Crowd Determination

• US 20080016018A1
• Filed: 07/11/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,932,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Included are methods for providing crowd determination. At least one embodiment of a method includes receiving presence data related to at least one subject in an environment and determining at least one occupancy statistic of the environment from the received presence data. At least one other embodiment of a method includes providing at least one occupancy statistic of the environment.

Claims

1. A method for providing crowd determination, comprising:

receiving presence data related to at least one subject in an environment;

determining at least one occupancy statistic of the environment from the received presence data; and

providing at least one occupancy statistic of the environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence data is received via a client device associated with at least one subject.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence data includes an identifier of a client device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving location data of at least one subject in the environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least one occupancy statistic includes sending at least one alert to at least one user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least one occupancy statistic includes providing data related to a current wait time for a subject in the environment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request for at least one occupancy statistic related to the environment.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one user-specified relative congestion level related to the environment;

comparing at least one user-specified relative congestion level to at least one occupancy statistic to determine a desired relative occupancy level.

9. A computer readable medium for providing crowd determination, comprising:

logic configured to receive presence data related to at least one subject in an environment;

logic configured to determine at least one occupancy statistic of the environment from the received presence data; and

logic configured to provide at least one occupancy statistic of the environment.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the presence data is received via a client device associated with at least one subject.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the presence data includes an identifier of a client device.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising logic configured to receive location data of at least one subject in the environment.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein logic configured to provide at least one occupancy statistic is further configured to send at least one alert to at least one user.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein logic configured to provide at least one occupancy statistic is further configured to provide data related to a current wait time for a subject in the environment.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising logic configured to receive a request for at least one occupancy statistic related to the environment.

16. A system for providing crowd determination, comprising:

a receiving module configured to receive presence data related to at least one subject in an environment;

a determining module configured to determine at least one occupancy statistic of the environment from the received presence data; and

a providing module configured to provide at least one occupancy statistic of the environment.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the presence data is received via a client device associated with at least one subject.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the presence data includes an identifier of a client device.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a location module configured to receive location data of at least one subject in the environment.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the providing module is further configured to send at least one alert to at least one user.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the providing module is further configured to provide data related to a current wait time for a subject in the environment.