Methods for Processing and Distributing Location-Based Data

• US 20090093238A1
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Plainsight Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ZOS Communications LLC
• Inventors: Ziskind, Russell, Field, Alan, Ziskind, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A location-based messaging system and its methods of operation are disclosed, including methods for processing and distributing location-based data. Methods for sending geographic location information for a target address from a computing device to a receiving device that will enable the receiving device to display a map and/or directions from a geographic location of the receiving device to the geographic location of the target address, methods for receiving and responding to location-based data, and methods for virally distributing location-based applications are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for sending a message to a receiving device having a unique identifier based on a request containing a target street address and the unique identifier received from a sending device, comprising the steps of:

receiving the request containing the target street address and the unique identifier from the sending device;

creating the message to be sent to the receiving device, the message including a prompt for causing the receiving device to send a response to the message;

sending the message to the receiving device based on the unique identifier; and

transferring a set of location identifiers corresponding to the target street address to the receiving device upon receipt of the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is a HTTP request, and wherein the step of transferring includes sending the set of location identifiers to the receiving device as a HTTP response.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of location identifiers includes a geocode of the target street address.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the response includes a geographic location of the receiving device, and wherein the set of location identifiers includes a set of directions from the geographic location of the receiving device to the target street address.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of location identifiers includes a geographic location of the target street address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request further contains an IP address for the sending device, and wherein the step of creating includes adding marketing information to the message based on the IP address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request further contains a URL for a web page that contained the target street address, and wherein the step of transferring includes transferring marketing information to the receiving device based on the URL.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request further contains a location of the sending device, and wherein the step of transferring includes transferring marketing information to the receiving device based on the location of the sending device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a geocode for a location of the receiving device, and wherein the step of transferring includes transferring marketing information to the receiving device based on the location of the receiving device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining an appropriate route for sending the message to the receiving device.

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

determining if the receiving device has previously sent a response to a prior message including the prompt; and

if not, sending an instruction message to the receiving device on how to download a software application that will enable the receiving device to receive the set of location identifiers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining includes the step of comparing the unique identifier against a plurality of unique identifiers for a plurality of receiving devices that have responded to the prior message including the prompt.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an SMS message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the SMS message indicates to the receiving device that an unretrieved data message containing the location identifier is available for download to the receiving device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the response includes a location of the receiving device, wherein the set of location identifiers includes a set of turn by turn directions from the location of the receiving device to the target street address, and wherein the set of turn by turn directions is a series of SMS messages with one turn per SMS message.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an MMS message.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an electronic mail message.

18. A method for sending a geographic location for a target address to a receiving device having a unique identifier based on a request containing the target address and the unique identifier received from a sending device, comprising the steps of:

receiving the request containing the target address and the unique identifier from the sending device;

creating a message including a prompt for causing the receiving device to respond to the message;

sending the message to the receiving device based on the unique identifier;

receiving a HTTP request from the receiving device in response to the message; and

sending a HTTP response to the receiving device in response to the HTTP request, the HTTP response including the geographic location.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the request further contains an IP address for the sending device, and wherein the HTTP response includes marketing information based on the IP address.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the request further contains a URL for a web page that contained the target address, and wherein the HTTP response includes marketing information based on the URL.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the request further contains a location of the sending device, and wherein the HTTP response includes marketing information based on the location of the sending device.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of receiving a geographic location of the receiving device, and wherein the HTTP response includes marketing information based on the location of the receiving device.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of determining an appropriate route for sending the message to the receiving device.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

determining if the receiving device has previously sent a HTTP request in response to a prior message including the prompt; and

if not, instructing the receiving device on how to download a software application that will enable the receiving device to receive the geographic location.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining includes the step of comparing the unique identifier against a plurality of unique identifiers for a plurality of receiving devices that have responded to the prior message including the prompt.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is an SMS message.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is an electronic mail message.

28. A method for sending a geographic location for a receiving device having a unique identifier based on a request containing the unique identifier received from a sending device, comprising the steps of:

receiving the request containing the unique identifier from the sending device;

creating a message including a prompt for causing the receiving device to respond to the message;

sending the message to the receiving device based on the unique identifier;

receiving a reply from the receiving device in response to the message, the reply containing a geographic location of the receiving device; and

sending the geographic location of the receiving device to the sending device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the request further contains an IP address for the sending device, and wherein the step of sending the geographic location of the receiving device includes sending marketing information based on the IP address to the sending device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the request further contains a location of the sending device, and wherein the step of sending the geographic location of the receiving device includes sending marketing information based on the location of the sending device to the sending device.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of sending the geographic location of the receiving device includes sending marketing information based on the location of the receiving device.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of determining an appropriate route for sending the message to the receiving device.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

determining if the receiving device has been sent to a prior message including the prompt; and

if not, instructing the receiving device on how to download a software application that will enable the receiving device to send a request like the sending device.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining includes the step of comparing the unique identifier against a plurality of unique identifiers for a plurality of receiving devices that have responded to the prior message including the prompt.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the sending device is a computer, wherein the receiving device is a mobile location aware device, and wherein the request is received from the computer via a social networking application operating on the computer.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the sending device is a mobile location aware device, wherein the receiving device is a mobile location aware device, and wherein the step of sending the geographic location of the receiving device enables the sending device to physically find the receiving device.