Confirming a venue of user location

• US 8,200,247 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2010
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nicolaou, Alexander, Kennberg, Alex, Rideout, Joseph, Thomas, Neil Richard, Lider, Brett R., Starenky, Victor, Hsieh, Jen Chen-Chuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US12/702,257
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/456.3, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• 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

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for verifying a venue associated with a user location. A mobile computing device determines an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device wirelessly transmits the estimated geographic location to a server system. The mobile computing device receives from the server system an identification of a suggested venue. An interface element that indicates that the mobile computing device may be located at the suggested venue is provided on a display of the mobile computing device. User input that confirms that the user is at the suggested venue is received. In response to receiving the user input, the suggested venue is identified as a confirmed venue. A wireless communication that identifies that the user is at the confirmed venue is provided from the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for verifying a venue associated with a user location, the method comprising:

determining, by a mobile computing device, an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device;

wirelessly transmitting, by the mobile computing device, the estimated geographic location to a computerized server system;

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system in response to the transmitting, an identification of a suggested venue;

providing, on a display of the mobile computing device, an interface element that indicates that the mobile computing device may be located at the suggested venue, wherein the interface element is an only interface element that indicates that the mobile computing device may be at a venue;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input that confirms that the user is at the suggested venue, wherein in response to receiving the user input, the suggested venue is identified as a confirmed venue;

providing on the display a secondary interface element that invokes, upon user selection, a display of additional suggested venues, wherein after the display of the interface element and before selection of the secondary interface element, the display does not include other venues displayed concurrently with the suggested venue; and

providing, from the mobile computing, a wireless communication that identifies that the user is at the confirmed venue.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device includes determining the estimated geographic location based on receiving signals from one or more wireless beacons.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the one or more wireless beacons are satellites in a global satellite-based geographic location identification system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the one or more wireless beacons are base station transmitting antennas in a ground-based wireless communication network.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly transmitting the estimated geographic location includes transmitting an estimated latitude and longitude to the server system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the display includes a prompt requesting the user to confirm that the user is at the suggested venue.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the interface element that indicates that the mobile computing device may be at the suggested venue includes the prompt requesting that the user confirm that the user is at the suggested venue.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the user input confirming that the user is at the suggested location, removing from the display the prompt so that the suggested location is displayed as a confirmed location.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a touchscreen display device and receiving the user input includes receiving physical contact of a region of the touchscreen that corresponds to the display of the interface element.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provided wireless communication is a user-submitted post that is broadcast to a group of people that have agreed to subscribe to posts authored by the user, and wherein the user-submitted post includes a user-defined textual post and the confirmed location.

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

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system, a plurality of identifications of suggested venues, wherein the suggested venue is one of the plurality, and wherein the plurality of suggested venues are ranked; and

determining, at the mobile computing device, that a most prominently ranked venue of the plurality is geographically located within a pre-determined threshold distance of the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device, and assigning the most prominently ranked venue as the suggested venue.

12. A system for verifying a venue associated with a user location, the system comprising:

a mobile computing device to transmit an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device in a wireless request, and to receive, in a wireless response to the request, a suggested venue;

a location-identification unit to determine the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device;

a server system to receive the estimated geographic location in the wireless request and return the suggested venue to the mobile computing device in the wireless response; and

means to (i) display the suggested venue as a single suggested venue on a display of the mobile computing device with a prompt that a user of the mobile computing device confirm whether or not the user is located at the venue, wherein the single suggested venue is an only indication on the display that the mobile computing device may be at a venue, (ii) provide on the display an interface element that invokes, upon user selection, a display of additional suggested venues, wherein after the display of the single suggested venue and before selection of the interface element, the display does not include other venues displayed concurrently with the single suggested venue, and (iii) receive user input confirming that the user is located at the venue.

13. A system for verifying a venue associated with a user location, the system comprising:

a mobile computing device to transmit an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device in a wireless request, and to receive, in a wireless response to the request, a suggested venue, wherein the suggested venue is displayed as a single suggested venue on a display of the mobile computing device along with a prompt that a user of the mobile computing device confirm whether or not the user is located at the suggested venue, the single suggested venue being an only indication on the display that the mobile computing device may be at a venue, wherein the mobile computing device further displays an interface element that invokes, upon user selection, a display of additional suggested venues, wherein after the display of the single suggested venue and before selection of the interface element, the display does not include other venues displayed concurrently with the single suggested venue;

a location-identification unit to determine the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device; and

a server system to receive the estimated geographic location in the wireless request and return the suggested venue to the mobile computing device in the wireless response.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server system determines the suggested venue based on (i) the estimated geographic location, and (ii) a history of receiving user confirmations that the mobile computing device is at the venue.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the server system determines the suggested venue based on (i) the estimated geographic location, and (ii) a history of receiving user confirmations that other mobile computing devices are at the venue.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the server system determines the suggested venue based on (i) the estimated geographic location, and (ii) a popularity of a search result that corresponds to the venue as a result to a query in a search engine.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the server system returns a list of ranked suggested venues to the mobile computing device in the wireless response, and wherein the mobile computing device determines that a most-prominently ranked venue is farther than a threshold distance away from the estimated geographic location, wherein the mobile computing device determines that a next most-prominently ranked venue is within the threshold distance away from the estimated geographic location, and response identifies the next most-prominently ranked venue as the suggested venue.