US 6,766,245 B2 · Landmark-based location of users

Abstract

Humans identify location and directions based on visual cues, such as landmarks, rather than a precise coordinate grid. A database of landmarks can be used to determine the location of a user who can merely describe their location in the same manner they would to any human contact. The location of the user can be determined based on the landmarks described in the input, and the areas from which all of those landmarks are visible. Various databases can be used, including text-based and three-dimensional. Similarly, various mechanisms can be used to determine the user's location, including hierarchical approaches, query optimization approaches, and visibility percentage approaches. Ultimately, the user's location can be determined without the need for expensive, dedicated infrastructure, without compromising the user's security, and without subjecting the user to system outages.

Claims45

Dependent claims

A method for determining a location of a user, the method comprising:

receiving a user input comprising a first landmark description of a first landmark visible to the user;
comparing the first landmark description to a database of known landmarks;
deriving, from the database of known landmarks, a first candidate landmark for the first landmark as a function of the first landmark description;
calculating a first visibility region for the first candidate landmark, wherein the calculating the first visibility region comprises determining whether the candidate landmark is visible from more than one location;
and
determining the location of the user as a function of the first visibility region.

3 more elements

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for determining a location of a user, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

receiving a user input comprising a first landmark description of a first landmark visible to the user;
comparing the first landmark description to a database of known landmarks;
deriving, from the database of known landmarks, a first candidate landmark for the first landmark as a function of the first landmark description;
calculating a first visibility region for the first candidate landmark, wherein the calculating the first visibility region comprises determining whether the candidate landmark is visible from more than one location;
and
determining the location of the user as a function of the first visibility region.

3 more elements

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for determining a location of a user, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

receiving a user input comprising a first landmark description of a first landmark, and a second landmark description of a second landmark;
deriving at least one first candidate landmark for the first landmark and at least one second candidate landmark for the second landmark by comparing the first landmark description and the second landmark description to a database of known landmarks;
calculating a visibility region for each of the at least one first candidate landmark and the at least one second candidate landmark;
and
determining the location of the user as a function of an intersection of the calculated visibility regions.

2 more elements

A portable computing device for determining a location of a user, the portable computing device comprising:

a user input device for receiving a user input comprising a first landmark description of a first landmark visible to the user;
a memory storage device having stored thereon information comprising a database of known landmarks;
and
a processing unit for performing steps comprising:
comparing the first landmark description to a database of known landmarks;
deriving, from the database of known landmarks, a first candidate landmark for the first landmark as a function of the first landmark description;
calculating a first visibility region for the first candidate landmark, wherein the calculating the first visibility region comprises determining whether the candidate landmark is visible from more than one location;
and
determining the location of the user as a function of the first visibility region.

6 more elements

A system for determining a location of a user, the system comprising:

a portable computing device comprising:
a user input device for receiving a user input comprising a first landmark description of a first landmark visible to the user;
and
a first communication device for communicating with a server computing device;
and
the server computing device comprising:
a second communication device for communicating with the portable computing device;
a memory storage device having stored thereon at least a part of the database of known landmarks;
and
a first processing unit for performing steps comprising:
calculating a first visibility region for a first candidate landmark, wherein the calculating the first visibility region comprises determining whether the candidate landmark is visible from more than one location.

8 more elements

A portable computing device for determining a location of a user, the portable computing device comprising:

means for receiving a user input comprising a first landmark description of a first landmark visible to the user;
means for storing information comprising a database of known landmarks;
means for comparing the first landmark description to a database of known landmarks;
means for deriving, from the database of known landmarks, a first candidate landmark for the first landmark as a function of the first landmark description;
means for calculating a first visibility region for the first candidate landmark, wherein the calculating the first visibility region comprises determining whether the candidate landmark is visible from more than one location;
and
means for determining the location of the user as a function of the first visibility region.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Landmark-based location of users

Life of this patent

Landmark-based location of users

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims45