,
the received e-mail messages can be pre-sorted and organized in
accordance with the user's selection criteria.
[0071] As is well known, an e-mail message typically includes a
source identifier indicating the source of the e-mail message. A
source identifier may include an e-mail address of the sender. A
user may also provide a keyword to social contacts and other
keywords to business contacts for incorporation in the "Subject"
portion of an e-mail message. Such keywords may be used in
combination of the source identification tags for prioritizing the
messages received.
[0072] FIG. 11 illustrates a flow chart depicting the processing by
processor 107 of e-mail messages to the user forwarded by ISPs and
Internet services to server 105. At step 736, processor 107 reads
the source identifier of a received e-mail message which includes
the e-mail address of the sender. Processor 107 at step 739
compares the sender's e-mail address with each e-mail address item
in the address book of each of the user profiles, and at step 741
determines whether the comparison results in any match. If the
sender's e-mail address does not match any address book item of any
of the user's profiles, the subject message may be regarded as an
unsolicited message and processor 107 at step 742 stores it in a
storage area associated with unknown sources.
[0073] In this instance, the user provides keywords (not shown) in
each profile for prioritizing the received messages having known
sources. Each keyword is accorded a different priority. The e-mail
message sender may include one of the keywords, given to him/her by
the user earlier, in the "Subject" portion of the message. Thus, in
this instance, if the e-mail address of the sender of the subject
e-mail matches an item in the address book of a user profile (e.g.,
business profile 210), processor 107 checks the "Subject" portion
of the message for any keyword provided in that user profile, as
indicated at step 745. Processor 107 at step 748 stores the message
in such a user profile (e.g., in storage 227 in profile 210)
according to the priority accorded to any keyword found. The
received e-mail messages in a profile are organized with messages
having a higher priority are presented first. Apparently, a
received message having no keyword in its "Subject" is presented
after the ones having a keyword therein.
[0074] Processor 107 concludes the e-mail message processing by
notifying the user of the receipt of the message, with the identity
of the associated profile and priority. Through, say, PCD 120 the
user, upon receiving the notification, may elect to read the
message immediately or at a later time. Further, the form of
notification may be based on the priority of the message. For
example, the notification of any received message of the highest
priority is immediate with a description of the message shown on
the screen of PCD 120. Such a notification may interrupt any
on-going communications being conducted by PCD 120. The
notification of a less important message may cause PCD 120 to turn
on an audible alarm or a message light.
[0075] It should be noted that the above-described technique for
processing e-mail messages may similarly be applied to the
processing of any types of message, including voice messages where,
for example, PCD 120 is unavailable to accept a telephone call. In
that case, the call is forwarded, through a call-forwarding
pre-arrangement, to server 105 where processor 107 requests the
caller to leave a voice message. The source of any such voice
message may be identified by a caller ID indicating, among others,
the caller's telephone number. In addition, the caller may utter a
keyword in the beginning of the voice message indicating its
priority, thereby facilitating the search by processor 107 for the
keyword in sorting messages.
[0076] To help present on PCD 120 information items downloaded from
server 105, an event manager is used in PCD 120. The event manager
enables a user to selectively receive and sort requested or
transmitted information items, and it organizes such information
items in categories selectable through use of drop-down menus. FIG.
12 illustrates one such drop-down menu (denoted 800) which is
displayed on PCD 120 for user selection. As would be appreciated,
the categories in menu 800 may be pre-set or created by the user,
which may relate to the files of the user profiles in server 105.
It should be noted that the contents of the personal profile are
most likely different than the contents of the business profile,
even when they have identically-named files therein. For example,
Current Events file 223 of business profile 220 contains
business-related news items while Current Events file 216 of
personal profile 210 contains general news items. Thus, in this
instance a selection of News category 823 in menu 800 affords
further user selections of business-related news and general news
sub-categories.
[0077] FIG. 13 illustrates PCD 120 which includes keypad 405,
display screen 410, microphone 425, speaker 420, scroll keys 436,
and entry keys 437 and 450. Further illustrated are dedicated
functional keys, labeled pictorially with an "i" 430, a "cross"
435, a facial profile 440 and circular arrows 445. These keys are
descriptive which represent Help, Emergency, Voice on/off and
Repeat functions, respectively. These dedicated keys may be
physical buttons that engage electrical contacts when depressed.
