Dynamically and Predictively Updating Mobile Devices as Mobile Users Pass Through Projected Locations

• US 20100076829A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bishop, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0213 Consumer transaction fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

This description provides tools and techniques for dynamically and predictively updating mobile devices as mobile users pass through projected locations. These tools may provide methods that include defining thresholds applicable to at least portions of travel itineraries on which mobile users are traveling. The methods may also identify advertisements to send to mobile devices associated with the mobile users, upon meeting the threshold. The methods may also send the selected advertisements, as associated with corresponding advertisers, to the mobile devices.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

ascertain a travel itinerary for at least one mobile user associated with a corresponding mobile device;

project at least one location through which the mobile user is to pass when traveling along the itinerary;

search for advertisers proximate the location;

associate at least one of the advertisers with the location; and

send advertising data associated with the advertiser to the mobile device.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for enabling the advertisers to bid for rights to be associated with the location.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for enabling the advertisers to bid for rights to have advertising materials associated with the advertisers presented to the mobile user when the mobile user is within the location at a particular time.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for enabling the advertisers to bid for rights to respond to the mobile user, when the mobile user activates a keyword representation stored within the mobile device while within the location.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for projecting a time at which the mobile user is expected to arrive at the location, and wherein the instructions for searching for advertisers include instructions for comparing operating hours associated with the advertisers with the time at which the mobile user is projected to arrive at the location.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for ascertaining a travel itinerary include instructions for receiving a list of planned destinations from the mobile device, wherein the list explicitly specifies destinations within the travel itinerary, and further comprising instructions for computing a solution for the list, and further comprising instructions for sending a representation of the solution to the mobile device.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for ascertaining a travel itinerary include instructions for inferring at least one destination associated with the travel itinerary, based on a plurality of previous locations associated with the mobile device.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for ascertaining a travel itinerary include instructions for inferring at least one destination associated with the travel itinerary, based on a road on which the mobile user is currently traveling.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for searching for advertisers include instructions for employing a circular search pattern when searching for the advertisers, in response to determining that the mobile user is traveling locally.

10. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for determining a direction of travel associated with the mobile user, and wherein the instructions for searching for advertisers include instructions for employing a conic search pattern when searching for the advertisers, wherein the conic search pattern is biased along the direction of travel, in response to determining that the mobile user is not traveling locally.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

define a threshold applicable to at least a portion of a travel itinerary on which a mobile user is traveling;

identify at least one advertisement to send to a mobile device associated with the user, upon meeting the threshold; and

sending the advertisement, associated with a corresponding advertiser, to the mobile device.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for defining a threshold include instructions for defining a time threshold for measuring a duration of time elapsing since a previous stop on the travel itinerary.

13. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for defining a threshold include instructions for defining a distance threshold for measuring a cumulative distance traveled since a previous stop on the travel itinerary.

14. The storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for detecting that the mobile device has stopped along the travel itinerary for a predefined duration of time, and further comprising instructions for detecting that the mobile device has resumed traveling along the itinerary after stopping.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for initiating measurement of time or distance after the mobile device has resumed traveling.

16. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for identifying at least one advertisement include instructions for projecting at least one location through which the mobile user is to pass when traveling along the itinerary, and further comprising instructions for considering the projected location in selecting the advertisement.

17. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for identifying at least one advertisement include instructions for projecting a time at which the mobile user is projected to arrive at one or more locations along the itinerary, and further comprising instructions for considering the projected arrival time in selecting the advertisement.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for comparing operating hours associated with at least one advertiser to the projected arrival time.

19. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for identifying at least one advertisement include instructions for analyzing at least one transaction occurring previously in connection with the travel itinerary.

20. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for identifying at least one advertisement include instructions for analyzing information representing relationships between the mobile user and the advertiser.