Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING
MAPPING FUNCTIONALITY AND INFORMATION
IN CONTACT LISTS OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES
BACKGROUND
Field of the Technology
The present disclosure relates generally to mapping functionality and
techniques
which are suitable for use in mobile communication devices operating in
wireless
communication networks.
Description of the Related Art
A mobile communication device may provide a contact organizer function for use
in organizing a plurality of contacts in a contact list for an end user. The
contact organizer
function may be an address book organizer function, for example, where each
contact of
the plurality of contacts includes a name and associated contact information
such as an
address, one or more telephone numbers, and an electronic mail (e-mail)
address. Some of
the contact information, such as the telephone number and e-mail address, may
be utilized
when communications are initiated from the mobile communication device by the
end
user.
Increasingly, mobile communication devices are also provided with mapping
functionality for presenting visually displayed maps of geographic locations.
However,
there has been no known useful integration of such contact organizer
functionality and
mapping functionality in mobile communication devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatus for associating mapping
functionality and information with contact list functionality and information,
especially in
mobile communication devices which operate in wireless communication networks.
SUMMARY
In one illustrative example of techniques of the present disclosure, a method
of
associating mapping functionality in a contact list of a mobile communication
device
comprises the acts of providing a contact list organizer function in the
mobile
communication device for use in organizing a plurality of contacts of a
contact book or
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list; identifying, through a user interface of the mobile communication
device, a user input
request to map a location of a selected one of the contacts of the contact
list; and in
response to the user input request, performing the following further acts of
identifying an
address of the location in one or more address fields of the selected contact;
sending, to an
address geocoding server via wireless network, a request for location
coordinates with the
address as an input; receiving, via the wireless network, latitude and
longitude coordinates
of the location in response to the request for the location coordinates; and
causing a map
corresponding to the location of the selected contact to be visually rendered
in a display of
the mobile device based on map rendering data for the location corresponding
to the
latitude and longitude coordinates received via the wireless network in
response to a
request for map data of the location.
In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing
mapping
functionality in a contact list of a mobile communication device which is
adapted to
operate in a wireless communication network, the method comprising the acts of
providing
a contact list organizer function in the mobile communication device for use
in organizing
a plurality of contacts of the contact list; identifying, through a user
interface of the mobile
communication device, a user input request to map a location of a selected one
of the
contacts of the contact list; in response to the user input request:
identifying an address of
the location in one or more address fields of the selected contact; sending,
via the wireless
communication network, a request for location coordinates with the address as
an input;
receiving, via the wireless communication network, latitude and longitude
coordinates of
the location in response to the request for the location coordinates; if map
rendering data
for the location corresponding to the latitude and longitude coordinates is
cached in
memory of the mobile communication device: causing a map for the location
corresponding to the latitude and longitude coordinates to be rendered in the
display based
on the map rendering data cached in the memory; otherwise, if map rendering
data for the
location corresponding to the latitude and longitude coordinates is not cached
in memory
of the mobile communication device: sending, via the wireless communication
network, a
request for map data with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the
location as the
input; receiving, via the wireless communication network, map rendering data
for the
location corresponding to the latitude and longitude coordinates in response
to the request
for the map data; and causing the map to be rendered in the display based on
the map
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rendering data received via the wireless communication network in response to
the request
for the map data.
In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a mobile
communication
device having a contact list organizer function for use in organizing a
plurality of contacts
of a contact list, the mobile communication device comprising a wireless
transceiver
operative for communications with a wireless communication network; one or
more
processors coupled to the wireless transceiver; a user interface which
includes a visual
display; the one or more processors being operative to: identify, through the
user interface,
a user input request to map a location of a selected one of the contacts of
the contact list;
in response to the user input request: identify an address of the location in
one or more
address fields of the selected contact; send, to the wireless communication
network via the
wireless transceiver, a request for location coordinates with the address as
an input;
receive, from the wireless communication network via the wireless transceiver,
latitude
and longitude coordinates in response to the request for location coordinates;
if map
rendering data for the location corresponding to the latitude and longitude
coordinates is
cached in memory of the mobile communication device: cause a map for the
location
corresponding to the latitude and longitude coordinates to be rendered in the
display based
on the map rendering data cached in the memory; otherwise, if map rendering
data for the
location corresponding to the latitude and longitude coordinates is not cached
in memory
of the mobile communication device: send, to the wireless communication
network via the
wireless transceiver, a request for map data with the latitude and longitude
coordinates of
the location as the input; receiving, from the wireless communication network
via the
wireless transceiver, map rendering data for the location corresponding to the
latitude and
longitude coordinates in response to the request for the map data; and causing
the map to
be rendered in the display based on the map rendering data received from the
wireless
communication network in response to the request for the map data.
In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method to provide
mapping functionality in an address book of a communication device, the method
comprising displaying a menu list of functions associated with a contact entry
of the
address book, including a function to display on a map a location of an
address listed in
the contact entry; receiving an input request to display on a map the
location; and
displaying a map corresponding to the location, in a display of the
communication device.
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In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method to provide
mapping functionality in an address book of a communication device, the method
comprising displaying a menu list of functions associated with a contact entry
of the
address book, including a function to map a location of an address listed in
the contact
entry; receiving an input request to map the location; and displaying a map
corresponding
to the location, in a display of the communication device.
In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a communication
device to
provide mapping functionality in an address book of a communication device,
comprising
a display; a controller, interactive with the display, and configured to
display on the
display, a menu list of functions associated with a contact entry of the
address book,
including a function to display on a map a location of an address listed in
the contact
entry; receive an input request to display on a map the location, and present
on the display,
a map corresponding to the location.
In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a communication
device to
provide mapping functionality in an address book of a communication device,
comprising
a display; a controller, interactive with the display, and configured to
display on the
display, a menu list of functions associated with a contact entry of the
address book,
including a function to map a location of an address listed in the contact
entry; receive an
input request to map the location, and present on the display, a map
corresponding to the
location.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of present disclosure will now be described by way of example with
reference to attached figures, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram which illustrates pertinent components of a mobile
communication device and a wireless communication network of a communication
system;
FIG. 2 is a more detailed diagram of a preferred mobile communication device
of
FIG. 1, namely, a mobile station;
FIG. 3A is a system diagram of network components which provide mapping
functionality in the mobile communication devices of FIGs. 1 and 2;
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FIG. 3B illustrates a message exchange between a mobile communication device
and a map server for downloading map content to the mobile communication
device based
on the system of FIG. 3A;
FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a Maplet data structure according to an exemplary
embodiment;
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a user interface of the mobile communication
device;
FIG. 5 is an illustration of various software applications which may reside in
the
mobile communication device;
FIGs. 6 and 7 are illustrations of a positioning wheel of the mobile
communication
device;
FIG. 8 is an illustration of information which may be displayed in a visual
display
of the mobile communication device, the information being an address book
contact of an
address book of the mobile communication device which contains a plurality of
address
book contacts;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of associating mapping functionality and
information in an address book, which is one specific type of contact book
which may be
provided;
FIGs. 10-14 are illustrations of information which may be displayed in the
visual
display in a sequence of events outlined in the flowchart of FIG. 9; and
FIG. 15 is a flowchart of another method of associating mapping functionality
and
information in the address book.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In one illustrative example of techniques of the present disclosure, a method
of
associating mapping functionality in a contact list of a mobile communication
device
comprises the acts of providing a contact list organizer function in the
mobile
communication device for use in organizing a plurality of contacts of a
contact book or
list; identifying, through a user interface of the mobile communication
device, a user input
request to map a location of a selected one of the contacts of the contact
list; and in
response to the user input request, performing the following further acts of
identifying an
address of the location in one or more address fields of the selected contact;
sending, to an
address geocoding server via wireless network, a request for location
coordinates with the
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address as an input; receiving, via the wireless network, latitude and
longitude coordinates
of the location in response to the request for the location coordinates; and
causing a map
corresponding to the location of the selected contact to be visually rendered
in a display of
the mobile device based on map rendering data for the location corresponding
to the
latitude and longitude coordinates received via the wireless network in
response to a
request for map data of the location.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system 100 which includes a
mobile
station 102 (one type of wireless or mobile communication device) which
communicates
through a wireless communication network 104. Mobile station 102 preferably
includes a
visual display 112, a keyboard 114, and perhaps one or more auxiliary user
interfaces (UI)
116, each of which are coupled to a controller 106. Controller 106 is also
coupled to radio
frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 108 and an antenna 110. Typically,
controller 106 is
embodied as a central processing unit (CPU) which runs operating system
software in a
memory component (not shown). Controller 106 will normally control overall
operation
of mobile station 102, whereas signal processing operations associated with
communication functions are typically performed in RF transceiver circuitry
108.