Alternatively, they may be displayed icons or "soft" keys
selectable by touching them on screen 410.
[0078] Keypad 405 allows a user to enter alphanumeric characters to
enter data or respond to requests. Display screen 410 is used to
display textual and graphic information and operates to allow data
entry or process selection. Display 410 may allow data entry or
process selection by using the illustrated drop down menu 465, for
example, or by the selection of icons (not shown), which are
representative of a processing function or category, or by writing,
or printing, alphanumeric characters on the display face (not
shown). Microphone 425 and speaker 420 are used to transmit and
receive audio information, such as speech or music. Process
selection may also be performed by issuing a verbal command entered
through microphone 425.
[0079] Scroll keys 436 are used to scroll through a list of
information items, such as the illustrated functional categories in
pull-down menu 465. A selected information item may then be
activated, to perform a process, or to be viewed, by depressing
left key 450, for example. In this instance, electronic information
card (E-card) category 480 is selected (indicated by dashed-line
enclosure) in drop-down menu 465. Information items associated with
E-card category 480 may then be viewed by depressing left entry key
450, which are described below. Information items associated with a
category may also be selected by touching the category on screen
410 using a pointing device. A pointing device may be a pencil, a
pen, a stylus or an infrared, or visible light, laser pointer.
Further still, the information items of a selected category may
also be viewed by maintaining contact with a displayed icon, or
word, that represents the category, for an extended time, or by
double-tapping the displayed icon, or word, within a finite time.
The selection of categories may also be performed by verbally
reciting the category name into microphone 425 and the information
items within the selected category may also be viewed by verbally
reciting the information item name.
[0080] FIG. 13 further illustrates right entry button 437, which
may be pressed to view properties of a category selected. For
example, the properties may provide data concerning the number of
information items in a category, the number of unread information
items in the category, or when the last information item was added
to the category, etc.
[0081] Help key 430 allows access to information concerning quick
starting procedures, e.g., an owner's manual, a how-to video
demonstration, and a voice script that is used to operate telephone
aspects of PCD 120. These help tips provide sufficient information
for the user to operate the device. This information provides just
enough information, i.e., just-in-time-learning, to enable the user
to operate the device. Emergency key 435 provides access to
emergency numbers and information that can transmitted to a parties
named in an emergency file in a personal profile. The emergency
file may be included in medical records 215 of personal profile 210
illustrated in FIG. 4. Activation of Emergency key 435 causes
server 105 to contact the named emergency contact people. Further,
medical records information items such as medical history, current
medication history, and medications to be avoided may also be
transmitted. Voice on/off key 440 provides the user with the
capability to mute messages that may be audibly expressed by PCD
120. This muting function is useful to prevent audio messages from
interfering with a conversation that is in progress. Repeat key 445
provides the user with the capability of repeating previous
messages or actions that were performed.
[0082] Digital camera 460 is also included in PCD 120. Camera 460
is capable of capturing an image that can then be stored locally or
transmitted to server 105 for storage in a selected user profile,
e.g., vacation profile, or for transmission over Internet 170 to
another party. Camera 460 may also transmit digital images
synchronized with audio data to provide real-time audio/visual data
or may transmit audio data sequentially with digital images. Images
from camera 460 may further be integrated with additional
information items, such as real-time clock or GPS time/positional
data to provide time/location tagging of an image. Such
time/position tagging may be used to authenticate the image.
[0083] Continuing the above example, once E-card category 480 is
selected, PCD 120 displays on screen 410 further options for
selection. FIG. 14 illustrates such options. In this instance,
information items associated with category 480 are divided into
personal and business sub-categories, which correspond to personal
and business profiles in server 105. As shown in FIG. 14, included
under the personal sub-category is option 406, entitled "John Doe,"
the name of the user in this instance. In addition, included under
the business sub-category are options 407, 408 and 409, entitled
"Ford Dealership," "GM Dealership" and "Mercedes Dealership,"
respectively.
[0084] In this example, the user selects John Doe option 406. In
response, PCD 120 displays on screen 410 information item 500 which
represents a personal E-card of John Doe. FIG. 15A illustrates such
a display screen including E-card 500. This E-card contains
textual, audio and/or graphic information items pertaining to John
Doe, which are sorted and organized in tabbed records.
