Platform to influence channelization of customized information to a user

• US 10,031,644 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HomeAway.com, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HomeAway.com, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Ryan Hedley, Haligas, Daniel Steven, Venugopal, Velayudhan Pillai, Devine, Alex Holm
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seyedvosoghi, Farid
• Application Number:
  US14/594,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554563, 455457, 4554142, 455456
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Aggregated traveler data may be accessed by subscribers to a content management system. Subscriber data in access requests from one or more subscribers may be used to describe a pool of travelers in the aggregated traveler data that may be concentrated in a geographic location. Location data, temporal data or both, from one or more electronic sources and/or data stores may be processed to determine if a selected traveler will be positioned within a threshold of an allowable distance from an allowable event in the geographic location at a time coincident with an event time window for the allowable event. Selected travelers who meet location and/or temporal parameters may be targeted to receive customized content for events including activities, services, goods, suggestions, and recommendations from subscribers. A subscriber may own a rental property in the geographic location that is rented by a selected traveler.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communications interface;

a data store; and

a computing device in communication with the data store and the communications interface, wherein the computing device is programmed by executable instructions to at least;

receive, via the communications interface, an access data file;

extract, from the access data file, data representing an access request, proprietor data, and proprietor access credentials,

verify the proprietor access credentials;

access from the data store, in response to verification of the proprietor access credentials, data representing a pool of travelers identified by the access request, wherein individual travelers in the pool of travelers are not within a threshold distance of an event at a present time;

select a selected traveler of the pool of travelers based at least partly on a time coincidence signal and a locus entry signal that are wirelessly communicated by a computing device of the selected traveler;

determine that the selected traveler is expected to be within the threshold distance of the event at a future time based at least partly on an analysis of prior location data associated with the selected traveler and current location data associated with the selected traveler;

generate an event data file for the selected traveler; and

communicate, using the communications interface, the event data file to the computing device of the selected traveler via a communications link prior to the future time at which the selected traveler is expected to be within the threshold distance of the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein data representing one or more of an activity, a service, or a suggestion is identified by the proprietor data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data store includes one or more of geo-location data for the pool of travelers, temporal data for the pool of travelers, or location history data for the pool of travelers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device of the selected traveler is configured to execute the event data file.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the access data file is generated by a subscriber computing device in communication with the communications interface via another communications link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein an electronic message is extracted from the event data file, the electronic message addressed to a unique address associated with an account of the selected traveler.

7. A system comprising:

a communications interface;

a data store; and

a computing device in communication with the communications interface and the data store, wherein the computing device is programmed to at least;

receive, via the communications interface, a request data file;

extract, from the request data file, event location data and event temporal data;

access, from the data store via the communications interface, data regarding a pool of travelers;

select, using the event location data and the event temporal data, one or more selected travelers from the pool of travelers, wherein individual selected travelers are not positioned within a threshold distance of a location represented by the event location data at a present time;

select a selected traveler of the one or more selected travelers based at least partly on a time coincidence signal and a locus entry signal that are wirelessly communicated by a computing device of the selected traveler;

access, via the communications interface, individualized data for the selected traveler, the individualized data including one or more of stay data, demographic data, preference data, and location data;

determine that the selected traveler is to be within the threshold distance of the event at a future time that corresponds to the event temporal data, wherein the selected traveler is determined to be expected to be within the threshold distance of the event at the further time based at least partly on an analysis of prior location data associated with the selected traveler and current location data associated with the selected traveler;

generate a data file including customized content for the selected traveler based at least in part on individualized data for the selected traveler; and

communicate, using the communications interface, the data file to the computing device of the selected traveler via a communications link prior to the future time at which the selected traveler is expected to be within the threshold distance of the event.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of content included in the customized content is extracted from the request data file.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the customized content is based at least in part on the location data of the selected traveler.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein data representing beginning and ending stay dates is extracted from the stay data, and wherein the customized content is based at least in part on the beginning stay date or the ending stay date.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein a number of travelers positioned in the geographic location within a locus of the event location data is determined by a pool concentration determinator.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of a computing device configured to execute specific computer-executable instructions,

receiving, at a communications interface, an access data file;

extracting, from the access data file, data representing an access request, proprietor data, and data representing proprietor access credentials;

verifying the proprietor access credentials;

accessing traveler data regarding a pool of travelers identified by the access request, wherein individual travelers in the pool of travelers are not within a threshold distance of an event at a present time;

selecting a selected traveler of the pool of travelers based at least partly on a time coincidence signal and a locus entry signal that are wirelessly communicated by a computing device of the selected traveler;

determining that the selected traveler is expected to be within the threshold distance of the event at a future time, wherein the determining is based at least partly on an analysis of prior location data associated with the selected traveler and current location data associated with the selected traveler;

generating an event data file for the selected traveler, the event data file representing one or more of an activity, a service, or a suggestion identified by the proprietor data; and

communicating the event data file to the computing device of the selected traveler via a communications link prior to the future time at which the selected traveler is expected to be within the threshold distance of the event.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the event data file for the selected traveler is generated in response to determining that the selected traveler is likely to be positioned within the threshold distance of the event.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the event data file for the selected traveler is generated upon receiving, at the communications interface, the time coincidence signal.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the time coincidence signal is calculated by matching an estimated time of arrival with the event time window, the estimated time of arrival determined using location data and temporal data from a clock signal in the computing device of the selected traveler to calculate a velocity of the computing device in a direction towards the event.