System And Methods For Positioning Information From A Plurality Of Users

• US 20100332326A1
• Filed: 02/15/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ron Ishai
• Original Assignee: Ron Ishai
• Inventors: Ishai, Ron
• Application Number:
  US12/867,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332326A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and methods for integrating position information from a plurality of users to inform users of other user'"'"'s positions, events of interest, and locations of interest. Similarly, the invention relates to techniques for using real-time location information and information gathered from social networks and other internet-worked information sources to alert people of other individuals, places, and events of interest in the vicinity.

Claims

1-3. -3. (canceled)

4. A method for integrating location data with social network data, said method comprising steps of:

a. providing users'"'"' social network data to a networked server;

b. periodically providing users'"'"' current physical location data to said networked server;

c. informing users by cellular text message when other selected users are in the vicinity;

whereby users are put into contact with members of their social networks when in the physical vicinity.

5. A method for detecting coincidence between users, places of interest to said users, and events of interest to said users, comprising steps of:

a. obtaining profile information concerning the users'"'"' characteristics, said characteristics being selected from the group consisting of;

places of interest;

events of interest;

tasks to be done;

friends and acquaintances of interest from online social network sites; and

direct input from said users;

b. storing and periodically updating said profile information on a central server;

c. periodically obtaining and uploading to said central server the locations of said users, said locations being determined by a method selected from a group consisting of;

GPS receiver carried by the user;

cellular radiolocation techniques on the part of the user'"'"'s cellular provider;

Wi-Fi locating techniques;

BlueTooth locating techniques; and

satellite telephone locating techniques;

d. calculating the matrix of distances between each user and all other users of interest, places of interest, and events of interest;

e. alerting users when they are within less than a predetermined threshold distance of other users of interest, places of interest, and events of interest by means selected from a group consisting of;

cellular messaging, automated voice messaging, and emailing the users;

thereby implementing a real-time coincidence detection system making use of online social network data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein location data transfer between said server and cellular phone service companies is minimized by means selected from a group consisting of:

sending differences between current and previous positions instead of absolute positions, sending of said differences only when they exceed a certain threshold, and sending of position information only at set intervals of time.

7. A method for targeting advertising of potential customers who are within a certain threshold distance of a given business comprising steps of:

a. obtaining position and profile information from advertisers, said information comprising characteristics selected from the group consisting of;

said advertisers'"'"' physical location;

information relating to the goods or services provided by said advertisers, and technical and commercial characteristics of said goods or services;

b. obtaining profile information concerning said potential customers comprising characteristics selected from a group consisting of said potential customers'"'"' social networks;

online questionnaires;

credit histories; and

purchase histories;

c. periodically obtaining and uploading to a central server the locations of said potential customers;

d. calculating the matrix of distances between a given user and all advertisers'"'"' locations;

e. alerting users when they are within less than a threshold distance of an advertiser'"'"'s location by means selected from the group consisting of;

cellular messaging;

automated voice messaging; and

email;

thereby implementing a position-based targeted advertising system making use of social network data.

8. A system for the integration of users'"'"' physical location data with network data comprising:

a. a networked server connected to the internet, provided with profile information concerning said users comprising characteristics selected from a group consisting of;

the user'"'"'s friends;

the user'"'"'s interests;

the user'"'"'s hobbies;

the user'"'"'s errands; and

the user'"'"'s task lists;

said networked server adapted to glean said profile information from social websites;

b. locating means adapted to provide users'"'"' physical location periodically to said networked server;

c. a database comprising points of interest selected from the group consisting of;

locations;

classifications;

timetables;

schedules of events;

business locations;

venues;

locations of interest; and

events of interest;

said database being stored on or accessible to said networked server;

d. informing means, said informing means selected from the group consisting of;

cellular text messages;

voice messages;

emails; and

wireless communications;

e. a coincidence detector adapted to determine when users are within predetermined distances of points of interest, and further adapted to inform users of said coincidence by means of said informing means, said coincidence detector comprising an algorithm running on said networked server;

wherein said system is adapted to implement a real-time information source of location-relevant data that is of interest to the user that gleans information from social websites.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said locating means is selected from a group consisting of:

GPS receiver carried by the user;

cellular radiolocation;

Wi-Fi locating techniques;

BlueTooth locating techniques; and

satellite telephone locating techniques.

10. A system for the integration of users'"'"' location data with social network data, said system comprising:

a. a networked server continuously updated with said users'"'"' social network data and said users'"'"' physical location data;

b. informing means adapted to send text messages to said users, when other selected users are in their physical vicinity;

wherein users are informed of the presence of members of their social network in their physical vicinity.

