Abstract: A shopping assistance service system (40) is provided to which mobile enquirers (20) can submit enquiries regarding the availability of specified goods or services from local traders (70). The service system (40) in searching for solutions to the enquiry, takes account of the significance of the location of the enquiry. This significance can be both in terms of the objective significance concerning a function associated with the enquiry location, such as a shop, shopping mall, motorway, etc., and the subjective significance of the location, such as home, workplace, local to home area, remote from home area, etc.

Abstract: A method is provided for searching for a lost asset (50) equipped with a short-range wireless transceiver (52). A finder service (40) sends out a search request (36) including a lost-asset identifier, this request being sent over a mobile radio infrastructure (10) to a plurality of mobile devices (20). These devices transmit on the request in their immediate vicinity using short-range wireless transceivers (21). Upon a mobile device (20B) receiving back a response from the lost asset (50), it returns a found message (35) over the mobile radio infrastructure (10) to the finder service (40), this message either including location data concerning the whereabouts of the lost asset or enabling such data to be obtained by the finder service.

Abstract: The presence of persons is detected, for example, by detecting short-range communication devices carried by the detected persons. The interests of the detected persons are then determined by reference to specific interests transmitted by the user devices and/or by reference to customer profile data. The discovered interests of the current detected persons are then used to select content for display on an electronic display during a next display slot. The display is spaced from the zone in which the persons are detected, being located at a downstream location through which most of the detected persons will pass.

Abstract: A shopping assistance service system (40) is provided to which enquirers (8A) can submit enquiries regarding the availability of item of interest from local traders (70). The enquiry message (150) includes a description (151) of the item of interest, this description being intended for human interpretation and taking the form of image and/or unstructured audio data. The service system (40) automatically determines a location associated with the enquiry, this being either the enquirer's current location or a location where the enquirer intends to shop. The service system (40) then selects from a database of traders (44), traders appropriate to the enquiry at least in terms of location and the type of the item of interest, and forwards the description of the item of interest to the selected traders (70A,B,D). Traders (70B,D) then respond either directly to the enquirer (8A) or via the service system (40).

Abstract: The proximity of potential customers to a shop is detected, for example, by detecting short-range communication devices carried by passers-by. The interests of the detected passers-by are then determined by reference to specific interests transmitted by the passer-by devices and/or by reference to customer profile data. The discovered interests of the current passers-by are then used to select content for display on a shop-window electronic display during a next display slot. Passers-by who may be particularly interested in the displayed content are preferably sent an alert. In other embodiments, the targeted audience is a static group, such as train passengers, with the targeted information being displayed at a station.

Abstract: A mobile entity (20) provides accuracy limit data (Q) that indicates a desired accuracy of location data (L) about the mobile entity. This data (Q) is passed, either directly or indirectly from the mobile entity (20), to a location handling system (80) which provides location data (L) about the corresponding mobile entity limited to the desired accuracy. In one embodiment, the location handling system is a location server. In another embodiment the location handling system is a decryption entity (80) for decrypting encrypted location data.

Abstract: In order to find locally relevant information in a physical or electronic document (71), such as a guide book, which a user (70) already possesses, the user contacts a service system (40) over a mobile radio infrastructure (10). The service system (40) is provided both with the identity of the document and the location of the user. The service system (40) accesses a database (44) that correlates location to a document reference, such as a page number, where relevant information can be found in the document (71). The document reference is returned to the user (70).

Abstract: Location data about a mobile entity (20) is provided in encrypted form by a location server (79) to a recipient that is one of the mobile entity (20) or a service system (40) usable by the mobile entity. The location data (P) is encrypted such that it can only to be decrypted using a secret available to a decryption entity (80) that is not under the control of the recipient. This permits location data (P) to be provided in a confidential manner to service systems (40) and also protects billing relationships between participants. A mechanism is also described for limiting the accuracy of decrypted location data (L) made available to a service system (40).

Abstract: A method and device is provided for obscuring the location of a mobile entity to a specified accuracy level. Available location data that has a known accuracy greater than the specified accuracy has its accuracy decreased (85) by combining with the components of the available location data, additional components randomized over a range set by the difference between the known accuracy of the available location data and the specified accuracy level.

Abstract: Location information about a communicating entity (41), in particular a mobile entity, is derived by identifying intermediate nodes (42) along the communication path being used by the entity, and then looking up, in a database (44), the geographic significance of at least one of these nodes when considered in a direction along the communication path towards the entity of interest. Preferably, account is taken of any identified downstream/upstream nodes to refine the geographic significance of a node. The geographic significance information can be compiled by taking location fixes at a plurality of endpoint locations and associating the location data thus obtained with the intermediate nodes traversed when communication is effected from the corresponding endpoint locations.

Abstract: A distributed telemetry method is effected by coordinating the taking of readings of a parameter by mobile phone users, the parameter readings being then sent to a service system together with location information on the users. Collating the readings and location information enables a representation to be generated of the geographic variation of the measured parameter. Incentives can be offered to encourage cell phone users to participate in the telemetry method.

Abstract: A wireless transmission card (30) forming a plug-in module to a PCMCIA expansion port (20) of a host device (10) and having a contact-less capacitively coupled antenna connector (50) for coupling the wireless transmission card (30) to an antenna (40) mounted within the host device (10).

Abstract: In a computer network of a base station and one or more remote units, data transmission from the base station to the or each remote unit is by way of a wireless (e.g. infrared) signal, and by way of a radio signal in the other direction. Infra-red receivers can be used in the remote units which are cheap and have low power consumption compared with radio receivers, and radio transmitters can be used in the remote units which have low power consumption compared with infra-red transmitters. This therefore facilitates the provision of cheap, battery-powered remote units. The wireless signal is used to send instructions to control selection by each remote unit of a transmission channel for its radio signals.