Apple Patent Application Details Temporary Location-Specific iPhone Applications

[MacRumors]

Patently Apple points to a newly-published patent application from Apple describing temporary proximity-based or location-based applications that could appear on a user's iPhone or other mobile device when in a specific area. Content would be managed by a central server that would pair a device's location as relayed by Wi-Fi connections or other means and deliver appropriate applications based on that location.

The idea is simple. Deliver a location based service to information savvy iPhone users that wish to receive temporary retail and service-based applications. Imagine standing at the entrance of a restaurant and viewing their menu on your iPhone or entering a public library and being able to access their database. The minute you leave the library or the front of that restaurant, the app disappears so that you don't clog up your iPhone with hundreds of local business apps.

In the patent application, Apple offers several examples of how this technology might be used:

- Restaurant: The patent application describes two possible uses of location-based temporary applications that could prove useful to a user approaching a restaurant. The first is a "Wait Time" icon that would automatically tell the user how long the current wait is to be seated at the desired restaurant. A second "Place Order" icon could allow users to access a restaurant's menu on their device and submit their food orders electronically.

- Public Library: Upon entering a library, a user could see an application automatically appear on their device that would allow them to search the library's digital database of books and other content without having to secure a position at one of the library's linked computers. The application could then automatically disappear from the user's device once they exit the building.

The patent application is solely credited to Apple engineer Scott Herz and was filed in November 2008.

Article Link: Apple Patent Application Details Temporary Location-Specific iPhone Applications

 

[theheadguy]

Nice! The library example is pretty darn cool!

 

[keenan wolf]

this would be so cool!

 

[SilentPanda]

- Bathroom: Tell you how many stalls are free so you don't have to do the awkward "walk out" after you go in and find them all occupied! 😀

 

[3goldens]

Sounds a little too techie for me. Would never need such a feature.

 

[B1gMac]

Yes! This is one of the things I had been hoping for. So logical, so convienient. Go !

 

[wovel]

Very interesting stuff, a lot of potential there.

 

[Small White Car]

I love it.

Once you have this it could expand to many apps and you could set them to ANY location.

Imagine having some apps that only appear on your phone when you're at work and others that only appear while you're at home and having them all do it automatically after you set them up.

People keep asking for 'profiles' ion the iPhone, but something like this would be even better.

 

[xanatos]

what was the app that used to do that in the beginning of the iphone days?.I remember some app popping up when you got to a certain spot/store.

 

[marksman]

This sounds so awesome. From tourist spots to retail stores, to sporting events and concerts.

There would be so many ways this could be used to excellent effect.

 

[B1gMac]

Also, think about what college lecture halls could do with this. Need to take attendance? Need to poll the class? Want to add your name to the queue to ask a question? You needed to copy something down that you missed on the last slide? (maybe an app could hold a cache of all or a few recent slides)

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

Very clever!

 

[15inchbrick]

what was the app that used to do that in the beginning of the iphone days?.I remember some app popping up when you got to a certain spot/store.

I think your talking about in the iTunes app if you were at starbucks it would pop up an icon and let you know what was playing and you could buy it right from itunes 😕

 

[diamornte]

Watch Out Apple!

Nokia is reading this page and patent and they will sue when you come out with this [insert brilliant apple product]!

Stupid useless patents...

 

[mspy]

This reminds me of how you could get demos of games for the Nintendo DS at Toys R Us.

 

[SkippyThorson]

Yes, this patent is already being implemented.

That Starbucks feature that pops up when you're in any Starbucks that supports that order-from-your-iPhone-app thing.

I would love to see a wider adaptation of that feature! 🙂

 

[Scooterman1]

And if Apple uses face recognition with the App, it could tell if you were looking at Porn, Mechanical, Scientific, or Car magazines, by the smile on your face (or look), and give someone a list accordingly. Almost frightening. Also, if someone was at your door in your Hotel, you could look at their face before answering the door. Again, frightening.

 

[WoFat]

Terrible

It's not for me. Id be so engrossed I step off a curb right in the path of a bus. Squish Central.

 

[dwman]

Yes, this patent is already being implemented.

That Starbucks feature that pops up when you're in any Starbucks that supports that order-from-your-iPhone-app thing.

Does this even work anymore? I've been to a couple of SB recently and the icon doesn't pop up when I click on iTunes to see what music is playing in the store.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

So... Do Apple still sells Macs then? 😱

 

[CFreymarc]

this would be so cool!

I'm sounding like a broken record here but this concept was demo'ed years ago. A few media research labs in the country had not only proximity apps active when you are in a location but also did security checking to see if the mobile device was authorized to use said proximity application.

One demo I saw about five years ago had an iPaq running Linux with a GPS module. The system mostly ran off GPS coordinates. Some examples of this was to browse what classes were in session when you got near the campus building. Also, I think the app showed the menu of a cafeteria when you were near it, you could order a meal on your mobile and notified you when the meal was ready for pick up.

Again, public research lab prior art can haunt you when you file broad, "looking one step forward" applications like this.

 

[neiltc13]

Nintendo already did something very similar to this for DS game demos and Pictochat and it came a lot earlier than November 2008.

 

[CFreymarc]

So... Do Apple still sells Macs then? 😱

I have been wondering if the Mac will end up like the Apple ][ and end up discontinued as iPhone OS grows.

First the iPod, then the iPhone and now the iPad. Each device effectively getting larger and all solid state memory storage with an ARM processor on a touch-based interface.

You can postulate larger iPhone OS-based devices where you unfold a two screen like iPad device to replace a laptop with even some sort of spacial recognition sensors where hand movements between the screen replaces a mouse or a glide pad.

Going further, you have have a full desktop like device where you dock your iPad to a monitor / keyboard and (for legacy users) mouse to have a seated experience.

A lot of Mac OS X apps depends on virtual memory via disk caching that takes of a lot of the processing cycle to manage large amounts of data. Virtual memory mostly came about to handle the then high cost of DRAM so apps with larger memory needs can function.

The economics of memory semiconductors are changing to where virtual memory and modern programming techniques are not requiring as much memory.

Could iPhone OS's long term goal be to eliminate hard disks and the virtual memory concept all together? Will we see PCs with hard disks and mice go the way of punch cards, tape readers and toggle boards in the next ten years?

Imagine a future iPhone OS desktop device come out where Apple tells Adobe to stop using virtual memory and redo Photoshop? That would be fun!

 

[cvaldes]

So... Do Apple still sells Macs then? 😱

According to their SEC filings, why yes, they do, lots of them, and very profitably, I might add.

😀

 

[oldwatery]

......and imagine how they will use this to add to the data pool of what you do, how you do it and what you like.
This is downright scary.
What...you can't walk up to the menu posted outside the restaurant? Or walk into the library?
These systems are not being invented for your benefit. They are being used to collect your data.
Oh Apple....what's happening to you 😕