Accurate targeting from imprecise locations

Details Accurate targeting from imprecise locations Accurate targeting from imprecise locations

2002-07-18

2004-03-16

Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3661)

Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location

Navigation

Employing position determining equipment

C701S211000, C701S213000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06708109

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Technology
The field of technology relates generally to navigating, and more particularly to locating spotter position and targeting objects.
2. Description of Related Art
The physical world comprises physical objects and locations. There are many known devices and systems associated with navigating the physical world. Most relate to use of one or more, substantially constant, signal emitters, or “beacons,” where the signal is something associated with a particular physical location of the beacon.
With the proliferation of computing devices and the rapid growth of the Internet and use of the World Wide Web (“www”), physical objects-of-interest such as commercial entities, e.g., a bookstore, and even particular things, e.g., particular books on the store shelves, are related to one or more virtual representations—commonly referred to as “web pages.” The virtual representations generally use text, audio, still or video images, and the like to describe or illustrate the related object-of-interest and possibly even offer associated commercial services. Each web page can represent one or more objects. These computerized constructs, often referred to as “cyberspace,” a “virtual world,” or hereinafter as simply “the web,” have become an important economic reality, providing individuals continually improving personal and business activities convenience.
Bridges between the physical world and virtual world are rapidly appearing. Particularly, portable wireless communication devices and applications provide great convenience and wide use potential. One problem associated with such mobile devices is that there is an inherent imprecision of positioning systems. For example, most personal geophysical positioning system (“GPS”) devices, relying on triangulation calculations based on acquisition of signals from three or more Earth-orbiting satellites, have an accuracy, or potential position variance, to only to about±five meters.
As links to the web proliferate, locating and acquiring a particular link associated with a specific object-of-interest without use of a full web browser search routine will be user-preferred. Discrimination between links associated with physically proximate objects becomes more difficult. For example, in an art museum, acquiring an immediate link to a web page for one specific object d'art in a room full of many becomes more complicated if each has its own link.
BRIEF SUMMARY
In a basic aspect, there is provided a method and apparatus for targeting physical world objects from a substantially portable computing device. A mechanism is provided for automatically adjusting the device field-of-vision, including compensating for lack of knowledge of the present precise location, such that all objects within the range of the device are accurately targeted. An exemplary embodiment of acquiring a link to a web beacon is described.
The foregoing summary is not intended to be an inclusive list of all the aspects, objects, advantages and features of described embodiments nor should any limitation on the scope of the invention be implied therefrom. This Summary is provided in accordance with the mandate of 37 C.F.R. 1.73 and M.P.E.P. 608.01(d) merely to apprise the public, and more especially those interested in the particular art to which the invention relates, of the nature of the invention in order to be of assistance in aiding ready understanding of the patent in future searches.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4846297 (1989-07-01), Field et al.
patent: 4996468 (1991-02-01), Field et al.
patent: 5470233 (1995-11-01), Fruchterman et al.
Salil Pradhan, interview with; Websign: Putting E-Services on Main Street, Oct. 2001; http://www.hpl.hp.com
ews/2001/jul-sept/w ebsign.html; 7 pages.

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