Abstract:
A method, system and computer readable instructions for determining astrological information for an operator of a mobile computing device is provided. Geographic position data of the operator is obtained and reported by an automatic location positioning system. Personal characteristics of the operator are correlated with the geographic position data. Astrological information is calculated based on the personal characteristics of the operator and the geographic position data.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Technical Field  
           [0002]    This invention relates generally to a method for displaying horoscope content to a plurality of viewers and, more particularly, to a method for providing different horoscope content to different operators based on operator characteristics and operator location.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from protocols of the sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (with packets if necessary). When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.  
           [0005]    The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.  
           [0006]    Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is a special syntax identifier defining a communications path to specific information. Each logical block of information accessible to a client, called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The URL provides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing this information, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user&#39;s Web “browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request for information identified by an identifier, such as, for example, a URL. A user may enter a domain name through a graphical user interface (GUI) for the browser to access a source of content. The domain name is automatically converted to the Internet Protocol (IP) address by a domain name system (DNS), which is a service that translates the symbolic name entered by the user into an IP address by looking up the domain name in a database.  
           [0007]    A horoscope is a map that appears as a two dimensional chart showing the position of the sun, the moon and planets as the precise moment of a person&#39;s birth. In the natal horoscope, the planets are frozen at the moment of a person&#39;s birth. This type of horoscope is known as a a birth chart or natal chart. An interpretation of the birth positions of the planets exposes the “hand” that has been “dealt” a person while alive. A horoscope can never show a person how to play this hand, however the horoscope does reflect natural inclinations that a person has to live with, lessons a person has learned, issues a person must face and problems a person must solve. A horoscope may be thought of an abstract formula showing energies that a person has been given. The use a person makes of these energies depends on the individual. The art of creating a horoscope, otherwise known as astrology, can provide incredible keys to understanding, however it does not provide clear and simplistic answers to any problems a person may be dealing with. Obtaining information about a horoscope may allow a person some insights and understandings of the reasons why the person behaves in a particular way.  
           [0008]    Horoscopes are very popular with a large section of the public, throughout the United States and abroad. Presently, horoscopes are available on a daily basis in most newspapers, published in numerous books, and are available on numerous sites on the Internet or the world wide web (WWW). To access a particular horoscope on the Internet, one needs either a personal computer or a notebook computer with some type of dial up or high speed connection. However, a horoscope may be very location specific in that the location of a person at a particular point in time may designate the person&#39;s horoscope at that instant. A personal computer, for the most part, is installed and remains in a dedicated location. Therefore, any information regarding a horoscope may be outdated and difficult to access on an as needed basis. Notebook computers possess some of the same limitations; while more portable, a notebook computer does require a space to set up and a connection to access the Internet. However, current technology has provided smaller hand-held wireless devices which may be used without the limitations inherent with a personal computer or notebook computer while allowing instant access to the Internet at the whim of the user and providing quick and up to date information regarding a person&#39;s horoscope.  
           [0009]    Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system and apparatus that provides reliable and quick access to horoscopes for a user based on the user&#39;s location at the moment using a portable hand held wireless Internet compatible device.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention provides a method, system and computer readable instructions for determining astrological information for a user of a mobile computing device. Geographic position data of the device is obtained and reported by an automatic location positioning system. Personal characteristics of the operator are correlated with the geographic position data. Astrological information is calculated based on the personal characteristics of the operator and the geographic position data.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a computing system is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a networked data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicts a data processing system, which may be implemented as a server, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4A depicts an exemplary display of astrological data for a user for a first location in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4B depicts an exemplary display of astrological data for a user for a second location in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4C depicts an exemplary display of astrological data for a user for a third location in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating gathering and dissemination of astrological information using an automatic location positioning system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0019]    With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to FIG. 1, a diagram of a computing system  100  is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, head-end  102  is connected to a server computer  104 , which is employed to collect data from various automotive computing platforms that may be present within computing system  100 . In particular, server computer  104  may communicate with various mobile units  106 - 114 . These mobile units each contain a computing platform, which may communicate with server  104 . In this example, communications between various mobile units may be accomplished through a cellular phone system or through an Iridium satellite phone system or other wireless systems.  
         [0020]    Communications between server computer  104  and mobile units  106 - 114  is accomplished in a number of different ways in this example. For example, radio tower  116  provides communications links  118  and  120  to mobile units  108  and  106  respectively. Communications links  118  and  120  are radio frequency communications links generated between radio tower  116  and antennas located at mobile units  106  and  108 . In addition, server  104  may communicate with mobile unit  110  through communications links  122  and  124 . Communications link  122  is established between satellite dish  126  and satellite switch  128  with communications link  124  being established between satellite  128  and mobile unit  110 . Communications links  122  and  124  are radio frequency based links generated by signals sent to satellite switch  128  from satellite dish  126  and from satellite switch  128  to mobile unit  110 . In this example, radio tower  116  and satellite dish  126  are connected to head-end  102  and provide for transmissions originating from or passing through head-end  102 .  
