Automated concierge system and method

• US 8,160,614 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2006
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NeuStar Information Services, Inc. (Neustar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Targus Information Corporation (Neustar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shaffer, James D., Keaveney, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG-HURST, KATHY W
• Application Number:
  US11/462,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20070032247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4563, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/550.1, 370328-338, 701/207, 705/346, 705/14.57, 705/14.58
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method and system for providing automated concierge services to end users communicates with users over network devices, such as telephones and wireless devices, and utilizes third party network location-based service (LBS) applications, such as Internet/Web locators, to obtain location information based on user requests. On receipt of a request from a mobile device, the location of the mobile device is identified. A network application related to the requested service is identified and the user location is translated into an input parameter compatible with the network application which is provided to the network applications. A response to the input parameter is received and processed in order to generate an answer to the user'"'"'s request. Finally, the application sends the answer to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing a location-based service utilizing a concierge application on a first server which allows a communication device to receive the location-based service from a network application, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first server having a concierge application, a location-based service request from a communication device via a connection to an Interactive Voice Response (“

IVR”

) module;

obtaining a geographic coordinate location of the communication device;

identifying a network application to provide the requested location-based service, the network application residing on a second server and selected from a plurality of network applications, wherein the network application includes a web interface requiring a location input which is less precise than the coordinate location;

translating, at the concierge application, the coordinate location of the communication device into the less precise location input required by the web interface of the network application;

automatically providing, by the concierge application, the less precise location input to the network application via the web interface on the second server;

receiving, at the concierge application, an output from the network application; and

providing a location-based service from the concierge application to the communication device based on the output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the coordinate location is a latitude and longitude pair.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the coordinate location comprises obtaining multiple coordinate locations of the mobile device over time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein translating the coordinate location into the less precise location input comprises translating multiple coordinate locations into multiple less precise location inputs.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein translating the coordinate location into the less precise location input comprises translating multiple coordinate locations into the less precise input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the coordinate location comprises obtaining the coordinate location from the communication device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining the coordinate location comprises obtaining the coordinate location from a system external to the mobile device that determines the mobile device location.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining an indication of the precision of the coordinate location of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a location-based service request comprises receiving spoken information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server is part of a wireless infrastructure.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a location-based service request comprises receiving a request derived from key entered data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a location-based service request comprises receiving a request derived from input through a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a location-based service request comprises receiving a request over a wireless voice network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a location-based service request comprises receiving a request over a wireless data network.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device is a wireless device and receiving a location-based service request comprises receiving a text message from the wireless device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the network application is a website.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the network application is a company-specific website location-based service (“

LBS”

) application selected from multiple candidate company-specific website LBS applications.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the network application is a web location-based service (“

LBS”

) application that provides information for multiple independent companies.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a network application comprises prompting the communication device user to select an entity associated with a network application from multiple candidate entities.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a network application comprises selecting an entity associated with a network application from multiple candidate entities based on speech input received from the communication device user.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a network application comprises selecting a network application that provides information about multiple companies that provide a similar service.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a network application comprises selecting multiple network applications to obtain information about multiple companies that provide a similar service.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a network application comprises selecting an entity associated with a network application from multiple candidate entities based on a text message received from the communication device.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the less precise location input is a street address.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the less precise location input is a postal code.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the postal code is a United States Postal Service (“

USPS”

) zone improvement plan (“

ZIP”

) code.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the postal code is a ZIP+4 code.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the postal code is a ZIP+6 code.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the less precise location input is an identification of a city.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein a first network application is identified based on a first location-based service request and a second network application is identified based on a second location-based service request, and the less precise location input to the first network application is in a format different from the less precise location input to the second network application.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first network application is a web store locator, the input to the first network application is a postal code, the second network application is a web location based service (“

LBS”

) application that provides directions, and the input to the second network application is a street address.

33. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving an output from the network application comprises receiving information about at least one location in the vicinity of the mobile device.

34. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving an output from the network application comprises receiving information about a plurality of locations in the vicinity of the mobile device.

35. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving an output from the network application comprises receiving directions from the communication device location to at least one location in the vicinity of the mobile device.

36. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device comprises providing output to the mobile device user through a GUI.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device comprises providing spoken output to the communication device user.

38. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device comprises providing a text message output to the mobile device user.

39. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device comprises providing information about a location near to the mobile device.

40. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device comprises providing information about multiple locations near to the mobile device.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a location-based service to the communication device comprises providing directions from the mobile device location to at least one location near to the communication device.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a location-based service to the communication device comprises establishing a communication session between the communication device and a particular location identified by the network application.

43. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device comprises establishing a voice communication link between the mobile device and a particular location identified by the network application.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a location-based service to the communication device comprises enabling the communication device to place an order for a product or service from a particular location identified by the network application.

45. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining an estimated error associated with the coordinate location.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the translating the coordinate location of the mobile device into a less precise location input comprises determining the less precise location input based on the estimated error associated with the coordinate location.

47. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a live operator to communicate with the communication device user prior to identifying the network application related to the service request.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein identifying a network application comprises obtaining information from a live operator that has communicated with the communication device user.

49. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a location-based service to the communication device comprises translating the output from the network application into a location output in a format compatible with the communication device and transmitting the location output to the communication device.

50. A method of providing location-based services using a plurality of network applications, comprising:

a concierge application on a first server receiving a first location-based service request from a first mobile device via a connection to an Interactive Voice Response (“

IVR”

) module;

obtaining a first geographic coordinate location of the first mobile device;

the concierge application identifying a first network application to provide the requested first location-based service, the network application residing on a second server and selected from a plurality of network applications, wherein the first network application includes a web interface;

the concierge application providing a locational input to the first network application via the web interface based on the first coordinate location and the input requirements of the first network application, wherein the input requirements include a mailing address or zip code;

the concierge application receiving an output from the first network application;

the concierge application providing a location-based service (“

LBS”

) to the first mobile device based on the output;

the concierge application receiving a second location-based service request, at the concierge application on the first server, from a second mobile device;

obtaining a second geographic coordinate location of the second mobile device;

the concierge application identifying a second network application to provide the requested second location-based service, the network application residing on a third server and selected from a plurality of network applications, wherein the second network application includes a web interface;

the concierge application providing a locational input to the second network application via the web interface based on the second coordinate location and the input requirements of the second network application, wherein the input requirements include a mailing address or zip code;

the concierge application receiving an output from the second network application;

the concierge application providing a location-based service (“

LBS”

) to the second mobile device based on the output;

the concierge application monitoring responses received from the first network application of the second server and the second network application of the third server;

the concierge application identifying a change to the web interface of the first network application or the second network application based on the responses received from the first network application or the second network application;

the concierge application determining whether an interface between the concierge application and the changed web interface can be automatically updated to adapt to the changed web interface; and

the concierge application automatically updating the interface between the concierge application and the changed web interface to adapt to the changed web interface if it is determined that the interface between the concierge application and the changed web interface can be automatically updated.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein receiving a first location-based service request comprises receiving a request derived from spoken information.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein identifying a first network application comprises selecting a website associated with a web locator application from multiple candidate websites based on input received from the mobile device.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein providing a locational input to the first network application comprises providing a latitude and longitude pair as an input to the first network application.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein providing a locational to the first network application comprises providing a parameter translated from the first coordinate location as an input to the network application.

55. The method of claim 50, wherein the input to the first network application is in a format different from the input to the second network application.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the first network application is a web store locator, the input to the first network application is a postal code, the second network application is a web LBS that provides directions, and the input to the second network application is a street intersection.

57. The method of claim 50, wherein the first server is part of the wireless infrastructure.

58. The method of claim 50, wherein providing a location-based service to the second mobile device comprises providing directions from the second mobile device location to a nearby location.

59. The method of claim 50, wherein providing a locational input to the first network application comprises translating the first coordinate location into a format compatible with the first network application and providing the translated location to the first network application, and the step of providing an LBS to the first mobile device comprises translating the output from the network application into a format compatible with the first mobile device and providing the translated output to the first mobile device.

