Geofenced event-based fan networking: methods

• US 9,208,506 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bleacher LLC
• Original Assignee: Bleacher LLC
• Inventors: Geer, Bradley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekerman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/618,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.5, 705/14.14, 705/14.58, 705/14.64, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

The present invention is a fan networking system (FNS), available through a software application, executing on fans'"'"' portable smart devices for an event to be held in a venue. A FNS may offer event-customized services to fans, such as messaging, fan groups, mementos, coupons, “friends”, and contests. The level of services might depend on whether a fan is attending; timing (pre-, during, post-performance); for a competitive event, whether the fan affiliates with the home or away team; and the category of fan (e.g., audience, management, performer). Determination of whether a fan is attending may be done with geolocation services, e.g., through GPS. A fan might need to remain within the venue for some period of time to qualify as attending. Services to attending fans may extend for a period beyond the event itself.

Claims

1. A process, comprising:

a) registering, by a fan network management system (FNMS) through a communication network, a plurality of fans, through their respective portable smart devices (PSDs), to participate in event networking services (ENSs) provided by the FNMS;

b) maintaining by the FNMS in computer-accessible tangible storage remote from the registered PSDs

(i) a list of events at which the FNMS will provide ENSs to qualified fans,

(ii) a list of venues at which at least one event in the list of events will be held, and

(iii) for an event in the list of events, time and geolocation constraints for qualifying as a fan device at the event;

c) during a time interval, established by the FNMS and associated with a first event in the list of events, the first event being held at a corresponding first venue in the list of venues, receiving, by the FNMS through a wireless communication interface, from each of a plurality of the PSDs of the registered users, geolocation data that tracks geolocations of the respective PSD;

d) determining by a computer-based processing system of the FNMS which of the PSDs from which the FNMS receives geolocation data satisfy the time and geolocation constraints associated with the event, and thereby qualify as fan devices at the first event;

e) communicating by the processing system through the wireless communication interface with the fan devices and thereby providing the fan devices with ENSs during the first event;

f) for the first event, identifying, and storing in the storage, an inner boundary and an outer boundary, wherein

(i) the inner boundary separates an inner zone, proximate to or including a venue, from an intermediate zone, and

(ii) the outer boundary separates the intermediate zone from exterior locations; and

g) for the first event, for each given PSD in a nonempty subset of the registered PSDs,

(i) detecting using the geolocation data that the PSD has crossed the outer boundary into the intermediate zone, and subsequently transmitting by the FNMS a request or demand to a fan networking application (FNA) executing on the PSD to use a geolocation method of a first resolution to track location,

(ii) detecting by the FNMS using the geolocation data that the PSD has crossed the inner boundary into the inner zone, and subsequently starting a timer,

(iii) detecting by the FNMS using the timer and the geolocation data that the PSD has remained within the inner zone for a qualifying constraint time length set by the FNMS, and subsequently determining that the PSD has qualified as attending, and transmitting a request to the FNA to use a tracking method of a second resolution, coarser than the first resolution, to track location of the qualified PSD.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the first event is a sporting event, a cultural event, an arts event, a musical event, a civic event, a political event, a conference, a convention, a class, a seminar, or a display.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the processing system includes a server that is remote from the PSDs of the fan devices.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

h) providing by the FNMS to qualifying PSDs at an event, through the wireless communication interface, a messaging capability whereby the qualifying PSDs can share digital content.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

h) providing by the FNMS to qualifying PSDs at an event, through the wireless communication interface, a game or a contest.

6. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

h) implementing a points system, whereby a fan, through a registered PSD, can earn points by at least one of the following actions;

(i) attendance at an event at which the FNMS provides ENSs,

(ii) winning a contest or a game managed by the FNMS, and

(iii) through the FNMS, posting messages or images, and receiving favorable ratings from other fans in response to the posting; and

i) maintaining in storage a record of a respective total number of points earned by each of a plurality of fans.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein qualified users at an event managed by the FNMS can also earn points by

(iv) winning a wager regarding a proposition whose wording is provided at least in part by the FNMS through the wireless communication interface.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the wording of the proposition is customizable by a fan through their PSD.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the FNMS transmits to a PSD a request or demand to change the method the PSD is using for tracking geolocation.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the request or demand asks the PSD to change resolution of geolocation tracking.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the FNMS requires registered PSDs to use GPS for geolocation tracking.

12. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

h) for a PSD qualified as attending the event, determining that the PSD is no longer attending upon detecting by the FNMS using the tracking data that the PSD has crossed the inner boundary from the inner zone into the intermediate zone.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein the intermediate zone is divided into a middle zone and an outer zone by a middle boundary, further comprising:

h) for a PSD qualified as attending the event, determining that the PSD is no longer attending upon detecting by the FNMS using the tracking data that the PSD has crossed the middle boundary from the middle zone into the outer zone.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein the list of venues contains a plurality of venues and wherein the list of events contains an event corresponding to each venue in the list and a plurality of events corresponding to a venue in the list.

15. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

h) for the first event, maintaining by the FNMS in computer-accessible tangible storage a table of services that

(i) includes a plurality of PSD states and a plurality of event states, wherein the state of a respective registered PSD depends upon whether the PSD is inside the outer boundary and upon whether the PSD has qualified as attending the first event, and

(ii) for each combination of a PSD state in the plurality of PSD states and an event in the plurality of event states, specifying a set of fan services corresponding to that combination.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein for a first event state, which is during the event, in the plurality of event states, the services delivered to registered PSDs that are inside the outer boundary are the same as those delivered to PSDs that have qualified as attending the event.

17. The process of claim 1, further comprising for the first event:

h) receiving through a respective user interface of each of a plurality of PSDs a respective team affiliation,

i) maintaining by the FNMS in computer-accessible tangible storage a table of services that

(i) includes a plurality of PSD states, a plurality of event states, and a plurality of team affiliations, wherein the state of a respective registered PSD depends upon whether the PSD is inside the outer boundary and upon whether the PSD has qualified as attending the first event, and

(ii) for each combination of a PSD state in the plurality of PSD states, an event in the plurality of event states, and a team affiliation in the plurality of team affiliations, specifying a set of fan services corresponding to that combination.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein for the first event, services associated with the first event are provided to each given PSD in the nonempty subset of the registered PSDs that are detected to be inside the outer boundary.

19. The process of claim 1 wherein the outer boundary is a circle, a square, or a rectangle.