Providing hotspots to user devices within server-controlled zones

• US 9,144,008 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Attar, Mohammad Hossain Sheikh, Tulchinsky, Ilia, Kemp, Aaron David, Wahbe, Andrew, Costanzo, Jerred James
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US13/369,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00

Abstract

A user installs a hotspot alert application on their mobile device. The application employs the location technology of the user device to transmit the location of the device, and thus the location of the user. The location can be transmitted to a server located in a hotspot tracking system. By establishing the location of the user, the server may search for hotspots on a database stored on the system. The server establishes the dimensions of a hotspot zone around the user'"'"'s location and transmits the hotspots and the zone dimensions to the application on the user device. The application monitors the location of the user device and deliver'"'"'s configured alerts to the user when approaching a hotspot. When the device leaves a zone or remains idle for a configured amount of time, the device requests and receives an updated zone of hotspots.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to receive server-controlled hotspot zones on a user network device, comprising:

communicating, by a user network device to a remote network device, a request for hotspot data corresponding to hotspots within a proximity of the user network device, the request comprising location data for the user network device;

receiving, by the user network device, the hotspot data from the remote network device, the hotspot data comprising at least a portion of a hotspot identity, a hotspot location, and hotspot marketing data for each of a plurality of hotspots in a hotspot zone defined by the remote network device, wherein the hotspot zone is disposed in the proximity of the user network device based on the location data;

selecting the plurality of hotspots based on a history of activities associated with the user network device;

determining a size of the hotpot zone based on a density of available hotspots in the proximity of the user network device to achieve a hotspot zone comprising a configured number of hotspots;

storing, by the user network device, the received hotspot data; and

presenting, via the user network device, the received hotspot data associated with a particular hotspot at a time when the location data for the user network device indicates that the user network device enters within a configured range of the particular hotspot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the hotspot zone is relatively smaller when the density of the available hotspots in the proximity of the user network device is higher, and the size of the hotspot zone is relatively larger when the density of the available hotspots in the proximity of the user network device is lower.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the user network device, an alert regarding the particular hotspot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user network device comprises a mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user network device, whether the user network device has exited the hotspot zone based on updated location data for the user network device;

communicating, by the user network device to the remote network device and in response to a determination that the user network device has exited the hotspot zone based on the updated location data for the user network device, an updated request for updated hotspot data corresponding to hotspots within a proximity of the user network device, the updated request comprising the updated location data for the user network device;

receiving, by the user network device, the updated hotspot data from the remote network device, the updated hotspot data comprising at least a portion of a hotspot identity, a hotspot location, and hotspot marketing data for each of a plurality of hotspots in an updated hotspot zone defined by the remote network device, wherein the updated hotspot zone is disposed in the proximity of the user network device based on the updated location data, the plurality of hotspots in the hotspot zone being selected based on a history of activities of a user associated with the user network device, and wherein a size of the updated hotpot zone is determined based on a density of available hotspots in the proximity of the user network device to achieve an updated hotspot zone comprising a configured number of hotspots;

storing, by the user network device, the received, updated hotspot data; and

presenting, via the user network device, the updated hotspot data associated with a particular hotspot at a time when the location data for the user network device indicates that the user enters within a configured range of the particular hotspot.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user network device determines that the user network device has exited the hotspot zone based on the updated location data for the user network device when the updated location data indicates that the user network device is not within a boundary of the hotspot zone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user network device, whether a specified period of time has passed since the user network device received the hotspot data;

requesting, by the user network device, an updated transmission of hotspot data in response to a determination that the specified period of time has passed since the user network device received the hotspot data;

receiving, by the user network device, updated hotspot data; and

presenting, via the user network device, the updated hotspot data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user network device only presents hotspots that are ranked above a specified threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user network device presents a group of hotspots over a specified density as a single group entity.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting and determining are performed by the remote network device.