Illustratively, these tabbed records include Name 510, Numbers 520,
Attachments 530, Credit Card 540, Signature 550 and Business Card
560. E-card 500 is shown by default with Name record 510
superimposed on other records. However, the tabs for these other
records are displayed for selection. As shown in FIG. 15A, Name
record 510 contains identification information concerning the user,
including a picture or logo identifying the user.
[0085] Further illustrated in FIG. 15A are Delete key 505, Edit key
506 and Cancel key 507. Delete key 505 allows the user to delete
information items in E-card 500 from the user profile in server
105. Edit key 506 enables the user to edit selected entries in
E-card 500. Cancel key 507 allows the user to end the viewing of
E-card 500.
[0086] FIG. 15B illustrates Numbers record 520 containing contact
information concerning the user. As shown in FIG. 15B, record 520
includes the user's telephone numbers for home (hm) and business,
e-mail address, PCD address, etc. In addition, information items in
record 520 may be selected for transmission to another party. For
example, by checking boxes 516, 517, 518 and 519, the user may
transmit the corresponding information items by selecting icon 503
in FIG. 15A which represents a send key in this instance. The
receiving party would then receive the user's home, cellular, pager
and PCD numbers. The format of the received information items would
correspond to a comparable E-card format on the receiving party's
PCD. Hence, the receiving party is relieved of the burden of
re-entering the received information items into a different device
or organization structure. Similarly, the user may select some or
all the items on each E-card record for transmission to another
party.
[0087] FIG. 15C illustrates Attachments record 530 having displayed
icons therein which represent information items. Record 530 may
include, e.g., textual instructions and graphic images of
directions from a source location to a destination or may include
notes for personal use. Information items in record 530 may be
transmitted to another party by selecting the corresponding
displayed icons, followed by selection of icon 503 to send the
information item. As would be appreciated, a user may select
information items on each record of E-card 500 and transmit all of
the selected information items using a single selection or click of
icon 503.
[0088] FIG. 15D illustrates Credit Card record 540 containing the
user's credit card information. Using a E-card to record the user
credit card information is advantageous as it allows the user to
electronically pay for purchases without revealing important
personal financial data such as the credit card number at the point
of sale. The methodology of conducting a secure transaction using
record 540 is fully described below. E-card 500 may further record
the transaction date and amount and the merchant's name after the
transaction is conducted. This recordation of the purchase is
advantageous in tracking and reconciling expenses each month.
[0089] FIG. 15E illustrates Signature record 550 containing the
user's digital signature, which may be used to digitally commit the
user to contractual obligations. That is, the user's digital
signature may be transmitted to a receiving party to obligate the
user to terms and conditions of a contract to buy a car, a house,
etc.
[0090] FIG. 15F illustrates Business Card record 560 including
information items such as the user's business name, address, phone
number, title, etc. which, like other information items, are
transmissible to other parties.
[0091] FIG. 16A illustrates business E-card 600 concerning a
Mercedes dealership. Similar to information items in E-card 500,
information items in E-card 600 are sorted and organized tabbed
records. As shown in FIG. 16A, these records include Name 610,
Numbers 620, and Attachment 630. Name record 610 includes
identification information concerning the Mercedes dealership,
including the Mercedes logo.
[0092] FIG. 16B illustrates Numbers record 620 providing contact
information concerning the Mercedes dealership.
[0093] FIG. 16C illustrates Attachments record 630 including such
attachments as video file 633 promoting the Mercedes dealership,
and text and graphics file 635 describing the latest models of
Mercedes vehicles.
[0094] The methodology of conducting a transaction using Credit
Card record 540 will now be described. For example, referring to
FIG. 17A, the user in this instance wants to pay by credit card for
a purchase at point-of-sale (POS) terminal 710. The user uses PCD
120 to access Credit Card record 540. By selecting icon 503, a
signal containing the information in record 540 is transmitted over
wireless communications network 110 to server 105. In return,
processor 107 in server 105 elicits from the user his/her personal
identification number (PIN) to verify that he/she is the authorized
credit card user. In addition, processor 107 elicits from the user
the purchase amount, and a transaction identification (ID) number
which is provided by POS terminal 710. Such a transaction ID number
identifies, among others, POS terminal 710, the merchant (e.g.,
Gary's Shoes) and the purchase type (e.g., shoe purchase). Upon
receiving the PIN, purchase amount and transaction ID number from
PCD 120, processor 107 compares the received PIN with the PIN which
is provided earlier by the user in a service registration and
stored in personal profile 210. If the received PIN matches the
stored PIN, processor 107 causes server 105 to transmit through a
secure link over Internet 170 to payment authority system 700 a
request for authorization of payment. Such a request includes the
received credit card information, purchase amount and transaction
ID number. Payment authority system 700 then processes the request.