         [0021]    Further, signals may be sent from satellite switch  128  to satellite dish  130  via communications link  132 . From satellite dish  130 , information may be sent to mobile unit  114  through communications link  134 ,  136 , and  140 . Communications link  134  in this example is a link between switch  142  and switch  144 . In this manner, a path may be established from server computer  104  to mobile unit  114  to create a path containing communications links  122 ,  132 ,  134 ,  136 , and  140 . Communications link  134  is a physical link, which may be for example, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, or a combination of the two. Each switch also has a “link”, also called a “path” within the switch for writing data through the switch. An “input link” is the input or source portion of the link associated with the input into the switch, and an “output link” is the output or destination portion of the link associated with the output from the switch. Communications link  136  is established between radio towers  146  and  148 . Radio tower  146  is connected to switch  144  in FIG. 1. Communications link  140  is established between radio tower  148  and mobile unit  114 . Communications with mobile unit  112  may be established through a path containing communications links  122 ,  132 , and  150 . Communications link  150  is established between radio tower  151  and mobile unit  112 . In this example, satellite dish  130  and radio tower  151  are connected to switch  142 .  
         [0022]    In addition, server computer  104  may use an alternate path to communicate with mobile unit  114 . For example, a path through communications links  152 ,  154 ,  136 , and  140  may be employed to communicate with mobile unit  114 . Links  152  and  154  are physical links in this example. Communications link  152  is established between head-end  102  and switch  156 , while communications link  154  is established between switch  156  and switch  144 . In this manner, data signals, such as multi-media data, which may include video, graphics, voice, and text may be sent between server computer  104  and mobile units  106 - 114 .  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a networked data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented. Networked data processing system  200  is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented. Networked data processing system  200  contains a network  202 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within networked data processing system  200 . Network  202  may include wireline connections, such as copper wire or fiber optic cables, and wireless connections, such as cellular telephone connections. Also, the connections for network  202  may be either permanent, such as with a dedicated line, and/or temporary, such as connections made through dial up telephone connections.  
         [0024]    In the depicted example, a server  204  is connected to network  202  along with storage unit  206 . In addition, clients  208 ,  210 , and  212  also are connected to network  202 . These clients  208 ,  210 , and  212  may be, for example, personal computers, mobile devices such as cellular phones, internet enabled personal digital assistants (PDAs) or network computers. For purposes of this application, a network computer is any computer, coupled to a network, which receives a program or other application from another computer coupled to the network. In the depicted example, server  204  provides data and applications to clients  208 - 112 . Clients  208 ,  210 , and  212  are clients to server  204 . In a multi-tier networked environment, networked applications are provided in which a portion of the application is located on a server, such as server  204  and another portion of the application is located on a client, such as client  208 . In this implementation, the client is considered a first tier system while the server is considered a second tier system.  
         [0025]    Networked data processing system  200  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. In the depicted example, networked data processing system  200  is the Internet with network  202  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational, and other computer systems, that route data and messages. Of course, networked data processing system  200  also may be implemented as an number of different types of networks, such as, for example, an intranet or a local area network. Popular communication protocols may be hypertext transfer protocol or wireless applications housed in the network.  
         [0026]    Mobile units  106 - 114  in FIG. 1 may contain a browser for locating sites on the Internet, an audio unit for announcing data either received by or contained in mobile units  106 - 114  and, for example, a GPS unit for locating the position of a mobile unit. Mobile units  106 - 114  may also contain an application which may be, for example, Internet communications software, for enabling communications between, for example, the Internet and a mobile unit. The browser may receive position data of the mobile unit along with personal characteristic data of the user for which astrological information is to be determined. The personal characteristic data of the user may be, for example, input via the mobile unit, stored within the mobile unit, or stored on a server. A server, such as server  204 , may contain an application, such as astrological computation software to compute astrological information for a user based on position data and personal characteristics. The computed astrological information may then be sent to a web server which then transmits the computed astrological information via the Internet communications software which then transmits the computed astrological information to a mobile unit, such as, for example, one or more mobile units  106 - 114 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 2 is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the processes of the present invention. For example, network  202  may use other hardware devices, such as, plotters, optical scanners, and the like in addition or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 2.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicts a data processing system, which may be implemented as a server, such as server computer  104  in FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Data processing system  300  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors  302  and  304  connected to system bus  306 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  306  is memory controller/cache  308 , which provides an interface to local memory  309 . I/O bus bridge  310  is connected to system bus  306  and provides an interface to I/O bus  312 . Memory controller/cache  308  and I/O bus bridge  310  may be integrated as depicted.  
