Apparatus, method and computer program product providing location-enhanced contact list
View Patent ↗A device includes an interface to a communications network; at least one data processor; at least one memory coupled to the at least one data processor, the at least one memory storing a contact list; and a user interface coupled to the at least one data processor. The data processor is responsive to a user specifying a place to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is present at the specified place and, if so, to contact the other device via the interface to the communications network.
1. A method, comprising:
in a first mode of operation, specifying a place via a user interface of a device that comprises communication functionality, where specifying comprises using a contact list that is stored in a memory of the device and that is displayed to a user of the device, where the place is presented to the user as a place name entry in the contact list;
determining if another device that comprises communication functionality is currently located at the specified place; and
placing a call to the other device if the other device is determined to be currently located at the specified place.
2. The method of claim 1 , where determining uses GPS coordinates.
3. The method of claim 1 , where determining uses cell location information.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in a second mode of operation, specifying a name of person associated with another device;
determining a location of the other device, and
displaying the determined location using the user interface of the device.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising an initial step of storing in the contact list a name of the place in association with information that is descriptive of a location of the place.
6. The method of claim 5 , where storing stores coordinates obtained from a GPS system in association with the name of the place.
7. The method of claim 5 , where storing stores cell location information in association with the name of the place.
8. The method of claim 5 , where storing stores user-specified location information in association with the name of the place.
9. The method of claim 1 , where the device comprises a wireless communications device.
10. The method of claim 1 , where placing a call automatically places the call if the another device is one associated with another entry in the contact list.
11. The method of claim 1 , where placing a call includes determining if more than one another device is currently located at the specified place and, if so, further comprises automatically selecting one of the another devices and placing the call to the selected one of the another devices.
12. The method of claim 1 , where placing a call includes determining if more than one another device is currently located at the specified place and, if so, further comprises displaying to the user identifications of the more than one another devices, and in response to the user making a selection, placing the call to the selected one of the another devices.
13. A computer-readable memory that stores a computer program that comprises program instructions execution of which by at least one data processor results in operations comprising:
in a first mode of operation, specifying a place via a user interface of a device that comprises communication functionality, where specifying comprises using a contact list that is stored in a memory of the device and that is displayed to a user of the device, where the place is presented to the user as a place name entry in the contact list;
determining if another device that comprises communication functionality is currently located at the specified place; and
placing a call to the other device if the other device is determined to be currently located at the specified place.
14. The memory of claim 13 , where the determining operation uses GPS coordinates.
15. The memory of claim 13 , where the determining operation uses cell location information.
16. The memory of claim 13 , further comprising operations of:
in a second mode of operation, specifying a name of person associated with another device;
determining a location of the other device; and
displaying the determined location using the user interface of the device.
17. The memory of claim 13 , further comprising an initial operation of storing in the contact list a name of the place in association with information that is descriptive of a location of the place.
18. The memory of claim 17 , where the storing operation stores coordinates obtained from a GPS system in association with the name of the place.
19. The memory of claim 17 , where the storing operation stores cell location information in association with the name of the place.
20. The memory of claim 17 , where the storing operation stores user-specified location information in association with the name of the place.
21. The memory of claim 13 , where the device comprises a wireless communications device.
22. A device, comprising:
an interface to a communications network;
at least one data processor;
at least one memory coupled to the at least one data processor, the at least one memory storing a contact list; and
a user interface coupled to the at least one data processor; where
the data processor is responsive to a user specifying a place, where the place is presented to a user as a place name entry in the contact list, to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is present at the specified place and, if so, to contact the other device via the interface to the communications network.
23. The device of claim 22 , where the interface to the communications network is comprised of a wireless interface.
24. The device of claim 22 , where the interface to the communications network is comprised of a wired interface.
25. The device of claim 22 , where the data processor uses GPS coordinates, received through the interface, to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is at the specified place.
26. The device of claim 22 , where the data processor uses information based on cell location information, received through the interface, to determine if another device associated with a person in the contact list is at the specified place.
27. The device of claim 22 , where the data processor is further operable, in response to the user specifying a person associated with another device, to display on the user interface a location of a device associated with specified person.
28. The device of claim 22 , where said contact list stores a name of the place in association with information that is descriptive of a location of the place.
29. The device of claim 28 , where the information that is descriptive of a location of the place is obtained from a GPS system.
30. The device of claim 28 , where the information that is descriptive of a location of the place is obtained from cell location information.
31. The device of claim 28 , where the information that is descriptive of a location of the place is obtained from the user of the device via the user interface.