Systems and methods for transmitting information, alerts, and/or comments to participants based on location information

• US 8,751,589 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jingle Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jingle Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Ross, David, Taylor, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US13/085,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 455/412.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for sharing information related to a location also referred to herein as a “spot,” such as spot alerts and/or spot comments (e.g., shared information, advertisements, etc.) received, displayed, played, and/or actuated, for example, on recipient mobile electronic devices proximately located to such location (e.g., spot). Users of the system can create spot alerts in which designated recipients can receive messages, such as spot alerts and/or spot comments (e.g., shared information, advertisements, etc.) received, displayed, played, and/or actuated, for example, on respective recipient mobile electronic devices, when located within a proximity of a defined location (e.g., spot).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

(a) one or more electronic databases, stored on one or more processor readable memory, comprising spot alert data information corresponding to one or more spot alerts as configured by one or more users within a network of users, wherein the spot alert data information comprises for each respective spot alert at least the following information (i) respective spot location information, (ii) respective spot range information, (iii) respective spot comment information, (iv) respective spot approved recipient information;

(b) one or more computers operably connected to the one or more electronic databases, the one or more computers comprising processor readable memory, wherein the processor readable memory stores processor readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more computers to perform the steps of;

(1) receiving, via at least one communications portal operatively connected to the processor readable memory, from a recipient mobile electronic device, recipient mobile electronic device information comprising recipient mobile electronic device identification information corresponding to the identity associated with at least one of the recipient mobile electronic device or a user of the recipient mobile electronic device, the user of the recipient mobile electronic device being within the network of users;

(2) analyzing the recipient mobile electronic device information and the spot alert data information to identify at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert from among the spot alert data information, wherein when the recipient mobile electronic device identification information is within the respective spot approved recipient information for said at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert including the recipient mobile electronic device location information being detected by the one or more computers as within the spot range of the spot location of the spot alert;

(3) sending respective spot location information, respective spot range information, and respective spot comment information associated with said at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert, via the at least one communications portal to the recipient mobile electronic device, for storage and potential display on said recipient mobile electronic device when the recipient mobile electronic device determines the location of the mobile electronic device to be within the spot range of the spot location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further comprising:

(c) at least one recipient mobile electronic devices is further comprising;

one or more recipient mobile electronic device processor readable memory;

one or more recipient mobile electronic device communications portals operatively connected to said one or more recipient mobile electronic device processor readable memory;

one or more recipient mobile electronic device processors operably connected to the one or more recipient mobile electronic device processor readable memory and the one or more recipient mobile electronic device communications portals;

wherein the one or more recipient mobile electronic device processor readable memory stores recipient mobile electronic device processor readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more recipient mobile electronic device processors to perform the steps of;

(1) receiving, via the one or more recipient mobile electronic device communications portals, the respective spot location information, the respective spot range information, and the respective spot comment information associated with said at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert;

(2) storing, in an electronic database located in the one or more recipient mobile electronic device processor readable memory, the respective spot location information, the respective spot range information, and the respective spot comment information associated with said at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert;

(3) periodically identifying a recipient mobile electronic device location information corresponding to the recipient mobile electronic device during a particular period of time;

(4) analyzing the recipient mobile electronic device identification information to identify at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert; and

respective spot comment information associated with said at least one recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert;

wherein when the recipient mobile electronic device identification information is within the respective spot approved recipient information for said at least on recipient mobile electronic device relevant spot alert including the recipient mobile electronic device location being detected by the recipient mobile electronic device as within the spot range of the spot location;

(5) displaying said respective spot comment information on one or more displays of the recipient mobile electronic device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the recipient mobile electronic device comprises at least one of one or more speakers, one or more vibrators, or one or more graphical user interfaces.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises at least one of (i) an audio file or (ii) vibration displayed on at least one of the (i) one or more speakers (ii) one or more vibrators.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises at least one of a text file, an image file or a video file displayed on the one or more graphical user interfaces.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises at least one of monophonic, polyphonic, sounds and voice-overs, or audio-visual file formats.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises a video codec file format used to encode video data, and a video codec file format used to compress video data.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more recipient mobile electronic device communications portals is further comprising:

at least one of a cellular antennae communications portal, a WiFi™

communications portal, a Bluetooth™

communications portal, or a location communications portal.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the step of:

(3) periodically identifying the recipient mobile electronic device location information corresponding to the recipient mobile electronic device, is identified using at least one of (i) Global Positions Systems (GPS);

(ii) GPS accessed using Bluetooth®

;

(iii) WiFi™

server location data;

(iv) Bluetooth®

based location data;

(v) network based triangulation;

(vi) WiFi™

server information based triangulation;

(vii) Bluetooth®

server information based triangulation;

(viii) Cell Identification based triangulation, (ix) Enhanced Cell Identification based triangulation;

(x) Uplink-Time difference of arrival based triangulation;

(xi) Time of arrival based triangulation;

or (xii) Angle of arrival based triangulation.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further comprising:

(c) at least one user electronic device that communicates with the one or more computers, the at least one user electronic device comprising one or more user electronic device processor readable memory;

one or more user electronic device communications portals operatively connected to said one or more user electronic device processor readable memory;

one or more user electronic device processors operably connected to the one or more user electronic device processor readable memory and the one or more user electronic device communications portals.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more computers to perform the further steps of:

(4) sending a notification to at least one user electronic device, via the at least one communications portal, comprising information that the respective spot location information was sent to the recipient mobile electronic device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more computers to perform the further steps of:

(4) sending a report to at least one user electronic device, via the at least one communications portal, comprising information regarding the transmission of one or more respective spot comment information sent to one or more recipient mobile electronic devices during a period of time.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the report further comprises at least some of at least one of the recipient mobile electronic device information, the respective spot approved recipient information, the recipient mobile electronic device location information, the respective spot location information, the respective spot range information, an at least one spot comment, or the respective spot comment information.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the report further comprises at least some information associated with at least one of a physiographic data;

at least one of the perspective or impression of at least one of the user or recipient for any location;

demographics;

recipient mobile electronic device location arrival information for any respective location;

recipient mobile electronic device location arrival information for any respective range;

time within respective locations;

recipient mobile electronic device time information within respective ranges;

interaction with at least one of others users or recipients;

or information regarding the altering of system settings within locations.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein at least some information received from the at least one user electronic device, via at least one communications portal, modifies at least one of (i) the respective spot location information, (ii) the respective spot range information, (iii) the respective spot comment information, or (iv) the respective spot approved recipient information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the information received from the user electronic device at least one of creates, edits, or restricts the spot alert data information based on the respective spot approved recipient information.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the information is at least one of received from or input via at least one of a social networking interface or a social networking website.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises instructional information associated with the respective spot location information.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises advertising information associated with the respective spot location information.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises at least one of text, image, audio, or video.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises at least one of monophonic, polyphonic, sounds and voice-overs, vibration, or audio-visual file formats.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective spot comment information comprises, a video codec file format used to encode video data, and a video codec file format used to compress video data.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective spot approved recipient information comprises at least one of a single recipient, a plurality of recipients, a tiered level of recipients, or a nodal relationship of recipients.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an algorithm that adjusts the size of a geo-fence, wherein the geo-fence can be adjusted based on at least one of;

(1) at least one of users or recipients inside the geo-fence;

(2) at least one of mobile electronic device recipients or users inside the geo-fence;

or (3) at least one of mobile electronic device users or recipients having the system.