Patent ID: 8320932

Claim:
A method of using context vectors in location applications, comprising: sensing, from a portable radio, an environmental condition external to the portable radio for a given location without using location signaling, the environmental condition comprising one or more of a light frequency, a light intensity, a light type, a humidity level, a temperature level, a pressure level, a scent, a carbon dioxide level, an oxygen level, a nitrogen level, a sound pressure level, a tone level, a sound frequency, an altitude, a longitude, or a latitude; defining a context vector for the given location, wherein the context vector includes a value for the environmental condition sensed external to the portable radio; detecting a context transition corresponding to a change in the environmental condition external to the portable radio; modifying an operation of location applications in the portable radio based on the context transition detected, wherein the step of modifying the operation of location applications comprises activating, suspending, favoring, disfavoring or initiating a particular location technology among a plurality of location technologies used in the portable radio based on the context transition detected; forming a new context vector based on the context transition and attempting to match the new context vector with a pre-stored context vector; and storing the new context vector if the new context vector fails to match the pre-stored context vector.