PROVIDER-SPECIFIC BRANDING OF GENERIC MOBILE REAL ESTATE SEARCH APPLICATION

• US 20110055247A1
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smarter Agent LLC
• Original Assignee: Smarter Agent LLC
• Inventors: Blumberg, Brad W., Blumberg, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US12/552,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055247A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving an application download request, the request including an entity indicator associated with an entity from a plurality of entities, sending the application to a wireless device and sending a set of formatting information based at least in part on the entity indicator.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request, the request including a property search query that includes a location indicator;

sending, in response to the request, a plurality of property results based at least in part on the location indicator, at least one result from the set including information associated with a property; and

sending a set of formatting data associated with an entity from a plurality of entities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is associated with the location indicator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location indicator is based on one or more of:

location information entered by a user; and

location information defined by a wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location indicator is associated with location coordinates of a wireless device, the location coordinates being determined based at least in part on one or more of:

global positioning system information associated with the wireless device;

cellular network tower location information associated with the location coordinates;

location information of a communication device operatively coupled to the wireless device; and

user entry of location information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a first request, the property search query is a first property search query, the location indicator is a first location indicator, the plurality of property results is a first plurality of property results, the set of formatting data is a first set of formatting data, and the entity is a first entity, the method further comprising:

receiving a second request, the second request including a second property search query that includes a second location indicator;

sending, in response to the second request, a second plurality of property results based at least in part on the second location indicator, at least one result from the second set including information associated with a property; and

sending a second set of formatting data based on a second entity from the plurality of entities.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each property result from the plurality of property results includes information associated with a property and at least one of:

picture information associated with the property;

address information associated with the property;

property type information associated with the property;

pricing information associated with the property;

estimated mortgage information for the property;

tax information for the property;

layout configuration information for the property;

or

contact information associated with the entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending map information to the wireless device, the map information being based at least in part on the location indicator and one property result from the plurality of property results; and

sending property location information to the wireless device, the property location information being based at least in part on the one property result.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes at least one of:

search region information;

desired property type information;

desired property price range information;

or

desired property room configuration information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is a user-selected entity, further comprising:

sending a list of two or more entities; and

receiving a signal that includes an entity selection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the list of two or more entities is based at least in part on one or more of:

a location of the wireless device;

a previous entity selection;

one or more sponsored entities; and

entity information associated with an original data request.

11. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

define a location indicator based on a physical location of a wireless device;

receive property query information from a user;

send a request, the request including the property query information and the location indicator;

receive a response, the response including at least one property result and a set of formatting data; and

display the at least one property result in accordance with the set of formatting data.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the set of formatting data is associated with the location indicator.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the code representing instructions to cause a processor to define a location indicator further comprises code to determine the physical location of the wireless device based on at least one of:

global positioning system information associated with the wireless device;

cellular network tower location information associated with the wireless device;

location information of a communication device operatively coupled to the wireless device;

or

user input.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

store the property query information to a memory in response to user input.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

store the at least one property result to a memory in response to user input.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

store the set of formatting data to a memory.

17. A method, comprising:

determining a physical location of a wireless device based on at least one of;

global positioning system information associated with the wireless device;

cellular network tower location information associated with the wireless device;

location information of a communication device operatively coupled to the wireless device;

or

user input;

defining a location indicator based on the physical location;

sending a request, the request including a property search query that includes the location indicator;

receiving a plurality of property results, at least one property result from the plurality of property results including information regarding a property within a predetermined distance from the physical location; and

displaying a portion of the plurality of property results to a screen coupled to the wireless device, the displaying including a set of formatting data associated with an entity from a plurality of entities.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the entity is associated with the location indicator.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the physical location is a first physical location, the request is a first request, the property search query is a first property search query, the location indicator is a first location indicator, the plurality of property results is a first plurality of property results, the predetermined distance is a first predetermined distance, the set of formatting data is a first set of formatting data, and the entity is a first entity, further comprising:

determining a second physical location of the wireless device;

defining a second location indicator based on the second physical location;

sending a second request, the second request including a second property search query that includes the second location indicator;

receiving a second plurality of property results, each property result from the second set of search query results including information regarding a property within a second predetermined distance from the second physical location;

or

displaying a portion of the second set of search query results to the screen coupled to the wireless device in accordance with a second set of formatting data associated with a second entity from the plurality of entities.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein each property result from the plurality of property results includes information associated with a property and at least one of:

picture information associated with the property;

address information associated with the property;

property type information associated with the property;

pricing information associated with the property;

estimated mortgage information for the property;

tax information for the property;

layout configuration information for the property;

or

contact information associated with the entity.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending, to the wireless device, map information, the map information being based at least in part on the location indicator and one property result from the plurality of property results; and

sending, to the wireless device, property location information, the property location information being based at least in part on the one property result.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the property search query includes at least one of:

search region information;

desired property type information;

desired property price range information;

or

desired property room configuration information.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving a request, the request including a search query;

sending, in response to the request, a plurality of results and a set of formatting data, the set of formatting data being based at least in part on a location indicator associated with at least one result from the plurality of results.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the search query is a property search query, the plurality of results is a plurality of property results and the location indicator is a property location indicator.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the location indicator is associated with an entity.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the request is a first request, the property search query is a first property search query, the location indicator is a first location indicator, the plurality of property results is a first plurality of property results and the set of formatting data is a first set of formatting data, the method further comprising:

receiving a second request, the second request including a second property search query;

sending, in response to the second request, a second plurality of property results and a second set of formatting data, the second set of formatting data being based at least in part on a second location indicator, different from the first location indicator, associated with at least one result from the second plurality of property results.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein each property result from the plurality of property results includes information associated with a property and at least one of:

picture information associated with the property;

address information associated with the property;

property type information associated with the property;

pricing information associated with the property;

estimated mortgage information for the property;

tax information for the property;

layout configuration information for the property;

or

contact information associated with the entity.

28. A method, comprising:

receiving an application download request from a wireless device, the request including location information and at least one of;

a model type of the wireless device;

a model number of the wireless device;

a serial number of the wireless device;

wireless carrier information associated with the wireless device;

or

a telephone number associated with the wireless device; and

sending the application to the wireless device, the application including branding information based at least in part on the location information.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the location information is based at least in part on a physical location of the wireless device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the application, when executed, displays branding information based at least in part on an entity associated with the location information.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

defining a user identifier based at least in part on one or more of;

user e-mail address information;

user telephone number information;

user mailing address information;

user name information;

user username information;

user identification number information; and

device-specific information associated with a user; and

associating the user identifier with the entity.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the application including the branding information includes a first set of branding information, the entity is a first entity and the application, when executed, displays a second set of branding information associated with a second entity.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the location information is a first location information and the second entity is associated with a second location information.

34. A method, comprising:

receiving an application download request, the request including an entity indicator associated with an entity from a plurality of entities;

sending the application to a wireless device; and

sending a set of formatting information based at least in part on the entity indicator.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising defining a user identifier based at least in part on the entity indicator and at least one of:

user e-mail address information;

user telephone number information;

user username information;

or

user identification number information.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the application download request is a first application download request, the entity indicator is a first entity indicator, and the set of formatting information is a first set of formatting information, further comprising:

receiving a second application download request, the second request including a second entity indicator associated with a second entity from the plurality of entities;

updating the user identifier based at least in part on the second entity indicator; and

sending a second set of formatting information based at least in part on the user identifier.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the application is a property search application.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the entity indicator is based at least in part on location information associated with the wireless device.