Providing social impact information associated with identified products or businesses

• US 9,406,031 B2
• Filed: 01/01/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Calman, Matthew A., Ross, Erik Stephen, Hamilton, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Padot, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US13/342,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20120232954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,675 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.32, 705/26.7, 705/26.62
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and apparatuses for capturing a real-time video stream using a mobile computing device, determining, using a computing device processor, which images from the real-time video stream are associated with goods and businesses consistent with a predetermined social impact, and presenting on a display of the real-time video stream, one or more indicators, each indicator being associated with an image determined to be consistent with a predetermined social impact.

Claims

1. A method of providing social impact information of goods and services providers that are consistent with a predetermined social impact profile, the method comprising:

generating a predetermined social impact profile based on input from a user regarding the user'"'"'s self-defined social impact values;

capturing, continuously, a real-time video stream of a surrounding environment using a video capture device associated with a mobile device of the user, wherein the real-time video stream comprises images of one or more goods or service providers;

identifying, via a processor, one or more goods or service providers proximate in location to the mobile device, based on analyzing the captured real-time video stream for one or more identifying markers associated with the one or more goods or service providers;

determining, via the processor, which goods or service providers proximate in location to the mobile device are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

presenting, via a display device, one or more indicators within a presentation of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, each indicator of the one or more indicators being associated with a good or service provider proximate in location to the mobile device determined to be consistent with the predetermined social impact profile, the indicator comprising a virtual image superimposed on the image of the good or service provider presented in the real-time video stream;

presenting, via the display device, a checking account statement of the user of the mobile device;

determining, via the processor, which of one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

highlighting, via the display device, the determined one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers that are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile in the checking account statement;

generating, via the processor, a social impact score of the user based on the determined one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers that are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile and based in part on one or more transactions that are inconsistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

determining, via the processor, which of the determined transactions were used to generate the social impact score, resulting in a first set of transactions;

determining, via the processor, which of the transactions that are inconsistent with the predetermined social impact profile were used to generate the social impact score, resulting in a second set of transactions, wherein the first set of transactions and the second set of transactions together make up a third set of transactions;

identifying, via the processor, any purchases associated with any of the third set of transactions;

presenting, via the display device to the user, the identified purchases, wherein the user may use the identified purchases to adjust the user'"'"'s behavior to move the determined social impact score in a direction consistent with the user'"'"'s self-defined social impact values;

transmitting, via the processor, the generated social impact score of the user to one or more social network accounts;

determining that the mobile device is associated with at least one trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises;

(i) the mobile device being exposed to predetermined low levels of illumination for a first predetermined extended period of time, (ii) the mobile device being stationary for a second predetermined extended period of time or (iii) a power source of the mobile device being associated with predetermined low power levels;

disengaging the continuous capture of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, based on the at least one trigger event; and

re-engaging, automatically, the continuous capture of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, based on determining that the mobile device is not associated with the at least one trigger event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the real-time video stream further comprises implementing, via the processor, object recognition processing to identify the goods or service providers within the real-time video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more goods or service providers further comprises capturing a code located on or proximate to one or more of the products or service providers, wherein the code identifies the product or service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more goods or service providers further comprises receiving, via the mobile device, wireless communication from a product identifying tag or a service provider identifying tag associated with the goods or service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more goods or service providers further comprises determining, via the processor, a location of the mobile device and determining, via the processor, the one or more goods or service providers based on the determined location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises the display device that presents the one or more indicators.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which goods or service providers proximate in location to the mobile device are consistent with the predetermined social impact further comprises:

collecting data concerning the social values of importance to the user; and

generating the social impact profile for the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with goods or service providers consistent with the predetermined social impact further comprises:

identifying the goods and service providers captured in the real-time video stream;

correlating the goods and service providers identified in the video stream to information regarding the social impact of the goods or service providers; and

comparing the information regarding the social impact of the goods and service providers to the social impact profile of the user.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein collecting the data concerning the social values of importance to the user comprises collecting user defined data concerning the social values of importance to the user.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein collecting the data concerning the social values of importance to the user comprises:

analyzing purchasing behavior of the user; and

identifying the social values of importance to the user based on the purchasing behavior of the user.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein collecting the data concerning the social values of importance to the user comprises:

collecting personal data associated with the user; and

identifying the social values of importance to the user based on the personal data of the user.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the social impact of the goods or service providers comprises one or more of the following:

an environmental impact, nature of production, product attributes, business attributes or charitable activities.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the user defined data comprises responses to survey questions.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the user defined data comprises search terms inputted by the user and the user'"'"'s desired correlation between the inputted search terms and the goods or service providers.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the purchasing behavior comprises financial records available to a financial institution.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the personal data associated with the user comprises data available to a financial institution.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicators are selectable by the user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with additional information about the goods or service provider.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with an option to purchase one or more of the goods or a service provided by the service provider via the mobile device.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a video capture device associated with a mobile device of a user for capturing, continuously, a real-time video stream of a surrounding environment, wherein the real-time video stream comprises images of one or more goods or service providers;

a processor operably connected to the video capture device, configured to generate a predetermined social impact profile based on input from the user regarding the user'"'"'s self-defined social impact values, and determine which images from the real-time video stream are associated with goods or service providers consistent with a predetermined social impact profile based on analyzing the captured real-time video stream for one or more identifying markers associated with the one or more goods or service providers; and

a display device, operably connected to the processor, for presenting the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment with one or more indicators, each indicator of the one or more indicators being associated with an image of a good or service provider determined to be consistent with the predetermined social impact profile, the indicator comprising a virtual image superimposed on the image of the good or service provider presented in the real-time video stream;

wherein the processor is further configured to cause the display device to present a checking account statement of the user and determine which of one or more transactions conducted between the user and one or more identified goods or service providers are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

