Ephemeral geofence campaign system

• US 10,417,663 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cornwall, Andrew B., DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Kotecha, Pooja M., Sandonato, Nicholas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US15/337,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20180121957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 705 734, 705 1445, 705 16, 4554562, 4554563, 455405, 709224, 717178
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation

Abstract

Systems and methods for modifying campaign dependent geofences by creating marketing campaigns and linking the marketing campaign to a specific geofence. Each campaign-linked geofence may be capable of delivering the campaign messages to geofence participants during the duration of a marketing campaign and the geofence system may subsequently deactivate the geofence automatically after the marketing campaign has concluded. The systems and methods may map a geofence with a defined boundary to specified location on the map coinciding with the marketing campaign. As the tracked computer devices impinges on the borders of the market campaign'"'"'s geofence, select messages may be received by the tracked computer devices, corresponding specifically to the events, promotions and advertisements of the campaign events during the time frame the events are active.

Claims

1. A campaign dependent geofence modification method comprising:

creating, by a processor of a specialized computer system comprising a specialized configuration of hardware, a marketing campaign comprising one or more campaign messages comprising virtualized hardware physically located via a network connected to said specialized computer system, wherein said specialized computer system includes a geofence module including specialized circuitry and chipsets physically connected within said geofence module, and wherein said specialized circuitry executes computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry in order to perform the campaign dependent geofence modification technical improvement method;

scheduling, by the processor, a start date and an end date to the marketing campaign;

further scheduling, by the processor, a deletion date for a geofence, wherein the deletion date is a pre-set time after the end date of the marketing campaign;

receiving, by said processor via virtualized hardware of a network, an application programming interface (API) call;

storing, by said processor, said API call within a memory device;

generating by said processor, said geofence based on said API call;

storing, by said processor, said geofence within said memory device;

mapping, by the processor executing a mapping module of said geofence module, the geofence having a specified virtual boundary including specified limits including a longitude, latitude, and radius with a location and size, and parameters corresponding to the marketing campaign including the start date, the end date and the one or more campaign messages;

tracking, by the processor via sensors, a computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified virtual boundary of the geofence;

determining, by the processor enabling a transceiver of said computing system, a location of the tracked computer device broadcasting location data from a location module comprising positioning capabilities selected from the group consisting of a global positioning system (GPS), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy;

monitoring, by the processor, a position of the tracked computer device in real time as the tracked computer device changes location;

transmitting, by the processor, the one or more campaign messages to the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified virtual boundary of the geofence as a function of the location of the tracked computer device being monitored between the start date and the end date of the geofence marketing campaign;

automatically deactivating, by the processor executing a module including portions of said specialized circuitry and chipsets, the geofence as a function of the end date of the marketing campaign thereby disabling a virtual boundary during off hours of a structure associated with said marketing campaign;

further transmitting, by the processor, a secondary message that is different from the one or more campaign messages, to the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified boundary of the geofence during a deactivated time period between the end date and the deletion date;

automatically reactivating, by the processor executing said module including portions of said specialized circuitry and chipsets, the geofence as a function of an end time of said off hours thereby enabling said virtual boundary;

enabling, by said processor in response to said secondary message and said automatically reactivating, a user of said tracked computer device such that said user initiates motion and enters the specified virtual boundary of the geofence traveling towards promotions of said marketing campaign causing said user to execute a purchase associated with said promotions; and

automatically deleting, by the processor, the geofence as a function of the deletion date, thereby improving a geofence specialized hardware system comprising the tracked computer device equipped with an operating system by limiting a number of simultaneously active geofences thereby improving a functionality of said operating system by preventing geo-fencing device limitations associated with removing interference associated with retrieving or mapping currently relevant geofences that may otherwise be unavailable or un-viewable.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically activating, by the processor, the geofence, as a function of the start date of the marketing campaign.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geofence is mapped to the location of a live event occurring in real time and the start date and end date correspond to a start time and an end time of the live event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

reporting, by the processor, a schedule comprising one or more pending geofences, wherein each of the pending geofences are scheduled for activation upon commencement of an upcoming marketing campaign start date; and

displaying, by the processor, the schedule to a user of the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