Based on the transaction ID number which, in part, identifies POS
terminal 710, system 700 transmits to POS terminal 710 a message
confirming or denying the payment of the purchase amount. At the
same time, system 700 transmits a second message to server 105 for
the user record. This second message indicates the payment
confirmation or denial, and may contain information concerning date
and time of the payment confirmation or denial, the purchase amount
involved, and the identity of the merchant and purchase type
derived by system 700 from the transaction ID number. Upon
receiving such a second message, if the payment is confirmed,
processor 107 stores a purchase confirmation record in personal
profile 210. Otherwise, if the payment is denied, processor 107
stores a purchase denial record in profile 210. The user is
informed of the payment confirmation or denial by the POS terminal
710, or by polling server 105 through PCD 120.
[0095] It should be noted that the above-described methodology is
not limited to use of a PIN to verify the identity of the user.
Other security measures may also be implemented which include use
of digital camera 460 in PCD 120 to transmit an image of the user
to server 105 for verification purposes. It will be appreciated
that fingerprint images, retinal or iris scans may similarly be
used.
[0096] In an alternative embodiment, for security reasons, server
105 maintains a POS database which provides the GPS coordinates
identifying the location of each POS terminal, including terminal
710. Thus, in conducting the above purchase, processor 107 in
server 105 may also request PCD 120 to provide the GPS coordinates
identifying the current location of PCD 120. Such GPS coordinates
are then provided by the aforementioned GPS device in PCD 120.
Based on the above-described transaction ID number which in part
identifies POS terminal 710, processor 107 searches the POS
database for the GPS coordinates of terminal 710. Processor 107
then determines the distance between PCD 120 and POS terminal 710.
If such a distance exceeds a predetermined amount, processor 107
immediately terminates the processing of the transaction, assuming
that the user conducts the purchase at the POS location and thus
should not be away from POS terminal 710 for more than the
predetermined distance. Still other security measures may be
instituted using the Internet protocol (IP) address of server 105.
In that case, payment authority system 700 may evaluate the IP
address of server 105 transmitting the payment request and would
not authorize payment if the request does not come from the IP
address of server 105 associated with the user. The user's digital
signature in Signature record 550 may be used in a similar manner.
The digital signature may be authenticated based on the IP address
of server 105 forwarding the digital signature. This authentication
is advantageous as a digital signature that did not come from the
IP address of a server associated with the user would not bind the
user to the terms of a contract or sale.
[0097] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, server
105 also incorporates the GPS coordinates of POS terminal 710 in
the purchase confirmation and denial records. Alternatively, the
GPS coordinates of POS terminal 710 is translated to an actual
location (e.g., the address) of the premises on which the purchase
is conducted, and the actual location is made part of the purchase
confirmation or denial record. Such translation may be achieved
using a well known GPS database in server 105 or in another server
to which server 105 has access. Thus, in this embodiment, when the
user uses PCD 120 to poll server 105 for purchase confirmation
records stored in server 105, server 105 returns to PCD 120 a
PURCHASE CONFIRMATION RECORDS screen on display 410 which is
illustrated in FIG. 17B. At this screen, the user is afforded
options to review selected purchase confirmation records. For
example, the user may specify at option 1725 the number of most
recent records to review, thereby providing just-in-time
information on the user's purchases. In this example, however, the
user is interested in reviewing the records within a particular
period. Thus, the user in this instance enters the start date of
the period at option 1732 and the end date thereof at option 1735.
As a result, the purchase confirmation records within the specified
period are displayed in chronological order. For example, record
1741 is the first record on the start date, and record 1743 is the
last record on the end date. Each record contains multiple fields.