Controller 106 interfaces with device display 112 to display received
information, stored
information, user inputs, and the like. Keyboard 114, which may be a telephone
type
keypad or full alphanumeric keyboard, is normally provided for entering data
for storage
in mobile station 102, information for transmission to network 104, a
telephone number to
place a telephone call, commands to be executed on mobile station 102, and
possibly other
or different user inputs.
Mobile station 102 sends communication signals to and receives communication
signals from network 104 over a wireless link via antenna 110. RF transceiver
circuitry
108 performs functions similar to those of station 118 and BSC 120, including
for example
modulation/demodulation and possibly encoding/decoding and
encryption/decryption. It
is also contemplated that RF transceiver circuitry 108 may perform certain
functions in
addition to those performed by BSC 120. It will be apparent to those skilled
in art that RF
transceiver circuitry 108 will be adapted to particular wireless network or
networks in
which mobile station 102 is intended to operate.
Mobile station 102 includes a battery interface 134 for receiving one or more
rechargeable batteries 132. Battery 132 provides electrical power to
electrical circuitry in
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mobile station 102, and battery interface 134 provides for a mechanical and
electrical
connection for battery 132. Battery interface 134 is coupled to a regulator
136 which
regulates power to the device. When mobile station 102 is fully operational,
an RF
transmitter of RF transceiver circuitry 108 is typically keyed or turned on
only when it is
sending to network, and is otherwise turned off to conserve resources.
Similarly, an RF
receiver of RF transceiver circuitry 108 is typically periodically turned off
to conserve
power until it is needed to receive signals or information (if at all) during
designated time
periods.
Mobile station 102 operates using a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 140 which
is connected to or inserted in mobile station 102 at a SIM interface 142. SIM
140 is one
type of a conventional "smart card" used to identify an end user (or
subscriber) of mobile
station 102 and to personalize the device, among other things. Without SIM
140, the
mobile station terminal is not fully operational for communication through
wireless
network 104. By inserting SIM 140 into mobile station 102, an end user can
have access
to any and all of his/her subscribed services. SIM 140 generally includes a
processor and
memory for storing information. Since SIM 140 is coupled to SIM interface 142,
it is
coupled to controller 106 through communication lines 144. In order to
identify the
subscriber, SIM 140 contains some user parameters such as an International
Mobile
Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage of using SIM 140 is that end users
are not
necessarily bound by any single physical mobile station. SIM 140 may store
additional
user information for the mobile station as well, including datebook (or
calendar)
information and recent call information.
Mobile station 102 may consist of a single unit, such as a data communication
device, a cellular telephone, a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, a
multiple-function
communication device with data and voice communication capabilities, a
personal digital
assistant (PDA) enabled for wireless communication, or a computer
incorporating an
internal modem. Alternatively, mobile station 102 may be a multiple-module
unit
comprising a plurality of separate components, including but in no way limited
to a
computer or other device connected to a wireless modem. In particular, for
example, in
the mobile station block diagram of FIG. 1, RF transceiver circuitry 108 and
antenna 110
may be implemented as a radio modem unit that may be inserted into a port on a
laptop
computer. In this case, the laptop computer would include display 112,
keyboard 114, one
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or more auxiliary UIs 116, and controller 106 embodied as the computer's CPU.
It is also
contemplated that a computer or other equipment not normally capable of
wireless
communication may be adapted to connect to and effectively assume control of
RF
transceiver circuitry 108 and antenna 110 of a single-unit device such as one
of those
described above. Such a mobile station 102 may have a more particular
implementation as
described later in relation to mobile station 402 of FIG. 2.
Mobile station 102 communicates in and through wireless communication network
104. Wireless communication network 104 may be a cellular telecommunications
network. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, wireless network 104 is configured in
accordance
with Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS) technologies. Although wireless communication network 104 is
described herein as a GSM/GPRS type network, any suitable network technologies
may be
utilized such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA),
whether 2G, 3G, or Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) based
technologies. In this embodiment, the GSM/GPRS wireless network 104 includes a
base
station controller (BSC) 120 with an associated tower station 118, a Mobile
Switching
Center (MSC) 122, a Home Location Register (HLR) 132, a Serving General Packet
Radio
Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN) 126, and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)
128. MSC 122 is coupled to BSC 120 and to a landline network, such as a Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 124. SGSN 126 is coupled to BSC 120 and to
GGSN 128, which is in turn coupled to a public or private data network 130
(such as the
Internet). HLR 132 is coupled to MSC 122, SGSN 126, and GGSN 128.
Station 118 is a fixed transceiver station, and station 118 and BSC 120 may be
referred to as transceiver equipment. The transceiver equipment provides
wireless
network coverage for a particular coverage area commonly referred to as a
"cell". The
transceiver equipment transmits communication signals to and receives
communication
signals from mobile stations within its cell via station 118. The transceiver
equipment
normally performs such functions as modulation and possibly encoding and/or
encryption
of signals to be transmitted to the mobile station in accordance with
particular, usually
predetermined, communication protocols and parameters, under control of its
controller.
The transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possibly decodes and
decrypts, if
necessary, any communication signals received from mobile station 102 within
its cell.
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Communication protocols and parameters may vary between different networks.
For
example, one network may employ a different modulation scheme and operate at
different
frequencies than other networks.
The wireless link shown in communication system 100 of FIG. 1 represents one
or
more different channels, typically different radio frequency (RF) channels,
and associated
protocols used between wireless network 104 and mobile station 102. An RF
channel is a
limited resource that must be conserved, typically due to limits in overall
bandwidth and a
limited battery power of mobile station 102. Those skilled in art will
appreciate that a
wireless network in actual practice may include hundreds of cells, each served
by a station
118 (i.e. or station sector), depending upon desired overall expanse of
network coverage.
All pertinent components may be connected by multiple switches and routers
(not shown),
controlled by multiple network controllers.
For all mobile station's 102 registered with a network operator, permanent
data
(such as mobile station 102 user's profile) as well as temporary data (such as
mobile
station's 102 current location) are stored in HLR 132. In case of a voice call
to mobile
station 102, HLR 132 is queried to determine the current location of mobile
station 102. A
Visitor Location Register (VLR) of MSC 122 is responsible for a group of
location areas
and stores the data of those mobile stations that are currently in its area of
responsibility.
This includes parts of the permanent mobile station data that have been
transmitted from
HLR 132 to the VLR for faster access. However, the VLR of MSC 122 may also
assign
and store local data, such as temporary identifications. Optionally, the VLR
of MSC 122
can be enhanced for more efficient co-ordination of GPRS and non-GPRS services
and
functionality (e.g. paging for circuit-switched calls which can be performed
more
efficiently via SGSN 126, and combined GPRS and non-GPRS location updates).
Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 126 is at the same hierarchical level as MSC
122 and keeps track of the individual locations of mobile stations. SGSN 126
also
performs security functions and access control. Gateway GPRS Support Node
(GGSN)
128 provides interworking with external packet-switched networks and is
connected with
SGSNs (such as SGSN 126) via an IP-based GPRS backbone network. SGSN 126
performs authentication and cipher setting procedures based on the same
algorithms, keys,
and criteria as in existing GSM. In conventional operation, cell selection may
be
performed autonomously by mobile station 102 or by the transceiver equipment
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instructing mobile station 102 to select a particular cell. Mobile station 102
informs
wireless network 104 when it reselects another cell or group of cells, known
as a routing
area.
In order to access GPRS services, mobile station 102 first makes its presence
known to wireless network 104 by performing what is known as a GPRS "attach".
