Method of locating nearby picture hotspots

• US 8,627,391 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lahcanski, Tomi, Winters, Dustin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, HUNG H
• Application Number:
  US12/914,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/333.01, 348/E5.024, 348/364
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• 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 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A network connected computer receives data from a wireless communication device including location data and user data. The computer is programmed to determine if the wireless communication device is in a vicinity of a preselected location, stored on the computer, based on the data for identifying the location of the wireless communication device. The computer transmits data to the communication device for notifying the user of the communication device that the user is in the vicinity of the preselected location. Directional information can then be sent to the communication device for the user to access in order to assist the user in finding the preselected location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving location data and user data at a computer from a communication network, wherein the location data identifies a plurality of geographic locations and the user data identifies a plurality of users, wherein each of the location data corresponds to one of a plurality of digital images, wherein each of the plurality of geographic locations indicates where its corresponding digital image was captured;

determining a common geographic location, including determining a number of the plurality of digital images that were captured within a predetermined hotspot distance of the common geographic location based on the location data; and

storing on the computer the location data for the common geographic location as a picture-taking hotspot in response to the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum number of digital images, wherein storing includes storing the picture-taking hotspot as a first user hotspot in response to both the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to the predetermined minimum number of digital images and a number of different users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum number of users.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the computer user-designation information over the communication network from a first user, wherein the user-designation information identifies one or more of the plurality of users as designated users with respect to the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the number of different users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images corresponds to a number of different designated users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data over the communication network including first data for identifying a current location of a communication device and second data for identifying a user of the communication device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising communicating hotspot data to the communication device in response to the first data and the second data.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising communicating directional information to the communication device, wherein the directional information provides information on locating the hotspot location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the directional information is based on GPS coordinate data.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising communicating notification information to the communication device to indicate that the communication device is within a predetermined distance of the hotspot location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing an image database based on the common geographic location and identifying digital images in the image database captured proximate the common geographic location.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting over the communication network at least one digital image from the image database.

11. A system comprising:

a network communication module configured to receive location data and user data from a communication network, wherein the location data identifies a plurality of geographic locations and the user data identifies a plurality of users, wherein each of the location data corresponds to one of a plurality of digital images, wherein each of the plurality of geographic locations indicates where its corresponding digital image was captured;

a processor configured to determine a common geographic location and a number of the plurality of digital images that were captured within a predetermined hotspot distance of the common geographic location based on the location data; and

a storage memory configured to store location data for the common geographic location as a picture-taking hotspot in response to the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum number of digital images, wherein the picture -taking hotspot is stored as a first user hotspot in response to both the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to the preselected minimum number of digital images and a number of different users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum number of users.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising wherein the computer user-designation information is received over the communication network from a first user, wherein the user-designation information identifies one or more of the plurality of users as designated users with respect to the first user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the number of different users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images corresponds to a number of different designated users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the network communication module is further configured to receive data over the communication network including first data for identifying a current location of a communication device and second data for identifying a user of the communication device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to communicate hotspot data to the communication device in response to the first data and the second data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the network communication module is further configured to communicate directional information to the communication device, wherein the directional information provides information on locating the hotspot location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the directional information is based on GPS coordinate data.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the network communication module is further configured to communicate notification information to the communication device to indicate that the communication device is within a predetermined distance of the hotspot location.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising an image database including digital images captured proximate the common geographic location.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the network communication module is further configured to communicate over the communication network at least one digital image from the image database.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable to cause a processor perform operations comprising:

receiving location data and user data from a communication network, wherein the location data identifies a plurality of geographic locations and the user data identifies a plurality of users, wherein each of the location data corresponds to one of a plurality of digital images, wherein each of the plurality of geographic locations indicates where its corresponding digital image was captured;

determining a common geographic location, including determining that a number of the plurality of digital images that were captured within a predetermined hotspot distance of the common geographic location based on the location data; and

storing the location data for the common geographic location as a picture-taking hotspot in response to the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum number of digital images, wherein storing includes storing the picture -taking hotspot as a first user hotspot in response to both the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to the predetermined minimum number of digital images and a number of different users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images being greater than or equal to a predetermined minimum number of users.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising receiving at the computer user-designation information over the communication network from a first user, wherein the user-designation information identifies one or more of the plurality of users as designated users with respect to the first user.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the number of different users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images corresponds to a number of different designated users associated with the number of the plurality of digital images.