US006327535B1
`(10) Patent No.:
`a2) United States Patent
`US 6,327,535 B1
`
` Evanset al. (45) Date of Patent: Dec. 4, 2001
`
`
`(75)
`
`(54) LOCATION BEACONING METHODS AND
`SYSTEMS
`Inventors: Stephen S. Evans, Redmond; Gopal
`Parupudi, Issaquah; Burdette J.
`Holtgrewe, Bellevue; Edward F. Reus,
`Woodinville; Gregory Burns, Seattle,
`all of WA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`Subject to anydisclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`US.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/543,646
`(22)
`Filed:
`Apr. 5, 2000
`,
`(SL) Wants CMe? cececreer GO06F 17/10
`(52) U.S. Che eee eeeeeee 701/300; 701/207; 701/214;
`701/216; 342/357.09
`(58) Field of Search 2...eee 701/200, 201,
`701/202, 206, 207, 214, 216, 300; 379/220,
`221; 342/357.01, 357.02, 357.08, 357.09
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,499,032 *
`3/1996 Kelley et al. cesses 701/207
`5,806,017 *
`9/1998 Hancock .......
`w 701/209
`5,917,911 *
`6/1999 Dabbish et al...
`eee 380/21
`.
`6,028,551 *
`2/2000 Schoen et al.
`342/357.16
`6,216,087 *
`4/2001 Wantet ab. wee 701/207
`
`
`
`* cited by examiner
`°
`Primary Examiner—William A. Cuchlinski, Jr.
`Assistant Examiner—Gertrude Arthur
`
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Lee & Hayes, PLLC
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`Context-aware compuling systems and methods are
`described. In particular embodiments, location aware sys-
`tems and methods are described.
`In the described
`embodiments, hierarchical
`tree structures are utilized to
`ascertain a device context or location. The tree structures can
`be stored on or accessible to mobile computing devices so
`that the devices can determine their own particular context
`or location. In one embodiment, one of the tree structures
`comprises a Master World tree structure that contains nodes
`that represent geographical divisions of the Earth. Another
`of the tree structures can comprise a so-called Secondary
`World that contains nodes that represent physical or logical
`entities that are organization or company specific views of
`the world. A computing device can automatically determine
`its context or location byascertaining a node on one or more
`of the tree structures and then traversing the tree structure to
`ascertain the complete context. A unique device architecture
`is described that permits context aware computing. The
`device architecture comprises a context service module, a
`commoninterface, and one or more context providers. The
`context providers provide information, through the common
`interface, that pertains to the context of a device, and the
`context service module processes the information to device
`the device’s context. An application program interface
`(APD/events layer is provided through which various appli-
`cations can call the device to ascertain the device’s location
`so that location dependent goods or services can be ren-
`dered. A privacy manageris also provided in some embodi-
`ments to enforce privacy thereby protecting the granularity
`of the location information that is provided to the applica-
`tions. In addition, unique location beaconsare described that
`transmit information that can be used by the computing
`device to ascertain its location.
`
`53 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets
`
`4130
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`U.S. Patent
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`U.S. Patent
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`U.S. Patent
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 4, 2001
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 4, 2001
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 4, 2001
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`Sheet 6 of 9
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 4, 2001
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`Sheet 9 of 9
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`US 6,327,535 B1
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