This
operation establishes a logical link between mobile station 102 and SGSN 126
and makes
mobile station 102 available to receive, for example, pages via SGSN,
notifications of
incoming GPRS data, or SMS messages over GPRS. In order to send and receive
GPRS
data, mobile station 102 assists in activating the packet data address that it
wants to use.
This operation makes mobile station 102 known to GGSN 128; interworking with
external
data networks can thereafter commence. User data may be transferred
transparently
between mobile station 102 and the external data networks using, for example,
encapsulation and tunneling. Data packets are equipped with GPRS-specific
protocol
information and transferred between mobile station 102 and GGSN 128.
Those skilled in art will appreciate that a wireless network may be connected
to
other systems, possibly including other networks, not explicitly shown in FIG.
1. A
network will normally be transmitting at very least some sort of paging and
system
information on an ongoing basis, even if there is no actual packet data
exchanged.
Although the network consists of many parts, these parts all work together to
result in
certain behaviours at the wireless link.
FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a preferred mobile station 202 of the
present
disclosure. Mobile station 202 is preferably a two-way communication device
having at
least voice and advanced data communication capabilities, including the
capability to
communicate with other computer systems. Depending on the functionality
provided by
mobile station 202, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-
way pager, a
cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet
appliance, or a data
communication device (with or without telephony capabilities). Mobile station
202 may
communicate with any one of a plurality of fixed transceiver stations 200
within its
geographic coverage area.
Mobile station 202 will normally incorporate a communication subsystem 211,
which includes a receiver 212, a transmitter 214, and associated components,
such as one
or more (preferably embedded or internal) antenna elements 216 and 218, local
oscillators
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(L0s) 213, and a processing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP)
220.
Communication subsystem 211 is analogous to RF transceiver circuitry 108 and
antenna
110 shown in FIG. 1. As will be apparent to those skilled in field of
communications,
particular design of communication subsystem 211 depends on the communication
network in which mobile station 202 is intended to operate.
Mobile station 202 may send and receive communication signals over the network
after required network registration or activation procedures have been
completed. Signals
received by antenna 216 through the network are input to receiver 212, which
may
perform such common receiver functions as signal amplification, frequency down
conversion, filtering, channel selection, and like, and in example shown in
FIG. 2, analog-
to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/D conversion of a received signal allows more
complex
communication functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in
DSP
220. In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, including
modulation
and encoding, for example, by DSP 220. These DSP-processed signals are input
to
transmitter 214 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, frequency up
conversion, filtering,
amplification and transmission over communication network via antenna 218. DSP
220
not only processes communication signals, but also provides for receiver and
transmitter
control. For example, the gains applied to communication signals in receiver
212 and
transmitter 214 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gain control
algorithms
implemented in DSP 220.
Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of mobile station 202,
and
therefore mobile station 202 requires a Subscriber Identity Module or "SIM"
card 262 to
be inserted in a SIM interface 264 in order to operate in the network. SIM 262
includes
those features described in relation to FIG. 1. Mobile station 202 is a
battery-powered
device so it also includes a battery interface 254 for receiving one or more
rechargeable
batteries 256. Such a battery 256 provides electrical power to most if not all
electrical
circuitry in mobile station 202, and battery interface 254 provides for a
mechanical and
electrical connection for it. The battery interface 254 is coupled to a
regulator (not shown)
which provides a regulated voltage V to all of the circuitry.
Mobile station 202 includes a microprocessor 238 (which is one implementation
of
controller 106 of FIG. 1) which controls overall operation of mobile station
202.
Communication functions, including at least data and voice communications, are
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performed through communication subsystem 211. Microprocessor 238 also
interacts
with additional device subsystems such as a display 222, a flash memory 224, a
random
access memory (RAM) 226, auxiliary input/output (I/0) subsystems 228, a serial
port 230,
a keyboard 232, a speaker 234, a microphone 236, a short-range communications
subsystem 240, and any other device subsystems generally designated at 242.
Some of the
subsystems shown in FIG. 2 perform communication-related functions, whereas
other
subsystems may provide "resident" or on-device functions. Notably, some
subsystems,
such as keyboard 232 and display 222, for example, may be used for both
communication-
related functions, such as entering a text message for transmission over a
communication
network, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or task list.
Operating system
software used by microprocessor 238 is preferably stored in a persistent store
such as flash
memory 224, which may alternatively be a read-only memory (ROM) or similar
storage
element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
operating system,
specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into
a volatile
store such as RAM 226.
Microprocessor 238, in addition to its operating system functions, preferably
enables execution of software applications on mobile station 202. A
predetermined set of
applications which control basic device operations, including at least data
and voice
communication applications, as well as the inventive functionality of the
present
disclosure, will normally be installed on mobile station 202 during its
manufacture. A
preferred application that may be loaded onto mobile station 202 may be a
personal
information manager (PIM) application having the ability to organize and
manage data
items relating to user such as, but not limited to, e-mail, calendar events,
voice mails,
appointments, and task items. Naturally, one or more memory stores are
available on
mobile station 202 and SIM 256 to facilitate storage of PIM data items and
other
information.
The PIM application preferably has the ability to send and receive data items
via
the wireless network. In the present disclosure, PIM data items are seamlessly
integrated,
synchronized, and updated via the wireless network, with the mobile station
user's
corresponding data items stored and/or associated with a host computer system
thereby
creating a mirrored host computer on mobile station 202 with respect to such
items. This
is especially advantageous where the host computer system is the mobile
station user's
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office computer system. Additional applications may also be loaded onto mobile
station
202 through network, an auxiliary I/O subsystem 228, serial port 230, short-
range
communications subsystem 240, or any other suitable subsystem 242, and
installed by a
user in RAM 226 or preferably a non-volatile store (not shown) for execution
by
microprocessor 238. Such flexibility in application installation increases the
functionality
of mobile station 202 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,
communication-
related functions, or both. For example, secure communication applications may
enable
electronic commerce functions and other such financial transactions to be
performed using
mobile station 202.
In a data communication mode, a received signal such as a text message, an e-
mail
message, or web page download will be processed by communication subsystem 211
and
input to microprocessor 238. Microprocessor 238 will preferably further
process the
signal for output to display 222 or alternatively to auxiliary I/0 device 228.
A user of
mobile station 202 may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages, for
example,
using keyboard 232 in conjunction with display 222 and possibly auxiliary I/O
device 228.
Keyboard 232 is preferably a complete alphanumeric keyboard and/or telephone-
type
keypad. These composed items may be transmitted over a communication network
through communication subsystem 211.
For voice communications, the overall operation of mobile station 202 is
substantially similar, except that the received signals would be output to
speaker 234 and
signals for transmission would be generated by microphone 236. Alternative
voice or
audio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, may also be
implemented on mobile station 202. Although voice or audio signal output is
preferably
accomplished primarily through speaker 234, display 222 may also be used to
provide an
indication of the identity of a calling party, duration of a voice call, or
other voice call
related information, as some examples.
Serial port 230 in FIG. 2 is normally implemented in a personal digital
assistant
(PDA)-type communication device for which synchronization with a user's
desktop
computer is a desirable, albeit optional, component. Serial port 230 enables a
user to set
preferences through an external device or software application and extends the
capabilities
of mobile station 202 by providing for information or software downloads to
mobile
station 202 other than through a wireless communication network. The alternate
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download path may, for example, be used to load an encryption key onto mobile
station
202 through a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to thereby
provide secure
device communication.
Short-range communications subsystem 240 of FIG. 2 is an additional optional
component which provides for communication between mobile station 202 and
different
systems or devices, which need not necessarily be similar devices. For
example,
subsystem 240 may include an infrared device and associated circuits and
components, or
a BluetoothTM communication module to provide for communication with similarly-
enabled systems and devices. BluetoothTM is a registered trademark of
Bluetooth SIG,
Inc.
