Unified geographic database and method of creating, maintaining and using the same

Abstract

The present invention involves a Universal Geographic Database (“UGD”). The UGD is an automated, central or distributed, registry of real-world locations and location-related information for businesses and other entities, analogous to the registry of domain names for Internet and web sites. By this central registry, businesses and other entities are facilitated to post their location and location-related information in a single place, for all users who need or want it; and users can refer to this single place, via the Internet, Web, and other telecommunications devices, to obtain accurate, complete and timely location and location-based information about the registered businesses and other entities. Each record of the UGD is keyed by a proprietary location address (PLA) based on the World (Geographic Referencing System (WGRS), and optionally may have one or more proprietary location addresses (PLAs), which also may serve as keys. Associated with the PLA keys, each UGD record generally includes the full name for the business or other entity, its street address, and miscellaneous contact information (e.g., telephone number, facsimile number, e-mail address, internet website address, wireless website address). Other more dynamic, customized information (e.g., store hours, credit cards accepted, inventory, prices, specials, hours, parking) also may be available in the UGD record or linked to the UGD record. Users of any device or service can access the UGD through one or more location name servers (LNS), which can provide access to the UGD or other location-based information linked to the UGD or LNS. Based on the WGRS, PLAs provide, in addition to unique keys for UGD records, a user-friendly notation for location naming in the real-world and on all types of location-sensitive electronic devices, from web phones to in-car navigation systems. Given the UGD, these ULA/PLAs are as important to real-world businesses as their domain names because these WGRS addresses drive real-world commerce to physical business locations just as domain names drive e-commerce Internet or web sites.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of creating a Unified Geographic Database (UGD) by registering a proprietary name for a geographical location of an entity, the method comprising: 
 receiving geographical location information for an entity;    receiving a proprietary name for the entity;    geocoding the geographical location information into a hierarchical address;    storing the proprietary name, hierarchical address, and geographical location information as a record in the Unified Geographic Database.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the proprietary name and the hierarchical address serve as alternate keys for accessing the record in the UGD.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the proprietary name is registered for a geographical location with a central registrar through an intermediary.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the proprietary name is registered for a geographical location directly with a single, central registrar over a communications network.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the proprietary name is registered for a geographical location with a central registrar and one or more additional registrars.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein static location-related data for a registered proprietary name is stored with the one or more additional registrars and dynamic location-related data for a registered proprietary name is stored with the central registrar.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein static location-related data for the entity is stored in the record.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein dynamic location-related data for the entity is stored in the record.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein real-time location-related data for the entity is stored in the record.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a link to location-related data for the entity located outside the record is stored in the record.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein location-related data including one or more generic categories that relate to the nature of the entity is stored in the record.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the proprietary name is an entity name or an abbreviated version of an entity name.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the proprietary name is a brand name or an abbreviated version of a brand name that serves as an identifier of the entity as one of the entity's branded products or services.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of obtaining a proprietary name includes obtaining multiple proprietary names for the geographical location of the entity.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further including conflict checking the proprietary name against other proprietary names to ensure a conflicting name is not registered.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein geographical location information includes a street address or latitude/longitude coordinates, the hierarchical address is a World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS) universal locational address, and geocoding includes converting the street address or latitude/longitude coordinates to the universal locational address based on the WGRS.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein geocoding includes converting the street address to latitude/longitude coordinates, and further converting the latitude/longitude coordinates into the universal locational address.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further including verifying and calibrating the universal locational address.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the geocoding, verifying and calibrating is performed only once for a geographical location.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , further including frequently updating the location-related data for an entity based on its proprietary name without changing the proprietary name, so that the data is current, accurate, and complete.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , further including converting the proprietary name into a domain-name like, proprietary locational address based on the geographical location information, the proprietary name, and the World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS), and storing the proprietary locational address as the proprietary name in the record.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein converting the proprietary name into a domain-name like, proprietary locational address includes determining a regional or local grid having a centroid closest to the geographical location of the business or entity, the regional grid represented by an A.B.C naming format, where A represents a country, B represents a state or province, and C represents a city, and prefixing this A.B.C format to the proprietary name to create the domain-name like proprietary locational address.  
     
