System and method for automatically pushing location-specific content to users

• US 10,148,772 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Azose, Benjamin Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chouat, Abderrahmen
• Application Number:
  US14/461,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709217, 709218, 709219, 709224, 709204, 709216, 709225, 709229, 709232, 709238, 709239, 709245, 707E17108, 707999003, 707999005, 707E17014, 707724, 707999102, 707E17018, 707999004, 70799901, 707999104, 707E17001, 707E17002, 707E17009, 707E17032, 707E17044, 707E17084, 707E17115, 707708, 707709, 707722, 707723, 707725, 707728, 707771, 707999002, 7079991, 707999107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching

Abstract

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for automatically pushing location-specific content to users may generally include identifying, by one or more computing devices, a geographic location at which a plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices, identifying at least one common content item associated with the location-specific content viewed by two or more of the users, receiving an indication that a first user is traveling to the geographic location and transmitting the common content item(s) for storage on a client device associated with the first user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically pushing location-specific content to users, the method comprising:

identifying, by one or more computing devices, a geographic location at which a plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices, the location-specific content viewed by each user corresponding to a user-captured image stored locally on the user'"'"'s client device, wherein identifying, by the one or more computing devices, the geographic location at which the plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices comprises identifying, by one or more computing devices, a first location within the geographic location at which the plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices;

comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the user-captured images viewed by two or more of the plurality of users using an image comparison algorithm to identify common image content contained within the user-captured images viewed by the two or more of the plurality of users, wherein the common image content comprises imagery that depicts a second location within the geographic location that is different from the first location;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, the common image content as a common content item associated with the location-specific content viewed by the two or more of the plurality of users;

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, an indication that a first user is traveling to the geographic location;

in response to receiving the indication, automatically pushing, by the one or more computing devices, the common content item to a client device associated with the first user for storage by a memory of the client device without receiving a request for the common content item from the client device;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, that the first user has traveled to the geographic location and subsequently left the geographic location; and

in response to determining that the first user has left the geographic location, automatically deleting, by the one or more computing devices, the common content item from the memory of the client device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically pushing the common content item comprises automatically pushing the common content item for storage at the memory of the client device prior to the first user arriving at the geographic location.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location-specific content includes information that is associated with the geographic location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the common image content is identified as the common content item if it is determined that a predetermined percentage of the plurality of users viewed the common image content at the geographic location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that the first user is traveling to the geographic location comprises receiving at least one of a search request or a navigation request associated with the geographic location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that the first user is traveling to the geographic location comprises receiving position data associated with a current geographic location of the client device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein automatically pushing the common content item comprises automatically pushing the common content to the client device for temporary storage thereon.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the common image content comprises imagery that depicts a physical map that is physically located at the geographic location;

the common content item comprises map content associated with the geographic location; and

automatically pushing, by the one or more computing devices, the common content item to the client device comprises automatically pushing, by the one or more computing devices, the map content associated with the geographic location.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the common image content comprises the user-captured image stored locally on the user'"'"'s client device, the user-captured image having been previously captured at the second location within the geographic location that is different from the first location.

10. A system for automatically pushing location-specific content to users, the system comprising:

one or more computing devices including one or more processors and associated memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more computing devices to;

identify a geographic location at which a plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices, the location-specific content viewed by each user corresponding to a user-captured image stored locally on the user'"'"'s client device, wherein to identify the geographic location the computing devices identify a first location within the geographic location at which the plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices;

compare the user-captured images viewed by two or more of the plurality of users using an image comparison algorithm to identify common image content contained within the user-captured images viewed by the two or more of the plurality of users, wherein the common image content comprises imagery that depicts a second location within the geographic location that is different from the first location;

identify the common image content as a common content item associated with the location-specific content viewed by the two or more of the plurality of users;

receive an indication that a first user is traveling to the geographic location;

in response to receiving the indication, automatically push the common content item to a client device associated with the first user for storage by a memory of the client device without receiving a request for the common content item from the client device;

determining that the first user has traveled to the geographic location and subsequently left the geographic location; and

in response to determining that the first user has left the geographic location, automatically deleting the common content item from the memory of the client device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to automatically push the common content item for storage by the memory of the client device prior to the first user arriving at the geographic location.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the location-specific content includes information that is associated with the geographic location.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the indication that the first user is traveling to the geographic location corresponds to at least one of a search request or a navigation request associated with the geographic location or corresponds to position data associated with a current geographic location of the client device.

14. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising:

identifying a geographic location at which a plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices, the location-specific content viewed by each user corresponding to a user-captured image stored locally on the user'"'"'s client device, wherein identifying the geographic location at which the plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices comprises identifying a first location within the geographic location at which the plurality of users have viewed location-specific content on their client devices;

comparing the user-captured images viewed by two or more of the plurality of users using an image comparison algorithm to identify common image content contained within the user-captured images viewed by the two or more of the plurality of users, wherein the common image content comprises imagery that depicts a second location within the geographic location that is different from the first location;

identifying the common image content as a common content item associated with the location-specific content viewed by the two or more of the plurality of users;

receiving an indication that a first user is traveling to the geographic location;

in response to receiving the indication, automatically pushing the common content item to a client device associated with the first user for storage by a memory of the client device without receiving a request for the common content item from the client device;

determining that the first user has traveled to the geographic location and subsequently left the geographic location; and

in response to determining that the first user has left the geographic location, automatically deleting the common content item from the memory of the client device.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein automatically pushing the common content item comprises automatically pushing the common content item for storage by the memory of the client device prior to the first user arriving at the geographic location.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the location-specific content includes information that is associated with the geographic location.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein receiving the indication that the first user is traveling to the geographic location comprises receiving at least one of a search request associated with the geographic location, a navigation request associated with the geographic location or position data associated with a current geographic location of the client device.