FIG. 3A is a system diagram of network components which provide mapping
functionality in the mobile communication devices of FIGs. 1 and 2. To achieve
this, a
mapping application is also provided in memory of the mobile communication
device (e.g.
a mapping application 550 of FIG. 5) for rendering of visual maps in its
display. Mobile
communication devices, such as mobile station 202, are connected over a mobile
carrier
network 303 for communication through a firewall 305 to a relay 307. A request
for map
data from any one of the mobile communication devices is received at relay 307
and
passed via a secure channel 309 through firewall 311 to a corporate enterprise
server 313
and corporate mobile data system (MDS) server 315. The request is then passed
via
firewall 317 to a public location-based service (LBS) server 321 which
provides location-
based services (LBS) to handle the request. The network may include a
plurality of such
LBS servers where requests are distributed and processed through a load
distributing
server. The LBS data may be stored on this network server 321 in a network
database
322, or may be stored on a separate LBS data server (not shown). Private
corporate data
stored on corporate LBS server 325 may be added to the public data via
corporate MDS
server 315 on the secure return path to mobile station 202. Alternatively,
where no
corporate servers provided, the request from mobile station 202 may be passed
via relay
307 to a public MDS server 327, which sends the request to public LBS server
321
providing LBS to handle the request.
The network may also include an address geocoding server (not shown in FIG.
3A)
which provides latitude and longitude coordinates corresponding to an address
(e.g. a
residential home or business address) in response to a request for latitude
and longitude
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coordinates with the address as an input. The address geocoding server is
preferably a
server that is separate and apart from LBS server 321 which provides map data
for rending
maps. The address geocoding server may be provided in the same network as LBS
server
321 or, alternatively, in a different network.
A Maplet data structure is provided that contains all of the graphic and
labeled
content associated with a geographic area (e.g. map features such as
restaurants (point
features), streets (line features), or lakes (polygon features)). Maplets are
structured in
Layers of "DEntries" (Data Entries) identified by a "Layer ID" to enable data
from
different sources to be deployed to the device and meshed for proper
rendering. Each
DEntry is representative of one or more artifact or label (or a combination of
both) and
includes coordinate information (also referred to a "bounding box" or
"bounding area") to
identify the area covered by the DEntry and a plurality of data Points that
together
represent the artifact or label. For example, a DEntry may be used to
represent a street on
a city map (or a plurality of streets), wherein the various Points within the
DEntry are
separated into different parts representing various portions of the artifact
(e.g. portions of a
street). A mobile device may issue a request for the map server to download
only those
DEntries that are included within a specified area or bounding box
representing an area of
interest that can be represented by, for example, a pair of bottom left, top
right
coordinates.
As discussed later below with reference to FIG. 3B, the mobile device issues
one
or more AOI (Area of Interest) requests, DEntry or data requests and Maplet
Index
requests to the map server, for selective downloading of map data based on
user context
Thus, rather than transmitting the entire map data with each request from the
device, local
caching may be used within the mobile device in conjunction with context
filtering of map
data on the server. For example, if a user's mobile device is GPS enabled and
the user is
traveling in an automobile at 120 km/hr along a freeway then context filtering
can be
employed to prevent downloading of map data relating to passing side streets.
Or, if the
user is traveling in an airplane at 30,000' then context filtering can be
employed to prevent
downloading of map data for any streets whatsoever. Also, a user's context can
be
defined, for example, in terms of occupation (e.g. a user whose occupation is
transport
truck driver can employ context filtering to prevent downloading of map data
for side
streets on which the user's truck is incapable of traveling, or a user whose
occupation is to
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replenish supplies of soft drink dispensing machines can employ context
filtering to
download public map data showing the user's geographical area of
responsibility with
irrelevant features such as lakes or parks filtered out and private map data
containing the
location of soft drink dispensing machines superimposed on the public map
data.
The Maplet Index request results in a Maplet Index (i.e. only a portion of the
Maplet that provides a table of contents of the map data available within the
Maplet rather
than the entire Maplet) being downloaded from the map server to the device,
thereby
conserving OTA (Over-the-Air) bandwidth and device memory caching
requirements.
The Maplet Index conforms to the same data structure as a Maplet, but omits
the data
Points. Consequently, the Maplet Index is small (e.g. 300-400 bytes) relative
to the size of
a fully populated Maplet or a conventional bit map, and includes DEntry
bounding boxes
and attributes (size, complexity, etc.) for all artifacts within the Maplet.
As the field of
view changes (e.g. for a location-aware device that displays a map while
moving), the
device (client) software assesses whether or not it needs to download
additional data from
the server. Thus, as discussed above, if the size attribute or complexity
attribute of an
artifact that has started to move into the field of view of the device (but is
not yet being
displayed) is not relevant to the viewer's current context, then the device
can choose not to
display that portion of the artifact. On the other hand, if the portion of the
artifact is
appropriate for display then the device accesses its cache to determine
whether the
DEntries associated with that portion of the artifact have already been
downloaded, in
which case the cached content is displayed. Otherwise, the device issues a
request for the
map server to download all of the DEntries associated with the artifact
portion.
By organizing the Maplet data structure in Layers, it is possible to
seamlessly
combine and display information obtained from public and private databases.
For
example, it is possible for the device to display an office building at a
certain address on a
street (e.g. 1st z-order attribute from public database), adjacent a river
(e.g. rd z-order
attribute from public database), with a superimposed floor plan of the
building to show
individual offices (e.g. 11th z-order attribute from a private database,
accessible through a
firewall).
Referring back to FIG. 3A, within the network having LBS server(s) 321 and
database(s) 322 accessible to it, all of the map data for the entire world is
divided and
stored as a grid according to various levels of resolution (zoom), as set
forth below in
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Table A. Thus, a single A level Maplet represents a 0.05 x 0.05 degree grid
area; a single
B level Maplet represents a 0.5 x 0.5 degree grid area; a single C level
Maplet represents a
x 5 degree grid area; a single D level Maplet represents a 50 x 50 degree grid
area and a
single E level Maplet represents the entire world in a single Maplet. It is
understood that
5 Table A is only an example of a particular Maplet grid configuration;
other or different
grid configurations may also be developed. A Maplet comprises of a set of
layers, with
each layer containing a set of DEntries, and each DEentry containing a set of
points.
Table A
Level Grid # of Maplets # of Maplets # of Maplets
(degrees) to cover to cover to cover
the World North America Europe
A 0.05 x 0.05 25,920,000 356,000 100,000
= 0.5 x 0.5 259,200 6,500 1000
5x 5 2,592 96 10
= 50 x 50 32 5 5
= World 1 1 1
Turning now to FIG. 3B, three specific types of requests may be generated by a
mobile communication device (i.e. the client) ¨ AOI requests, DEntry requests,
and
Maplet Index requests. The requests may be generated separately or in various
combinations, as discussed in greater detail below. An AOI (area of interest)
request calls
for all DEntries in a given area (bounding box) for a predetermined or
selected set of z-
order layers. The AOI request is usually generated when the mobile
communication
device moves to a new area so as to fetch Dentries for display before the
device client
knows what is available in the Maplet. The Maplet Index has the exact same
structure as a
Maplet but does not contain complete DEntries (i.e. the data Points that
actually represent
artifacts and labels are omitted). Thus, a Maplet Index defines what layers
and DEntries
are available for a given Maplet. A data or DEntry request is a mechanism to
bundle
together all of the required DEntries for a given Maplet.
Typically, AOI and Maplet Index requests are paired together in the same
message,
although they need not be, while DEntry requests are generated most often. For
example,
when the mobile communication device moves into an area in connection with
which no
information has been stored on the device client, the Maplet Index request
returns a
Maplet Index that indicates what data the client can specifically request from
the server
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321, while the AOI request returns any DEntries within the area of interest
for the
specified layers (if they exist). In the example requests shown in FIG. 3B,
the desired
Maplet is identified within a DEntry request by specifying the bottom-left
Maplet
coordinate. In addition, the DEntry request may include a layer mask so that
unwanted
Layers are not downloaded, a DEntry mask so that unwanted data Points are not
downloaded, and zoom values to specify a zoom level for the requested DEntry.
Once the
device client has received the requested Maplet Index, the client typically
then issues
multiple DEntry requests to ask for specific DEntries (since the client knows
all of the
specific DEntries that are available based on the Maplet Index).