         [0029]    Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  314  connected to I/O bus  312  provides an interface to PCI local bus  316 . A number of modems  318 - 320  may be connected to PCI bus  316 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to transmitters in FIG. 1 may be provided through modem  318  and network adapter  220  connected to PCI local bus  316  through add-in boards.  
         [0030]    Additional PCI bus bridges  322  and  324  provide interfaces for additional PCI buses  326  and  328 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, server  300  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter  330  and hard disk  332  may also be connected to I/O bus  312  as depicted, either directly or indirectly.  
         [0031]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in FIG. 3 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as an optical disk drive and the like, also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention.  
         [0032]    The data processing system depicted in FIG. 3 may be, for example, an IBM eServer pSeries, a product of International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system or the Linux operating systems.  
         [0033]    The present invention provides a method to display horoscope information using an automatic location positioning system on a location enabled mobile device. It will be assumed for purposes of the description of the present invention that the invention is implemented using a global positioning system (GPS) or one of the aforementioned telephone systems, although it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. A user may be either an operator of the device or another person who&#39;s location and personal characteristics, such as, for example date, time and place are birth are entered. A user may enter the date, time and place of birth of either the user or someone other than the user.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4A depicts an exemplary display of astrological data for a user for a first location in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Horoscope data display  400  illustrates a possible format in which astrological data may be presented although it is appreciated that other alternate formats may also be used either in lieu of horoscope data display  400  or in addition to horoscope data display  400 . In this example, horoscope data display  400  consists of user data field  402  and user location field  404 . In user data field  402  may be the date of the user&#39;s birth along with the time of the user&#39;s birth. The time of the user&#39;s birth may be alternately displayed at local time and Greenwich Meridian time (GMT). User location field  404  may consist of the user&#39;s present location which may be expressed alternately as a named location anywhere in the world and using applicable longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates. One drawback of using only a named location anywhere in the world is that the exact location of the user may not be known and, therefore, a astronomical reading based only on a named location may not reflect a true relationship to the user&#39;s actual location. The present invention addresses this drawback and locates the user using the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates, thereby pinpointing the exact location of the user at a certain point in time.  
         [0035]    In this example, the user is born on Jun. 1, 1950 at 12:00 local time or 11:00 GMT. The present location of the user is in Dallas, Tex. at an exact location of 96°49′ West and 32°47′ North. Horoscope data display  400  also includes categories of planets  406 , houses  408  and aspect/bodies/orbit  410  in which astronomical features of the user may be determined. For example planets  406  indicates that the sun is at 10°47′ and is in the 10th house of Capricorn. Additionally, planets  406  indicates that Saturn is at 19°23′ in the 6th house of Virgo. It should be noted at this point in planets  406  that Vertex is at 2°34′ in Libra and East Point is 4°21′ in Aries. Additionally, houses  408  of the zodiacs is shown in horoscope data display  400 . For example, the 2nd house is at 13°11′ of Taurus and the 12th house is at 26°24′ of Aquarius.  
         [0036]    Finally, in horoscope data display  400  is aspect/bodies/orbit field  410 . For example, Mercury and Jupiter are in conjunction with each other at an orbit of 6°29′. Venus and Pluto are in opposition to each other at 0°32′. The Moon is in trine with Venus, Jupiter and Neptune at 6°37′, 3°54′ and 6°38′, respectively. Trine is the aspect of two bodies distant from each other by 120 degrees. Neptune is in sextile with Pluto at 0°30′. Sextile is the aspect of two bodies which have a distance of 60 degrees.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 4B depicts an exemplary display of astrological data for a user for a second location in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, user data for horoscope data display  400  in FIG. 4A was held constant except that the current location of the user was varied by 1 degree west. Therefore, as indicated in user location field  404  is that the user is still in Dallas, Tex. but is now located at 97°49′ West and 32°47′ North. As stated above, the change in location of the user may be determined by either using an automatic location positioning system, such as for example, GPS, by user input, or by other locator means. Of particular note in FIG. 4B is the fact that in planets  406 , the sun, the moon and the planets remain in the same houses of the zodiac as in FIG. 4A. However, the vertex within planets  406  is now at 1°57′ in Libra and the east point is at 3°16′ in Aries as opposed to 2°34′ in Libra and 4°21′ in Aries, respectively, in FIG. 4A. Although in houses  408  the houses remain in the same astrological signs as in FIG. 4A, the position of the houses within each sign has changed. For example, Ascedent is now at 4°32′ in Aries as opposed to 5°57′ in Aries in FIG. 4A. In addition, the 2nd house, 3rd house, 4th house, 5th house, etc. remain in their appropriate astrological sign, but similarly their position within these astrological signs have also changed do to the fact that the user has altered position by, in this example, 1 degree to the west.