System and method for user interaction with virtual geographic zones

• US 9,398,404 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zonal Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Robert L. Pierce II
• Inventors: Pierce, Robert L. II, Northrup, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US13/924,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20130344897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/422.1
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for user interaction includes a network, a server connected to the network, an administrator device receiving information from a global positioning system and connected to the network, a user device receiving information from the global positioning system and connected to the network. The administrator, having the administrator device, defines a set of virtual geographic zones and sub-zones in which the user device is tracked, and saves the set of virtual geographic zones and sub-zones to an administrator account on the server. The user downloads a user application, sets-up a user account, and downloads the set of virtual geographic zones and sub-zones. As the user, having the user device, moves through the virtual geographic zones and sub-zones the location of the user device is determined and a set of administrator-defined actions are executed on the user device based on the location of the user device.

Claims

1. In a system comprising a network, a server connected to the network, an administrator device connected to the network, and a user device connected to the network, the server programmed to store and execute instructions that cause the system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the administrator device, a first set of points;

defining, by the administrator device, a zone from the first set of points by defining the first set of points as a set of vertices for the zone;

receiving, by the administrator device, a second set of points within the zone;

defining, by the administrator device, a sub-zone from the second set of points;

defining, by the administrator device, a set of actions for the zone;

receiving, by the user device, a location of the user device;

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the zone; and

,

executing, by the user device, the set of actions if the location of the user device engages the zone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the sub-zone; and

,

executing, by the user device, the set of actions if the location of the user device is within the sub-zone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining a sub-zone by the administrator device further comprises the step of defining an “

exclusion”

zone by the administrator device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the administrator device, a subset of excluded actions from the set of actions;

associating, by the administrator device, the subset of excluded actions with the zone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of updating, by the administrator device, the set of actions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

periodically monitoring, by the user device, the location of the user device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

defining, by the administrator device, a set of zones from the first set of points;

determining, by the user device, a predicted path of the user device; and

,

identifying, by the user device, a subset of zones from the set of zones along the predicted path.

8. The method of claim 1:

wherein each vertex of the set of vertices includes longitude, latitude, and altitude;

wherein the zone includes a building and a plurality of sub-zones;

wherein the zone includes a time period;

wherein the sub-zone is one of the plurality of sub-zones and each floor of the building includes one of the plurality of sub-zones;

wherein each sub-zone includes a time period; and

,

wherein the zone is displayed on the user device.

9. In a system comprising a network, a server connected to the network, an administrator device connected to the network, and a user device connected to the network, the server programmed to store and execute instructions that cause the system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the administrator device, a first set of points;

defining, by the administrator device, a zone from the first set of points by defining the first set of points as a set of vertices for the zone;

receiving, by the administrator device, a second set of points within the zone;

defining, by the administrator device, a sub-zone from the second set of points;

defining, by the administrator device, a first set of actions for the zone;

defining, by the administrator device, a second set of actions for the sub-zone;

determining, by the user device, a location of the user device;

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the zone;

executing, by the user device, the first set of actions if the location of the user device is within the zone;

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the sub-zone; and

,

executing, by the user device, the second set of actions if the location of the user device is within the sub-zone.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

defining, by the administrator device, a subset of excluded actions from the first set of actions; and

,

associating, by the administrator device, the subset of excluded actions with the sub-zone.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of updating, by the administrator device, the first set of actions.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of defining a first set of actions for the zone by the administrator device further comprises the step of defining, by the administrator device, a set of advertisements.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of receiving a first set of points by the administrator device further comprises receiving, by the administrator device, a set of GPS coordinates.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of defining a first set of actions for the zone by the administrator device further comprises the step of defining, by the administrator device, a set of events.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

periodically monitoring, by the user device, the location of the user device; and

,

periodically determining, by the user device, if the location of the user device is within the zone.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

calculating, by the user device, a predicted path of the user device; and

,

determining, by the user device, if the zone includes the predicted path.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of defining a zone by the administrator device further comprises the step of determining, by the administrator device, a zone type selected from the group of an “

exclusion”

zone and an “

inclusion”

zone.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of defining a sub-zone by the administrator device further comprises the step of determining, by the administrator device, a sub-zone type selected from the group of an “

exclusion”

sub-zone and an “

inclusion”

sub-zone.

19. A system for interacting with a user, comprising:

a network;

a server, connected to the network,

an administrator device connected to the network,

a user device, connected to the network,

the administrator device programmed to carry out the steps of;

receiving a first set of points;

defining a set of zones from the first set of points by defining the first set of points as a set of vertices for the set of zones;

receiving a second set of points within the zone;

defining a sub-zone from the second set of points;

receiving a set of actions related to the set of zones;

the server programmed to carry out the steps of;

sending the set of zones to the user device;

sending the set of actions to the user device;

comparing the location of the user device to a location of the set of zones;

the user device programmed to carry out the steps of;

determining a location of the user device; and

executing the set of actions, if the location of the user device is engaged with the set of zones.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein the administrator device is programmed to carry out the step of

defining the set of actions.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the administrator device is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

receiving a subset of excluded actions from the set of actions; and

,

associating the subset of excluded actions with a zone of the set of zones.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the user device is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

monitoring the location of the user device at a predetermined frequency; and

,

altering the predetermined frequency, based on a velocity of the user device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the administrator device is further programmed to carry out the step of determining an “

exclusion”

zone.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of actions is a set of coupons.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of actions is a set of advertisements.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the set of actions is a set of store events.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the user device is further programmed to carry out the steps of:

determining a forward path for the user device;

identifying a subset of zones of the set of zones along the forward path; and

,

displaying the subset of zones.

28. A method of a user device connected to a network, the method comprising:

wherein an administrator device receives a first set of points;

wherein the administrator device defines a zone from the first set of points by defining the first set of points as a set of vertices for the zone;

wherein the administrator device receives a second set of points within the zone;

wherein the administrator device defines a sub-zone from the second set of points;

wherein the administrator device defines a set of actions for the zone;

receiving, by the user device, a location of the user device;

comparing, by the user device, the location of the user device to a location of the zone; and

executing, by the user device, the set of actions delivered from the server associated with the zone, if the location of the user device is within the zone.

29. In a system comprising a network, a server connected to the network, an administrator device connected to the network, and a user device connected to the network, the user device programmed to store and execute instructions that cause the system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the server, a first set of points that were received by an administrator device;

receiving, by the server, a zone defined from the first set of points by the administrator device by defining the first set of points as a set of vertices for the zone;

receiving, by the server, a second set of points within the zone that were received by the administrator device,

receiving, by the server, a sub-zone defined from the second set of points by the administrator device;

receiving, by the server, a set of actions defined for the zone by the administrator device;

receiving, by the server, a location of the user device that was received by the user device;

comparing, by the server, the location of the user device to a location of the zone; and

,

wherein the set of actions are executed by the user device if the location of the user device engages is within the zone.