Method and apparatus for providing precise location information through a communications network
US6522889B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 23, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 18, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 23, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2201/0084
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for obtaining information about an object through interaction between a mobile station (MS) and a computer network such as the Internet, and communicating the information to the MS. A digital camera obtains an image of an object, such as a geographic region proximate the MS, which is then transmitted through the mobile communications system to the computer network. A converter server such as an Optical Character Reader (OCR) server interfaced with the global computer network converts the digital image to a text format which is then compared, along with a general location identifier of the MS to geographic data stored in a location database connected to the global computer network. Based on a comparison of the converted text data and the general location identifier of the MS to the geographic data stored in the location server, a precise location of the MS is determined and transmitted to the MS.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.