Merging payloads in geofence crowded venues

• US 10,034,130 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Greenberger, Jeremy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Cong
• Application Number:
  US15/243,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 4554561, 455421, 455453
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A subset of geofences is selected from a set of geofences operating in an area, each geofence in the subset satisfying a primary consideration relative to at least one other geofence in the subset. In response to a first payload of a first geofence and a second payload of a second geofence satisfying a secondary consideration, a combined geofence definition is formed by combining a first definition of the first geofence with a second definition of the second geofence. At a data processing system distinct from a mobile device traveling in the area, the first payload is combined with the second payload to form a combined payload. The combined geofence definition and the combined payload are transmitted to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting, from a set of geofences operating in an area, a subset of geofences, each geofence in the subset satisfying a primary consideration relative to at least one other geofence in the subset;

detecting that a mobile device is located in the area to receive payloads corresponding to each geofence in the set of geofences, wherein the selecting the subset of geofences is responsive to the detecting;

forming a combined geofence definition, responsive to a first payload of a first geofence and a second payload of a second geofence satisfying a secondary consideration, by combining a first definition of the first geofence with a second definition of the second geofence;

combining, using a processor and a memory at a data processing system, the data processing system being distinct from the mobile device traveling in the area, and responsive to the forming the combined geofence definition, the first payload with the second payload to form a combined payload; and

transmitting, to the mobile device the combined geofence definition and the combined payload.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing an order in which the first payload is combined with the second payload, the changing being responsive to a second secondary consideration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, responsive to a social networking consideration, the second payload for combining with the first payload, wherein the selecting the second payload is responsive to a social network data indicating a previous use of the second payload by a member of a social network of a user of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

causing, responsive to the social networking consideration, the second payload to be presented at a higher priority than the first payload at the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary consideration restricts a type of payloads that can be combined with each other, and wherein the first payload and the second payload are of the type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary consideration specifies that payloads to be combined have at least a threshold period left before expiry, wherein the first payload has at least the threshold period left before the first payload expires, and wherein the second payload has at least the threshold period left before the second payload expires.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary consideration specifies that geofences to be combined have areas of sizes within a tolerance value of each other, wherein the first geofence has a first area that is within the threshold value of a second area of the second geofence.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a projected travel path of the mobile device through the area, wherein the secondary consideration specifies that each geofence to be combined into the combined geofence be on the projected travel path, and wherein the first geofence and the second geofence are each on the projected travel path.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a location of a pause during a past travel of the mobile device through the area, wherein the secondary consideration specifies that each geofence to be combined into the combined geofence be within a threshold distance from the location of the pause, and wherein the first geofence and the second geofence are each within a threshold distance from the location of the pause.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding from the subset a third geofence responsive to a third payload of the third geofence failing to satisfy a second secondary consideration, wherein the second secondary consideration applies to a combination of the first payload with the third payload.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the combined geofence definition includes a first area of the first geofence, a second area of the second geofence, and a third area not covered by the first geofence and the second geofence.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding from the subset, a third geofence, wherein the third geofence is restricted from merging with the first geofence.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary consideration comprises a proximity distance, wherein proximity distance is a shortest distance between any point in a first geofence in the subset and any point in a second geofence in the subset.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary consideration comprises a proximity distance, wherein proximity distance is a distance between a designated point in a first geofence in the subset and a designated point in a second geofence in the subset.

15. A computer usable program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to select, from a set of geofences operating in an area, a subset of geofences, each geofence in the subset satisfying a primary consideration relative to at least one other geofence in the subset;

program instructions to detect that a mobile device is located in the area to receive payloads corresponding to each geofence in the set of geofences, wherein the program instructions to select the subset of geofences are responsive to the program instructions to detect;

program instructions to form a combined geofence definition, responsive to a first payload of a first geofence and a second payload of a second geofence satisfying a secondary consideration, by combining a first definition of the first geofence with a second definition of the second geofence;

program instructions to combine, using a processor and a memory at a data processing system, the data processing system being distinct from the mobile device traveling in the area, and responsive to the forming the combined geofence definition, the first payload with the second payload to form a combined payload; and

program instructions to transmit, to the mobile device the combined geofence definition and the combined payload.

16. The computer usable program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions to change an order in which the first payload is combined with the second payload, the changing being responsive to a second secondary consideration.

17. The computer usable program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage device in a data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is transferred over a network from a remote data processing system.

18. The computer usable program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage device in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage device associated with the remote data processing system.

19. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to select, from a set of geofences operating in an area, a subset of geofences, each geofence in the subset satisfying a primary consideration relative to at least one other geofence in the subset;

program instructions to detect that a mobile device is located in the area to receive payloads corresponding to each geofence in the set of geofences, wherein the program instructions to select the subset of geofences are responsive to the program instructions to detect;

program instructions to form a combined geofence definition, responsive to a first payload of a first geofence and a second payload of a second geofence satisfying a secondary consideration, by combining a first definition of the first geofence with a second definition of the second geofence;

program instructions to combine, responsive to the forming the combined geofence definition, the first payload with the second payload to form a combined payload; and

program instructions to transmit, to the mobile device the combined geofence definition and the combined payload, the data processing system being distinct from the mobile device traveling in the area.