Importance

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Abstract

A method and system supporting location based services for a mobile electronic device that supports multiple wireless communication technologies. The mobile device contains a resource proxy for dynamically storing a set of resources that are available to the electronic device and that are location specific, e.g., accessible via a point that is near the electronic device. The resource proxy contains a resource table recording the available resources and a gateway table indicating a pathway for reaching the data. The resource proxy definitions are technology independent with respect to the communication mechanisms required to obtain the data. Resources are added to the resource proxy via a resource discovery mechanism automatically performed by the mobile device. Multiple network gateways can be defined and each is responsible for requesting and retrieving information for the resource proxy. Network gateways are coupled to network interfaces which provide the logic required to perform wireless communication using particular communication mechanisms, e.g., Bluetooth or wireless LAN, etc. Applications interface with the resource proxy using technology independent commands in order to obtain information from the available resources recorded in the resource proxy. Using the system of the invention, available resources for a particular location are collected via a single process/database on the mobile device and presented to the applications in a uniform way.

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First Claim