Directional navigation with mobile and fixed-location device internet query initiation

Abstract

A mobile wireless network and a method of operation provide directional assistance in response to an Internet query. The directional assistance is provided from a location of the querying device to a destination that may be selectively prompted based on whether the destination is a nearby business, a type of business, a street address, or another mobile device or fixed telephone location. An indication of location of the querying device is also selectively obtained depending on whether the querying device is a wireless device such as a mobile telephone, or whether the device has a presumed fixed location, such as an ordinary telephone connected to a public-switched telephone network (PSTN).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing navigation assistance to a user of a communications device, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a directional assistance service, an Internet query initiated at the communications device and directed via the Internet to initiate a request for navigational assistance to a destination;   responsive to receiving the Internet query, determining whether or not the communications device is a mobile wireless communications device;   responsive to determining that the communications device is the mobile wireless communications device, the directional assistance service obtaining an indication of a present location of the mobile wireless communications device;   responsive to determining that the communications device is not the mobile wireless communications device, obtaining a fixed location associated with the communications device; and   the directional assistance service providing navigation information to the communications device in response to the Internet query, wherein the navigation provides directions for proceeding to the destination.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the directional assistance service obtaining the indication of the present location comprises receiving the indication of the present location from the communications device that initiates the Internet query. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the receiving the indication of the present location receives latitude/longitude coordinates obtained by a GPS system of the communications device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the directional assistance service obtaining the indication of the present location comprises receiving the indication of the present location from a user location database connected to a wireless network. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving the indication of the present location from the user location database connected to the wireless network comprises receiving GPS information received by the wireless network from the communications device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the fixed location associated with the communications device comprises retrieving the fixed location from a database. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the retrieving the fixed location from the database comprises querying a public service telephone network (PSTN). 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a user input of a destination telephone number at the communications device, wherein the received Internet query includes the destination phone number; and   the directional assistance service determining the destination from the destination phone number.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a user input of a destination address at the communications device, wherein the received Internet query includes the destination address; and   the directional assistance service determining the destination from the destination address.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a user input of a name of a business at the communications device, wherein the received Internet query includes the name of the business; and   the directional assistance service determining the destination from the name of the business.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 monitoring movement of the wireless device; and   sending a solicitation to a user the wireless device as targeted advertising.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sending a solicitation comprises sending a text message. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the directional assistance service prompting the user of the communications device to provide an option for selection of suggested nearby businesses as the destination;   responsive to the user selecting the option for selection of the suggested nearby businesses, the directional assistance service suggesting one or more nearby businesses; and   responsive to a user input selecting a selected one of the suggested nearby businesses, sending the Internet query including an identifier of the selected one of the suggested nearby businesses.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 the directional assistance service prompting the user of the communications device to provide an option for selection of a category of business for the suggested nearby businesses;   responsive to the user selecting the option for selection of the category of business, sending a prompt for the user to specify the category of business; and   responsive to the user specifying the category of business, the directional assistance service suggesting the one or more nearby businesses matching the category of business.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the directional assistance service prompting the user of the communications device to provide an option for selection of tracking another communications device that is another mobile wireless communications device; and   responsive to the user selecting the option for tracking the another mobile wireless communications device, the communications device sending the Internet query with an identifier of the another mobile wireless communications device.   
     
     
         16 . A mobile wireless communications network, comprising:
 multiple radio-frequency transceivers and associated multiple antennas to which the associated radio-frequency transceivers are coupled, wherein the multiple radio-frequency transceivers are configured for radio-frequency communication with one or more mobile wireless communications devices; and   a directional assistance network coupled to the multiple radio-frequency transceivers, wherein the directional assistance network receives an Internet query initiated at a communications device and directed via the Internet to initiate a request for navigational assistance to a destination and responsive to receiving the Internet query, determines whether or not the communications device is a one of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices, and responsive to determining that the communications device is a one of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices, obtaining an indication of a present location of the communication device, wherein the directional assistance network, responsive to determining that the communications device is not one of the one or more mobile wireless communications devices, obtains a fixed location associated with the communications device, and wherein the directional assistance network provides navigation information to the communications device in response to the Internet query, and wherein the navigation information provides directions for proceeding to the destination.   
     
     
         17 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the directional assistance service obtains the indication of the present location by receiving the indication of the present location from the communications device. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 17 , wherein the directional assistance service receives latitude/longitude coordinates obtained by a GPS system of the communications device. 
     
     
         19 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the directional assistance service receives the indication of the present location from a user location database connected to a wireless network. 
     
     
         20 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the directional assistance service receives GPS information received by the wireless network from the communications device. 
     
     
         21 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the directional assistance service retrieves the fixed location from a database. 
     
     
         22 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 21 , wherein the directional assistance service retrieves the fixed location by querying a public service telephone network (PSTN). 
     
     
         23 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the user device receives a user input of a destination telephone number, wherein the received Internet query includes the destination phone number, and wherein the directional assistance service determines the destination from the destination phone number. 
     
     
         24 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a user input of a destination address at the communications device, wherein the received Internet query includes the destination address, and wherein the directional assistance service determines the destination from the destination address. 
     
     
         25 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the communications device receives a user input of a name of a business at the communications device, wherein the received Internet query includes the name of the business, and wherein the directional assistance service determines the destination from the name of the business. 
     
     
         26 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , further comprising a geographic advertising system that monitors movement of the wireless device and sends a solicitation to a user the wireless device as targeted advertising. 
     
     
         27 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 26 , wherein the geographic advertising sends the solicitation by sending a text message to the communications device. 
     
     
         28 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the directional assistance service prompts the user of the communications device to provide an option for selection of suggested nearby businesses as the destination, wherein responsive to the user selecting the option for selection of the suggested nearby businesses, the directional assistance service suggests one or more nearby businesses and responsive to a user input selecting a selected one of the suggested nearby businesses, the communications device sends the Internet query including an identifier of the selected one of the suggested nearby businesses. 
     
     
         29 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 28 , wherein the directional assistance service prompts the user of the communications device to provide an option for selection of a category of business for the suggested nearby businesses and responsive to the user selecting the option for selection of the category of business, sends a prompt for the user to specify the category of business, and wherein the directional assistance network, responsive to the user specifying the category of business, suggests the one or more nearby businesses matching the category of business. 
     
     
         30 . The mobile wireless communications network of  claim 16 , wherein the directional assistance service prompts the user of the communications device to provide an option for selection of tracking another communications device that is another mobile wireless communications device, and wherein the communications device, responsive to the user selecting the option for tracking the another mobile wireless communications device, sends the Internet query with an identifier of the another mobile wireless communications device.