10. A computer-implemented method to deliver server-controlled hotspot zones to a user network device, comprising:

receiving, by a computer, an initial user account configuration from a user network device;

establishing, by the computer, a database of hotspots for the user account based on a history of activities associated with the user network device, the database of hotspots comprising hotspot data for each of a plurality of hotspots, the hotspot data comprising at least a portion of a hotspot identity, a hotspot location, and hotspot marketing data;

receiving, by the computer, location data from a user network device associated with the user account;

searching, by the computer, the database for one or more hotspots proximate to the user network device based on the location data;

determining, by the computer, a set of boundaries to define a hotspot zone having a size based on a configured number of hotspots proximate to the user device;

ranking, by the computer, the one or more hotspots by a configured priority protocol; and

transmitting, by the computer, the boundaries of the hotspot zone and the hotspots contained therein to the user network device to present on the user network device the hotspot data associated with a particular hotspot at a time when the user network device enters within a configured range of the particular hotspot.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer, an updated location from the user network device;

determining, by the computer, an updated set of hotspots and an updated hotspot zone if the updated location indicates that the user network device has exited the boundaries of the hotspot zone; and

transmitting, by a computer, the boundaries of the updated hotspot zone and the hotspots contained therein.

12. A non-transitory storage device having instructions embodied thereon to receive server-controlled hotspot zones on a user network device, the instructions when executed performing actions comprising:

communicating, to a remote network device, location data of a user network device;

receiving server-controlled boundaries for a hotspot zone that has a size of the hotpot zone being determined based on a density of hotspots in the proximity of the user network device to achieve a hotspot zone comprising a configured number of hotspots;

receiving hotspot data from the remote network device, the hotspot data comprising at least a portion of hotspot identity, hotspot location, and hotspot marketing data for the hotspots in the hotspot zone defined by the server configured boundaries, the received hotspots in the hotspot zone being selected based on a history of activities associated with the user network device;

storing the received, updated hotspot data in a user account;

identifying a proximate hotspot identity at such time as the user network device enters within a configured range of the hotspot;

issuing an alert on the user network device for the proximate hotspot; and

presenting the received hotspot data associated with a particular hotspot at a time when the location data for the user network device indicates that the user network device enters within a configured range of the particular hotspot.

13. The non-transitory storage device of claim 12, wherein the user network device comprises a mobile device.

14. The non-transitory storage device of claim 12, the instructions further comprising:

requesting an updated transmission of hotspot data from the remote network device if the user network device exits the boundaries of the hotspot zone; and

receiving the updated transmission from the remote network device.

15. The non-transitory storage device of claim 12, the instructions further comprising:

requesting a updated transmission of hotspot data from the remote network device if the user network device has not received a second transmission in a configured period of time; and

receiving the updated transmission from the remote network device.

16. A system to receive server-controlled hotspot zones on a user network device, the system comprising:

a user network device; and

a hotspot tracking system (“

HTS”

),

the user network device comprising a processor, a web browser application, and a hotspot alert application (“

HAA”

) logically coupled to the web browser application, the HAA configured to;

communicate, to a network device operated by the HTS, location data of the user network device;

receive hotspot data from the network device operated by the HTS, the hotspot data comprising at least a portion of hotspot identity, hotspot location, and hotspot marketing data for the hotspots in the hotspot zone defined by server configured boundaries, the hotspots in the hotspot zone being selected based on a history of activities associated with the user network device, and the configured boundaries being of a size to achieve an updated hotspot zone comprising a configured number of hotspots;

store the received, updated hotspot data;

identify a proximate hotspot identity at such time as the user enters within a configured range of the hotspot;

present the received hotspot data associated with a particular hotspot at a time when the location data for the user network device indicates that the user has entered within a configured range of the particular hotspot; and

alert the user to the proximate hotspot, and

the HTS network device comprising a processor and an HTS application executing therein, the HTS application configured to;

establish a database of hotspots for the user account based on the history of activities associated with the user network device;

receive location data from a user network device;

search the database for proximate hotspots;

determine a set of boundaries to define a hotspot zone, the hotspot zone being sized to contain a configured number of hotspots;

rank the hotspots by a configured priority protocol; and

transmit the boundaries of the hotspot zone and the hotspots contained therein.