Creating and monitoring alerts for a geographical area

• US 8,405,501 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stout, Bryce, Brewington, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/244,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20120313780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911-53913, 340/539.2, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/905, 340/995.1, 34099512-99516, 340/995.24, 701208-210, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 705/15, 709/221, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/412.1, 455/412, 455/2, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/457
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network

Abstract

A geographical alert system creates an alert for a user-defined geographical area, detects a change to a feature stored in a map-related database, identifies whether the changed feature falls within the user-defined geographical area, and sends a notification to a user when the changed feature of the map-related database falls within the user-defined geographical area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert associated with a change of feature data in a map-related database for a feature of a particular feature type, the map-related database storing feature data associated with geographical regions and storing indications when feature data is changed in the map-related database, the method comprising:

receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert, the alert attribute data including geographical region data specifying a geographical region and a feature type;

using the alert attribute data to create an electronic alert to notify a recipient of a change in feature data stored in the map-related database for the specified geographical region and of the specified feature type;

polling the map-related database based on the electronic alert to determine if a change has occurred to feature data within the map-related database for a feature of the specified feature type within the specified geographical region; and

sending an electronic notification to the recipient if the feature type of the feature associated with the changed feature data matches the specified feature type, and the feature is within the specified geographical region.

2. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 1, wherein the feature type specifies one or more of a map data entity, a business entity, a three dimensional model, a satellite image, or a photographic image.

3. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 1, wherein receiving alert attribute data includes receiving alert notification type data for the electronic alert, wherein the alert notification type data indicates how to notify the recipient of the changed feature data within the map-related database, and wherein sending an electronic notification to the recipient includes sending the electronic notification to the recipient based on the alert notification type data.

4. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 3, wherein the alert notification type data specifies a method of electronically sending the electronic notification.

5. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 4, wherein sending an electronic notification includes one or more of sending the electronic notification as an email or a text message or a phone call or an account notification.

6. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 3, wherein the alert notification type data specifies the recipient by one or more of a phone number or an email address or an account notification.

7. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 3, wherein the alert notification type data specifies a timing to be used to send the electronic notification to the recipient.

8. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 1, wherein receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert includes enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region for the electronic alert via a user interface.

9. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 8, wherein enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region includes presenting a map of a first geographical region to the user via the user interface and enabling the user to select the specified geographical region as a portion of the first geographical region presented on the map.

10. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 9, wherein enabling the user to select the specified geographical region includes enabling the user to demarcate one or more boundaries of the specified geographical region by indicating the one or more boundaries of the specified geographical region on the presented map.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the map-related database stores indications of changes of feature data in a change queue.

12. A computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert associated with changes of feature data for a feature of a particular feature type in a map-related database that stores feature data for features associated with geographical regions and that stores indications when feature data is changed in the map-related database, the method comprising:

receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert, the alert attribute data including geographical region data specifying a geographical region, and a feature type, and alert notification type data indicating a manner of notifying a recipient of changed feature data within the map-related database; and

creating the electronic alert using the alert attribute data, the created electronic alert adapted to be used to notify the recipient, via an electronic notification, of changed feature data as stored in the map-related database for a feature of the specified feature type within the specified geographical region according to the alert notification type data, wherein the notification of the recipient is based on a polling of the change indications of the map-related database.

13. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 12, wherein the feature type specifies a feature including one or more of a map data entity, information data about a business entity, a three dimensional model, a satellite image, or a photographic image.

14. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 12, wherein receiving the alert notification type data includes receiving information on how to send the electronic notification electronically.

15. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 14, wherein receiving information on how to send the electronic notification electronically includes receiving information specifying to send the alert notification via an email or a text message or a phone call or an account notification.

16. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 12, wherein receiving the alert notification type data includes receiving information defining a timing as to when to send the electronic notification electronically.

17. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 12, wherein receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert includes enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region for the electronic alert via a user interface.

18. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 17, wherein enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region includes presenting a map of a first geographical region to the user via the user interface and enabling the user to select the specified geographical region as a portion of the first geographical region presented on the map.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the map-related database stores indications of changes of feature data in a change queue.

20. A computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert in response to a change of feature data in a map-related database for a feature of a particular feature type, the map-related database storing feature data for features associated with geographical regions and storing indications when feature data is changed in the map-related database, the method comprising:

retrieving one or more electronic alerts, each retrieved electronic alert including alert attribute data including a geographical region, a feature type, and a recipient;

polling the map-related database based on one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a change has occurred to feature data within the map-related database for a feature of the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts within the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts; and

sending an electronic notification to the recipient of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts if the feature type of the feature associated with the changed feature data matches the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts and the feature is within the specified geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

21. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein polling the map-related database based on the one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a change has occurred to feature data within the map-related database for the feature of the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts within the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts includes polling the map-related database based on the one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a modification to or a deletion to or an addition to feature data in the map-related database is associated with the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

22. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein polling the map-related database based on the one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a change has occurred to feature data within the map-related database for the feature of the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts within the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts includes polling the map-related database based on the one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a modification to or a deletion to or an addition to one or more of map data, satellite image data, three dimensional model data, location information data, or application generated data is associated with the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

23. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein sending an electronic notification to the recipient includes sending the electronic notification using an electronic transmission technique specified in the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

24. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 23, wherein sending an electronic notification to the recipient includes sending the electronic notification at a time specified in the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the map-related database stores indications of changes of feature data in a change queue.

26. A geographical alert system for generating an electronic alert associated with a change of feature data stored in a map-related database for a feature of a particular feature type, the map-related database storing features associated with geographical regions and storing indications when feature data is changed in the map-related database, the geographic alert system comprising:

an alert retrieval routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to retrieve one or more electronic alerts, each retrieved electronic alert including alert attribute data including a geographical region, a feature type, and a recipient;

an alert polling routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to poll the map-related database based on one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a change has occurred to feature data within the map-related database for a feature of the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts within the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts; and

an electronic notification routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to send an electronic notification to the recipient of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts if the feature type of the feature associated with the changed feature data matches the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts and the feature is within the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

27. The geographical alert system of claim 26, wherein the alert polling routine polls the map-related database based on the one of the electronic alerts to determine if a change has occurred to feature data within the map-related database for the feature of the feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts within the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts by polling the map-related database based on the one of the retrieved electronic alerts to determine if a modification to or a deletion to or an addition to one or more of map data, satellite image data, three dimensional model data, location information data, or application generated data is associated with the geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

28. The geographical alert system of claim 26, wherein the electronic notification routine sends an electronic notification to a recipient by sending the electronic notification using an electronic transmission technique specified in the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts.

29. The geographical alert system of claim 26, wherein the electronic notification routine sends an electronic notification to a recipient by sending the electronic notification at a time specified in the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the map-related database stores indications of changes of feature data in a change queue.