(10) Patent No.: US 6385622 B2
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USOO6385622B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 6,385,622 B2 Bouve et al. (45) Date of Patent: *May 7, 2002 (54) SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR REMOTELY 5,289,572 A 2/1994 Yano et al. ................. 345/855 ACCESSING A SELECTED GROUP OF 5,424.951 A * 6/1995 Nobe et al. ................. 340/995 ITEMS OF INTEREST FROMA DATABASE 5,543,789 A * 8/1996 Behr et al................... 340/990 5,608,635 A 3/1997 Tamai ........................ 701/201 (76) Inventors: W. Lincoln Bouve, 40 Lawndale Rd., 6,282.489 B1 * 8/2001 Bellesfield et al. ......... 701/201 Milton,Semple, MA 225 (US)N. Garfield 02186; St.,William Arlington, T. FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS VA (US) 22201; Steven W. Oxman, EP O508787 A2 4/1992 .................... 17/30 385 Wesbury Dr., Riva, MD (US) 21140 * cited by examiner (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Primary Examiner-Hosain T. Alam U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Curtis A. Vock; Lathrop & Gage L.C. This patent is Subject to a terminal dis claimer. (57) ABSTRACT A user can access a common database from a remote (21) Appl. No.: 09/816,626 communications port, at any qualified location, to generate (22) Filed: Mar 23, 2001 a map or other positional information which locates Selected items of interest, e.g., businesses, Stores, architectural Sites, Related U.S. Application Data and the like. The database contains information representing the items of interest, including, for each of the items of (63) Continuation of application No. 08/920,044, filed on Aug. interest, positional coordinates, a geographic vicinity, and a 28, 1997, which is a continuation of application No. 08/371, Selected category. The positional coordinates discretely 425, filed on Jan. 11, 1995, now Pat. No. 5,682,525. locate the vicinity, while the vicinity Specifies the exact (51) Int. Cl. ................................................ G06F 17/30 locations of the items of interest in the Selected category. For (52) U.S. Cl. .......................... 707/1041: 707/10, 7074 example, a user in New York can select the display of 701/208; 701/213 Sporting Shops in the area Surrounding Chicago O'Hara (58) Field of Search ................................. 701/201, 200 International Airport Selectively. A user can also access a 701/208-213; 707/104, 1-6 10 200 port and display locations of items of interest within the s s s uss Same vicinity as the user and relative to the user's position. (56) References Cited The database can be modified from qualified remote loca tions to change, or add to, the information therein. An U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS advertisement can be tagged to the display or print out as an 4,974,170 A * 11/1990 Bouve et al. ............... to association with the selected items of interest. 5,164,904 A * 11/1992 Sumner ............ ... 701/201 5,214,757 A * 5/1993 Mauney et al. ............. 340/990 63 Claims, 15 Drawing Sheets COMPLEES, MAP WITH DOTS FOR ACTWE CITES USER SELECTSA CITY WITH MOUSE CCK. WEWZOOMS TO CTY MAP. CIYMAP. CONTAINS SEWERA CIYMA CY MAP CITY MAP DOS REPRESENNG AREAS OF INTEREST IN AND AROUND CITY, USER SELECSAREA OF NEREST WITH MOUSE CLICK. WEW ZOOMS NON AREAMAP. AREA OF AREA OF NEREST MAP NTEREST MAP AREA OF MITEREST MAP. CONTAINS NO DOTS WHEN FIRST BROUGH UP. USER SELECSA CATEGORY OF NERES FROM DROP-DOWN LIS, AND THE MAPS UPDATED TO SHOWALL EMS IN THE CATEGORY BY NUMBER ON TE MAP, USER MAY PRINTALIST OF INFORMATION ABOUT THESE ITEMS, OR SELECT ONE BY CLICKING ON THE LOCATION WITH THE MOUSE TOWIEW NFORMATION ON THE SCREN. DETALED ITEM DETALED TEM INFORMATION INFORMATION DETAILED INFORMATION ON THIS ITEM (OPTIONAL). USER MAY PRINT THIS INFORMATION, OR RETURN TO PREVIOUSEWEL. U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 1 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - s S Cl N 2 - y So k lf H O t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - o r ld - - O CO CC He 2 SS<C O H C O O 2 O H < e O S. O ll 2 1 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 2 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 No. Z8 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 3 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 09 VNÍHO NECJEWAS U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 4 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 09 HE_L\/EHS)50NWSOTSETEHV7VE CJOOAA/NTITOH LVHHHSNO CHOOAALSEAW 99 SOTSETEQNV U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 6 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 7 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 09 SEHO_LSSOOOº)ON||HOCHS S_LOTICIOHdHELTACHWOO SEHO_LS\HTENÅET STE_LOH SEHO_|_SOISTIWN U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 8 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 9 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 10 