     
         23 . A method of creating a unified geographic database (UGD) by registering a proprietary name for a geographical location of an entity, the method comprising: 
 receiving geographical location information for an entity;    receiving a proprietary name for the entity;    storing the proprietary name and geographical location information for the entity as a record in the Unified Geographic Database.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further including converting the proprietary name into a domain-name like, proprietary locational address based on the geographical location information, the proprietary name, and the World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS), and storing the proprietary locational address as the proprietary name in the record.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein converting the proprietary name into a domain-name like, proprietary locational address includes determining a regional or local grid having a centroid closest to the geographical location of the business or entity, the regional grid represented by an A.B.C naming format, where A represents a country, B represents a state or province, and C represents a city, and prefixing this A.B.C format to the proprietary name to create the domain-name like proprietary locational address.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the proprietary name serves as a discrete identifier for accessing the record in the UGD.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the geographical location information includes a street address or latitude/longitude coordinates, and the method further includes geocoding the street address or latitude/longitude coordinates into a World Geographic Referencing System hierarchical universal locational address and storing the universal locational address with the proprietary name in the entity record.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein geocoding includes converting the street address to latitude/longitude coordinates, and further converting the latitude/longitude coordinates into the universal locational address.  
     
     
         29 . A method of creating a Unified Geographic Database (UGD) by registering a universal location address (ULA) for a geographical location of an entity, the method comprising: 
 receiving geographical location information for an entity;    geocoding the geographical location information into a ULA based on the World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS);    storing the ULA and geographical location information as a record in the Unified Geographic Database.    
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein geographical location information includes a street address or latitude/longitude coordinates, and geocoding includes converting the street address or latitude/longitude coordinates to the ULA.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein geocoding includes converting the street address to latitude/longitude coordinates, and further converting the latitude/longitude coordinates into the universal locational address.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , further including receiving a proprietary name for the entity and storing the proprietary name with the ULA and geographical location information in the record.  
     
     
         33 . A method of using a unified geographic database (UGD) containing records for multiple entities referenced by a World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS) address and returning location-related information for the entities, the method comprising: 
 receiving a WGRS address;    accessing on or more entity UGD records based on the WGRS address;    providing location-related information from the one or more entity UGD records accessed.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the WGRS address is a proprietary locational address (PLA).  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the WGRS address is a universal locational address (ULA).  
     
     
         36 . A Unified Geographic Database (UGD) comprising records for multiple entities, each entity record including a World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS) domain-name, like hierarchical address associated with location-related information for an entity.  
     
     
         37 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the WGRS address is a universal locational address (ULA).  
     
     
         38 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the WGRS address is a proprietary name address (ULA).  
     
     
         39 . The database of  claim 38 , wherein the PLA includes an entity name or an abbreviated version of an entity name.  
     
     
         40 . The database of  claim 38 , wherein the PLA includes a brand name or an abbreviated version of a brand name that serves as an identifier of the entity as one of the entity's branded products or services.  
     
     
         41 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the location-related data includes static data.  
     
     
         42 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the location-related data includes dynamic data.  
     
     
         43 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the location-related data includes real-time data.  
     
     
         44 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the location-related data includes a link to location-related data for the entity located outside the record.  
     
     
         45 . The database of  claim 36 , wherein the location-related data includes one or more generic categories that relate to the nature of the entity.  
     
     
         46 . A Location Name Server for use with a client and a Unified Geographic Database (UGD), the UGD having records for multiple entities, the records including World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS) domain-name, like hierarchical addresses associated with location-related information for the entities, the Location Name Server comprising a conversion engine for converting from the client a street address or latitude/longitude coordinates to a WGRS address for accessing an entity UGD record based on the WGRS address.  
     
     
         47 . The server of  claim 46 , wherein the server includes memory having a ULA look-up table with ULAs associated with street addresses and/or latitude/longitude coordinates.  
     
     
         48 . A Location Name Server for use with a client and a Unified Geographic Database (UGD), the UGD having records for multiple entities, the entity records having proprietary locational addresses (PLAs) associated with location-related information for the entities, the Location Name Server comprising a conversion engine for converting from the client a proprietary name to a PLA for accessing an entity UGD record based on the PLA.  
     
     
         49 . The server of  claim 48 , wherein the server includes memory having a PLA look-up table with PLAs associated with proprietary names for converting the proprietary names to PLAs.  
     
     
         50 . A method of using a location name server with a client and a Unified Geographic Database (UGD), the UGD having records for multiple entities, the entity records having proprietary locational addresses (PLAs) associated with location-related information for the entities, the method comprising: 
 receiving a proprietary name from the client;    converting the proprietary name into a PLA;    sending the proprietary name to the UGD for accessing an entity UGD record based on the PLA.    
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein converting includes determining the PLA based on searching for the proprietary name in a PLA look-up table.