For example, record 1743 contains date field 1751 identifying the
date of the purchase confirmation, merchant name and address field
1753 identifying the merchant and its address, purchase type field
1755 identifying the type of purchase, and transaction amount field
1757 identifying the transaction amount. In addition, at the end of
the list of records, TOTAL field 1761 indicates the sum of the
transaction amounts in the listed records. Advantageously, with the
information in field 1761, the user can continually keep track of
the expenses resulting from purchases.
[0098] FIG. 18 illustrates a functional schematic of PCD 120 when
"docked" or connected to an automobile system to enhance its
functionality. Such a connection may alternatively be a remote
connection between PCD 120 and the automobile system relying on
wireless or is Bluetooth communications, for example. One such
automobile system is described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,355
("the '355 patent") issued Dec. 28, 1999 to Obradovich et al.,
which is hereby incorporated by reference. As shown in FIG. 18,
this functional schematic is divided into three levels. First level
802 includes processing of information items that are of importance
to the user in real-time or near-real-time. For example, the first
level functions include emergency function 805, System Settings
function 810, Clock function 815, GPS function 820, Help function
825 (as activated by Help key 430), Volume control 830, Repeat
operation 835 (as activated by Repeat key 445), Voice on/off 840
(as activated by Voice key 440), Application Bar 845 and Menu
function 850 which require real-time or near-real-time operation.
Second level 860 includes processing of information items which are
of secondary importance to the user which, e.g., relates to
operation of accessories. For example, the second level functions,
which are managed by Application Bar 845 and Menu function 850,
include Vehicle Settings function 865 comprising, e.g., window
control, seat position control, mirror adjustment, etc.,
Audio/Video Player function 870, E-card Viewer 875, E-mail Viewer
880, Xyellowpages function 885, interfaces with Mobile Devices 890,
Quick Tips function 895, Navigation function 900, Phone function
905 and Climate Control function 910. Third level 920 includes user
interface functions such as Keyboard commands 925 and Cancel
commands 930.
[0099] FIG. 19 illustrates a second embodiment of display screen
410 of PCD 120 which is particularly advantageous when PCD 120 is
connected to the aforementioned automobile system. In this
embodiment, screen 410 provides display area 940, programmable
displayed icon segment 950, and displayed icons including Help 430,
Emergency 435, Voice on/off 440 and Repeat 445 which are described
before. Display area 940 may also be used to input information
items into PCD 120. Display area 940 operates to allow menu-driven
or screen sensitive (touch-screen) input.
[0100] Segment 950 includes a sliding window accommodating
programmable displayed icons which may be created by the user.
Illustrated through the sliding window in this instance are
selectable icons for a navigation function, phone function and
climate control function. Additional icons may be brought into view
in the window by touching Right-Shift key 955 or Left-Shift key
960. In addition, signal strength bars 980 on screen 410 indicate
the strength of the received wireless communication signal.
Navigation icon 985, an alternative to that in segment 950, is also
displayed for selection of the navigation function.
[0101] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a
mobile device, e.g., a PCD, may be used to access a vehicle by a
temporary driver who wants to borrow the vehicle from a friend or a
car rental company for a limited time period. For example, the
temporary driver when renting a vehicle may use PCD 130 to
communicate in a wireless manner with a remote car rental agent
using PCD 120. The temporary driver specifies the desired size and
model of the rental vehicle, the rental period and other
preferences through PCD 130 via text and/or voice media. Based on
such information, the agent finds an available vehicle satisfying
the desired specifications in a database in a host computer which
is administered and maintained by the car rental company and to
which PCD 120 is docked or connected. The agent then invokes a
Vehicle Access page in the form of an E-card on PCD 120 concerning
the available vehicle.
[0102] FIG. 20 illustrates such a Vehicle Access E-Card, denoted
2001, where the available vehicle is identified by a vehicle
identification number (VEST) 2003. Based on the information
provided by the temporary driver, the agent enters the requested
Start Date (denoted 2005) and End Date (denoted 2007) of the rental
period, and the Mileage Limit (denoted 2009) during the rental
period, e.g., 500 miles in this instance. In addition, the agent
may also enter Geographic Limit (denoted 2011) within which the
vehicle is allowed to travel, hi this instance, the agent enters
CA. That is, the vehicle is not allowed to travel beyond the
borders of the state of California. To that end, the host computer
provides the GPS coordinates defining the California state and such
GPS coordinate information is incorporated in E-Card 2001. Given
the temporary driver's preferences, options which are available in
the subject vehicle may accordingly be selected. The car rental
company may charge a fee in addition to the basic rental fee for
each of such options to be selected. Thus, for example, depending
how much the temporary driver wants to spend, the agent at option
2013 may grant the driver limited or full access to the audiovisual
entertainment units available in the subject vehicle. In this
instance, the temporary driver is granted full access to such
entertainment units.