60. A method of providing a location-based service comprising:

receiving, at a concierge application on a first server, a request for location-based information from a mobile device via a connection to an Interactive Voice Response (“

IVR”

) module;

identifying a specific location-based web application to provide the requested location-based service, the web application residing on a second server and selected from a plurality of web applications;

obtaining a latitude and longitude pair of the current location of the mobile device;

translating, at the concierge application on the first server, the latitude and longitude pair to a location identifier for use as an input parameter as required by the web application, wherein the location identifier is less precise than the latitude and longitude pair and is a most precise format compatible with the web application;

the concierge application providing the location identifier to the web application;

the concierge application receiving an output from the web application; and

the concierge application providing information to the mobile device based on the output received from the web application.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein providing a location-based service to the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of:

identification of a closest location from multiple candidate locations;

directions from the mobile device location to a nearby location;

enabling an order of a product or service from a nearby location; and

establishing a communication session between the mobile device and a nearby location.

62. A method of providing a location-based service comprising:

receiving, at a first server, a location-based service request initiated by a network communication device via a connection to an Interactive Voice Response (“

IVR”

) module;

identifying a plurality of network location-based service applications to provide the requested location-based services, the network applications residing on separate servers, wherein the location-based service applications are web applications;

receiving a locational input parameter translated from a coordinate location of the communication device, wherein the locational input parameter is less precise than the coordinate location;

providing, from the first server, the locational input parameter to two or more of the network applications;

receiving, at the first server, an output from one or more of the network applications; and

providing, from the first server, selected information from the output from each of the two or more network applications for use in providing a location-based service to the communication device.

63. A method of providing a location-based service comprising:

receiving, at a first server, an input parameter representing a geographic location associated with a user communicating over a network;

receiving, at the first server, a location-based service (“

LBS”

) request initiated by the user via a connection to an Interactive Voice Response (“

IVR”

) module;

selecting a web LBS application to provide the requested location-based service, the web LBS application residing on a second server and selected from multiple candidate web LBS applications;

translating, at the first server, the input parameter into a format as required by the selected web LBS application, wherein the translated input parameter is a mailing address or zip code;

providing, by the first server, the translated input parameter to the selected web LBS application;

receiving, at the first server, an output from the web LBS application;

the first server providing selected information from the output for use in providing a location-based service to the user;

monitoring, by the first server, responses received from the web LBS application;

identifying, by the first server, a change to the web LBS application based on the responses received from the first network application and the second network application;

determining, by the first server, whether an interface between the server and the LBS application can be automatically updated to adapt to the change to the web LBS application; and

updating, by the first server, the interface to adapt to the change if the concierge application can be automatically updated to adapt to the change.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the server is part of a wireless infrastructure.

65. The method of claim 63, wherein all steps are performed without interaction with a live operator.

66. A location-based concierge system, comprising a first server, the first server comprising:

an interface module configured to receive a location-based service request from a communication device via a connection to an Interactive Voice Response (“

IVR”

) module;

a processor module configured to find the geographic location of the communication device,

a network application identification module configured to identify a network application to provide the requested location-based service, the network application residing on a second server and selected from a plurality of network applications, wherein the network application includes a web interface;

a translator module configured to translate the location of the communication device into a locational input parameter as required by the network application, wherein the locational input parameter is a mailing address or zip code;

an output module configured to provide the locational input parameter to the network application via the web interface, to receive a location output from the network application in response to the locational input parameter, and to provide the location output to the interface module, wherein the output module is further configured to monitor responses received from the web application, to identify changes to the web application based on the responses received from the web application, to determine whether the output module can be automatically updated to adapt to the changes to the web application, and to update the output module to adapt to the changes to the web application if the output module can be automatically updated to adapt to the change in the web application; and

the interface module being configured to provide the location output to the communication device in answer to the location-based service request.

67. The system as claimed in claim 66, further comprising a data base module for storing a list of service categories and a website list of LBS websites providing location-based services (“

LBS”

), and for linking each service category with at least one website from the list.

68. The system as claimed in claim 67, further comprising a website set up module configured to add LBS website pages to the website list and to update existing website page information on the list with updated information.

69. The system as claimed in claim 66, wherein the translator module is further configured to translate incoming location-based service requests to a format compatible with the processor module and to translate location outputs into a format compatible with the format of the service request from the communication device before providing the location output to the communication device.