The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 27, 2005
Filed:
Nov. 09, 2000
Kulbir S. Sandhu, San Jose, CA (US);
Rodric C. Fan, Fremont, CA (US);
Kulbir S. Sandhu, San Jose, CA (US);
Rodric C. Fan, Fremont, CA (US);
@Road, Inc., Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
A method for facilitating a commercial transaction based on a current location of a mobile customer and a mobile merchant provides opportunity for commercial transaction not previously possible. In one application, the method establishes a wireless link between a server on a wide-area network and mobile customer, and obtains from the mobile customer a current location by reading automatically from a positioning device associated and located with said customer. Based on the current location so obtained, the server matches the mobile customer, as one party of the commercial transaction, with one or more business concern within a predetermined distance from the current location, so that the business concern can act as a counter-party to complete the commercial transaction. This and other location-relevant services can be delivered to the mobile person in a system including a positioning device mounted on a vehicle and an associated-handheld unit that the mobile person can carry around as he or she is outside the vehicle in its vicinity. The handheld unit communicates with the positioning device using a second wireless link (e.g., a local RF or infra-red link).