System and method for presence or proximity-based sorting

• US 10,594,787 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Arana, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Duyen M
• Application Number:
  US15/097,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20170295227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for proximity-based sorting. Information may be transmitted to user devices from beacons or similar transmitter-type devices. Based on this information, the user devices may be categorized or sorted based upon which beacons the user devices are proximate to, pass, or from which beacon the information is received. Subsequent activities and/or operations may then leverage this categorization or sorting of users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sorting, comprising:

receiving a first signal from a first beacon at a first user device proximate to the first beacon, wherein the first signal communicates first beacon identifying information;

receiving a second signal from a second beacon at a second user device proximate to the second beacon, wherein the second signal communicates second beacon identifying information;

associating a first user of the first user device with a first group by parsing the first signal to determine the first beacon identifying information, wherein the first user remains associated with the first group after the first user device is outside a proximity of the first beacon;

associating a second user of the second user device with a second group by parsing the second signal to determine the second beacon identifying information, wherein the second user remains associated with the second group after the second user device is outside a proximity of the second beacon; and

wherein the first and second groups are utilized to distinguish the first and second users in one or more subsequent activities.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a local memory to correlate the first beacon identifying information with the first group and correlate the second beacon identifying information with the second group.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising accessing at least one of a remote server and database to correlate the first beacon identifying information with the first group and accessing the at least one of the remote server and the database to correlate the second beacon identifying information with the second group.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first signal comprises a first identifier identifying the first beacon and an indication of the first group, and wherein the second signal comprises a second identifier identifying the second beacon and an indication of the second group.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising notifying, via the first and second user devices, the first and second groups to which the first and second user belong, respectively.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising associating one or more characteristics associated with each of the first and second users to each of the first and second groups, respectively, for use in the one or more subsequent activities.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and second groups comprise competing thematic aspects related to media content associated with the one or more subsequent activities.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the one or more subsequent activities comprises at least one of interactive games, passive games, media content discovery, physical sorting of at least the first and second users into competitive teams, profile modification for association with at least one of the first and second groups, and purchase transactions.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising implementing fraud protection in the one or more subsequent activities based upon the association of the first user with the first group such that the association of the first user with the first group is a verification of the first user'"'"'s presence at or near the first beacon.

10. A computer-implemented method for sorting, comprising:

receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal from an RF transmitter at a first user device upon the first user device coming in proximity to the RF transmitter, wherein the RF signal communicates RF transmitter identifying information;

associating a first user of the first user device with a first group by parsing the RF signal to determine the RF transmitter identifying information;

transmitting data associated with the first user device to the RF transmitter; and

presenting one or more subsequent interactive experiences via the first user device based upon a categorization into the first-group and the transmitted data, wherein the first user device remains associated with the first group after the first user device is outside the proximity of the RF transmitter.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the RF signal from the RF transmitter comprises an identifier identifying the RF transmitter, and wherein the data associated with the first user device comprises characteristics or preferences associated with the first user of the first user device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the RF transmitter further comprises an RF receiver adapted to receive the data associated with the first user device and forward the data to a server to determine the categorization of the first user device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a second RF signal from a second RF transmitter at a second user device upon the second user device coming in proximity to the second RF transmitter wherein the RF signal communicates second RF transmitter identifying information;

associating a second user of the second user device with a second group by parsing the RF signal to determine the RF transmitter identifying information; and

transmitting data associated with the second user device to the second RF transmitter.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising presenting the one or more subsequent interactive experiences via the second user device based upon a categorization into the second group and the transmitted data associated with the second user device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the one or more subsequent interactive experiences comprises a game in which the categorization of the first user device and the categorization of the second user device is used as a basis for competition in the one or more subsequent interactive experiences between a first user of the first user device and the second user of the second user device.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the categorization of the first user device remains the same if the first user device has been previously categorized, changes from a previous categorization, or is utilized as a subsequent indication of affinity.

17. A system, comprising:

a first user device;

a second user device;

a first identification device with which the first user device exchanges first information used in categorizing the first user device in a first group when the first user device is proximate to the first identification device by parsing the first information to determine first identifying information corresponding to the first identification device, wherein the first information communicates the first identifying information; and

a second identification device with which the second user device exchanges second information used in categorizing the second user device in a second group when the second user device is proximate to the second identification device by parsing the second information to determine first identifying information corresponding to the first identification device, wherein the first information communicates the first identifying information;

wherein the categorization of the first user device in the first group and the categorization of the second user device in the second group is used to distinguish a first user of the first user device and a second user of the second user device in a subsequent activity in which the first and second users participate, and wherein the first user remains associated with the first group after the first user device is outside a proximity of the first identification device and the second user remains associated with the second group after the second user device is outside a proximity of the second identification device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first identification device comprises one of a transmitter beacon adapted to transmit identification information associated with the first identification device to the first user device and a radio frequency (RF) sensor adapted to sense the identity of the first user device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the second identification device comprises one of a transmitter beacon adapted to transmit identification information associated with the second identification device to the second user device and a radio frequency (RF) sensor adapted to sense the identity of the second user device.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising a remote server or database adapted to correlate the first information to the first group and correlate the second information to the second group.