METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING AND TRIGGERING TARGETED MARKETING CONTENT

• US 20140087760A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTI IP LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HTI IP LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,473,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A mobile device in, or at, a vehicle sends a vehicle status message to a remote host upon occurrence of a trigger event, such as turning off the vehicle'"'"'s engine. The remote host processes the vehicle status message and determines whether it can access, or find, content that is associated with location information contained in the vehicle status message. If so, the remote host forwards the content in a content message to a user device, which may or may not be the device that transmitted the vehicle status message. The remote host typically associates the user device with the vehicle, or mobile device therein, from which the vehicle status message emanated. Thus, the user device receives content corresponding to the location of the vehicle when the trigger event occurred. The content may include advertising, product promotion, tourist information, weather, traffic, or other information relevant to the trigger event occurrence location.

Claims

1. A method for providing targeted content to a user device, comprising:

receiving a vehicle status message at a central host computer transmitted from a mobile vehicle device in a vehicle;

comparing information contained in the vehicle status message to target criteria associated with content stored in a database;

determining content to transmit to a user device associated with the vehicle based on the results of the comparing of the information in the vehicle status message and the criteria; and

transmitting the determined content in a content message to the user device associated with the vehicle;

wherein the mobile device in the vehicle transmitted the vehicle status message upon a trigger event occurring, and wherein the vehicle status message includes location information of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the target criteria includes a range of location coordinates.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the range of target criteria defines a geofence.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the target criteria includes vehicle identification information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the target criteria includes demographic information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device that transmits the vehicle status message to the central host computer is associated at the central host computer with the vehicle and wherein the user device is a mobile user device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the mobile device that transmits the vehicle status message and the mobile user device are separate devices.

8. A method for providing targeted content to a user device, comprising:

transmitting with a mobile vehicle device in a vehicle a vehicle status message to a central host computer, wherein the central host computer is configured to;

compare information contained in the vehicle status message to target criteria associated with content stored in a database;

determine content to transmit to a user device associated with the driver of the vehicle based on the results of the comparing of the information in the vehicle status message and the criteria; and

transmit the determined content in a content message to the user device associated with the vehicle; and

wherein the mobile vehicle device in the vehicle transmitted the vehicle status message upon a trigger event occurring, and wherein the vehicle status message includes location information of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the target criteria includes a range of location coordinates.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the range of target criteria defines a geofence.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the target criteria includes vehicle identification information.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the target criteria includes demographic information.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the mobile device that transmits the vehicle status message to the central host computer is associated at the central host computer with the vehicle and wherein the user device is a mobile user device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the mobile device that transmits the vehicle status message and the mobile user device are separate devices.

15. A wireless mobile user device associated with a user of a vehicle, the device configured for performing a method for receiving targeted marketing content, the method comprising:

receiving a content message transmitted from a central host computer;

wherein the central host computer is configured to;

receive a vehicle status message transmitted from a mobile vehicle device in a vehicle;

compare information contained in the vehicle status message to target criteria associated with content stored in as database;

determine content to transmit to the user device based on the results of the comparing of the information in the vehicle status message and the criteria;

transmit the determined content in the content message to the user device; and

wherein the mobile vehicle device in the vehicle transmitted the vehicle status message upon a trigger event occurring, and wherein the vehicle status message includes location information of the vehicle, and wherein the user is associated with the vehicle at the central host computer.

16. The wireless mobile device of claim 15 wherein the target criteria includes a range of location coordinates.

17. The wireless mobile device of claim 16 wherein the range of target criteria defines a geofence.

18. The mobile device of claim 15 wherein the target criteria includes vehicle identification information.

19. The mobile device of claim 15 wherein the target criteria includes demographic information.