According to the present disclosure herein, a collection of 20 x 20 A-level
Maplets
(representing a 1 x 1 degree square) is compiled into a Maplet file (.mbl). An
.mbl file
contains a header which specifies the offset and length of each Maplet in the
.mbl file.
The same 20 x 20 collection of Maplet index data is compiled into a Maplet
Index file
(.mbx). The .mbl and .mbx file structures are set forth in Tables B and C,
respectively.
Table B
Address Offset Offset Length
Ox000 Maplet # 0 Offset (4 Maplet # 0 Length
(4
bytes) bytes)
0x008 Maplet # 1 Offset Maplet # 1 Length
Ox010 Maplet # 2 Offset Maplet # 2 Length
= = =
0xC78 Maplet # 399 Offset Maplet # 399 Length
OxC80 Beginning of Maplet # 0
OxC80 + Size of Maplet # 0 Beginning of Maplet # 1
OxC80 + Size of Maplet #0 + # 1 Beginning of Maplet #2
= = =
OxC80 + E of Size of Maplets (# 0: Beginning of Maplet # 399
#398)
In Table B, the offset of Maplet # 0 is Ox0000 0000 since, according to the
present
disclosure, the data structure is based on the assumption that the base
address for the
actual Maplet data is Ox0000_0080. Therefore the absolute address for Maplet #
0 data is:
Maplet # 0 Address = Base Address (0x0000_0080) + Maplet # 0 Offset
(0x0000_0000),
and additional Maplet addresses are calculated as: Maplet if (n + 1) Offset =
Maplet # (n)
Offset + Maplet #(n) Length. If a Maplet has no data or does not exist, the
length
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parameter is set to zero (0x0000 0000).
Table C
Address Offset Offset (4 bytes) Length (4 bytes)
Ox000 Maplet Index # 0 Maplet Index # 0
Offset Length
0x008 Maplet Index # 1 Maplet Index # 1
Offset Length
Ox010 Maplet Index # 2 Maplet Index # 2
Offset Length
0xC78 Maplet Index # Maplet Index #
399 Offset 399 Length
OxC80 Beginning of
Maplet Index # 0
OxC80 + Size of Maplet Index Beginning of Maplet Index # 1
#0
OxC80 + Size of Maplet Index Beginning of Maplet Index # 2
# 0 + # 1
OxC80 + E of Size of Maplet Beginning of Maplet Index # 399
Indices (# 0 : #399)
In Table C, the offset of Maplet Index # 0 is Ox0000_0000 since, according to
the
present disclosure the data structure is based on the assumption that the base
address for
the actual Maplet index data is Ox0000_0080. Therefore the absolute address
for Maplet
Index #0 data is: Maplet Index # 0 Address = Base Address (0x0000_0080) +
Maplet
Index # 0 Offset (0x0000_0000), and additional Maplet index addresses are
calculated as:
Maplet Index # (n + 1) Offset = Maplet Index # (n) Offset + Maplet Index #(n)
Length. If
a Maplet Index has no data or does not exist, the length parameter is set to
zero
(0x0000_0000).
FIG. 3C and Table D below, in combination, illustrate an exemplary embodiment
of
a basic Maplet data structure. Generally, as noted above, the Maplet data
structure can be
said to include a Maplet Index (i.e. an index of the DEntries, each of which
representative
of either an artifact or a label or both) together with data Points for each
DEntry that
actually form such artifacts and labels. In this example, each Maplet includes
a Map ID
(e.g. OxA1B1C1D1), the # of Layers in the Maplet, and a Layer Entry for each
Layer. The
Map ID identifies the data as a valid Maplet, and according to one
alternative, may also be
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used to identify a version number for the data. The # of Layers is an integer
which
indicates the number of Layers (and therefore Layer Entries) in the Maplet.
Each Layer
Entry defines rendering attributes for all DEntries in the corresponding Layer
and is
followed by a list of DEntries for that Layer. The above forms a Maplet Index.
For a
complete Maplet, each DEntry contains a set of data Points (referred to herein
as oPoints)
or Labels). Note that Layers may have multiple DEntries and the complete list
of DEntrys
and Points are grouped by Layer and separated by a Layer Separator (e.g. hex
value
OxEEEEEEEE). According to an exemplary embodiment, each Layer Entry is 20
bytes
long, and a DEntry is 12 bytes long. However, the number of Layers, number of
DEntries
per Layer and the number of Points per DEntry depends on the map data and is
variable.
Table D provides a high "byte-level" description of a Maplet.
Table D
Data Quantity Total # of Bytes
Map ID 1 4 bytes
# of Layers 1 4 bytes
Layer Entrys # of Layers 20 bytes x (# of Layers)
DEntry of a Layer x (# of 12
bytes x (E of the # of DEntrys in
_________________ DEntries each Layer) +
Points for DEntry in a # of Layers 4 bytes x (E of the # of Points
in
of a Layer Layer) each DEntry in each Layer) +
Layer Separator 4 bytes x (# of Layers)
For even greater detail if desired, this application hereby incorporates by
reference
herein a U.S. provisional patent application entitled "Method And System For
Distribution
Of Map Content To Mobile Communication Devices" having serial number
60/787,541,
docket number P1579US00 (also RIM 30176-ID), lead inventor Eric Johnson, and a
filing
date of 31 March 2006.
FIG. 4 is an example of a user interface 402 of mobile station 202 which
includes
at least display 222, keyboard 232, speaker 234, microphone 236, and a cursor
or view
positioning mechanism such as a positioning wheel 410 (e.g. a scrollwheel
wheel) or a
trackball 433. Although shown enlarged in FIG. 4 for clarity, this mobile
station 202 is
sized to be a handheld portable device. As an alternative to or in addition to
positioning
wheel 410 and/or trackball 433, a wide range of one or more pointing or
cursor/view
positioning mechanisms such as a touch pad a joystick button, a mouse, a
touchscreen, a
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tablet, or other whether presently known or unknown, may be employed. As
employed
herein, the term "cursor" shall expressly include, but not be limited by, a
pointer, a
movable item or other visual cue (e.g., without limitation, a graphical
object; a special
symbol; an outline; a rectangle; an underline character; a blinking item) used
to mark a
position or point to another item on a display, in order to, for example,
indicate position
for data entry or for selection of the other item.
Keys 428 of keyboard 232 are disposed on a front face of a housing 406 and
positioning wheel 410 is disposed at a side of housing 406. Keyboard 232 is in
the
example form of a reduced QWERTY keyboard including a plurality of keys 428
that
serve as input members. It can be seen that the arrangement of the characters
448 on keys
428 of keyboard 424 is generally of the QWERTY arrangement, albeit with many
of keys
428 including two of characters 448. In the example depiction of keyboard 424,
many of
keys 428 include two characters, such as including a first character 452 and a
second
character 456 assigned thereto. It is understood that the expression
"characters" shall
broadly be construed to include letters, digits, symbols and the like and can
additionally
include ideographic characters, components thereof, and the like. One of keys
428 of
keyboard 424 includes as the characters 448 thereof the letters "Q" and "W",
and an
adjacent key 428 includes as the characters 448 thereof the letters "E" and
"R". Keyboard
424 may be of other configurations, such as an AZERTY keyboard, a QWERTZ
keyboard, a Dvorak keyboard, or other keyboard or keypad arrangement, whether
presently known or unknown, and either reduced or not reduced (i.e. full). In
a "full" or
non-reduced keyboard or keypad arrangement, each key has a single letter (not
multiple
letters) of the alphabet assigned to it.
Among keys 428 of keyboard 232 are a <NEXT> key 440 and an <ENTER> key
444. The <NEXT> key 440, wherein, for example, "<NEXT>" may be a symbol or may
be the word "next" provided (e.g. printed) on the key, may be pressed to
provide a
selection input to the processor and provides substantially the same selection
input as is
provided by a rotational input of positioning wheel 410. Since <NEXT> key 440
is
provided adjacent a number of other keys 428 of keyboard 232, the user can
provide a
selection input to the processor substantially without moving the user's hands
away from
the keyboard 232 during a text entry operation. Another key, the <ESC> key 445
is
disposed on the side of housing 406 adjacent positioning wheel 438, although
the same or
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similar key may be disposed as part of keyboard 232. Among keys 428 of the
keyboard
424 additionally is a <DEL> key 486 that can be provided to delete a text
entry.