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 4C depicts an exemplary display of astrological data for a user for a third location in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, user data for horoscope data display  400  in FIG. 4A was held constant except that the current location of the user was varied by 1 degree south. Therefore, as indicated in user location field  404  is that the user is still in Dallas, Tex. but is now located at 96°49′ West and 31°47! North. As stated above, the change in location of the user may be determined by either using an automatic location positioning system, such as for example, GPS, or by user input. As with FIG. 4B in planets  406 , the sun, the moon and the planets remain in the same houses of the zodiac as in FIG. 4A. However, the vertex within planets  406  is now at 2°34′ in Libra and the east point is at 4°21′ in Aries as opposed to 1°57′ in Libra and 3°16′ in Aries, respectively, in FIG. 4B. Although in houses  408  the houses remain in the same astrological signs as in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the position of the houses within each sign has again changed. For example, Ascedent is now at 5°57′ in Aries as opposed to 4°32′ in Aries in FIG. 4B. In addition, the 2nd house, 3rd house, 4th house, 5th house, etc. remain in their appropriate astrological sign, but similarly their position within these astrological signs have also changed do to the fact that the user has altered position by, in this example, 1 degree to the south.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating gathering and dissemination of astrological information using an automatic location positioning system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the operation begins by receiving user data needed to supply astrological information (step  502 ). This information may consist of date of birth, place of birth, time of birth, and the like. Then a determination is made as to whether or not an automatic location positioning system is enabled (step  504 ). If an automatic location positioning system is not enabled (step  504 :NO), a user is prompted for location information (step  508 ). Then a determination is made as to whether or not the location information is received (step  510 ). If the location information is not received (step  510 :NO), the operation terminates. If the location information is received (step  510 :YES), the operation continues to step  512  in which astrological information is gathered based on input user data and location information. The computation of the position of the planets, houses, etc. is well known in the prior art.  
         [0040]    Returning to step  504 , if an automatic location positioning system is enabled (step  504 :YES), the location of the user is determined. The location of the user may be determined by using, for example, a global positioning system. Then astrological information is gathered based on received user data and the location information (step  512 ). The astrological information is transmitted (step  514 ). The astrological information may be transmitted to a personal digital assistant (PDA), a notebook computer, hand-held computer and the like. The astrological information is then displayed (step  516 ). In an alternate embodiment, the astrological data may be conveyed to the user audibly. Then a determination is made as to whether or not another astrological search is to be performed (step  518 ). If another astrological search is not to be performed (step  518 :NO), the operation terminates. If another astrological search is to be performed (step  518 :YES), a determination is made as to whether or not revised user data has been input (step  520 ). If revised user data has not been input (step  520 :NO), the operation returns to step  504  in which a determination is made as to whether or not an automatic location positioning system is enabled. If revised user data has been input (step  520 :YES), the operation returns to step  502  in which user data needed for astrological information is received.  
         [0041]    Therefore, the present invention provides a method, system and apparatus that provides reliable and quick access to horoscopes for a user based on the user&#39;s location at the moment using a portable hand held wireless Internet compatible device. A user may be either an operator of the device or another person who&#39;s location and personal characteristics, such as, for example date, time and place are birth are entered. A user may enter the date, time and place of birth of either the user or someone other than the user. The automatic location positioning system will automatically determine the location of the user and retrieve astrological data for the user based on the entered information as well as the location of the user. The astrological data will be transmitted to the portable hand held wireless Internet compatible device. The astrological data may be displayed upon the device or may be conveyed to the user in an audible fashion.  
         [0042]    It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally, regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media such as a floppy disc, a hard disk drive, a RAM, and CD-ROMs and transmission-type media such as digital and analog communications links.  
         [0043]    The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the astrological information is shown to be delivered to a client device via a server based on a location of a user. However, the astrological information may be contained in the mobile device without the use of a server. Furthermore, the astrological information may be processed further, for example, to deliver the user&#39;s fortune, to present the relationship compatability of the user with various signs of the zodiac, to predict a user&#39;s fame and fortune aspects, and the like. In addition, a GPS was shown to be the automatic location positioning system, but the present invention is not limited to a GPS system. For instance, other means of locating a user may be used within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, an automatic location positioning system used in tracking mobile phone users may be used with the present invention in place of the GPS. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.