Local content recommendations

• US 8,923,888 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolodziej, Krzysztof
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/524,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20130337838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 4554141-4143, 455517-519, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• 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 method is provided for offering content recommendations to a mobile station based on a current location of the mobile station. Records of one or more other mobile stations within a distance of the location at a set time frame can be identified. In association with the location of the other mobile station, identification of the time at which that other mobile station was at the location can be recorded. For each identified record of another mobile station, a search query or a result is then identified. In association with the location of the other mobile station, identifications of the search and/or result resident on that other mobile station can be recorded. The response to an inquiry from the mobile station is a recommendation that includes information about the identified search query and/or result resident on one or more of the other mobile stations.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

identifying a current location of a mobile station of a user;

identifying, in a search query database, records of one or more other mobile stations that have been within a set distance of the identified location at any time within a set time frame;

for each identified record of another mobile station, identifying at least one of a search query or a result on the other mobile station in the search query database; and

responsive to an inquiry received from the mobile station of the user, transmitting through a wireless communications network to the mobile station of the user a recommendation comprising information about the at least one of identified search query requested by or result provided to one or more of the other mobile stations.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

recording in the search query database, in association with a location of each of the other mobile stations, identification of the time at which the other mobile station was at each location; and

recording in the search query database, in association with the location of the other mobile station, identifications of the at least one of search or result resident on the other mobile station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about of the at least one search query or result includes the number of mobile stations that have performed the search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the at least one search query or result includes a difference in distance and time between the mobile station of the user and the one or more of the other mobile stations that have performed the search query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set distance and set time frame are specified via manual actuation prior to identifying records.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of filtering a list comprising the information about the at least one search query or result before transmitting the information about the at least one search query or result to the mobile station of the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the step of filtering the information comprises comparing information identifying the identified at least one search query or result resident on one or more of the other mobile stations to information identifying at least one search query or result already on the mobile station of the user, and

the transmitting step comprises transmitting only information about the at least one search query or result not already on the mobile station of the user as identified by the step of filtering.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

receiving a time frame restriction;

receiving a distance restriction;

transmitting the information identifying the current location of the mobile station of the user, the time frame restriction, and the distance restriction to a search query server;

receiving, from the search query server, a list of software applications used by the other mobile stations present within the time frame restriction and within the distance restriction of the identified location; and

wherein transmitting the recommendation comprises transmitting the list of software applications for display on the mobile station of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising the steps of receiving location, time, and software application information from probes of other mobile stations and populating records in the content usage database.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the distance restriction and the time frame restrictions are provided via manual actuation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of recommendations are identified and the recommendations are displayed on the mobile station of the user in order of popularity of usage.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is displayed on the mobile station of the user according to a recommendation algorithm using a sorting parameter and incorporating the information about the identified at least one search query or result resident on one or more of the other mobile stations.

13. A system comprising:

an interface for communications with a mobile station of a user via a wireless communication network;

at least one processor coupled to the interface;

at least one storage device accessible to the at least one processor;

programming for execution by the at least one processor, stored in the at least one storage device;

a search query database, stored in the at least one storage device, the search query database comprising records for other mobile stations containing information identifying transmission time and location of the other mobile stations for search requests from or search results delivered to respective ones of the other mobile stations;

wherein execution of the programming by the at least one processor configures the system to perform functions, including functions to;

(a) identify a current location of the mobile station of the user;

(b) identify in the search query database, the records of the other mobile stations that have been within a set distance of the identified location at any time within a set time frame;

(c) for each identified record of another mobile station, identify at least one of a search query or result resident on the other mobile station in the search query database; and

(d) responsive to at least one inquiry received from the mobile station of the user, transmit through the wireless communications network to the mobile station of the user a recommendation comprising information about the identified at least one of the search requested by or the result provided to one or more of the other mobile stations.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the search query database comprises an application usage database.

15. A system comprising:

a content download server having interface for communications with a mobile station of a user via a wireless communication network;

a search query server;

wherein the content download server is configured to perform functions including functions to;

(a) identify a current location of the mobile station of the user;

(b) receive a time frame restriction from the mobile station of the user;

(c) receive a distance restriction from the mobile station of the user;

(d) transmit the location, the time frame restriction, and the distance restriction to the search query server;

(e) receive, from the search query server, a list of at least one of a search query or a result resident on and used by other mobile stations present within the time frame restriction and within the distance restriction of the identified location; and

(f) transmit the list of at least one search query or result for display on the mobile station of the user;

wherein the search query server is configured to perform functions including functions to;

(a) receive the location, the time frame restriction, and the distance restriction from the content download server;

(b) refer to a search query database populated by probes that transmit location, time, and at least one of a search query or result information from the other mobile stations to create the list of at least one of a search query requested by or result provided to and used by other mobile stations present within the time frame restriction and within the distance restriction of the identified location; and

(c) transmit, to the content download server, the list of at least one of the search query requested by or the result provided to and used by other mobile stations present within the time frame restriction and within the distance restriction of the identified location.