Electronically capturing consumer location data for analyzing consumer behavior

• US 10,572,887 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Service Management Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Service Management Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Weiss, Eric H., Fulford-Jones, Thaddeus R. F., Volpe, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US15/416,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20170308908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

In embodiments, methods and systems for electronically capturing consumer location data for consumer behavior analysis may be provided. The location data may be gathered for one or more consumers from any suitable source. In some cases, the location data may be gathered using electronic devices associated with consumers, such as mobile phones. The gathered data may be analyzed to determine behavior patterns or other characteristics of the one or more consumers. Further, inferences or predictions about consumers may be derived based on the characteristics. The inferences and predictions may be the basis of consumer analytics supplied to a business or other entity.

Claims

1. A method for controlling mobile devices to obtain data regarding locations of a plurality of consumers, wherein each mobile device of the mobile devices is associated with a consumer of the plurality of consumers, the method comprising, for each of the plurality of consumers, the act:

operating at least one programmed processor to perform a set of acts, the at least one programmed processor being programmed with executable instructions identifying the set of acts, the set of acts comprising;

obtaining over time, in response to each expiration of a time interval during the time, location data for a current location of a first mobile device associated with a first consumer, the current location indicating a location of the first mobile device during the obtaining at the expiration of the time interval;

regulating, over the time, a length of the time interval for the obtaining, wherein the regulating comprises, at a first time of the time,

comparing a current behavior of the first consumer at the first time to past behaviors of the first consumer, wherein the current behavior of the first consumer at the first time is inferred from location data for the first time and past behaviors of the first consumer were inferred from location data for past times prior to the time,

in response to determining that a result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be decreased, adjusting the length of the time interval to decrease the time interval, based at least in part on the result of the comparing, and

in response to determining that the result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be increased, adjusting the length of the time interval to increase the time interval, based at least in part on the result of the comparing; and

repeating, over the time, the obtaining of the location data for the current location of the first mobile device and the regulating of the time interval, to obtain the location data at the time interval as regulated in the regulating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the past behaviors of the first consumer indicate one or more personally-relevant locations for the first consumer, the personally-relevant locations for the first consumer including a home location and a work location;

comparing the current behavior of the first consumer at the first time to past behaviors of the first consumer comprises determining, based on the past behaviors, whether a current location of the first consumer at the first time indicates that the consumer is at one of the one or more personally-relevant locations for the first consumer; and

adjusting the length of the time interval in response to determining that the length of the time interval is to be increased based at least in part on a result of the comparing comprises increasing the length of the time interval in response to determining that the consumer is at one of the one or more personally-relevant locations for the first consumer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

operating the at least one programmed processor comprises operating at least one programmed processor of the first mobile device; and

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device comprises, at each expiration of the time interval, determining the location data based at least in part on a Geographic Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the first mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the time interval is a first time interval;

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device further comprises storing the location data in at least one data store of the first mobile device; and

at a second time interval different from the first time interval, communicating location data stored in the at least one data store of the first mobile device to at least one computing device remote from the first mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

operating the at least one programmed processor comprises operating at least one programmed processor of at least one computing device remote from the first mobile device;

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device comprises communicating via at least one network regarding the location data; and

regulating the length of the time interval comprises communicating the length of the time interval to the first mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein communicating via the at least one network regarding the location data comprises transmitting a request for the location data to an operator of at least one wireless network with which the first mobile device is associated.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein communicating via the at least one network regarding the location data comprises transmitting to the first mobile device a request for the location data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the current behavior of the first consumer at the first time to past behaviors of the first consumer comprises:

determining a setting corresponding to a current location of the first mobile device at the time; and

determining, based on the setting, whether the past behaviors of the first consumer include a previously-exhibited behavior of the first consumer with respect to the setting.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the length of the time interval to increase the time interval in response to determining that the result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be increased comprises:

in response to determining that the consumer is at the setting and that the previously-exhibited behavior with respect to the setting includes not deviating from the previously-exhibited behavior for a period of time, increasing the length of the time interval.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the length of the time interval to decrease the time interval in response to determining that the result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be decreased comprises:

in response to determining that the location data for the current location of the consumer is near the setting and that the previously-exhibited behavior includes visiting the setting, decreasing the length of the time interval.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the length of the time interval to increase the time interval in response to determining that the result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be increased comprises increasing the length of the time interval in response to predicting, based on the result of the comparing, that the consumer will not move during a time period following the regulating.

12. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method for controlling a mobile device to obtain data regarding a location of a consumer, wherein the mobile device is associated with the consumer, the method comprising;

operating at least one programmed processor to perform a set of acts, the at least one programmed processor being programmed with executable instructions identifying the set of acts, the set of acts comprising;

obtaining over time, in response to each expiration of a time interval during the time, location data for a current location of the mobile device associated with the consumer, the current location indicating a location of the first mobile device during the obtaining at the expiration of the time interval; and

regulating, over the time, a length of the time interval for the obtaining, wherein the regulating comprises, at a first time of the time,

determining, based on a current location of the consumer at the first time, whether the consumer is at a personally-relevant location for the consumer, wherein a set of personally-relevant locations for the consumer comprises a home location for the consumer and/or a work location for the consumer, and

in response to determining that the consumer is at a personally-relevant location for the consumer, increasing the length of the time interval.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

operating the at least one programmed processor comprises operating at least one programmed processor of the first mobile device; and

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device comprises, at each expiration of the time interval, determining the location data based at least in part on a Geographic Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the first mobile device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the time interval is a first time interval;

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device further comprises storing the location data in at least one data store of the first mobile device; and

at a second time interval different from the first time interval, communicating location data stored in the at least one data store of the first mobile device to at least one computing device remote from the first mobile device.

15. At least one computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method for controlling mobile devices to obtain data regarding locations of a plurality of consumers, wherein each mobile device of the mobile devices is associated with a consumer of the plurality of consumers, the method comprising, for each of the plurality of consumers, the act:

operating at least one programmed processor to perform a set of acts, the at least one programmed processor being programmed with executable instructions identifying the set of acts, the set of acts comprising;

obtaining over time, in response to each expiration of a time interval during the time, location data for a current location of a first mobile device associated with a first consumer, the current location indicating a location of the first mobile device during the obtaining at the expiration of the time interval;

regulating, over the time, a length of the time interval for the obtaining, wherein the regulating comprises, at a first time of the time,

comparing a current behavior of the first consumer at the first time to past behaviors of the first consumer, wherein the current behavior of the first consumer at the first time is inferred from location data for the first time and past behaviors of the first consumer were inferred from location data for past times prior to the time,

in response to determining that a result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be decreased, adjusting the length of the time interval to decrease the time interval, based at least in part on the result of the comparing, and

in response to determining that the result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be increased, adjusting the length of the time interval to increase the time interval, based at least in part on the result of the comparing; and

repeating, over the time, the obtaining of the location data for the current location of the first mobile device and the regulating of the time interval, to obtain the location data at the time interval as regulated in the regulating.

16. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the past behaviors of the first consumer indicate one or more personally-relevant locations for the first consumer, the personally-relevant locations for the first consumer including a home location and a work location;

comparing the current behavior of the first consumer at the first time to past behaviors of the first consumer comprises determining, based on the past behaviors, whether a current location of the first consumer at a time of the obtaining indicates that the consumer is at one of the one or more personally-relevant locations for the first consumer; and

adjusting the length of the time interval in response to determining that the length of the time interval is to be increased based at least in part on a result of the comparing comprises increasing the length of the time interval in response to determining that the consumer is at one of the one or more personally-relevant locations for the first consumer.

17. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

operating the at least one programmed processor comprises operating at least one programmed processor of at least one computing device remote from the first mobile device;

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device comprises communicating via at least one network regarding the location data; and

regulating the length of the time interval comprises communicating the length of the time interval to the first mobile device.

18. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein adjusting the length of the time interval to increase the time interval in response to determining that the result of the comparing indicates that the length of the time interval is to be increased comprises increasing the length of the time interval in response to predicting, based on the result of the comparing, that the consumer will not move during a time period following the regulating.

19. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

operating the at least one programmed processor comprises operating at least one programmed processor of the first mobile device; and

obtaining the location data for the current location of the first mobile device comprises, at each expiration of the time interval, determining the location data based at least in part on a Geographic Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the first mobile device.