Methods and systems for setting up geo fences and delivering digital media content based on such geo fences

• US 8,977,296 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gaddis Partners, Ltd. (Material Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: T3 Innovation Labs, LLC
• Inventors: Briggs, Bernard, Gaddis, Ben, Nguyen, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Elhag, Magdi
• Application Number:
  US13/365,129
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/404.2, 455/456.5, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Provided are methods and systems for setting up geo fences and dynamically delivering particular digital media content based on these geo fences. A method may involve providing information corresponding to a specific geographic location and identifying a virtual geographical boundary around that location, for example, by adjusting position of the sliding bar. An interactive map may be used to illustrate location and boundary of the created geo fence and to specify some characteristics of that geo fence right on the map. Multiple common geo fences may be simultaneously created for different locations. Each geo fence may be associated with a token, which is incorporated into each subset of digital media content. Such tokens allow selecting and sending a particular subset to a subscriber device when the device enters a geographic area associated with a certain geo fence. Therefore, a subscriber device receives dynamically updated information based on its location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for delivering variable digital media content associated with one or more geo fences to a subscriber device, the method comprising:

receiving geographic location information from the subscriber device corresponding to a current geographic location of the subscriber device;

based on the geographic location information, determining that the subscriber device is located within the one or more geo fences associated with the digital media content from a content publisher, wherein each of the one or more geo fences is associated with a corresponding subset of the digital media content based on a public token assigned to the subset of the digital media content;

selecting the subset of the digital media content based on the current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to the one or more geo fences and the public token associated with the one or more geo fences; and

sending the selected subset of the digital media content to the subscriber device for displaying on a subscriber interface of the subscriber device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the digital media content comprises one or more of a webpage, a digital photo, an image, a text, an audio, and a video.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber device comprises one or more of a portable computer, a cellular phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving new geographic location information from the subscriber device corresponding to a new current geographic location of the subscriber device;

based on the new geographic location information, determining the new current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to the one or more geo fences associated with the digital media content;

selecting a new subset of the digital media content based on the new current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to the one or more geo fences; and

sending the new selected subset of the digital media content to the digital media to the subscriber device for displaying on the subscriber interface of the subscriber device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the new current geographic location falls within a different geo fence of the one or more geo fences;

and

wherein the new subset of the digital media content is different from the subset of the digital media content.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more geo fences are associated with a predetermined location;

and

wherein the subset of the digital media content is selected to encourage a user of the subscriber device to move towards the predetermined location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a predetermined location corresponds to multiple geo fences.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more geo fences correspond to multiple predetermined locations.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the geographic location information is repeated based on one or more of the current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to a nearest available geo fence of the one or more geo fences, a speed of changing the current geographic location, and a direction of changing the current geographic location with respect to the nearest available geo fence.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the digital media content is selected based on one or more preference settings associated with the subscriber device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more geo fences are mobile and associated with a mobile object.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting geographic location information from multiple subscriber devices over a predetermined period of time;

associating the collected geographic location information from the multiple subscriber devices with the one or more geo fences; and

presenting statistical data numbers corresponding to a number of times the multiple subscriber devices enter each one of the one or more geo fences during the predetermined period of time.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, based on determining the current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to the one or more geo fences, sending a trigger to an information device positioned in a predetermined location associated with the one or more geo fences.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the information device comprises one or more of a display, an interactive billboard, and an interactive sign.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more geo fences comprise at least two geo fences arranged in a nested format.

16. A system for delivering variable digital media content associated with one or more geo fences to a subscriber device, the system comprising:

at least one subsystem configured to receive geographic location information from the subscriber device corresponding to a current geographic location of the subscriber device;

at least one subsystem configured to determine that the subscriber device is located within one or more geo fences associated with the digital media content from a content publisher, wherein each of the one or more geo fences is associated with a corresponding subset of the digital media content based on a public token assigned to the subset of the digital media content;

at least one subsystem configured to select the subset of the digital media content based on the current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to the one or more geo fences if the subscriber device is located within the one or more geo fences and the public token associated with the one or more geo fences;

at least one subsystem configured to send the selected subset of the digital media content to the digital media to the subscriber device for displaying on a subscriber interface of the subscriber device; and

a memory coupled to the at least one subsystem, the memory comprising computer codes for the at least one subsystem.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to:

receive geographic location information from a subscriber device corresponding to a current geographic location of the subscriber device;

based on the geographic location information, determine that the subscriber device is located within one or more geo fences associated with digital media content from a content publisher, wherein each of the one or more geo fences is associated with a corresponding subset of the digital media content based on a public token assigned to the subset of the digital media content;

select the subset of the digital media content based on the current geographic location of the subscriber device with respect to the one or more geo fences, wherein each of the one or more geo fences is associated with the corresponding subset of the digital media content based on the public token assigned to the subset of the digital media content; and

send the selected subset of the digital media content to the digital media to the subscriber device for displaying on a subscriber interface of the subscriber device.