DETERMINING WHETHER A COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION HAS TAKEN PLACE

• US 20100030567A1
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: ZALEWSKI, GARY M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location

Abstract

Determining whether a commercial transaction has taken place may include a) collecting percipient behavior information from a mobile communication device associated with a percipient, wherein the percipient behavior information is related to behavior of the percipient; b) determining a correlation between the percipient behavior information and transaction behavior information associated with a predetermined commercial transaction; and c) determining from the correlation a confidence level for whether the predetermined commercial transaction has taken place.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether a commercial transaction has taken place, comprising:

a) collecting percipient behavior information from a mobile communication device associated with a percipient, wherein the percipient behavior information is related to behavior of the percipient;

b) determining a correlation between the percipient behavior information and transaction behavior information associated with a predetermined commercial transaction; and

c) determining from the correlation a confidence level for whether the predetermined commercial transaction has taken place.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a) includes generating and transmitting transaction information with the mobile communication device upon completion of a commercial transaction by the percipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a) includes generating and transmitting transaction information with a communication device associated with a vendor upon completion of a commercial transaction by the percipient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a) includes tracking a location of the mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein b) includes correlating a location of the mobile communication device with a location associated with the predetermined commercial transaction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein b) includes correlating the percipient behavior information to a broadcast of a commercial message associated with the predetermined commercial transaction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein correlating the percipient behavior information to the broadcast of the commercial message includes correlating the percipient behavior information to a time of broadcast of the commercial message.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein correlating the percipient behavior information to the broadcast of the commercial message includes correlating the percipient behavior information to reception of the commercial message by a broadcast receiving device associated with the percipient.

9. The method of claim 6, correlating the percipient behavior information to the broadcast of the commercial message includes correlating the percipient behavior information to display of the commercial message by a device associated with the percipient.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein b) includes transmitting the percipient behavior information to a clearinghouse.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein b) includes transmitting the percipient behavior information to a broadcaster of a commercial message associated with the predetermined commercial transaction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein b) includes transmitting the percipient behavior information to a vendor associated with predetermined commercial transaction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the percipient behavior information includes biometric information.