Position discovery using short range mobile devices

Claim 2

A position-discovery method for a mobile device, said method comprising: receiving messages from a plurality of originating points; determining a most prominent originating point, wherein said most prominent originating point is a member of said plurality of originating points that originates a greatest quantity of said messages in a set of recently received messages; and determining a position of said mobile device based on, at least, position data specific to said most prominent originating point wherein said position data is provided in a message from said most prominent originating point.

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 , wherein said position of said mobile device is determined as being that of said most prominent originating point.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1 , wherein said position of said mobile device is determined as a weighted average of positions of said plurality of originating points of said messages in said set.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1 , wherein said set is defined by a receiving time window.

Claim 6

A position-discovery method for a mobile device, comprising: participating in a process for locally diffusing information for presentation to users of mobile devices, wherein said process involves propagating said information in messages passed from a first device to a second device by non-wired short-range communication means of the said first and second devices, a number of copies of a message in propagation initially tending to increase due to propagation activities of receiving devices and then tending to decrease as said receiving devices implement propagation limitation measures for said message, wherein at least some of said messages include position data specific to originating points of said messages; and processing a set of recently received messages to determine a position of said mobile device based on at least, position data of a most prominent originating point, wherein said most prominent originating point is a member of said originating points that originates a greatest quantity of said messages in said set.

Claim 7

A position-discovery method for a mobile device, comprising: participating in a process for locally diffusing information for presentation to users of mobile devices, wherein said process involves propagating said information in messages passed from a first device to a second device by non-wired short-range communication means of the said first and second devices, a number of copies of a message in propagation initially tending to increase due to propagation activities of receiving devices and then tending to decrease as said receiving devices implement propagation limitation measures for said message, wherein at least some of said messages include position data specific to originating points of said messages; and processing a set of recently received messages to determine a position of said mobile device based on at least, position data of a most prominent originating point, wherein said most prominent originating point is a member of said originating points that originates a greatest quantity of said messages in said set.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 5 , wherein said mobile device determines its position as being that of said most prominent originating point.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 5 , wherein said mobile device determines its position as a weighted average of positions of said originating points of said messages in said set.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 5 , wherein said set is defined by a receiving time window.

Claim 11

A mobile device comprising: a short-range wireless receiver for receiving messages, wherein at least some of said messages include position data specific to originating points of said messages; an originating-point monitor for determining originating points of a set of recently received messages; and a location determination unit for processing said set of recently received messages to determine a position of said mobile device based on, at least, position data of a most prominent originating point, wherein said most prominent originating point is a member of said originating points that originates a greatest quantity of said messages in said set.

Claim 12

A mobile device comprising: a short-range wireless receiver for receiving messages, wherein at least some of said messages include position data specific to originating points of said messages; an originating-point monitor for determining originating points of a set of recently received messages; and a location determination unit for processing said set of recently received messages to determine a position of said mobile device based on, at least, position data of a most prominent originating point, wherein said most prominent originating point is a member of said originating points that originates a greatest quantity of said messages in said set.

Claim 13

A device according to claim 9 , wherein said location determination unit determines said position of said mobile device as being that of said most prominent originating point.

Claim 14

A device according to claim 9 , wherein said location determination unit determines said position of said mobile device as a weighted average of positions of said originating points of said messages in said set.

Claim 15

A device according to claim 9 , wherein said set is defined by a receiving time window preset in said originating-point monitor.