[0103] Otherwise, if limited access is granted, the agent has to
further specify those entertainment units to which the driver can
have access. For example, the driver may be afforded access to a CD
player, TV or game unit, besides a radio. Similarly, the driver may
or may not be granted access to the phone or navigation
capabilities also available in the subject vehicle.
[0104] It should be noted that the above options are for
illustrative purposes. Other options may include a weight limit
option whereby the agent may specify the limit of additional weight
to be put on the subject vehicle, thereby limiting the number of
passengers and/or amount of cargo that the temporary driver can
transport in the vehicle.
[0105] The amount of the additional fee may vary with the weight
limit value. Of course, where the weight limit is an option, the
automobile system in the subject vehicle, similar to that described
in the aforementioned '355 patent, would be capable of sensing the
vehicle weight and determining the increase in the weight during
the rental period. In the event that the weight increase exceeds
the weight limit, the automobile system causes disablement of the
vehicle, e.g., a cutoff of the gasoline supply in the vehicle.
Still other options may include whether the driver can have
Internet access, or access to the vehicle's engine compartment,
glove compartment, trunk, etc.
[0106] After the car rental agent provides the above rental
information onto E-card 2001, the aforementioned host computer
generates an access code for the driver to identify himself/herself
when the driver picks up the vehicle. Such an access code is also
incorporated in E-card 2001 for later verification which, in
particular, is incorporated in a header of E-card 2001. Also
incorporated in the header is an E-card identification, indicating
that E-card 2001 is a vehicle access E-card. The host computer
transmits all of the E-card information to the automobile system in
the subject vehicle via a wireless communications connection, and
the automobile system is accordingly programmed based on the
received information.
[0107] The agent then communicates via text or voice media to the
driver the access code; and the description and location of the
vehicle to be picked up. Preferably, the driver records the access
code and the vehicle description and location information somewhere
other than PCD 130 in the event that the driver should lose PCD
130, and an unauthorized driver may then be able to gain access to
the subject vehicle using the recorded information.
[0108] For security reasons, in this particular illustrative
embodiment, all of the 5 information on E-card 2001, except the
aforementioned E-card identification, is encrypted using a private
key stored in the host computer, in accordance with a well known
cryptographic methodology. One such cryptographic methodology is
the RSA methodology, named after its developers, Rivest, Shamir and
Adleman. For details on the RSA methodology, one may refer to: R.
Rivest et al., "A Method for Obtaining Digital Signatures and
Public Key Cryptosystems," Communications of the ACM, Vol. 21, No.
2, February 1978. The RSA methodology involves a public key
algorithm which uses a private key and a public key for data
encryption. Unlike a private key which is securely protected from
the public, a public key can be published and made known to the
public. The keys for the RSA algorithm are generated
mathematically, and are computational inverses to each other. The
success of the RSA methodology depends on the use of very large
numbers for the keys.
[0109] In an alternative embodiment, the E-card information may be
cryptographically signed, creating a digital signature for
authenticating the E-card information.
[0110] It will be appreciated that a person skilled in the art may
utilize other feasible cryptographic methodology, e.g., the digital
encryption standard (DES), Triple-DES, Diffie-Hellman or pretty
good privacy (PGP) methodology to achieve the above data encryption
or authentication, instead.
[0111] It suffices to know for now that the public key
corresponding to the aforementioned private key is stored in the
automobile system in the subject vehicle. Continuing the above
example, the car rental agent causes transmission of the encrypted
E-card information, along with the E-card identification, from PCD
120 to PCD 130. The latter stores the received information in a
Vehicle Access record therein.
