METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING PHYSICAL LOCATIONS TO ONLINE ENTITIES

• US 20150081655A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: MARCON, Massimiliano, MADINE, Simon, MROHS, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

An approach is provided for associating physical locations to websites. The element platform may determine one or more user interactions by at least one user with at least one user interface element embedded in at least one website of at least one online entity, wherein the at least one user interface element is associated with one or more physical locations of the at least one online entity. Then, the element platform may cause, at least in part, a storage of the one or more physical location sin at least one user collection database based, at least in part, on the one or more interactions.

Claims

1. A method comprising facilitating a processing of and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal, the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of one or more user interactions by at least one user with at least one user interface element embedded in at least one website of at least one online entity, wherein the at least one user interface element is associated with one or more physical locations of the at least one online entity; and

a storage of the one or more physical locations in at least one user collection database based, at least in part, on the one or more user interactions.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user interface element includes, at least in part, computer code data, the method further comprising:

a processing of the computer code data to cause, at least in part, a retrieval, an extraction, or a combination thereof of the one or more physical locations.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a creation of the computer code data based, at least in part, on the one or more physical locations.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

an access to the at least one user collection database to one or more applications, one or more other websites, or a combination thereof.

5. A method of claim 4, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a receipt of user account information, authorization to access one or more user accounts, or a combination thereof; and

the access to the at least one user database to the one or more applications, one or more other websites, or a combination thereof based, at least in part, on the user account information, authorization to access one or more user accounts, or a combination thereof.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of a request from the at least one online entity for creation of the at least one user interface element, wherein the request specifies, at least in part, the one or more physical locations;

a generation of the at least one user interface element as a computer code data that (1) includes the one or more physical locations as extractable data;

(2) provides computer instructions for retrieving the one or more physical locations from at least one location database;

or (3) a combination thereof.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a presentation of one or more graphical representations of status information with respect to the one or more user interactions, the storage of the one or more physical locations in the at least one user collection database, or a combination thereof.

8. A method of claim 7, wherein the presentation of one or more graphical representations of status information includes one or more modifications to the at least one user interface element.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical locations include, at least in part, latitude, longitude, address information, title information, identification information, descriptive information, or a combination thereof.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein the online entity includes, at least in part, a website, a blog, a magazine, an internet portal, or a combination thereof.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

determine one or more user interactions by at least one user with at least one user interface element embedded in at least one website of at least one online entity, wherein the at least one user interface element is associated with one or more physical locations of the at least one online entity; and

cause, at least in part, a storage of the one or more physical locations in at least one user collection database based, at least in part, on the one or more user interactions.

12. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one user interface element includes, at least in part, computer code data, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

process and/or facilitate a processing of the computer code data to cause, at least in part, a retrieval, an extraction, or a combination thereof of the one or more physical locations.

13. An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a creation of the computer code data based, at least in part, on the one or more physical locations.

14. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, an access to the at least one user collection database to one or more applications, one or more other websites, or a combination thereof.

15. An apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a receipt of user account information, authorization to access one or more user accounts, or a combination thereof; and

cause, at least in part, the access to the at least one user database to the one or more applications, one or more other websites, or a combination thereof based, at least in part, on the user account information, authorization to access one or more user accounts, or a combination thereof.

16. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a request from the at least one online entity for creation of the at least one user interface element, wherein the request specifies, at least in part, the one or more physical locations;

cause, at least in part, a generation of the at least one user interface element as a computer code data that (1) includes the one or more physical locations as extractable data;

(2) provides computer instructions for retrieving the one or more physical locations from at least one location database;

or (3) a combination thereof.

17. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a presentation of one or more graphical representations of status information with respect to the one or more user interactions, the storage of the one or more physical locations in the at least one user collection database, or a combination thereof.

18. An apparatus of claim 17, wherein the presentation of one or more graphical representations of status information includes one or more modifications to the at least one user interface element.

19. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more physical locations include, at least in part, latitude, longitude, address information, title information, identification information, descriptive information, or a combination thereof.

20. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the online entity includes, at least in part, a website, a blog, a magazine, an internet portal, or a combination thereof.

21-48. -48. (canceled)