11. A system for the detection of coincidence between users of the method, places of interest to said users, and events of interest to said users, comprising:

a. a contact database containing profile information selected from the group consisting of;

users'"'"' places of interest;

events of interest;

task lists;

errand lists; and

friends and acquaintances of interest;

said profile information taken from online social network sites;

b. a central server in communication with said contact database;

c. a location database containing continually updated user locations derived using locating means selected from a group consisting of;

GPS receiver carried by the user;

cellular radiolocation;

Wi-Fi locating techniques;

BlueTooth locating techniques; and

satellite telephone locating techniques;

d. algorithmic means to calculate a matrix of distances between each element in said location database and all entities in said contact database;

e. informing means adapted to send alerts to users when they are within less than a threshold distance of another user of interest, place of interest, or event of interest, said alterts bing selected from the group consisting of;

cellular text messages;

automated voice messages; and

emails;

wherein said system is adapted to implement a position-based real-time coincidence detection system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein location data transfer between said server and said users is minimized by means selected from the group consisting of:

sending of differences between current and previous positions instead of absolute positions;

sending of said differences only when they exceed a preselected threshold; and

sending of position information only at set intervals of time.

13. A system for targeted advertising of potential customers who are within a certain threshold distance of a given business;

said system comprising;

a. a position database of position and profile information of advertisers including their physical locations, and information relating to the goods and/or services provided by said advertisers;

b. a profile database of profile information of said potential customers gleaned from a set of information sources comprising said potential customers'"'"' social networks, online questionnaires, and credit histories;

c. a central server to which locations of said potential customers are uploaded periodically, said locations being gleaned by means selected from the group consisting of;

GPS receiver carried by the potential customer;

cellular radiolocation;

Wi-Fi locating techniques;

BlueTooth locating techniques; and

satellite telephone locating techniques;

d. a matrix of distances between a given potential customer and all advertisers'"'"' locations, said matrix being compiled on said central server;

e. informing means adapted to inform said potential customers when they are within a predetermined threshold distance of an advertiser'"'"'s location, said informing means selected from the group consisting of;

cellular text messages;

automated voice messages; and

emails;

wherein said system is adapted to implement a position-based targeted advertising system using information obtained from social networks.

14. A GUI comprising modules which are selected from a group consisting of

a. a sign-in window with components selected from

i. a text box for the user'"'"'s name in a social network site

ii. a text box and/or menu for the name of said social network site

iii. a text box for the user'"'"'s cellular phone number

iv. a child window of the main window providing a set of radio buttons controlling user permissions for the AYEKKA? System

b. a user control window with elements selected from

i. a set of ‘

radio buttons’

concerning the users current mode comprising ‘

off’

, ‘

on’

, ‘

help’

, and ‘

ping’

buttons, said buttons being controlled by clicking them or by sending special numeric messages from a cellular phone

ii. a refresh button which will re-check and if necessary re-import data concerning the user'"'"'s list of friends on said social networks,

iii. a button which imports data to a selected

iv. a check box for allowing advertisements,

v. a button for disconnecting from AYEKKA?,

vi. a child window with a list of all of the user'"'"'s friends from all social websites, wherein

1. The friend'"'"'s name will be dark if the friend didn'"'"'t sign into AYEKKA? yet.

2. The friend'"'"'s name will be red if the friend has signed into AYEKKA? but he is in the off mode.

3. The friend'"'"'s name will be green if the friend has signed in and currently is in one of the working modes.

c. two sets of radio buttons, comprising a first set of radio buttons controlling time criteria for sending GPA'"'"'s, and a second set of radio buttons controlling place criteria for sending GPA'"'"'s user GUI control window for control over the format of the GPA message, allowing for editing of the GPA message text as well as addition of other media to the message taken from a group comprising pictures, sound clips, video clips, and links,

d. a site administration search window comprising a set of drop down lists, text boxes, text fields, and buttons providing search capabilities on a set of databases according to criteria chosen from a group including

a. telephone number

b. actual name

c. username

d. location

e. profile

f. history

g. status

h. social network site

e. a site administration overview window displaying the statistics of AYEKKA? usage, comprising a log of GPAs sent, number of users, user locations, and active external data connections;

f. a button marked ‘

AYEKKA?’

on the user'"'"'s cellphone which when pressed allows the user to be tracked by the AYEKKA? server in the ‘

ON’

mode, and when pressed while in the ‘

ON’

mode changes the user'"'"'s status to ‘

OFF’

mode

g. an icon of a radar with moving beam displayed on the user'"'"'s cellphone indicating the user is in ‘

ON’

mode;

wherein all of the above controls may be implemented on a AYEKKA? server, cellular phone, or other digital device, and wherein the above controls together provide a comprehensive means of control over a AYEKKA? server on the part of both users and administrators.