Positioning wheel 410 may serve as another input member and is both rotatable,
as
is indicated by an arrow 412, to provide selection inputs to the processor,
and also can be
pressed in a direction generally toward housing 406, as is indicated by an
arrow 414 to
provide another selection input to the processor. Positioning wheel 410 will
be described
in more detail in relation to FIGs. 6 and 7 below.
Display 222 may include a cursor 484 that depicts generally where the next
input
or selection from user interface 402 will be received. Display 222 is shown in
FIG. 4 as
displaying a home screen that represents a number of applications 586 (see
also FIG. 5
which shows some of the example possible applications 86) depicted as
corresponding
discrete icons 488. Icons 488 include, for example, an Electronic Mail (E-
Mail) icon 490,
a Calendar icon 492, an Address Book icon 494, a Tasks icon 496, a Messages
icon 497, a
MemoPad icon 498, and a Search icon 499, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 5, memory 224 includes a plurality of applications or
routines
586 associated with the visually displayed icons 488 of FIG. 4 for the
processing of data.
Applications 586 may be in any of a variety of forms such as, without
limitation, software,
firmware, and the like. Applications 586 include, for example, an Electronic
Mail (E-
Mall) application 588 (FIG. 5) associated with E-mail icon 490 (FIG. 4), a
Calendar
application 590 (FIG. 5) associated with Calendar icon 492 (FIG. 4), an
Address Book
application 592 (FIG. 5) associated with Address Book icon 494 (FIG. 4), a
Tasks
application 594 (FIG. 5) associated with Tasks icon 496 (FIG. 4), a MemoPad
(Memos)
application 596 (FIG. 5) associated with MemoPad icon 498, a Messages
application 598
(FIG. 5) associated with Message icon 497 (FIG. 4), and a Search application
500 (FIG. 5)
associated with Search icon 499 (FIG. 4). An operating system (OS) program 516
also
resides in memory 224. The mobile station of the present disclosure is also
adapted to
render visual maps in its visual display, and utilizes a mapping application
550 stored in
memory 224 to facilitate map rendering and related functionality.
In FIG. 4, the "home" screen output is currently active and constitutes the
main
"ribbon" application for displaying the icons 488 shown. An application, such
as E-mail
application 588 of FIG. 5, may then be initiated (opened or viewed) from user
interface
402 by providing a suitable user input to it. For example, E-mail application
588 may be
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initiated (opened or viewed) by rotating positioning wheel 410 to highlight E-
mail icon
490 and providing a selection input by translating positioning wheel 410 in
the direction
indicated by arrow 438. As another example, display 222 displays icon 499
associated
with Search application 500 and accepts input from positioning wheel 410 to
initiate a
search from that icon 499. Applications 586 may be additionally or
alternatively initiated
(opened or viewed) from user interface 402 by providing another suitable input
to it, such
as by suitably rotating or "rolling" trackball 433 and providing a selection
input by, for
example, pushing the trackball 33 (e.g. somewhat similar to positioning wheel
410 except
into the plane of FIG. 4).
Movement, navigation, and/or scrolling with use of a cursor/view positioning
mechanism is beneficial given the relatively large size of visually displayed
information
and the compact size of display 222, and since information and messages are
typically
only partially presented in the limited view of display 222 at any given
moment. As
previously described, positioning wheel 410 is one helpful cursor/view
positioning
mechanism to achieve such movement. Positioning wheel 410, which may be
referred to
as a scrollwheel, specifically includes a circular disc which is rotatable
about a fixed axis
of housing 302 and may be rotated by the end user's index finger or thumb.
When the
information or message is being partially displayed, an upwards rotation of
positioning
wheel 410 causes an upwards scrolling such that display 222 presents viewing
of an upper
portion of the information or message. Similarly, a downwards rotation of
positioning
wheel 410 causes a downwards scrolling such that display 222 presents viewing
of a lower
portion of the information or message. Positioning wheel 410 is mounted along
a fixed
linear axis such that the end user can depress positioning wheel 410 inwards
toward
housing 406 (e.g. with the end user's index finger or thumb) for selection of
information.
Again, see the direction indicated by an arrow 414 of positioning wheel 410
shown.
A more detailed mechanism for positioning wheel 410 is now described in
relation
to FIGs. 6 and 7. Positioning wheel 410 of FIGs. 6-7 is shown connected to and
rotatable
about a body assembly 610. Body assembly 610 may be connected to or be part of
a slide
assembly 720. Slide assembly 720 allows the entirety of positioning wheel 410
and body
assembly 610 may move freely laterally 414 with respect to the handheld
device. Lateral
positioning wheel movement 414 is defined as movement along a plane normal to
the
rotational axis of positioning wheel 410. To control this lateral movement
414, slide
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assembly 720 may be connected to a control mechanism such as a cam mechanism
730
with a cam 731, or alternatively a level mechanism, a solenoid mechanism, or
some other
actuating means. Cam mechanism 730 is connected to a cam controller 740
responsible
for controlling a lateral position of positioning wheel 410. As cam 731
connected to cam
mechanism 730 and slide assembly 720 moves, positioning wheel 410 and body
assembly
610 accordingly move laterally. Such lateral movement inwards toward the
housing is
detectable by the processor of the mobile station as a switch input (actuation
or depression
of the positioning wheel key).
Although positioning wheel 410 has been shown and described as one mechanism
for use in navigating and moving through visually displayed information, any
suitable
mechanism may be utilized for the present user interface techniques, such a
trackball; UP,
DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT keys; a mouse and cursor mechanism; or a touch screen
display mechanism.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of information which may be displayed in display 222
from
use of Address book application 592 of FIG. 5. Specifically, the information
in FIG. 8 is
an example of address book contact information 800 of an address book for
organizing a
plurality of address book contacts for the end user. This address book contact
information
800 may be viewable after opening the Address Book application from the
homescreen
page.
In the example of FIG. 8, address book contact information 800 includes an
address book name 802 in an address book name field, a business or work
telephone
number 804 in a business or work telephone number field, a home telephone
number 805
in a home telephone number field, a business or work address 806 in one or
more business
or work address fields, and a home address 808 in one or more home address
fields. Other
information may include a company name (e.g. Company, Inc.) in a company name
field,
a title or position of the end user in the company, and a Personal
Identification Number
(PIN) in a PIN field. Each address book contact of the address book has a
plurality of the
same fields for organizing such information. Some field of any address book
contact may
remain empty, depending on the end user and/or the availability of information
to the end
user. Additional location information for the address book contact information
800 may
be included, such as a real-time location of a mobile communication device
associated
with the selected address book contact received through the wireless
transceiver. This
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location may be in the form of a real-time position address or real-time
latitude and
longitude coordinates, and may be received substantially in real-time by the
mobile
communication device.
The address book application stored in the mobile station provides address
book
organizer functionality for the end user. The end user typically manually
enters address
book contact information for each contact into storage of memory for
subsequent use in
facilitating communications. Alternatively or additionally, address book
contact
information may be downloaded or otherwise received in the device in a non-
manual
fashion. The address book contacts may be presented (or presentable) in a list
which may
be alphabetized (or alphabetizable) by address book name or by other field
information, or
may be otherwise sorted (or sortable). Additionally, the address book contacts
may be
searchable by any field through use of the Search application 500 (FIG. 5).
Note that the
address book contact information may be stored locally in memory of the mobile
station
or, alternatively, outside of the mobile station such as in an accessible
network database;
what is important is that the address book contact information is accessible
and viewable
at the mobile station.
Once an address book contact has been identified or selected from the address
book, the information may be used for facilitating communications for the end
user. For
example, as described earlier, the mobile station is adapted to operate in a
wireless
communication network for wireless telephony communications. Since each
address book
contact may have at least one telephone number field for a telephone number,
this
information may be used in initiating telephone calls from the mobile station.
