Location-Aware Content and Location-Based Advertising with a Mobile Device

Abstract

Many mobile devices such as smart phones can generate content ranging from text and audio, to images and videos that are taken with their cameras. These devices are also equipped with wireless radios and magnetometers that can be used to obtain position and orientation information. It is possible to allow the user of the mobile phone to add the position and orientation information of the mobile and date/time to the content that the mobile generates. Thus, emails, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, blog entries, audio recordings, and pictures/video that are generated with the mobile can be geotagged with the mobile's position and orientation, as well as the date and time. This information can then be used by a location-based contextual advertising server to provide more relevant on-line ads.

1 . A method of providing location-based advertising to a mobile device, the method comprising:
 receiving content and metadata associated with the content from the mobile device, the metadata comprising a geographical identification of the content; and   sending location-based information to the mobile device based on the geographical identification of the content.   
     
     
         2 . The method  claim 1 , wherein the geographical identification comprises latitude and longitude coordinates of a location where the content was generated. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the geographical identification comprises an orientation of the mobile device when the content was generated, wherein sending location-based information comprises sending information to the mobile device based on the orientation of the mobile device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metadata further comprises a time when the content was generated, the method further comprising sending time sensitive information to the mobile device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a difference between the time when the content was generated and a current time is more than a threshold, the method further comprising:
 determining a velocity of the mobile device based on a set of previously received content;   determining a direction of the mobile device based on the set of previously received content; and   interpolating the location of the mobile device based on the location of the generated content and the velocity and the direction of the mobile device.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining a context from the content received from the mobile device; and 
 narrowing the location-based information based on the determined context. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location-based information is location-based advertising. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location-based information is information requested by the mobile device. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile device does not transmit live tracking of the mobile device location. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising sending a telephone link to the mobile device to contact a service provider associated with the location-based information. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the telephone link is a link to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server to make a call. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing a map associated with the location-based information to the mobile device. 
     
     
         13 . A method of providing location-based advertising by a server to a set of mobile devices, wherein the mobile devices exchange collaborative messages with each other, the method comprising:
 receiving a message at the server from a first mobile device, the message comprising a content of a previous message sent from a second device to the first device;   determining a location of the second mobile device from the content of the message; and   sending location-based advertising to the second mobile device based on the determined location.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising narrowing the location-based advertising based on the context of the message. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 determining a location of the first device based on a content of the message; and 
 sending location-based advertising to the first mobile device based on the determined location. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising narrowing the location-based advertising sent to the first mobile device based on the context of the message. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the message is an email, wherein the location information is embedded in the email. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the message is an SMS, wherein the location information is embedded in the SMS. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the message is exchanged using a social networking web site, wherein the location information is embedded in the message. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the message comprises a content of previous messages from a set of participants exchanging collaborative messages with the first device, the method further comprising:
 determining a location of at least one participant from the content of the message; and   sending location-based advertising to a mobile device of the participant based on the determined location.   
     
     
         21 - 35 . (canceled)