Apparatuses, Methods and Systems for Determining and Announcing Proximity Between Trajectories

• US 20110246070A1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upland Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hipcricket, Inc. (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fitzpatrick, Dudley, Snyder, Jason Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,447,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The disclosure details the implementation of apparatuses, methods, and systems for determining and announcing proximity between trajectories. A code triggered information server may be used to track user behavior, including trajectories, via mobile devices, on the internet, or within a virtual world. Users register their positions and/or behavior by scanning or observing codes or information. Examples of such registrations might include scanning a barcode with a cell phone, clicking on an internet link, making a decision within an online game, and/or the like. The registrations, together with geographic, temporal, and user-specific information, are obtained by the server that receives, processes, and records the message. Based on these messages and a user profile—which may include continuously updated user-specific behavior information, situational and ambient information, an accumulated history of scanned code messages, and integration with outside database information—the server determines behavioral information about a user, including user trajectories. For example, a history of scanned barcodes and the locations and times where they were scanned may be analyzed to determine where a user has been and what they were interested in scanning. Based on such tracking, the system can predict user trajectories, and notify users of an expected proximity or intersection with other users'"'"' trajectories.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method for generating proximity notifications indicating proximities between users, comprising:

accumulating user situational information;

analyzing the user situational information;

predicting expected user situational information from the analysis;

determining if a user is in proximity with other users contained in the user association information based on the predicted expected user situational information; and

notifying a user of the proximity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user situational information is comprised of user space-time trajectories.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user situational information is comprised of user web surfing habits.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user situational information is comprised of user trajectories in a virtual world.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying any of the other users of the proximity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification of proximity is further based on user profiles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user situational information is comprised of a location corresponding to a code scanned by a mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the code is a matrix code and the scanned by a mobile device comprises taking a picture of the matrix code with a mobile device camera.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving an image of the scanned code at a server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the image of the scanned code was sent via MMS.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the message sent to the user is sent via MMS.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the image of the scanned code was sent to a short code address.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

performing an image enhancement on the image of the scanned code.

14. An apparatus for generating proximity notifications indicating proximities between users, comprising:

a memory;

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, and configured to issue a plurality of instructions stored in the memory, wherein the instructions are issuable to;

accumulate user situational information;

accumulate user association information;

analyze the user situational information;

predict expected user interest and situational information from the analysis;

determine if a user is in proximity with other users contained in the user association information; and

notify a user of the proximity.

15. A system for generating proximity notifications indicating proximities between users, comprising:

means to accumulate user situational information;

means to accumulate user association information;

means to analyze the user situational information;

means to predict expected user interest and situational information from the analysis;

means to determine if a user is in proximity with other users contained in the user association information; and

means to notify a user of the proximity.

16. A processor-accessible medium for generating proximity notifications indicating proximities between users, comprising:

processor readable instructions stored in the processor-accessible medium, wherein the processor readable instructions are issuable by the processor to;

accumulate user situational information;

accumulate user association information;

analyze the user situational information;

predict expected user interest and situational information from the analysis;

determine if a user is in proximity with other users contained in the user association information; and

notify a user of the proximity.