System and method of performing location analytics

• US 8,959,098 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verve Group, Inc. (Samarion SE)
• Original Assignee: YellowPages.com LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Skibiski, Greg, Pentland, Alex (Sandy), Jebara, Tony, Lemke, Christine, Loecher, Markus, Rao, Girish, Uechi, Jason, Shaw, Blake, Mattiello, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US13/304,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20120071175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/404.2, 455/457, 705/76, 705/78, 705/2, 705/14.17, 705/14.19, 705/14.25, 705/14.38, 705 1452- 1453, 705 1466- 15, 707/609, 707705-710, 707821-823, 707/828, 707/694, 707/724, 707/725, 707/729, 707/751, 707/758, 707/784, 709/203, 709/206, 715/734, 715/740, 725 46- 47
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• 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: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method are provided for associating location data from one or more unique sources. The place and time of a unique location enabled device are associated with stored demographic information relating to the particular place and particular time. The place and time of the unique location enabled device are associated with a historical record of past locations and time of locations that the device has been. Based on the association of demographical information and historical information, the unique location enabled device is assigned to one or more groups or tribes. The location of all members of the group or tribe can be aggregated and exported for further analysis or display, thereby showing all group or tribe members at a particular time and place.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server from a first device, information that identifies a time and a current location of a data source, wherein the data source is identified by a unique identifier;

adding, by the server, the information to a historical record of time and location for the unique identifier;

identifying, by the server, a tribe that includes, as a member, the data source identified by the unique identifier, based at least in part on at least one demographic profile that is i) based on the historical record and ii) associated with a) multiple locations traveled to by the data source and b) times corresponding to the multiple locations, the identifying comprising;

associating the information that identifies the time and the current location of the data source with demographic information for an area which includes the location without user selection of the demographic information; and

attributing the at least one demographic profile to the unique identifier based at least in part on inferring that the demographic information for the area applies to the unique identifier;

determining, by the server, location information corresponding to members of the tribe; and

providing, by the server to a user device, displayable information based on the location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a computer, a cellular telephone, an automated teller-machine, a radio-frequency enabled device, a global positioning system enabled device, and/or a navigational device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device includes the data source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is different from the data source.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the at least one demographic profile by identifying a demographic profile for each different time and location, of multiple times and locations, in the historical record.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one demographic profile comprises information relating to consumer trends.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one demographic profile comprises information relating to consumer profiles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining location information corresponding to members of the tribe comprises determining a geographic location of the members.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining location information corresponding to members of the tribe comprises determining a time and location of an event associated with the tribe.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is an individual.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is a location-enabled device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is an event.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is a place.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server from a first device, information that identifies a time and a current location of a data source, wherein the data source is identified by a unique identifier;

adding, by the server, the information to a historical record of time and location for the unique identifier;

identifying, by the server, a tribe with which the unique identifier is associated, based at least in part on at least one demographic profile that is i) based on the historical record and ii) associated with a) multiple locations traveled to by the data source and b) times corresponding to the multiple locations, the identifying comprising;

associating the information that identifies the time and the current location of the data source with demographic information for an area which includes the location without user selection of the demographic information; and

attributing the at least one demographic profile to the unique identifier based at least in part on inferring that the demographic information for the area applies to the unique identifier;

performing, by the server, analytics that include determining a relative degree of association of the unique identifier with the tribe, the determining comprising comparing associations of the unique identifier with each tribe of a plurality of tribes; and

providing, by the server to a user device, displayable information based on the relative degree of association.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data source is an individual.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the data source is a location-enabled device.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server from a first device, information that identifies a time and a current location of a data source, wherein the data source is identified by a unique identifier;

adding, by the server, the information to a historical record of time and location for the unique identifier;

identifying, by the server, a tribe with which the unique identifier is associated, based at least in part on at least one demographic profile that is i) based on the historical record and ii) associated with a) multiple locations traveled to by the data source and b) times corresponding to the multiple locations, the identifying comprising;

associating the information that identifies the time and the current location of the data source with demographic information for an area which includes the location without user selection of the demographic information; and

attributing the at least one demographic profile to the unique identifier based at least in part on inferring that the demographic information for the area applies to the unique identifier;

performing, by the server, analytics that include determining recommendations of items of interest associated with the tribe; and

providing, by the server to a user device, displayable information based on the recommendations.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the data source is an individual.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the data source is a location-enabled device.