DISPLAYING LOCATION-SPECIFIC IMAGES ON A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20140057657A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi, Dorfman, Barnaby M., Gold, Jonathan A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,148,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• 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 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A system is provided for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display. The system generally comprises three components: a mobile device having a screen, a position identification system (e.g., a GPS receiver) that determines the position of the mobile device, and a database containing location-specific images taken at various locations. Each location-specific image is associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken. Based on the position of the mobile device as determined by the position identification system, a location-specific image is selected from the database and displayed on the screen of the mobile device. For example, when a user is using the mobile device as a car navigation system, a location-specific image of the user'"'"'s destination location can be selected and displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the destination location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying a location-specific image on a mobile device, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving, from a mobile device, information identifying a location of the mobile device;

receiving, from the mobile device, a shopping list that includes one or more items;

determining a respective store category for at least one item in the shopping list;

identifying one or more stores based on the respective store categories for the one or more items and on the location of the mobile device;

selecting, for each of the one or more identified stores, a respective location-specific image from a plurality of location-specific images; and

sending the selected location-specific images to the mobile device,

wherein the mobile device is enabled to display the selected location-specific images corresponding to the location of the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the mobile device, respective information identifying a geographic location for each store in the one or more identified stores, wherein the geographic location of a store is used to display, on the mobile device, directions for traveling from the location of the mobile device to the geographic location of the store.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a location-specific image for a store is an image of one or more objects that are located at or near the store.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the request to access the shopping assistance service, sending, to the mobile device, a respective listing of items that are available at one or more of the identified stores, the one or more stores being located within a threshold distance from the location of the mobile device.

5. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processor, cause the system to perform the operations of;

receiving, from a mobile device, information identifying a location of the mobile device;

receiving, from the mobile device, a shopping list that includes at least one item;

identifying at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list being available at the store and on the location of the mobile device;

selecting at least one location-specific image for at least one of the identified stores; and

sending, to the mobile device, the at least one selected location-specific image.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein identifying the at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list and on the location of the mobile device further comprises:

identifying at least one store category for at least one item in the shopping list; and

identifying, based on the at least one identified store category for the at least one item, the at least one store for the at least one item, the at least one store being located within a threshold distance from the location of the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein identifying the at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list and on the location of the mobile device further comprises:

obtaining data describing business operating hours for the at least one store; and

determining that the at least one store is open for business based on the obtained business operating hours and on a current time of the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein identifying the at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list and on the location of the mobile device further comprises:

determining, based on a user profile for a user operating the mobile device, that the at least one store is a favorite store.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the operations of:

receiving, from the mobile device, a new image for replacing the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device; and

determining that the new image has a higher image quality than the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device; and

replacing, in a database, the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device with the new image.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein determining that the new image has a higher image quality than the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device further comprises:

determining that the new image includes fewer pedestrians in the image than the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein a location-specific image for a store is an image of one or more objects that are located at or near the store.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the location-specific image includes a name and address of the store.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device, information identifying a location of the mobile device;

receiving, from the mobile device, a shopping list that includes at least one item;

identifying at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list being available at the store and on the location of the mobile device;

selecting at least one location-specific image for at least one of the identified stores; and

sending, to the mobile device, the at least one selected location-specific image.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein identifying the at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list and on the location of the mobile device further comprises:

identifying at least one store category for at least one item in the shopping list; and

identifying, based on the at least one identified store category for the at least one item, the at least one store for the at least one item, the at least one store being located within a threshold distance from the location of the mobile device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein identifying the at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list and on the location of the mobile device further comprises:

obtaining data describing business operating hours for the at least one store; and

determining that the at least one store is open for business based on the obtained business operating hours and on a current time of the mobile device.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein identifying the at least one store based in part on the at least one item in the shopping list and on the location of the mobile device further comprises:

determining, based on a user profile for a user operating the mobile device, that the at least one store is a favorite store.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform the operations of:

receiving, from the mobile device, a new image for replacing the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device; and

determining that the new image has a higher image quality than the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device; and

replacing, in a database, the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device with the new image.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein determining that the new image has a higher image quality than the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device further comprises:

determining that the new image includes fewer pedestrians in the image than the location-specific image that was sent to the mobile device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein a location-specific image for a store is an image of one or more objects that are located at or near the store.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the location-specific image includes a name and address of the store.