The
processor of the mobile station may identify, through the user interface, a
user input
selection of a telephone number in the address book contact for placing a
telephone call
and cause the telephone call to the telephone number to be initiated through
the wireless
communication network in response to this user input selection. For example,
the address
book contact or telephone number may be selected using the positioning wheel
and then a
"CALL" function to the telephone number is subsequently selected via a pull
down menu.
As also described earlier, the mobile station is adapted to operate in the
wireless
communication network for wireless message communications. Since each address
book
contact may have at least one electronic mail (e-mail) address field for an e-
mail address,
this information may be used in sending e-mail messages from the mobile
station. The
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processor of the mobile station may identify, through the user interface, a
user input
selection of an e-mail address of the address book contact for sending an e-
mail message
and insert the e-mail address as a destination address of a new e-mail message
to be
delivered in response to the user input selection. For example, the address
book contact or
e-mail address is selected using the positioning wheel and then an "E-MAIL"
function to
the e-mail address is subsequently selected via a pull down menu. The end user
may then
type or otherwise insert the body text of the e-mail message and send it.
As mentioned earlier, the mobile station of the present disclosure is also
adapted to
render visual maps in its visual display. Referring back to FIG. 5, a mapping
application
550 is provided in memory 224 of the mobile station for rendering of visual
maps in the
display. Map rendering may be performed substantially as described in relation
to FIG. 3
where the mobile station sends requests for map rendering data to the network
with
address and/or latitude and longitude coordinates as input, subsequently
receiving the map
rendering data which it uses to render a map in the visual display.
Note, however, that map rendering data may be cached and maintained in memory
over time. Therefore, initially, a mobile communication device may request and
retrieve
the map data from the network database over the wireless communication network
and
store the map data in the memory cache; the processor may then subsequently
utilize the
map data in its cache to render maps in the visual display of the device. Any
map data not
found within the cache (typically the case when the location or region of the
map
substantially changes or is different) needs to be requested and retrieved
from the network
database as previously described. Note that, as an alternative to the use of
map rendering
data or maplet data, map display may be performed by retrieving "bitmaps" of
the maps
and visually displaying these bitmaps corresponding to the address and/or
latitude and
longitude coordinates.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a general method of providing mapping functionality
and
information in a contact book or list. In the example provided, the contact
book is an
address book as described earlier above. However, the contact book or list may
be any
suitable contact book or list, such as a telephone number book or list, an e-
mail address
book or list, or a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or USIM book or list. The
method is
performed by a mobile communication device as described in relation to the
previous
figures, or alternatively by any computer or communication device (e.g. a PC).
The
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method may be executed by one or more processors of the communication device.
A
computer program product for the mobile station may include computer
instructions stored
on a computer readable medium (memory, a floppy disk or CD-ROM) which are
written
in accordance with the described logic of this method.
Beginning at a start block 902 of FIG. 9, an address book organizer function
for
use in organizing a plurality of address book contacts of an address book is
provided in a
mobile communication device for use in facilitating wireless communications
(step 904 of
FIG. 9). Again, the address book organizer function may more generally be a
contact
book organizer function having a plurality of contacts. The processor of the
mobile
communication devices then identifies, through its user interface, a user
input request to
map a location of a selected one of the address book contacts of the address
book (step 906
of FIG. 9). Next, the processor causes a map corresponding to the location to
be visually
displayed in the display of the mobile communication device in response to the
user input
request (step 908 of FIG. 9). The mobile communication device may use its
processor to
map the location as described earlier in relation to, for example, FIG. 3.
FIGs. 10-14 are example illustrations of information which may be displayed in
the
visual display in a specific sequence of events outlined in the flowchart of
FIG. 9. FIG. 10
illustrates that the display 222 may initially show one of the plurality of
address book
contacts of the address book. In this example, an address book contact 1002
for a person
named "Rich Peillard" is shown. Specifically, the address book name and work
location is
shown for the address book contact 1002 in a list provided through an address
book
contact search initiated by the end user. In FIG. 11, the processor detects an
actuation
(depression) of the positioning wheel by the end user and, in response, causes
display 222
to display a pop-up or pull-down menu 1004 of functions for acting upon the
selected
address book contact.
As illustrated, some of the functions 1008 in pull-down menu 1004 include a
"View" function for viewing the full address book contact information; an
"Edit" function
for editing the address book contact information; a "Delete" function for
deleting the
address book contact information from the address book; a "View Home Map"
function
for viewing a visually displayed map corresponding to the home address of the
address
book contact; a "View Work Map" function for viewing a visually displayed map
corresponding to the work or business address of the address book contact; an
"Email"
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function for the creation of an e-mail message with the e-mail address of the
address book
contact inserted as the destination address of the e-mail message; a "PIN"
function for the
creation of a PIN message with the PIN inserted as the destination address of
the PIN
address; and a "Call" function for the initiation of a telephone call to one
of the telephone
numbers of the address book contact.
The end user uses the positioning wheel to scroll down the list of functions
1008 of
pull-down menu 1004 to highlight the "View Home Map" function 1006, as shown
in
FIG. 11. The processor subsequently detects an actuation (depression) of the
positioning
wheel by the end user for selecting the highlighted "View Home Map" function
1006 for
execution. In response, the processor causes the mapping application of the
mobile
communication device to be executed with the location of the "home" address of
the
selected address book contact as an input parameter. As indicated previously
in relation to
FIG. 8, note that home address 808 of the address book contact is "516 Athlone
Avenue,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada". In response, the processor receives map rendering
data from
the mapping application corresponding to home address 808 of address book
contact 800.
Using this map rendering data, the processor causes a map 1210 of the location
of home
address 808 to be visually displayed in display 222, as shown in FIG. 12. Map
1210 of
FIG. 12 includes one or more address indications or labels 1202 of the home
address in or
around the map 1210.
In lieu of having selected "View Home Map" function 1006 as described in
relation to FIG. 11, the end user may alternatively select the "View Work Map"
function.
Referring now to FIG. 13, the end user uses the positioning wheel to scroll
down the list of
functions of pull-down menu 1004 to highlight the "View Work Map" function
1302, as
shown in FIG. 13. The processor subsequently detects an actuation (depression)
of the
positioning wheel by the end user for selecting the highlighted "View Work
Map"
function 1302 for execution. In response, the processor causes the mapping
application of
the mobile communication device to be executed with the location of the "work"
address
of the selected address book contact as the input parameter. The work address
is retrieved
from one or more address fields the address book contact and used as the input
parameter
for mapping. As indicated previously in relation to FIG. 8, note that work
address 806 of
address book contact 800 is "450 March Road, Kanata, Ontario, Canada" as
indicated
previously in relation to FIG. 8. In response, the processor receives map data
from the
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mapping application corresponding to work address 806 of address book contact
800.
Using this map data, the processor causes a map 1410 of the location of work
address 806
to be visually displayed in display 222, as shown in FIG. 14. Map 1410 of FIG.
14
includes one or more address indications or labels 1402 of the work address in
or around
the map 1410.
As described previously, additional location information for the address book
contact information may be included, such as a real-time location of a mobile
communication device associated with the selected address book contact
received through
the wireless transceiver. This location may be in the form of a real-time
position address
or real-time latitude and longitude coordinates, and may be received
substantially in real-
time by the mobile communication device. In this case, a "View Real-Time Map"
function may be utilized for viewing a map corresponding to the current
location of the
address book contact, using similar techniques described in relation to FIGs.
8-14.
As described above, the map may be created based on an address (e.g. work or
home address) in the address book contact. Additionally or alternatively, each
address
book contact may contain one or more location fields having location data
(exposed or
hidden) which may indicate the location of the address without use of the
address itself.
For example, the one or more location fields may contain latitude and
longitude
coordinates (exposed or hidden) corresponding to the location. In this case,
the map may
be created without any use of the address of the address book contact and
instead using the
latitude and longitude coordinates directly.
Preferably, according to the present disclosure, the mobile communication
device
may produce the map using the address of the address book contact along with
an
intermediary receipt and use of latitude and longitude coordinates. After
receiving the
user input request, the processor of the mobile communication device may
identify the
address in one or more address fields of the address book contact and send a
request for
location coordinates to an address geocoding server (e.g. described earlier in
relation to
FIG. 3A) via the wireless network with the address as an input. The processor
receives
latitude and longitude coordinates corresponding to the address/location from
the address
geocoding server via the wireless network in response to the request.
