System and method for providing information matching a user's stated preferences

An apparatus comprising:

• a database configured to store, for a plurality of places, things, or both, information about the respective places, things, or both;
• a server coupled to the database, wherein the server is configured to:
• receive a search term from a wireless mobile device;
• receive a wireless mobile device location from the wireless mobile device, determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS);
• access the database to access the information about at least one of the places, things, or both;
• compare the search term and the information about the at least one of the places, things, or both to determine if the at least one of the places, things, or both has attributes that match the search term;
• determine a distance between the at least one of the places, things, or both and the wireless mobile device location;
• and
• send to the wireless mobile device an indication of the at least one of the places, things, or both that match the search term.

A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer code configured for execution on electronic computer hardware for matching users with information, comprising:

• code for first receiving, from a wireless mobile device of a user, a search term;
• code for second receiving from the wireless mobile device of the user, a location of the wireless mobile device of the user, determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS);
• code for accessing information about one or more places, things, or both;
• code for comparing the search term and the information about the one or more places, things, or both to determine if at least one of the one or more places, things, or both has attributes that match the search term;
• code for determining a distance between the at least one of the one or more places, things, or both and the location of the wireless mobile device of the user;
• and
• code for sending to the wireless mobile device of the user an indication of the at least one of the one or more places, things, or both that match the search term.

A method of operating a wireless mobile device of a user to notify the user about places, things, or both having attributes that match a search term, the method comprising:

• facilitating input to the wireless mobile device of the search term, using an input device of the mobile device;
• determining a location of the wireless mobile device using a Global Positioning System (GPS) device included in the wireless mobile device to receive and process a GPS signal;
• sending, from the wireless mobile device, the search term and the location of the wireless mobile device to a server;
• receiving from the server, by the wireless mobile device, an indication of at least one of the places, things, or both having attributes that match the search term;
• and
• displaying on a display of the wireless mobile device information about the at least one of the places, things, or both indicated in the indication.

A wireless mobile device comprising:

• an input device configured to enable a user of the wireless mobile device to input a search term;
• a Global Positioning System (GPS)-based location-determining device configured to receive a GPS signal and to determine a location of the wireless mobile device based at least in part on the GPS signal;
• a wireless communication transmitter configured to transmit the search term and the location of the wireless mobile device to a server;
• a wireless communication receiver configured to receive from the server an indication of one or more places, things, or both determined to have attributes matching the search term;
• and
• a display configured to display information about the one or more places, things, or both indicated in the indication.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer code configured for execution on electronic processing hardware of a wireless mobile device, comprising:

• code for facilitating input to the wireless mobile device of a search term, using an input device of the wireless mobile device;
• code for determining a location of the wireless mobile device based on processing a received Global Positioning System (GPS) signal;
• code for sending to a server the search term and the location of the wireless mobile device;
• code for receiving from the server an indication of one or more places, things, or both having attributes that match the search term;
• and
• code for displaying on a display of the wireless mobile device information about the one or more places, things, or both indicated in the indication.