Location and Time Specific Mobile Participation Platform

• US 20110143776A1
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• 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: Shankaranarayanan, Nemmara K., Kim, Byoung-Jo
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile participation platform enables a wireless network operator or third party to solicit response data related to a specific time and location specific event by signaling multiple mobile device users that meet predefined qualifications. The qualifications include presence at the specific location at the specific time, and may include other characteristics, such as prior consent to receive solicitations, and particular device type or data collection functionality. The platform locates mobile devices that may qualify for participation, and generates and transmits a solicitation. Mobile devices receiving the solicitation may activate a participation client to acknowledge the solicitation and to contribute by submitting the requested response data, which may include photos, text, sensor data, audio, video and the like. The qualifications are verified, the response data is validated, and anonymity and privacy are maintained by associating the mobile device and other pertinent non-identifying information with an encrypted identifier.

Claims

1. A system for soliciting, from a plurality of mobile devices, response data related to a specific transient condition, comprising:

a location processor operable to generate presence data associated with the mobile devices; and

a solicitation server configured to;

determine the location and time of occurrence of the transient condition;

define a proximity qualification and a coincidence qualification, based on the location and time of occurrence of the transient condition;

determine which of the mobile devices are associated with presence data that meets the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification; and

generate a solicitation for transmission to at least some of the mobile devices that meet the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the solicitation server is further configured to transmit the solicitation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the solicitation server is further configured to receive response data from at least one of the mobile devices that received the solicitation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the solicitation server is further configured to validate presence data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the solicitation server is further configured to validate response data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the location processor is further operable to generate approximate presence data associated with each of the mobile devices without contacting the mobile devices, and to generate more accurate presence data for those mobile devices for which the approximate presence data meets the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the location processor is further operable to generate more accurate presence data by requesting the more accurate presence data from those mobile devices for which the approximate presence data meets the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the solicitation consists of at least one of the following:

a description of response data that is requested;

instructions for collecting the requested response data; and

incentive data.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a contributor registry having records, each record being associated with at least one of the mobile devices;

and

wherein each record comprises prequalification data, and the solicitation server is further configured to;

define prequalifications associated with the solicitation;

determine which of the mobile devices are associated with prequalification data that meets the prequalifications; and

generate a solicitation for transmission to at least some of the mobile devices that meet the prequalifications and the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the solicitation server is further configured to credit an incentive in response to receiving response data from a mobile device.

11. A computer-implemented method for soliciting, from a plurality of mobile devices, response data related to a specific transient condition, the method comprising:

defining a transient condition;

defining qualifications associated with the transient condition, the qualifications consisting at least in part of a proximity qualification and a coincidence qualification;

acquiring presence data associated with the mobile devices;

identifying which of mobile devices are associated with presence data that meets at least the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification; and

generating a solicitation for transmission to at least some of the mobile devices that meet the proximity qualification and the coincidence qualification.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting a geography relevant to the transient condition;

monitoring the geography to detect the occurrence of the transient condition; and

upon detecting the occurrence of the transient condition, generating the solicitation.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving response data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein defining a proximity qualification comprises determining the location at which the transient condition occurred, and specifying an area that at least partially encompasses the location.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein defining a coincidence qualification comprises determining the time at which the transient condition occurred, and specifying an interval that at least partially coincides with the time.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising validating at least one of the response data and the presence data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising credit an incentive upon receipt of the response data, contingent on validation of at least one of the response data and the presence data.

18. A computer readable medium comprising stored instructions for executing the method of claim 11.