Subsequently, the
processor sends a request for map data with the latitude and longitude
coordinates as an
input to the map server (e.g. server 321 described earlier above) via the
wireless network,
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and receives map rendering data in response to the request from the map server
via the
wireless network. The processor then causes the map corresponding to the
location to be
visually rendered based on the map rendering data received from the map
server. As the
device may utilize previously-stored map data in its cache to render maps in
the visual
display of the device, the subsequent request for map data may merely be made
to its
mapping application to retrieve the map rendering data; however any map
rendering data
not found within the cache (typically the case when the location or region of
the map
substantially changes or is different) will need to be requested and retrieved
from the map
server/network database as previously described.
The technique utilizing the address of the address book contact along with an
intermediary receipt and use of latitude and longitude coordinates is
preferred, especially
in the case where maintaining compatibility of the data structure for the
address book
contacts is desirable, and maintaining a separation of mapping functionality
is also
desirable. As illustrated in relation to FIG. 8, an address book contact may
not include any
fields for map location (e.g. latitude and longitude coordinates), visible or
otherwise. It is
desirable to maintain this (existing) data structure or format without any
addition of fields
for mapping purposes. Thus, utilizing the above-described technique, the
processor of the
mobile communication device may refrain from storing latitude and longitude
coordinates
(or any other map/position data) in association with each address book
contact. In fact, the
latitude and longitude coordinates may be discarded and no longer utilized in
association
with the address book contact after initially rendering the map, or some short
period of
time thereafter. This way, the data structure for each address book contact
may be
maintained and memory in the mobile communication device may also be
conserved.
Further note that the map server (e.g. server 321) may utilize a consistent
input/output
protocol (e.g. input = latitude and longitude coordinates, output = map
rendering data)
without requiring such map server to handle requests having an address as an
input. Thus,
the intermediate use of the address geocoding server, for temporarily
obtaining and
utilizing latitude and longitude coordinate data via the wireless network, is
useful.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart of another general method of associating mapping
functionality and information in the contact book or list. Again, in the
example provided,
the contact book is an address book as described earlier above. However, the
contact book
or list may be any suitable contact book or list, such as a telephone number
book or list, an
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e-mail address book or list, or a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or USIM
book or list.
The method is performed by a mobile communication device as described in
relation to
the previous figures, or alternatively by any computer or communication device
(e.g. a
PC). The method may be executed by one or more processors of the communication
device. A computer program product for the mobile station may include computer
instructions stored on a computer readable medium (memory, a floppy disk or CD-
ROM)
which are written in accordance with the described logic of this method.
Beginning at a start block 1502 of FIG. 15, the processor causes a map of a
location to be visually displayed in a display of the mobile communication
device (step
1504 of FIG. 15). The mapping may be performed upon a request through the user
interface from the end user to map a specific location or address, or the
mapping may be
the real-time location of the mobile communication device which is in a mobile
environment. Next, the processor receives a user input request to associate
the location of
the map with an address book contact in the address book of the mobile
communication
device (step 1506 of FIG. 15). The user input request may be part of a user
input request
to create a new address book contact, or part of a user input request to
insert the location
with an existing address book contact. In response, the processor causes
location data
corresponding to the location to be stored in one or more location fields of
the address
book contact (step 1508 of FIG. 15). Such functionality may be provided for
any address
book contacts within the address book, and for any possible location presented
in a map.
The technique of FIG. 15 may be partially illustrated by viewing the displayed
maps in relation to FIGs. 8, 11, and 12 in reverse. First, a map on the
display is rendered
(e.g. FIG. 12); followed by a pop-up or pull-down menu of functions, one of
which
includes a "Create Address Book Contact" function (e.g. FIG. 11); followed by
the
insertion of the location or address in the address book contact and viewing
of the
new/existing address book contact information (e.g. FIG. 8).
Again, in the techniques and the examples shown and described above, the
contact
book or list is an address book of a mobile communication device. However, the
contact
book or list may be any suitable contact book or list, such as a telephone
number book or
list, an e-mail address book or list, or a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or
USIM book
or list.
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Thus, methods and apparatus for providing mapping functionality in a contact
list
of a mobile communication device have been described. The methods may be
embodied
in a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and
computer
instructions stored in the computer readable medium which are executable by
one or more
processors. The invention may be part of a mobile communication device having
a
wireless transceiver; one or more processors coupled to the wireless
transceiver; a user
interface which includes a visual display; wherein the one or more processors
are
operative to execute the method.
One method of the present disclosure includes the steps of providing a contact
list
organizer function in a mobile communication device for use in organizing a
plurality of
contacts of a contact list; identifying, through a user interface of the
mobile
communication device, a user input request to map a location of a selected one
of the
contacts of the contact list; and in response to the user input request,
performing the
following further acts of identifying an address of the location in one or
more address
fields of the selected contact; sending, to an address geocoding server via
wireless
network, a request for location coordinates with the address as an input;
receiving, via the
wireless network, latitude and longitude coordinates of the location in
response to the
request for the location coordinates; and causing a map corresponding to the
location of
the selected contact to be visually rendered in a display of the mobile device
based on map
rendering data for the location corresponding to the latitude and longitude
coordinates
received via the wireless network in response to a request for map data of the
location.
The contact list may be part of an address book or list having a plurality of
address
book contacts; a telephone book or list having a plurality of telephone
numbers; an e-mail
address book or list having a plurality of e-mail address; or a Subscriber
Identity Module
(SIM) or USIM book. As apparent, each contact may have at least one telephone
number
field for a telephone number. In this case, the method may include the further
steps of
identifying, through the user interface, a user input selection of a telephone
number of a
contact for placing a telephone call; and causing the telephone call to the
telephone
number to be initiated through a wireless communication network in response to
the user
input selection. On the other hand, each contact may have at least one
electronic mail (e-
mail) address field for an e-mail address. In this case, the method may
include the further
steps of identifying, through the user interface, a user input selection of an
e-mail address
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of a contact for sending an e-mail message; and inserting the e-mail address
as a
destination address of the e-mail message in response to the user input
selection. The
location may be a pre-stored location, or a real-time location of a mobile
communication
device associated with the selected contact received through a wireless
transceiver of the
mobile communication device.
The method may also include the further steps of identifying, through the user
interface, a user input selection of the selected contact or address; causing
a menu of
functions to be visually displayed in the display in response to the user
input selection of
the selected contact or address, the menu of functions including a mapping
function for the
selected contact or address; wherein the act of identifying the user input
request comprises
identifying a selection of the mapping function. The method may alternatively
include the
further steps of identifying, through the user interface, a user input
selection of the
selected contact; causing a menu of functions to be visually displayed in the
display in
response to the user input selection of the selected contact, the menu of
functions
including a mapping function for a first address and a second address of the
selected
contact; and wherein the act of identifying the user input request comprises
identifying a
selection of the mapping function for one of the first address and the second
address.
In the preferred approach, the method includes the steps of identifying an
address
of the location in one or more address fields of the contact; sending a
request for location
coordinates with the address as an input to an address geocoding server via
the wireless
network; receiving latitude and longitude coordinates from the address
geocoding server in
response to the request for the location coordinates with the address as the
input; sending a
request for map data with the latitude and longitude coordinates as an input
to a map
server via the wireless network; and receiving map rendering data
corresponding to the
location from the map server in response to the request for the map data with
the latitude
and longitude coordinates as the input, wherein the act of causing the mapping
corresponding to the location to be visually displayed is based on the map
rendering data.
If the map rendering data of the location is already cached in memory, the
request for the
map data is merely made to the mapping application of the mobile communication
device
(not to the map server via the wireless network) which retrieves it from the
memory for
rendering the map.
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The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to be
examples only. Those of skill in the art may effect alterations, modifications
and
variations to the particular embodiments without departing from the scope of
the
invention. The invention described herein in the recited claims intends to
cover and
embrace all suitable changes in technology.
What is claimed is:
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