Mobile Service Platform

• US 20130138461A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• 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: Shahraray, Behzad, Basso, Andrea, Begeja, Lee, Gibbon, David C., Liu, Zhu, Renger, Bernard S., Zavesky, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a service platform capable of providing device-based task completion is disclosed. A request for a task is received at a service platform from a customer. A worker device to complete the task is selected from a group of worker devices registered with the service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device. Data resulting from completion of the task is received from the selected worker device, validated, and presented to the customer. A reward or incentive can be provided to the worker device in response to the data being received from the worker device and validated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a mobile service platform a request, from a customer, to perform a task;

selecting by the mobile service platform a worker device, from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform, to complete the task, the selecting of the worker device based on a current attribute of the worker device;

receiving at the mobile service platform from the selected worker device, data resulting from completion of the task; and

presenting by the mobile service platform the data resulting from completion of the task to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a worker device to complete the task from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device comprises:

selecting a worker device that is capable of completing the task and is located at a location associated with the task.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting a worker device to complete the task from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device comprises:

selecting a worker device based on current environmental conditions at the worker device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a worker device to complete the task from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device comprises:

selecting a worker device based on demographic information of an owner associated with the worker device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a worker device to complete the task from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device comprises:

scheduling the task in a pool of tasks stored at the mobile service platform;

detecting current attributes of the registered worker devices at a scheduled time for the task; and

selecting the worker device with the current attributes similar to specified attributes associated with the task at the scheduled time for the task.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a worker device to complete the task from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device comprises:

scheduling the task in a pool of tasks stored at the mobile service platform;

detecting current attributes of the registered worker devices; and

selecting a worker device to perform the task when the current attributes of the worker device match specified attributes associated with the task.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the task requires a device-based sensor reading, and selecting a worker device to complete the task from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform based on a current attribute of the worker device comprises:

selecting a worker device capable of providing the required device-based sensor reading at a location associated with the task.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring a reward to the selected worker device in response to the selected worker device completing the request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein transferring a reward to the selected worker device in response to the selected worker device completing the request comprises:

transferring a payment from an account of the customer to an account associated with the selected user device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating the data resulting from completion of the task prior to presenting the data to the customer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transferring a payment from an account of the customer to an account associated with the selected user device in response to the data being validated.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-selling the data resulting from completion of the task to a second customer.

13. A mobile service platform comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed on the processor causing the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving at a service platform, from a customer, a request to perform a task;

selecting a worker device, from a group of worker devices registered with the service platform, to complete the task, the selecting of the worker device based on a current attribute of the worker device;

receiving from the selected worker device, data resulting from completion of the task; and

presenting the data resulting from completion of the task to the customer.

14. The mobile service platform of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

transferring a reward to the selected worker device in response to the selected worker device completing the request.

15. The mobile service platform of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

validating the data resulting from completion of the task prior to presenting the data to the customer.

16. The mobile service platform of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

transferring a payment from an account of the customer to an account associated with the selected user device in response to the data being validated.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions, which when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving at a mobile service platform a request, from a customer, to perform a task;

selecting a worker device, from a group of worker devices registered with the mobile service platform, to complete the task, the selecting of the worker device based on a current attribute of the worker device;

receiving from the selected worker device, data resulting from completion of the task; and

presenting the data resulting from completion of the task to the customer.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

transferring a reward to the selected worker device in response to the selected worker device completing the request.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

validating the data resulting from completion of the task prior to presenting the data to the customer.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

transferring a payment from an account of the customer to an account associated with the selected user device in response to the data being validated.