creating, by the processor, the geofence having the specified boundary and parameters corresponding to the marketing campaign automatically on the start date of the marketing campaign.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

selecting, by the processor, a deletion date for deleting the geofence, wherein the deletion date occurs after the end date of the marketing campaign.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

loading, by the tracked computer device, the geofence into a memory device;

mapping, by the tracked computer device, the location of the geofence;

comparing, by the tracked computer device, the location data of the tracked computer device and the location of the geofence; and

displaying, by the tracked computer device, a push notification as a function of the location data of the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the geofence during a time frame between the start date and end date of the marketing campaign.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

reporting, by the CPU, a schedule comprising one or more pending geofences, wherein each of the pending geofences are scheduled for activation upon commencement of an upcoming marketing campaign start date; and

displaying, by the CPU, the schedule to a user of the computer system.

8. A specialized computer system comprising a specialized configuration of hardware, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory device coupled to the CPU; and

a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor, wherein the storage device contains program code executable by the CPU via the memory device to implement a campaign dependent geofence modification method comprising;

creating, by the CPU, a marketing campaign comprising one or more campaign messages comprising virtualized hardware physically located via a network connected to said specialized computer system, wherein said specialized computer system includes a geofence module including specialized circuitry and chipsets physically connected within said geofence module, and wherein said specialized circuitry executes computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry in order to perform a campaign dependent geofence modification method;

scheduling, by the CPU, a start date and an end date to the marketing campaign;

further scheduling, by the CPU, a deletion date for a geofence, wherein the deletion date is a pre-set time after the end date of the marketing campaign;

receiving, by the CPU via virtualized hardware of a network, an application programming interface (API) call;

storing, by the CPU, said API call within a memory device;

generating by the CPU, said geofence based on said API call;

storing, by the CPU, said geofence within said memory device;

mapping, by the CPU executing a mapping module of said geofence module, the geofence having a specified virtual boundary including specified limits including a longitude, latitude, and radius with a location and size, and parameters corresponding to the marketing campaign including the start date, the end date and the one or more campaign messages;

tracking, by the CPU via sensors, a computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified virtual boundary of the geofence;

determining, by the CPU enabling a transceiver of said computing system, a location of the tracked computer device broadcasting location data from a location module comprising positioning capabilities selected from the group consisting of a global positioning system (GPS), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy;

monitoring, by the CPU, a position of the tracked computer device in real time as the tracked computer device changes location;

transmitting, by the CPU, the one or more campaign messages to the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified virtual boundary of the geofence as a function of the location of the tracked computer device being monitored between the start date and the end date of the geofence marketing campaign;

automatically deactivating, by the CPU executing a module including portions of said specialized circuitry and chipsets, the geofence as a function of the end date of the marketing campaign thereby disabling a virtual boundary during off hours of a structure associated with said marketing campaign;

further transmitting, by the CPU, a secondary message that is different from the one or more campaign messages, to the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified boundary of the geofence during a deactivated time period between the end date and the deletion date;

automatically reactivating, by the CPU executing said module including portions of said specialized circuitry and chipsets, the geofence as a function of an end time of said off hours thereby enabling said virtual boundary;

enabling, by said CPU in response to said secondary message and said automatically reactivating, a user of said tracked computer device such that said user initiates motion and enters the specified virtual boundary of the geofence traveling towards promotions of said marketing campaign causing said user to execute a purchase associated with said promotions; and

automatically deleting, by the CPU, the geofence as a function of the deletion date, thereby improving a geofence specialized hardware system comprising the tracked computer device equipped with an operating system by limiting a number of simultaneously active geofences thereby improving a functionality of said operating system by preventing geo-fencing device limitations associated with removing interference associated with retrieving or mapping currently relevant geofences that may otherwise be unavailable or un-viewable.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising automatically activating, by the CPU, the geofence, as a function of the start date of the marketing campaign.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the geofence is mapped to the location of a live event occurring in real time and the start date and end date of the marketing campaign correspond to a start time and an end time of the live event.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

selecting, by the CPU, a deletion date for deleting the geofence, wherein the deletion date occurs after the end date of the marketing campaign.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

loading, by the tracked computer device, the geofence into a memory device;

mapping, by the tracked computer device, the location of the geofence;

comparing, by the tracked computer device, the location data of the tracked computer device and the location of the geofence; and

displaying, by the tracked computer device, a push notification as a function of the location data of the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the geofence during a time frame between the start date and end date of the marketing campaign.

14. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable hardware storage devices having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code containing instructions executable by one or more central processing units (CPU) of a specialized computer system comprising a specialized configuration of hardware to implement a campaign dependent geofence modification method comprising;

creating, by the CPU, a marketing campaign comprising one or more campaign messages comprising virtualized hardware physically located via a network connected to said specialized computer system, wherein said specialized computer system includes a geofence module including specialized circuitry and chipsets physically connected within said geofence module, and wherein said specialized circuitry executes computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry in order to perform the campaign dependent geofence modification method;

scheduling, by the CPU, a start date and an end date to the marketing campaign;

further scheduling, by the CPU, a deletion date for the geofence, wherein the deletion date is a pre-set time after the end date of the marketing campaign;

receiving, by the CPU via virtualized hardware of a network, an application programming interface (API) call;

storing, by the CPU, said API call within a memory device;

generating by the CPU, said geofence based on said API call;

storing, by the CPU, said geofence within said memory device;

mapping, by the CPU executing a mapping module of said geofence module, a geofence having a specified boundary including specified limits including a longitude, latitude, and radius with a location and size, and parameters corresponding to the marketing campaign including the start date, the end date and the one or more campaign messages;

tracking, by the CPU via sensors, a computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified virtual boundary of the geofence;

determining, by the CPU enabling a transceiver of said computing system, a location of the tracked computer device broadcasting location data from a location module comprising positioning capabilities selected from the group consisting of a global positioning system (GPS), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy;

monitoring, by the CPU, a position of the tracked computer device in real time as the tracked computer device changes location;

transmitting, by the CPU, the one or more campaign messages to the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified virtual boundary of the geofence as a function of the location of the tracked computer device being monitored between the start date and the end date of the geofence marketing campaign;

automatically deactivating, by the CPU executing a module including portions of said specialized circuitry and chipsets, the geofence as a function of the end date of the marketing campaign thereby disabling a virtual boundary during off hours of a structure associated with said marketing campaign;

further transmitting, by the CPU, a secondary message that is different from the one or more campaign messages, to the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the specified boundary of the geofence during a deactivated time period between the end date and the deletion date;

automatically reactivating, by the CPU executing said module including portions of said specialized circuitry and chipsets, the geofence as a function of an end time of said off hours thereby enabling said virtual boundary;

enabling, by said CPU in response to said secondary message and said automatically reactivating, a user of said tracked computer device such that said user initiates motion and enters the specified virtual boundary of the geofence traveling towards promotions of said marketing campaign causing said user to execute a purchase associated with said promotions; and

automatically deleting, by the CPU, the geofence as a function of the deletion date, thereby improving a geofence specialized hardware system comprising the tracked computer device equipped with an operating system by limiting a number of simultaneously active geofences thereby improving a functionality of said operating system by preventing geo-fencing device limitations associated with removing interference associated with retrieving or mapping currently relevant geofences that may otherwise be unavailable or un-viewable.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising automatically activating, by the CPU, the geofence, as a function of the start date of the marketing campaign.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the geofence is mapped to the location of a live event occurring in real time and the start date and end date of the marketing campaign mirror a start time and an end time of the live event.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising the steps of selecting, by the processor, a deletion date for deleting the geofence, wherein the deletion date occurs after the end date of the marketing campaign.

18. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:

reporting, by the CPU, a schedule comprising one or more pending geofences, wherein each of the pending geofences are scheduled for activation upon commencement of an upcoming marketing campaign start date; and

displaying, by the CPU, the schedule to a user of the computer system.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

loading, by the tracked computer device, the geofence into a memory device;

mapping, by the tracked computer device, the location of the geofence;

comparing, by the tracked computer device, the location data of the tracked computer device and the location of the geofence; and

displaying, by the tracked computer device, a push notification as a function of the location data of the tracked computer device entering, exiting or dwelling within the geofence during a time frame between the start date and end date of the marketing campaign.