Crowd determination

• US 7,932,831 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2006
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US11/456,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 34028606-28609, 705/2, 709/231
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Included are methods for providing crowd determination. At least one embodiment of a method includes receiving presence data related to at least one subject in an environment and determining at least one occupancy statistic of the environment from the received presence data. At least one other embodiment of a method includes providing at least one occupancy statistic of the environment.

Claims

1. A method for providing crowd determination, comprising:

receiving presence data related to a subject in an environment, the presence data being received from a client device associated with a subject;

calculating a number of people in the environment from the presence data;

providing an occupancy statistic of the environment; and

sending an alert to a user when the occupancy statistic reaches a predetermined occupancy level, the predetermined occupancy level being determined by the user, wherein the predetermined occupancy level is determined by;

receiving a crowd determination parameter from the subject indicating a preference of the subject towards a current level of congestion of the environment; and

saving the current level of congestion as the predetermined occupancy level for determination of whether the subject will desire to visit the environment at a subsequent time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence data includes an identifier of a client device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving location data of the subject in the environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the occupancy statistic includes providing data related to a current wait time for the subject in the environment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request for the occupancy statistic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence data is received from the client device at a server device, and wherein the presence data indicates to the server device that the subject is currently located within the environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the occupancy statistic is calculated from the number of people in the environment and a maximum occupancy of the environment.

8. A computer readable medium that stores a computer program for providing crowd determination, that when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform at least the following:

receiving presence data related to a subject in an environment, the presence data being received from a client device associated with the subject;

calculating a number of people in the environment from the presence data;

determining a location within the environment of each of the number of people in the environment;

determining an occupancy statistic of the environment from the number of people in the environment and the location of each of the number of people within the environment, where at least a portion of the number of people are excluded from the occupancy statistic, based on their location within the environment; and

sending an alert to a user when the occupancy statistic reaches a predetermined occupancy level, the predetermined occupancy level being determined by the user, wherein the predetermined occupancy level is determined by;

receiving a crowd determination parameter from the subject indicating a preference of the subject towards a current level of congestion of the environment; and

saving the current level of congestion as the predetermined occupancy level for determination of whether the subject will desire to visit the environment at a subsequent time.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the presence data includes an identifier of a client device.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program is further configured to cause the computer to perform at least the following:

receiving location data of the subject in the environment.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein providing the occupancy statistic includes providing data related to a current wait time for a subject in the environment.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the program is further configured to cause the computer to perform at least the following:

receiving a request for the occupancy statistic related to the environment.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the presence data is received from the client device at a server device, and wherein the presence data indicates to the server device that the subject is currently located within the environment.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the occupancy statistic is calculated from the number of people in the environment and a maximum occupancy of the environment.

15. A system for providing crowd determination, comprising:

a receiving module configured to receive presence data related to a subject in an environment, the presence data being received from a client device associated with the subject;

a calculating module configured to calculate a number of people in the environment from the received presence data; and

a providing module configured to provide an occupancy statistic of the environment; and

a sending component configured to send an alert to a user when the occupancy statistic reaches a predetermined occupancy level, the predetermined occupancy level being determined by the user, wherein the predetermined occupancy level is determined by;

receiving a crowd determination parameter from the subject indicating a preference of the subject towards a current level of congestion of the environment; and

saving the current level of congestion as the predetermined occupancy level for determination of whether the subject will desire to visit the environment at a subsequent time.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the presence data includes an identifier of a client device.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a location module configured to receive location data of the subject in the environment.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the providing module is further configured to provide data related to a current wait time for the subject in the environment.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the presence data is received from the client device at a server device, and wherein the presence data indicates to the server device that the subject is currently located within the environment.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the occupancy statistic is calculated from the number of people in the environment and a maximum occupancy of the environment.