Broadcast channel delivery of location-based services information
View Patent ↗Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, mobile user devices that are located within a common geographic area are identified, and location-based service information is delivered to the identified mobile user devices over a broadcast channel shared by those mobile user devices. A response to the location-based service information maybe received from at least a given one of the mobile user devices, and at least one message maybe controllably delivered to the given one of the mobile user devices based on the response to the location-based service information.
1. A method of providing location-based services, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying a plurality of mobile user devices associated with a wireless network that are located within a common geographic area; and
delivering location-based service information to the plurality of mobile user devices associated with the wireless network over a broadcast channel shared by said mobile user devices;
wherein the delivering step further comprises delivering content summaries to the plurality of mobile user devices over the broadcast channel;
the method further including the steps of:
responsive to delivery of the content summaries over the broadcast channel, receiving from a given one of the mobile user devices a request for particular content associated with a corresponding one of the content summaries; and
delivering the particular content to the given mobile user device;
wherein the request for particular content is automatically generated within the given mobile user device as a function of the delivered content summaries and a location measurement performed by the given mobile user device.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a given one of the mobile user devices stores the location-based service information in an internal memory thereof.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the given one of the mobile user devices subsequently accesses at least a portion of the stored location-based service information based on at least one of location, presence and profile information associated with that device.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the broadcast channel comprises a paging channel of the wireless network.
5. A method of providing location-based services, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying a plurality of mobile user devices associated with a wireless network that are located within a common geographic area; and
delivering location-based service information to the plurality of mobile user devices associated with the wireless network over a broadcast channel shared by said mobile user devices;
wherein the location-based service information comprises content-identifying information identifying location-based service content that is available for delivery to the mobile user devices, such that a given one of the mobile user devices can autonomously select from the available location-based service content particular location-based service content to be delivered to that device.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the content summaries are transmitted to the mobile user devices as a linked list of content summaries transmitted in one or more slots of a slotted broadcast channel.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the location-based service information comprises assist information for use by a given one of the mobile user devices in determining its current location.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the assist information comprises assist data for use in an AGPS location process.
9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied therein executable program code which when executed by at least one processing device implements the method of claim 1 .
10. An apparatus for use in providing location-based services, the apparatus comprising:
a location-based services system comprising at least one processing device having a processor coupled to a memory;
wherein the location-based services system is adapted to identify a plurality of mobile user devices associated with a wireless network that are located within a common geographic area; and
wherein the location-based services system is further adapted to control delivery of location-based service information to the plurality of mobile user devices associated with the wireless network over a broadcast channel shared by said mobile user devices;
said delivery of location-based service information further comprising delivering content summaries to the plurality of mobile user devices over the broadcast channel;
wherein responsive to delivery of the content summaries over the broadcast channel, a request is received from a given one of the mobile user devices for particular content associated with a corresponding one of the content summaries, and the particular content is delivered to the given mobile user device; and
wherein the request for particular content is automatically generated within the given mobile user device as a function of the delivered content summaries and a location measurement performed by the given mobile user device.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the location-based services system is external to the wireless network.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the location-based services system is implemented using a layered architecture comprising at least an application support layer, an application enabling layer, a location-based service enabling layer and a network connectivity layer.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the location-based services system is further adapted to receive a response to the location-based service information from at least a given one of the mobile user devices, and to control delivery of at least one message to the given one of the mobile user devices based on the response to the location-based service information.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the broadcast channel comprises a paging channel of the wireless network.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the content summaries are transmitted to the mobile user devices as a linked list of content summaries transmitted in one or more slots of a slotted broadcast channel.
16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the location-based service information comprises assist information for use by a given one of the mobile user devices in determining its current location.
17. An apparatus comprising:
a mobile user device associated with a wireless network, the mobile user device being configured to receive location-based service information delivered over a broadcast channel shared by the mobile user device and at least one additional mobile user device identified as being commonly located therewith;
said delivery of location-based service information further comprising delivering content summaries to the mobile user devices over the broadcast channel;
wherein responsive to delivery of the content summaries over the broadcast channel, the configured mobile user device generates a request for particular content associated with a corresponding one of the content summaries; and
wherein the request for particular content is automatically generated within the mobile user device as a function of the delivered content summaries and a location measurement performed by the mobile user device.
18. The mobile user device of claim 17 wherein said mobile user device is configured to store the location-based service information in an internal memory thereof.
19. The mobile user device of claim 18 wherein said mobile user device is configured to subsequently access at least a portion of the stored location-based service information based on at least one of location, presence and profile information associated with that device.
20. The mobile user device of claim 17 wherein the location-based service information is delivered under the control of a location-based services system.