US 2,002,035,605 · Filed 2001-03-16

The 2001 Patent That Turned Your Location Into Mobile Commerce Gold

Imagine if your phone could tell stores exactly where you are and what you want to buy—all in real time. This patent describes a system that connects your location data, instant messaging, and shopping together so wireless carriers and Internet companies can offer you deals and services based on where you're standing right now.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claims cover an integrated system that combines three core functions: determining where a wireless subscriber is located, detecting whether they're available to receive messages, routing instant messages to them, and enabling mobile commerce (shopping on your phone) based on that real-time presence and location data. What's protected here is the seamless connection between these three services—not just the individual pieces, but the gateway architecture that lets wireless carriers and Internet content providers work together without needing separate bilateral deals for each partnership.

Why it matters

This patent captures an early vision of location-based mobile services, filed in 2001 when most phones were still voice-only devices. It describes a business model where wireless carriers could become platforms for third-party services rather than just pipe providers—a shift that would take another decade to mature but fundamentally changed how carriers monetize subscriber data and relationships. The patent also hints at network optimization through passive measurement, a practice that became standard in cellular operations.

Real-world use

When you get a push notification offering a 20 percent discount at a store you just walked past, or when your instant messenger shows friends as 'nearby,' you're seeing the kind of location-aware, presence-enabled mobile experience this patent envisioned.

Original USPTO abstract

Presence determination, location determination, instant messaging, and mobile commerce are integrated into a functionally seamless system, which may be implemented as an added component of a wireless provider's network. Alternatively, the integrated system enables instant messaging and mobile commerce as a centralized gateway attached to the networks of a large number of wireless providers. The gateway facilitates a business model that advances beyond today's practices, in which individual wireless carriers enter into bi-lateral agreements with specific Internet content providers. The functionally integrated gateway disclosed empowers Internet services that require real-time information about wireless subscribers in order to conduct m-commerce or offer advanced messaging services. Optimization of a wireless network is also facilitated by taking network performance measurements, without using a special drive test team, via devices that are regularly using the network during standard network operation.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,002,035,605
Filing date: 2001-03-16
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Mcdowell Mark / Joseph Khalil / Steven Zweifach / Graham Stead / Lejeune David
Inventor(s): MCDOWELL MARK, KHALIL JOSEPH, ZWEIFACH STEVEN, STEAD GRAHAM, LEJEUNE DAVID
CPC class: H04L69/329

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