Associating requests for content with a confirmed location

• US 9,271,121 B1
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: McDonnell, Philip A., Sacks, Joshua J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Application Number:
  US14/457,465
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/04 using association of physical positions and logical data in a dedicated environment, e.g. buildings or vehicles

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. A first confirmation is received of a location associated with a user identifier. A confirmed location identifies a physical address of a user device associated with the user identifier. Subsequent to the first confirmation, location data associated with a user device associated with the user identifier is processed, including determining that the user device is near the confirmed location. A second confirmation confirms that sufficient occurrences have identified of a presence of a device associated with the user identifier near the confirmed location. Characteristics of an environment accessed by the user are determined and stored in association with the confirmed location. Requests are received from other users. Characteristics of a given request are compared with stored characteristics. When comparing indicates a match, the confirmed location is associated with the subsequent request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with an electronic device;

receiving a first confirmation of a location associated with the identifier including identifying a confirmed location, wherein the confirmed location includes a physical address that is associated with the identifier, and wherein receiving the first confirmation includes receiving a type of location;

subsequent to receiving the first confirmation, processing location data associated with the electronic device associated with the identifier, the processing including determining that the electronic device is in a vicinity of the confirmed location;

performing, using one or more processors, a second confirmation including, based on the processing, confirming that a number of occurrences have been identified of a presence of the electronic device associated with the identifier in the vicinity of the confirmed location;

determining one or more characteristics of an environment accessed by the electronic device in association with the presence at the confirmed location;

storing the one or more characteristics of the environment in association with the confirmed location;

subsequent to the storing, comparing the stored one or more characteristics with one or more characteristics of a subsequent request from a second electronic device associated with another identifier to determine a match between the stored one or more characteristics and the one or more characteristics of the subsequent request; and

responsive to the comparing indicating the match, associating the confirmed location with the subsequent request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein processing location data includes receiving location data from the electronic device with a user logged in, and wherein the location data is received through a wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising determining a plurality of occurrences of the presence of the electronic device are received from a location in the vicinity of the confirmed location based on a network identifier for the wireless network and one or more network signal quality metrics associated with a received request.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the network identifier is a service set identifier (SSID) or a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the one or more network signal quality metrics include a signal strength.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the one or more characteristics includes identifying signal strength and wireless network identifier information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the confirmed location further comprises using the confirmed location for selecting content to provide in response to the subsequent request.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second confirmation includes determining signal strength of a wireless signal associated with a signal that includes the location data, comparing the signal strength to a threshold, and when the signal strength exceeds the threshold, storing a network identifier for a wireless network associated with wireless signal in association with the confirmed location.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the characteristics includes storing a confirmed location and a network identifier for a wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the confirmed location with the subsequent request includes identifying an entity associating with the confirmed location and associating the identified entity with the subsequent request.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the entity is a business and the confirmed location is a brick-and-mortar location associated with the entity.

11. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions, that when executed, cause one or more processors to:

receive an identifier associated with an electronic device;

receive a first confirmation of a location associated with the identifier including identifying a confirmed location, wherein the confirmed location includes a physical address that is associated with the identifier, and to receive a type of location;

responsive to the first confirmation, process location data associated with the electronic device associated with the identifier, to determine that the electronic device is in a vicinity of the confirmed location;

perform a second confirmation including, based on the processing, confirming that a number of occurrences have been identified of a presence of the electronic device associated with the identifier in the vicinity of the confirmed location;

determine one or more characteristics of an environment accessed by the electronic device in association with the presence at the confirmed location;

store the one or more characteristics of the environment in association with the confirmed location;

subsequent to storage of the one or more characteristics of the environment, compare the stored one or more characteristics with one or more characteristics of a subsequent request from a second electronic device associated with another identifier to determine a match between the stored one or more characteristics and the one or more characteristics of the subsequent request; and

responsive to the match, associate the confirmed location with the subsequent request.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein processing location data includes receiving location data from the electronic device with a user logged in, and wherein the location data is received through a wireless network.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, comprising the one or more processors configured to determine a plurality of occurrences of the presence of the electronic device associated with a location in the vicinity of the confirmed location based on a network identifier for the wireless network and one or more network signal quality metrics associated with a received request.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the network identifier is a service set identifier (SSID) or a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the one or more network signal quality metrics include a signal strength.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the one or more processors are configured to use the confirmed location to select content to provide in response to the subsequent request.

16. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory elements including instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

receive an identifier associated with an electronic device;

receive a first confirmation of a location associated with the identifier including a confirmed location, wherein the confirmed location includes a physical address that is associated with the identifier, and to receive a type of location;

process location data associated with the electronic device associated with the identifier, and to determine that the electronic device is in a vicinity of the confirmed location;

perform a second confirmation based on the processing to confirm that a number of occurrences have been identified of a presence of a device associated with the identifier in the vicinity of the confirmed location;

determine one or more characteristics of an environment accessed by the electronic device in association with the presence at the confirmed location;

store the one or more characteristics of the environment in association with the confirmed location;

subsequent to the one or more characteristics of the environment stored in association with the confirmed location, compare the stored one or more characteristics with one or more characteristics of a subsequent request from a second electronic device associated with another identifier to determine a match between the stored one or more characteristics and the one or more characteristics of the subsequent request; and

responsive to the match, associate the confirmed location with the subsequent request.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive location data from the electronic device with a user is logged in, and wherein the location data is received through a wireless network.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a plurality of occurrences of the presence of the electronic device are received from a location in the vicinity to the confirmed location based on a network identifier for the wireless network and one or more network signal quality metrics associated with a received request.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the network identifier is a service set identifier (SSID) or a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein the one or more network signal quality metrics include a signal strength.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the one or more processors are configured to use the confirmed location for selecting content to provide in response to the subsequent request.