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 11 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 SNO||LVOINTWWOO Å\/TEH F?I ZZ|| U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 13 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 INPUT? T MAPS/ 14 RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS TOUCH-TONE PHONE FAX MACHINE REMOTE USERS OFFICE PHONE LINE 42 PHONE LINE 143 TELEPHONIC FAX MACHINE INTERFACE CONTROLLER FAXES TOUCH TONE DATA COMMUNICATIONS FAX MANAGER MANAGER NOURIES/REPLIES FAX JOBS/ST|STATUS SESSION MANAGER OUERIES/RESULTS ENDUSER DATA 140 SERVER DATA FOR REMOTE CLIENT CITY, LOCATION, ITEM, AND MAP DATABASES HOST SYSTEM FIG 1 O U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 14 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 DISPLAY MANAGER: 150 - DISPLAY CONTROLS AL RAWING OF MAPS ON SCREEN. CONTROLS SCREEN STATUS MESSAGES TOUSER. EDATE's DISPLAY MAP DATA MAP DAA MESSAGES REQUESTS MAP MANAGERMANAGES STATUS MAP DATA FOR CURRENT SESSION. 51 PROVIDES DATA FOR DRAWING MAPS TO DISPLAY MANAGER. 156 DATA DATA REGUESTS MAP DATA MANAGER: HANDLES ALL DATABASE DATA REQUESTS FROM KERNEL OR 155 MAP MANAGER. INTERFACES TO OTHER EXTERNAL DATA SOURCES. PASSES DATABASES ON REMOTE DATA REGUESTS TO COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER. DATA REGUESTS DATA SYSTEM KERNEL: REGUESS RAPS AL USER INPUTS AND USER INPUTS: DETERMINES (KEYBOARD, RECQUIRED ACTIONS. MOUSE) STATUS PRINT MESSAGES PRINTER 16O REGUESTS 53 REMOTE PRINT MANAGER HANDLES AL REGUESS PRINTING IN SYSTEM. REGUESTS RESPONSE MAP AND OTHER DATA FROM DATA MANAGER TO CREATE PRINT JOBS. 157 RESPONSE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER HANDLES ALL REMOTE COMMUNICATIONS RECUREMENTS, INCLUDING REMOTE DATA REGUESTS. REMOTE RECUESTS 158 REMOTE DATA SOURCE FIG 11 U.S. Patent May 7, 2002 Sheet 15 of 15 US 6,385,622 B2 L(\d|WOOHB EBHOLS!# HONOOZG)SSE (LEEBILS TH_LOH NITXANWHIJGZ) US 6,385,622 B2 1 2 SYSTEMAND METHODS FOR REMOTELY access the database Storing the information about the items ACCESSING A SELECTED GROUP OF of interest. “Remote database' or "database' are used herein ITEMS OF INTEREST FROMA DATABASE to denote a database, e.g., a client Server, which Stores information for acceSS by a user of the invention from a port. This is a continuing application of commonly owned and “Communication link' is used to denote means, including copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/920,044, filed for example a telephone line, for communicating between Aug. 28, 1997, which is a continuation of U.S. patent the database and the port. “Geographic vicinity,” and “map' application Ser. No. 08/371,425, filed Jan. 11, 1995 and are used to denote a geographic region which includes and which is now U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,525, issued Oct. 28, 1997. Surrounds Selected items of interest. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document In one aspect, the invention provides a System for contains material which is Subject to copyright protection. remotely determining the position of a Selected category of The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile items of interest in a Selected geographic vicinity from a reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent database. A database Stores information about a plurality of disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office items of interest, including, for each of the items of interest, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright 15 positional coordinates, a geographic vicinity, and at least one rights whatsoever. asSociated category. A communications link facilitates com munications between a user of the System and the database. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The System also provides for transmitting a portion of the Electronic directories for identifying Selected Subscribers information in the database to a user via the link upon receipt within a city are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. of a request Signal representative of a Selected category and Pat. No. 4,974,170 describes one system which includes a geographic vicinity. Preferably, that transmitted portion of fixed kiosk with an internal memory for Storing locations the information includes identification of a position for the Such as businesses and historical Sites within a predeter items of interest within the Selected category and geographic mined distance from the kiosk. An input panel on the kiosk vicinity. The system further provides a port for remotely provides access to the data within the memory, and a map is 25 accessing the portion of information via the link. generated by the System thereby locating the Selected infor Specifically, the port generates the request Signal in response mation from the kiosk. to inputs by a user of the System; that Signal being repre However, Such a System is inflexible. The map generated Sentative of the Selected category and geographic vicinity.