Detour based content selections

• US 10,217,134 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hurley, Fergus Gerard, Schwarz, Michael, Dua, Robin, Sung, Sangsoo, Tomkins, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US14/313,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20150371271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 705 144, 705 1443, 705 1449, 705 1453, 705 1457, 705 1458, 705 1461, 705 1464, 705 1466, 705 1467, 705 1469, 705 1471, 705 1473
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, for detour based content selection. In one aspect, a method includes receiving, at a data processing apparatus, location data for a plurality of users, the location data describing, for each user, locations of a user device of the user; determining, from the location data, route data for the plurality of users, the route data describing, for each user, a route traveled by the user; determining, by the data processing apparatus, for at least one or more of the users, a detour from the route traveled by the user to a retail location of the offeror; determining, by the data processing apparatus, for each of the at least one or more of the users, whether the user is eligible for an offer of the offeror based on the detour; and for each user eligible for an offer, enabling the offeror to provide an offer to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, by the data processing apparatus and as having been sent by a user device, location data that identifies locations of the user device and that includes at least one of GPS signal data received by the user device, Wi-Fi signal data received by the user device, or cellular tower triangulation signals received by the user device;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and based on the location data, a travel route for the user device, wherein determining the travel route includes analyzing the at least one of the GPS signal data, the Wi-Fi signal data, or the cellular tower triangulation signals to determine locations of the user device moving along the travel route;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and based on the location data, a volatility of the travel route for the user device, the volatility of the travel route representing a tendency for the user device to at least one of deviate from the travel route or abandon the travel route;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, whether the volatility of the travel route meets a volatility threshold;

in response to determining that the volatility of the travel route meets the volatility threshold;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, a detour from the travel route for the user device to a particular physical location; and

providing, by the data processing apparatus and to the user device, instructions for the user device to present a representation of the detour,

wherein the user device is configured to receive from the data processing apparatus the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour and to present the representation of the detour in a user interface that is displayed on an electronic display of the user device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining that there is no transaction data that specifies a transaction between a user of the user device and the particular physical location;

wherein the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour is provided from the data processing apparatus and to the user device further in response to determining that there is no transaction data that specifies a transaction between the user of the user device and the particular physical location.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the characteristic of the detour satisfies the presentation criterion comprises determining whether a distance measure for the detour is less than a threshold distance measure.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the distance measure is a travel time of the detour.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the particular physical location is a retail location;

and the method further comprises;

submitting a bid to present the detour to the user device; and

selecting the bid to present the detour to the user device as a winning bid;

wherein the data processing apparatus provides the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour as a result of the bid to present the detour having been selected as the winning bid.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising adjusting the bid based on a distance measure for the detour.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising removing personally identifiable information from the location data that identifies locations of the user device so that the location data does not indicate an identity of a user of the user device.

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

receiving, by the data processing apparatus, a search query that was submitted from the user device; and

identifying, by the data processing apparatus, the particular physical location based on the particular physical location being associated with an entity that is determined to be responsive to the search query;

wherein the user device is further configured to present the representation of the detour in the user interface along with a set of search results responsive to the search query.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to generate a link for presentation in the user interface that, when selected, causes the user device to display a map along with directions to the particular physical location according to the detour.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user device is further configured to present the representation of the detour by setting the detour as a series of waypoints in a route that is virtually navigated by GPS navigation functions of the user device.

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

the detour from the travel route for the user device to the particular physical location is determined further in response to identifying that locations along the travel route for the user device are beyond a threshold distance to the particular physical location, and

the data processing apparatus provides the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour further in response to determining that a characteristic of the detour satisfies a presentation criterion.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the threshold distance is a physical distance.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the threshold distance is a time duration.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising determining, by the data processing apparatus, an active time for the travel route for the user device, the active time indicating a time of day that the user device travels the travel route,

wherein determining that the characteristic of the detour satisfies the presentation criterion comprises determining whether a current time is within a threshold amount of time from the active time for the travel route.

15. A system, comprising:

a data processing apparatus; and

a computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by the data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the data processing apparatus and as having been sent by a user device, location data that identifies locations of the user device and that includes at least one of GPS signal data received by the user device, Wi-Fi signal data received by the user device, or cellular tower triangulation signals received by the user device;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and based on the location data, a travel route for the user device, wherein determining the travel route includes analyzing the at least one of the GPS signal data, the Wi-Fi signal data, or the cellular tower triangulation signals to determine locations of the user device moving along the travel route;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and based on the location data, a volatility of the travel route for the user device, the volatility of the travel route representing a tendency for the user device to at least one of deviate from the travel route or abandon the travel route;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, whether the volatility of the travel route meets a volatility threshold;

in response to determining that the volatility of the travel route meets the volatility threshold;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, a detour from the travel route for the user device to a particular physical location; and

providing, by the data processing apparatus and to the user device, instructions for the user device to present a representation of the detour,

wherein the user device is configured to receive from the data processing apparatus the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour and to present the representation of the detour in a user interface that is displayed on an electronic display of the user device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise determining that there is no transaction data that specifies a transaction between a user of the user device and the particular physical location;

wherein the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour is provided from the data processing apparatus and to the user device further in response to determining that there is no transaction data that specifies a transaction between the user of the user device and the particular physical location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein determining that the characteristic of the detour satisfies the presentation criterion comprises determining whether a distance measure for the detour is less than a threshold distance measure.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the distance measure is a travel time of the detour.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the particular physical location is a retail location;

and the operations further comprise;

submitting a bid to present the detour to the user device; and

selecting the bid to present the detour to the user device as a winning bid;

wherein the data processing apparatus provides the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour as a result of the bid to present the detour having been selected as the winning bid.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations comprise adjusting the bid based on a distance measure for the detour.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the detour from the travel route for the user device to the particular physical location is determined further in response to identifying that locations along the travel route for the user device are beyond a threshold distance to the particular physical location, and

the data processing apparatus provides the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour further in response to determining that a characteristic of the detour satisfies a presentation criterion.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the threshold distance is a physical distance.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the threshold distance is a time duration.

24. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the data processing apparatus and as having been sent by a user device, location data that identifies locations of the user device and that includes at least one of GPS signal data received by the user device, Wi-Fi signal data received by the user device, or cellular tower triangulation signals received by the user device;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and based on the location data, a travel route for the user device, wherein determining the travel route includes analyzing the at least one of the GPS signal data, the Wi-Fi signal data, or the cellular tower triangulation signals to determine locations of the user device moving along the travel route;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and based on the location data, a volatility of the travel route for the user device, the volatility of the travel route representing a tendency for the user device to at least one of deviate from the travel route or abandon the travel route;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, whether the volatility of the travel route meets a volatility threshold;

in response to determining that the volatility of the travel route meets the volatility threshold;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, a detour from the travel route for the user device to a particular physical location; and

providing, by the data processing apparatus and to the user device, instructions for the user device to present a representation of the detour,

wherein the user device is configured to receive from the data processing apparatus the instructions for the user device to present the representation of the detour and to present the representation of the detour in a user interface that is displayed on an electronic display of the user device.