Exclusive delivery of content within geographic areas

• US 8,433,296 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrew Hill, Ryan Hardin
• Original Assignee: Andrew Hill, Ryan Hardin
• Inventors: Hardin, Ryan, Hill, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORALES FERNANDEZ, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US12/434,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20100279665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.58
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Application developers can request to have their applications registered for use with a content delivery platform. The operator of the content delivery platform establishes perimeters defining geographic areas, and maintains records reserving particular areas for delivery of content associated with particular sponsors. Registered applications running on mobile devices can request content from the content delivery platform. Based at least in part on the request, the content delivery platform can identify a target location, which may be the location of the mobile device, or some other location indicated in the request. A mobile device can be provided content based on the relationship of the target location to the geographic areas, so that a registered application running on a mobile device with a target location contained within a geographic area assigned to a particular sponsor will receive content related to that sponsor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering a plurality of application programs for use with a content delivery platform, wherein the plurality of registered application programs are each associated with at least one application program type;

establishing a plurality of perimeters defining a plurality of geographic areas;

reserving delivery of content from a plurality of sponsors to the plurality of registered application programs on the basis of both a geographic area and an application program type associated with each of the plurality of registered application programs;

receiving, from a sponsor, a request to obtain an interest in a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

providing the sponsor a response to the request;

storing a record of the interest in the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

receiving, from the sponsor, content to be delivered to registered application programs having target locations contained within the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

receiving, from a registered application program, a request for content to be used within the registered application program;

in response to receiving the request;

selecting content from at least one sponsor to be delivered to the registered application program, subject to the reserving; and

providing the content from the at least one sponsor to the registered application program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording a request identifier associated with the request; and

providing the request identifier to the registered application program.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving information related to user interaction with the provided content, the information including the request identifier; and

providing additional content to the registered application in response to the received information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether at least one of the plurality of sponsors is associated with a geographical representation lying at least partially within a predetermined radial distance of a target location;

in response to a negative determination, increasing the predetermined radial distance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reserving a specific one of the plurality of geographic areas for exclusive delivery of content associated with a particular one of the plurality of sponsors to registered application programs and having a target location contained within the specific one of the plurality of geographic areas.

6. A system comprising:

memory;

a communications interface operably coupled to the memory; and

at least one processor operably coupled to the memory and the communications interface, the processor configured to execute a program of instructions, the program of instructions comprising;

at least one instruction to register a plurality of application programs for use with a content delivery platform, wherein the plurality of registered application programs are each associated with at least one application program type;

at least one instruction to establish a plurality of perimeters defining a plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to maintain at least one record indicating content delivery reservations associating each of a plurality of sponsors with specific registered application program types and at least one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive, from a sponsor, a request to obtain an interest in a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to provide the sponsor a response to the request;

at least one instruction to store a record of the interest in the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive, from the sponsor, content to be delivered to registered application programs having target locations contained within the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive a request from a registered application program for content to be used within the registered application program;

at least one instruction to select content associated with at least one of the plurality of sponsors, to be delivered to the registered application program of a specific type, in accordance with a content delivery reservation associating the at least one sponsor with a geographic area and a registered application program type; and

at least one instruction to provide the selected content to the registered application program.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to record a request identifier associated with the request; and

at least one instruction to provide the request identifier to the registered application program.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive information related to user interaction with the provided content, the information including the request identifier; and

at least one instruction to provide additional content to the registered application in response to the received information.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to determine whether at least one of the plurality of sponsors is associated with a geographical representation lying at least partially within a predetermined radial distance of a target location; and

at least one instruction to increase the predetermined radial distance in response to the at least one instruction to determine.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to reserve a specific one of the plurality of geographic areas for exclusive delivery of content associated with a particular one of the plurality of sponsors to registered application programs and having a target location contained within the specific one of the plurality of geographic areas.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of computer executable instructions, the program of instructions comprising:

at least one instruction to register a plurality of application programs for use with a content delivery platform, wherein the plurality of registered application programs are each associated with at least one application program type;

at least one instruction to establish a plurality of perimeters defining respective geographic areas;

at least one instruction to maintain at least one record indicating content delivery reservations associating each of a plurality of sponsors with specific registered application program types and at least one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive, from a sponsor, a request to obtain an interest in a selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to provide the sponsor a response to the request;

at least one instruction to store a record of the interest in the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive, from the sponsor, content to be delivered to application programs having target locations contained within the selected one of the plurality of geographic areas;

at least one instruction to receive a request from a registered application program for content to be used within the registered application program;

at least one instruction to select content associated with at least one of the plurality of sponsors to be delivered to the registered application program of a specific type, in accordance with a content delivery reservation associating the at least one sponsor with a geographic area and a registered application program type; and

at least one instruction to provide the selected content to the registered application program.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to record a request identifier associated with the request; and

at least one instruction to provide the request identifier to the registered application program.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to receive information related to user interaction with the provided content, the information including the request identifier; and

at least one instruction to provide additional content to the registered application in response to the received information.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to determine whether at least one of the plurality of sponsors is associated with a geographical representation lying at least partially within a predetermined radial distance of a target location; and

at least one instruction to increase the predetermined radial distance in response to a negative determination.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to reserve a specific one of the plurality of geographic areas for exclusive delivery of content associated with a particular one of the plurality of sponsors to application programs and having a target location contained within the specific one of the plurality of geographic areas.