Location prediction using wireless signals on online social networks

• US 10,129,705 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haski, Jonathan, Chen, Aileen, Adcock, Aaron Bryan, Shmueli, Yaniv
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/838,289
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 455405, 455418, 455411, 4554561, 455557, 4554566
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a first software application of a client system associated with a user of an online social network, background signal-information identifying one or more first wireless signals; storing the signal-information and a client identifier for the client system in a signal-information database; receiving, from a second software application of the client system via a places-API of the online social network, a places-API call indicating that the client system is located at a geographic location corresponding to a first place-entity; recording the places-API call in an API-call log, wherein the API-call log records the first place-entity and the client identifier; determining a correlation between the signal-information and the first place-entity; and updating a place-entity database to indicate that the first place-entity corresponds to the one or more first wireless signals identified by the signal-information.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computer systems of an online social network:

receiving, from a first software application of a first client system associated with a first user of the online social network, background signal-information identifying one or more first wireless signals within wireless communication range of the first client system, wherein the first software application is associated with the online social network, and wherein the online social network has permission to access the signal-information;

storing the signal-information and a first client identifier for the first client system in a signal-information database, wherein the first client identifier is hashed;

receiving, from a second software application of the first client system via a places-application programming interface (places-API) of the online social network, a places-API call indicating that the first client system is located at a geographic location corresponding to a first place-entity, wherein the second software application is separate from the first software application;

recording the places-API call in an API-call log, wherein the API-call log records the first place-entity and the first client identifier for the first client system, and wherein the first client identifier is hashed;

determining a correlation between the signal-information and the first place-entity by comparing the signal-information database and the API-call log to determine that the hash of the first client identifier in the signal-information database matches the hash of the first client identifier in the API-call log; and

updating a place-entity database to indicate that the first place-entity corresponds to the one or more first wireless signals identified by the signal-information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the wireless signals is a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, a cellular signal, a mobile phone signal, or a near-field communication signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal-information comprises an identifier of one or more sources of the one or more wireless signals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal-information comprises a signal strength of the one or more wireless signals.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, from the client system, first client identifier of the client system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the places-API comprises a set of instructions defined at the online social network, the set of instructions being executable to enable the second software application to request information about place-entities and send location information to the online social network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a second client system of a second user, background signal-information identifying one or more second wireless signals within wireless communication range of the second client system;

determining that the one or more second wireless signals match the one or more first wireless signals;

determining that the second client system is located at a geographic location associated with the first place-entity based on the indication in the place-entity database that the one or more first wireless signals correspond to the first place-entity; and

sending, to the second client system, information associated with the first place-entity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the second client system is located at the geographic location associated with the first place-entity is further based on location data received from the second client system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the places-API call comprises a label associated with the first place-entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the places-API call comprises a social action associated with the first place-entity.

11. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive, from a first software application of a first client system associated with a first user of the online social network, background signal-information identifying one or more first wireless signals within wireless communication range of the first client system, wherein the first software application is associated with the online social network, and wherein the online social network has permission to access the signal-information;

store the signal-information and a first client identifier for the first client system in a signal-information database, wherein the first client identifier is hashed;

receive, from a second software application of the first client system via a places-application programming interface (places-API) of the online social network, a places-API call indicating that the first client system is located at a geographic location corresponding to a first place-entity, wherein the second software application is separate from the first software application;

record the places-API call in an API-call log, wherein the API-call log records the first place-entity and the first client identifier for the first client system, and wherein the first client identifier is hashed;

determine a correlation between the signal-information and the first place-entity by comparing the signal-information database and the API-call log to determine that the hash of the first client identifier in the signal-information database matches the hash of the first client identifier in the API-call log; and

update a place-entity database to indicate that the first place-entity corresponds to the one or more first wireless signals identified by the signal-information.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein at least one of the wireless signals is a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, a cellular signal, a mobile phone signal, or a near-field communication signal.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein the signal-information comprises an identifier of one or more sources of the one or more wireless signals.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein the signal-information comprises a signal strength of the one or more wireless signals.

15. The media of claim 11, wherein the software is further operable when executed to receive, from the client system, first client identifier of the client system.

16. The media of claim 11, wherein the places-API comprises a set of instructions defined at the online social network, the set of instructions being executable to enable the second software application to request information about place-entities and send location information to the online social network.

17. The media of claim 11, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

receive, from a second client system of a second user, background signal-information identifying one or more second wireless signals within wireless communication range of the second client system;

determine that the one or more second wireless signals match the one or more first wireless signals;

determine that the second client system is located at a geographic location associated with the first place-entity based on the indication in the place-entity database that the one or more first wireless signals correspond to the first place-entity; and

send, to the second client system, information associated with the first place-entity.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein determining that the second client system is located at the geographic location associated with the first place-entity is further based on location data received from the second client system.

19. The media of claim 11, wherein the places-API call comprises a label associated with the first place-entity.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

receive, from a first software application of a first client system associated with a first user of the online social network, background signal-information identifying one or more first wireless signals within wireless communication range of the first client system, wherein the first software application is associated with the online social network, and wherein the online social network has permission to access the signal-information;

store the signal-information and a first client identifier for the first client system in a signal-information database, wherein the first client identifier is hashed;

receive, from a second software application of the first client system via a places-application programming interface (places-API) of the online social network, a places-API call indicating that the first client system is located at a geographic location corresponding to a first place-entity, wherein the second software application is separate from the first software application;

record the places-API call in an API-call log, wherein the API-call log records the first place-entity and the first client identifier for the first client system, and wherein the first client identifier is hashed;

determine a correlation between the signal-information and the first place-entity by comparing the signal-information database and the API-call log to determine that the hash of the first client identifier in the signal-information database matches the hash of the first client identifier in the API-call log; and

update a place-entity database to indicate that the first place-entity corresponds to the one or more first wireless signals identified by the signal-information.