EXCLUSIVE DELIVERY OF CONTENT WITHIN GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

• US 20100279665A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: H2 Intellect LLC (Andrew Hill)
• Original Assignee: Andrew Hill, Ryan Hardin
• Inventors: Hill, Andrew, Hardin, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 8,433,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Application developers can request to have their applications registered for use with a content delivery platform. The operator of the content delivery platform establishes perimeters defining geographic areas, and maintains records reserving particular areas for delivery of content associated with particular sponsors. Registered applications running on mobile devices can request content from the content delivery platform. Based at least in part on the request, the content delivery platform can identify a target location, which may be the location of the mobile device, or some other location indicated in the request. A mobile device can be provided content based on the relationship of the target location to the geographic areas, so that a registered application running on a mobile device with a target location contained within a geographic area assigned to a particular sponsor will receive content related to that sponsor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering an application program for use with a content delivery platform;

establishing a plurality of perimeters defining a plurality of geographic areas;

reserving respective ones of the plurality of geographic areas for delivery of content associated with respective ones of a plurality of sponsors;

receiving, from the application program, a request for content to be displayed on the mobile device;

in response to receiving the request;

identifying a target location based, at least in part, on the request;

selecting at least one of the plurality of sponsors based on a relationship between the target location and at least one of the plurality of geographic areas; and

providing content to the application program based on the selecting.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording a request identifier associated with the request; and

providing the request identifier to the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving information related to user interaction with the provided content, the information including the request identifier; and

providing additional content in response to the received information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether at least one of the plurality of sponsors is associated with a geographical representation lying at least partially within a predetermined radial distance of the target location;

in response to a negative determination, increasing the predetermined radial distance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a sponsor, a request to obtain an interest in a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

providing the sponsor a response to the request; and

storing a record of the interest in the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, from the sponsor, content to be delivered to mobile devices having target locations contained within a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reserving a specific one of the plurality of geographic areas for exclusive delivery of content associated with a particular one of the plurality of sponsors to mobile devices executing the application program having a target location contained within the specific one of the plurality of geographic areas.

8. A system comprising:

memory;

a communications interface operably coupled to the memory; and

at least one processor operably coupled to the memory and the communications interface, the processor configured to execute a program of instructions, the program of instructions comprising;

at least one instruction to register an application program for use with a content delivery platform;

at least one instruction to establish a plurality of perimeters defining a plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to maintain a record associating each of a plurality of sponsors with at least one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive a request from the application program for content to be displayed on the mobile device;

at least one instruction to identify a target location based, at least in part, on the request;

at least one instruction to select at least one of the plurality of sponsors based on a relationship between the target location and at least one of the plurality of geographic areas; and

at least one instruction to provide content to the application program based on the selecting.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to record a request identifier associated with the request; and

at least one instruction to provide the request identifier to the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive information related to user interaction with the provided content, the information including the request identifier; and

at least one instruction to provide additional content in response to the received information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to determine whether at least one of the plurality of sponsors is associated with a geographical representation lying at least partially within a predetermined radial distance of the target location; and

at least one instruction to increase the predetermined radial distance in response to the at least one instruction to determine.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive, from a sponsor, a request to obtain an interest in a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to provide the sponsor a response to the request; and

at least one instruction to store a record of the interest in the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive, from the sponsor, content to be delivered to mobile devices having target locations contained within the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to reserve a specific one of the plurality of geographic areas for exclusive delivery of content associated with a particular one of the plurality of sponsors to mobile devices executing the application program-having a target location contained within the specific one of the plurality of geographic areas.

15. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of computer executable instructions, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to register an application program for use with a content delivery platform;

at least one instruction to establish a plurality of perimeters defining respective geographic areas;

at least one instruction to maintain a record associating each of a plurality of sponsors with at least one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive a request from the application being executed on a mobile device for content to be displayed on the mobile device;

at least one instruction to identify a target location based, at least in part, on the request;

at least one instruction to select at least one of the plurality of sponsors based on a relationship between the target location and at least one of the plurality of geographic areas; and

at least one instruction to provide content to the application program based on the selecting.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to record a request identifier associated with the request; and

at least one instruction to provide the request identifier to the mobile device.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive information related to user interaction with the provided content, the information including the request identifier; and

at least one instruction to provide additional content in response to the received information.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to determine whether at least one of the plurality of sponsors is associated with a geographical representation lying at least partially within a predetermined radial distance of the target location; and

at least one instruction to increase the predetermined radial distance in response to a negative determination.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive, from a sponsor, a request to obtain an interest in a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to provide the sponsor a response to the request;

at least one instruction to store a record of the interest in the selected one of the plurality of geographic area; and

at least one instruction to receive, from the sponsor, content to be delivered to mobile devices having target locations contained within the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to reserve a specific one of the plurality of geographic areas for exclusive delivery of content associated with a particular one of the plurality of sponsors to mobile devices executing the application program having a target location contained within the specific one of the plurality of geographic areas.