[0112] When the temporary driver locates and picks up the subject
vehicle, the driver may use PCD 130 to transmit the Vehicle Access
record therein to the automobile system of the subject vehicle
through wireless or Bluetooth communications. Upon receiving the
Vehicle Access record, the automobile system recognizes that the
record concerns access to the subject vehicle based on the E-card
identification information in the record, as indicated at step 2101
in FIG. 21. In response, the automobile system at step 2104
decrypts the encrypted E-card information in the record using the
public key stored in the automobile system, in accordance with the
aforementioned cryptographic methodology. The automobile system is
then in possession of the plaintext information concerning E-card
2001, which includes the access code previously assigned to the
temporary driver. The automobile system at step 2107 elicits from
the temporary driver the corresponding access code to ensure that
he/she is an authorized driver. After the driver communicates the
access code, previously received from the car rental agent, to the
automobile system using PCD 130, the automobile system at step 2109
determines whether such an access code from the driver matches the
access code within the E-card information. If they do not match,
the driver is denied access, as indicated at step 2112. Otherwise,
if they match, the automobile system at step 2114 verifies that the
current pick-up date is within the rental period, i.e., between the
start date and end date on E-card 2001. At step 2117, the
automobile system enforces the mileage limit, geographic limit and
time limit, and activates audiovisual, phone and navigation options
specified on E-card 2001. In particular, the mileage limit is
enforced with the aid of an odometer in the vehicle which provides
a mileage reading to the automobile system. When the mileage
consumed by the driver approaches the mileage limit, warnings may
be given by the automobile system to the driver at different
stages, e.g., at 50 miles before the limit, 20 miles before the
limit, and 10 miles before the limit. The warnings may be
communicated to the driver via text or voice media through a user
interface in the automobile system which includes a display and
audio facilities. Each warning indicates how many miles left before
the limit, and includes information for contacting a car rental
agent to extend the mileage limit. In another embodiment, the
automobile system stores in a memory telephone numbers of car
rental agents. At the last warning, the automobile system initiates
a call to one of the agents through its phone interface. The
contacted agent can then communicate with the driver to discuss any
extension of the mileage limit. In yet another embodiment, the
automobile system stores in the memory an access number of the
aforementioned car rental company host computer. At the last
warning, the automobile system establishes a communication
connection with the host computer using the access number. The
driver may then utilize the user interface to communicate on-line
with the host computer regarding any extension of the mileage
limit. Otherwise, if no mileage limit is extended despite the
warnings, as soon as the automobile system detects any excessive
mileage consumed by the driver, it would cause disablement of the
vehicle. Similarly, the geographic limit is enforced with the aid
of a GPS device in the vehicle which provides the GPS coordinates
identifying the current vehicle position to the automobile system.
Successive warnings are given to the driver as the vehicle
approaches the borders of the geographic area (e.g., California in
this instance) defined by the GPS coordinates within the E-card
information. If the driver ignores such warnings and does not
extend the geographic limit, as soon as the automobile system
detects that the current vehicle position is outside the geographic
limit, it causes disablement of the vehicle. Moreover, the time
limit is enforced with the aid of a clock in the vehicle which
provides time information to the automobile system. Successive
warnings are given to the driver as the current time approaches the
end of the rental period. If the driver ignores such warnings, and
does not extend the rental period, as soon as the automobile system
detects that the rental period is over, it causes disablement of
the vehicle.
[0113] The automobile system at step 2119 unlocks the doors of the
subject vehicle to allow access thereto by the temporary driver.
However, the automobile system may provide, through its display, to
the driver an access key code for subsequent re-entry to the
vehicle. Alternatively, the access key code may be communicated by
the automobile system directly to the driver's PCD 130. The driver
may then use PCD 130 to transmit the access key code to the
automobile system to re-enter the vehicle. For the security
reasons, the access key code may be changed from time to time. To
that end, the automobile system incorporates a key code generator
for generating access key codes in a random or pseudo-random
fashion. As soon as the driver produces a valid access key code to
re-enter the vehicle, the automobile system operates the key code
generator to provide the driver with a different access key code
for subsequent re-entry.
[0114] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the
temporary driver may 5 also be provided with an electronic car-mail
feature provided by the automobile system in the subject vehicle to
receive his/her e-mail and other messages. Again, the car rental
company may charge for this feature as part of the car rental fee.
