Meeting location determination using spatio-semantic modeling

• US 20040039579A1
• Filed: 08/20/2002
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Longhorn Acquisition LLC (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Chithambaram, Nemmara, Miller, Craig Allen
• Granted Patent: US 6,865,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the invention provide a method, method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for determining a meeting location. A location for each of two or more persons is obtained. A central location is then determined based on the obtained locations. A list of activity preferences for each of the two or more persons is also obtained. Thereafter, a ranked list of activity preferences based on the obtained lists of activity preferences is computed. The ranked list represents a convergence of interests for the two or more persons. One or more meeting locations are then determined by combining the central location and ranked list.

Claims

1. A method for determining a meeting location, comprising:

obtaining a location for each of two or more persons;

determining a central location based on the obtained locations;

obtaining a list of activity preferences for each of the two or more persons;

computing a ranked list of activity preferences based on the obtained lists of activity preferences, wherein the ranked list represents a convergence of interests for the two or more persons; and

determining one or more meeting locations by combining the central location and ranked list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the central location comprises computing average coordinates for the obtained locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the central location comprises:

independently sorting coordinates of the obtained locations into sorted coordinate lists; and

determining a middle value for each sorted coordinate list as the central location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the coordinates are sorted in ascending order.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the coordinates are sorted in descending order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the central location is based on posted speeds in a street network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the central location is based on current traffic times.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the central location is based on weather conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the convergence of interests is for major subgroups of the two or more persons.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the ranked list of activity preferences utilizes a hierarchical graph to capture general semantic relationships between the activity preferences.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the ranked list of activity preferences utilizes a hierarchical graph, wherein a cluster in the hierarchical graph indicates the convergence of interests.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the ranked list of activity preferences comprises classifying points of interest from the activity preferences into categories, wherein the categories are weighted based on a number of users who prefer each category.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining one or more meeting locations comprises:

selecting one or more categories with a heaviest weight; and

selecting one or more meeting locations from the selected categories that are closest to the central location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting one or more categories with a heaviest weight comprises selecting one or more categories that satisfies a minimum threshold percentage of users, wherein selection of a subcategory within the one or more selected categories would satisfy less than the minimum threshold percentage of users.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more meeting locations comprises searching, in the ranked list of activity preferences, for points of interest closest to the central location.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on an attractiveness of the meeting location.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on distance impediments to the meeting location for the one or more persons.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on a type of meeting to be conducted.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a commercial establishment provides direct personalized marketing based on the central location or ranked list of activity preferences.

20. A system for determining a meeting location in a computer system comprising:

(a) a computer having a memory;

(b) an application executing on the computer;

(c) a central location that is determined by the application based on locations obtained for each of two or more persons;

(d) a ranked list of activity preferences that is computed by the application based on lists of activity preferences for each of the two or more persons, wherein the ranked list represents a convergence of interests for the two or more persons; and

(e) one or more meeting locations that are determined by the application by combining the central location and ranked list.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the central location is determined by computing average coordinates for the obtained locations.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the central location is determined by:

independently sorting coordinates of the obtained locations into sorted coordinate lists; and

determining a middle value for each sorted coordinate list as the central location.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the coordinates are sorted in ascending order.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the coordinates are sorted in descending order.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the central location is based on posted speeds in a street network.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the central location is based on current traffic times.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the central location is based on weather conditions.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the convergence of interests is for major subgroups of the two or more persons.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the ranked list of activity preferences comprises a hierarchical graph that captures general semantic relationships between the activity preferences.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the ranked list of activity preferences comprises a hierarchical graph, wherein a cluster in the hierarchical graph indicates the convergence of interests.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein the ranked list of activity preferences comprises points of interest that are classified from the activity preferences into categories, wherein the categories are weighted based on a number of users who prefer each category.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined by:

selecting one or more categories with a heaviest weight; and

selecting one or more meeting locations from the selected categories that are closest to the central location.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein selecting one or more categories with a heaviest weight comprises selecting one or more categories that satisfies a minimum threshold percentage of users, wherein selection of a subcategory within the one or more selected categories would satisfy less than the minimum threshold percentage of users.

34. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined by searching, in the ranked list of activity preferences, for points of interest closest to the central location.

35. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on an attractiveness of the meeting location.

36. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on distance impediments to the meeting location for the one or more persons.

37. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on a type of meeting to be conducted.

38. The system of claim 20, wherein a commercial establishment provides direct personalized marketing based on the central location or ranked list of activity preferences.

39. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform a method for determining a meeting location in a computer system, the method comprising:

obtaining a location for each of two or more persons;

determining a central location based on the obtained locations;

obtaining a list of activity preferences for each of the two or more persons;

computing a ranked list of activity preferences based on the obtained lists of activity preferences, wherein the ranked list represents a convergence of interests for the two or more persons; and

determining one or more meeting locations by combining the central location and ranked list.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the method determines the central location by computing average coordinates for the obtained locations.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the method determines the central location by:

independently sorting coordinates of the obtained locations into sorted coordinate lists; and

determining a middle value for each sorted coordinate list as the central location.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the coordinates are sorted in ascending order.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the coordinates are sorted in descending order.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the central location is based on posted speeds in a street network.

45. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the central location is based on current traffic times.

46. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the central location is based on weather conditions.

47. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the convergence of interests is for major subgroups of the two or more persons.

48. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the method computes the ranked list of activity preferences utilizing a hierarchical graph to capture general semantic relationships between the activity preferences.

49. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the method computes the ranked list of activity preferences utilizing a hierarchical graph, wherein a cluster in the hierarchical graph indicates the convergence of interests.

50. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the method computes the ranked list of activity preferences by classifying points of interest from the activity preferences into categories, wherein the categories are weighted based on a number of users who prefer each category.

51. The article of manufacture of claim 50, wherein the method determines one or more meeting locations by:

selecting one or more categories with a heaviest weight; and

selecting one or more meeting locations from the selected categories that are closest to the central location.

52. The article of manufacture of claim 51, wherein selecting one or more categories with a heaviest weight comprises selecting one or more categories that satisfies a minimum threshold percentage of users, wherein selection of a subcategory within the one or more selected categories would satisfy less than the minimum threshold percentage of users.

53. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the method determines one or more meeting locations by searching, in the ranked list of activity preferences, for points of interest closest to the central location.

54. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on an attractiveness of the meeting location.

55. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on distance impediments to the meeting location for the one or more persons.

56. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the one or more meeting locations are determined based on a type of meeting to be conducted.

57. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein a commercial establishment provides direct personalized marketing based on the central location or ranked list of activity preferences.