Proximity detection and targeted communications

• US 10,165,397 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Connelly, Michael, Athias, Franklyn, Botchway, Erami, Hart, John, Chen, Michael, Farrell, Corey
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US15/047,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 370338, 370311, 709220, 340502, 34053911
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed relating to proximity detection of devices and targeted information services, such as information campaigns. Disclosed methods provide targeted campaigns to a user, such as targeted campaigns to presentation devices based on proximity of user devices near the information devices. Other methods provide targeted campaigns across various applications, while other methods provide for scheduling campaigns to premises device identifiers based on an event schedule, and other methods provide a hierarchal system for monitoring different sets of premises device identifiers when a user device can monitor for a limited number of premises device identifiers at a time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of notifications indicating that one or more premises devices, of a plurality of premised devices, detected one or more user devices, of a plurality of user devices, wherein each notification, of the plurality of notifications, comprises a respective user device identifier of a respective user device of the detected one or more user devices and a respective premises device identifier of a respective premises device of the one or more premises devices that detected the respective user device;

determining a respective confidence level of each of the detected one or more user devices that indicates a respective confidence that each of the detected one or more user devices is within a presentation area of a presentation device associated with at least one of the one or more premises devices;

determining, based on a confidence level of a first detected user device, that the first detected user device is within the presentation area;

determining, based on a user device identifier of the first detected user device and the confidence level of the first detected user device, a first campaign to be presented on the presentation device;

transmitting, to the presentation device, the first campaign;

determining that the first campaign has been accessed by the first detected user device; and

determining, based on user demographic information associated with a user of the first detected user device, a second campaign.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective confidence level of each of the detected one or more user devices is based on at least one of a respective proximity of each of the detected one or more user devices to the presentation device, or an identity confidence level associated with each of the detected one or more user devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more premises devices comprise at least one of an access point or a low energy beacon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second campaign comprises:

retrieving, from a storage device based on the user device identifier, the user demographic information associated with the user of the first detected user device;

determining that the user demographic information matches at least a portion of user demographic information associated with the second campaign; and

determining, based on the match, the second campaign.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first campaign has been accessed by the first detected user device is based on a continued presence of the first detected user device within the presentation area satisfying a time period threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the second campaign to the first detected user device;

and transmitting the first campaign to a second user device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first campaign to be presented on the presentation device is based on a time the first campaign was previously presented.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of notifications indicating that one or more premises devices, of a plurality of premised devices, detected a user device, of a plurality of user devices, wherein each notification, of the plurality of notifications, comprises a user device identifier of the user device and a respective premises device identifier of a respective premises device of the one or more premises devices;

determining a respective confidence level of each user device, of the plurality of user devices, that indicates a respective confidence that each user device is within a presentation area of a presentation device associated with at least one of the one or more premises devices;

determining, based on the respective confidence level of each user device and a respective user device identifier of each user device, a first campaign to transmit to the presentation device;

transmitting, to the presentation device, the first campaign;

determining a continued presence of a first user device, of the plurality of user devices, within the presentation area;

determining, based on the continued presence of the first user device and a user device identifier of the first user device, a second campaign;

transmitting, to the presentation device, the second campaign;

determining that one or more of the first campaign or the second campaign has been accessed by the first user device; and

determining, based on user demographics information associated with a user of the first user device, a third campaign.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting, to the first user device, the third campaign.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, based on the respective user device identifier of each user device of the plurality of user devices that does not have a continued presence within the presentation area, a fourth campaign to transmit to the user devices that do not have the continued presence within the presentation area.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the respective confidence level of each user device is based on a respective proximity of each user device to the presentation device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more premises devices comprise at least one of an access point or a low energy beacon.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting, to a second user device, the second campaign.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the third campaign comprises:

retrieving, from a storage device based on the user device identifier of the first user device, the user demographic information associated with the user of the first user device;

determining that the user demographic information matches at least a portion of user demographic information associated with the third campaign; and

determining, based on the match, the third campaign.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of notifications indicating that one or more premises devices, of a plurality of premises devices, detected one or more user devices, of a plurality of user devices, wherein each notification, of the plurality of notifications, comprises a respective user device identifier of a respective user device of the detected one or more user devices and a respective premises device identifier of a respective premises device of the one or more premises device that detected the respective user device;

determining a respective confidence level of each of the detected one or more user devices that indicates a respective confidence that each of the detected one or more user devices is within a presentation area of a presentation device associated with at least one of the one or more premises devices;

determining, based on respective user device identifiers associated with each of the detected one or more user devices and the respective confidence level of each of the detected on or more user devices, a first campaign; and

transmitting, to the presentation device and a user device of the plurality of user devices, the first campaign;

receiving an indication that the first campaign has been accessed by the user device; and

determining, based on user demographic information associated with a user of the user device, a second campaign.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the respective confidence level of each of the detected one or more user devices is based on a respective proximity of each of the detected one or more user devices to the presentation device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more premises devices comprise at least one of an access point or a low energy beacon.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the respective confidence level of each of the detected one or more user devices is based on a continued presence of each of the detected one or more user devices within the presentation area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the continued presence of each of the detected one or more user devices is based on a time period threshold.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises a user device identifier of the user device, and wherein determining the second campaign comprises:

retrieving, from a storage device based on the user device identifier of the user device, the user demographic information associated with the user of the user device;

determining that the user demographic information matches at least a portion of user demographic information associated with the second campaign; and

determining, based on the match, the second campaign.