In order to fully appreciate the car-mail feature, the concept of
car-mail will now be described. Like a conventional e-mail message,
a car-mail message is formatted in accordance with well known
protocols, e.g., the well known mail transfer protocol and
transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), and it
may be delivered by conventional mail servers via a communications
network such as the Internet. However, unlike e-mail whose address
identifies a person for personal communications, the car-mail has
an address identifying the vehicle itself. As the car-mail address
appertains to, or specifically associated with, the vehicle, rather
than a person, e.g., the temporary driver, communications with the
vehicle using car-mail is intact, regardless of who the actual
vehicle user is.
[0115] A typical e-mail address is in the format of
<user-id>@<domain>, e.g., "jsmith@aol.com". As is well
known, the <user-id> part before the "@" sign, e.g.,
"jsmith", identifies the e-mail user, e.g., Joe Smith. The
<domain> part after the "@" sign, e.g., "aol.com", identifies
the access mail server, e.g., an American Online server connected
to the Internet, providing the e-mail service for Joe Smith in this
instance. However, a car-mail address is in the format of
<vehicle-id>@<domain>. In this instance, the
<vehicle-id> part identifies the subject vehicle which is
assigned by the aforementioned car rental company host computer.
The <domain> part may represent a predetermined access mail
server connected to the Internet for serving the car-mail needs of
vehicles. For illustrative purposes, the <domain> part may be
"vehicle.com" in this example.
[0116] The assigned car-mail address is communicated by the host
computer to the automobile system in the vehicle and is stored in a
memory in the automobile system. The car-mail address remains
unchanged during the vehicle rental period. The automobile system
includes car-mail communications subsystem 2203 in FIG. 22.
Subsystem 2203 further includes transceiver 2205, modem 2209, and
car-mail processor and memory 2211. Transceiver 2205 includes,
e.g., a wireless phone in the subject vehicle, for transmitting and
receiving information via wireless network 2213, e.g., the well
known advanced mobile phone service (AMPS) network, digital AMPS
network, personal communications service (PCS) network, global
system for mobile communications (GSM) network, paging network,
hybrid personal communications network (HPCN), satellite network,
microwave network, milliwave network, etc. Modem 2209 is used for
modulating and demodulating carriers carrying car-mail data to and
from data channels, e.g., cellular digital packet data (CDPD)
channels, in wireless network 2213. To that end, processor and
memory 2211 is used to compose and present car-mail messages in the
subject vehicle through a user interface in the automobile system.
For transmitting and receiving car-mail messages, transceiver 2205
establishes a dial-up connection through wireless network 2213 to
predetermined access server 2222 which, among others, serve
car-mail on Internet 170. It should be noted at this point that
server 2222 may not be the only one access server on the Internet
serving car-mail. It will be appreciated that more access servers
similar to server 2222 are geographically distributed for effective
communications of car-mail.
[0117] Continuing the above example, after the car rental company
host computer assigns the car-mail address for use in the subject
vehicle during the rental period, the car rental agent uses PCD 120
to communicate via text or voice media to the temporary driver the
assigned car-mail address, along with other information described
before. With this car-mail address, the car rental company can
continually communicate information in the form of car-mail with
the vehicle, as opposed to a particular person as in prior art
where a personal e-mail is used. Such information may concern
vehicle conditions and driving safety tips, and may include the
aforementioned warnings, advisories and emergency information
directed not only to the temporary driver, but also to any other
users, e.g., passengers, of the vehicle. In addition, the temporary
driver and other vehicle users may use the car-mail address as a
conventional e-mail address and give it out to people who want to
communicate with them during the rental period.
[0118] In the case where the temporary driver uses server 105 to
collect and sort his/her e-mail messages in a manner described
before, the temporary driver may use PCD 130 to communicate to
server 105 the forwarding car-mail address such that any e-mail
messages directed to him/her during the rental period can be
seamlessly forwarded to the automobile system for his/her review
and response.
[0119] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the
invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the
art will be able to devise numerous other systems which embody the
principles of the invention and are thus within its spirit and
scope.
[0120] For example, although server 105 and PCD 120, as disclosed,
are embodied in the form of various discrete functional blocks,
each of the server and PCD could equally well be embodied in an
arrangement in which the functions of any one or more of those
blocks or indeed, all of the functions thereof, are realized, for
example, by one or more appropriately programmed processors or
devices.
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