wherein the display device is further configured to highlight one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers that are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile in the checking account statement;

wherein the processor is further configured to;

generate a social impact score of the user based on the determined one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers that are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile and based in part on one or more transactions that are inconsistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

determine which of the determined transactions were used to generate the social impact score, resulting in a first set of transactions;

determine which of the transactions that are inconsistent with the predetermined social impact profile were used to generate the social impact score, resulting in a second set of transactions, wherein the first set of transactions and the second set of transactions together make up a third set of transactions; and

identify any purchases associated with any of the third set of transactions;

wherein the display device is further configured to present to the user, the identified purchases, wherein the user may use the identified purchases to adjust the user'"'"'s behavior to move the determined social impact score in a direction consistent with the user'"'"'s self-defined social impact values;

wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the generated social impact score of the user to one or more social network accounts;

wherein the processor is further configured to;

determine that the mobile device is associated with at least one trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises;

(i) the mobile device being exposed to predetermined low levels of illumination for a first predetermined extended period of time, (ii) the mobile device being stationary for a second predetermined extended period of time or (iii) a power source of the mobile device being associated with predetermined low power levels;

disengage the continuous capture of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, based on the at least one trigger event; and

re-engage, automatically, the continuous capture of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, based on determining that the mobile device is not associated with the at least one trigger event.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

23. An apparatus as in claim 21, wherein the processor, in determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with goods or service providers consistent with the predetermined social impact profile, is further configured to:

collect data concerning the social values of importance to the user;

generate the social impact profile for the user;

identify goods and service providers captured in the real-time video stream;

correlate the goods or service providers captured in the real-time video stream to information regarding the social impact of the goods or service providers;

assign a social impact profile to the goods or service provider captured in the real-time video stream; and

correlate the social impact profile for the user to the social impact profile of the goods or service provider.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the processor in collecting data concerning the social values of importance to the user is configured to collect user defined data concerning the social values of importance to the user.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the processor in collecting data concerning the social values of importance to the user is configured to:

analyze purchasing behavior of the user; and

identify the social values of importance to the user based on the purchasing behavior of the user.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the processor in collecting data concerning the social values of importance to the user is configured to:

collect personal data associated with the user; and

identify the social values of importance to the user based on the purchasing behavior of the user.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the social impact of the goods or service provider comprises one or more of the following:

environmental impact, nature of production, product attributes, business attributes or charitable activities.

28. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the user defined data comprises responses to survey questions.

29. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the user defined data comprises search terms inputted by the user and the user'"'"'s desired correlation between the inputted search terms and the goods or service providers.

30. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the purchasing behavior comprises financial records available to a financial institution.

31. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the personal data associated with the user comprises data available to a financial institution.

32. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the indicators are selectable by the user.

33. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with additional information about the goods or service providers.

34. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with an option to purchase one or more of the goods or a service provided by the service provider via the mobile device.

35. A computer program product configured for providing social impact information of goods and services providers that are consistent with a predetermined social impact profile, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable code stored thereon, the computer executable code comprising;

a first code portion configured to generate a predetermined social impact profile based on input from a user regarding the user'"'"'s self-defined social impact values;

a second code portion configured to capture continuously, via a video capture device, a real-time video stream of a surrounding environment using a video capture device associated with a mobile device of the user, wherein the real-time video stream comprises images of one or more goods or service providers;

a third code portion configured to determine which images from the real-time video stream are associated with goods or service providers consistent with the predetermined social impact profile, based on analyzing the captured real-time video stream for one or more identifying markers associated with the one or more goods or service providers;

a fourth code portion configured to present on a display device the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment with one or more indicators, each indicator of the one or more indicators being associated with an image of a good or service provider determined to be consistent with the predetermined social impact profile, the indicator comprising a virtual image superimposed on the image of the good or service provider presented in the real-time video stream;

a fifth code portion configured to present on the display device a checking account statement of the user of the mobile device;

a sixth code portion configured to determine which of one or more transactions conducted between the user and one or more identified goods or service providers are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

a seventh code portion configured to highlight on the display device the determined one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers that are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile in the checking account statement;

an eighth code portion configured to generate a social impact score of the user based on the determined one or more transactions conducted between the user and the one or more identified goods or service providers that are consistent with the predetermined social impact profile and based in part on one or more transactions that are inconsistent with the predetermined social impact profile;

a ninth code portion configured to determine which of the determined transactions were used to generate the social impact score, resulting in a first set of transactions;

a tenth code portion configured to determine which of the transactions that are inconsistent with the predetermined social impact profile were used to generate the social impact score, resulting in a second set of transactions, wherein the first set of transactions and the second set of transactions together make up a third set of transactions;

an eleventh code portion configured to identify any purchases associated with any of the third set of transactions;

a twelfth code portion configured to present to the user, the identified purchases, wherein the user may use the identified purchases to adjust the user'"'"'s behavior to move the determined social impact score in a direction consistent with the user'"'"'s self-defined social impact values;

a thirteenth code portion configured to transmit the generated social impact score of the user to one or more social network accounts;

a fourteenth code portion configured to determine that the mobile device is associated with at least one trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises;

(i) the mobile device being exposed to predetermined low levels of illumination for a first predetermined extended period of time, (ii) the mobile device being stationary for a second predetermined extended period of time or (iii) a power source of the mobile device being associated with predetermined low power levels;

a fifteenth code portion configured to disengage the continuous capture of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, based on the at least one trigger event; and

a sixteenth code portion configured to, re-engage, automatically, the continuous capture of the real-time video stream of the surrounding environment, based on determining that the mobile device is not associated with the at least one trigger event.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the third code portion is further configured to:

collect data concerning the social values of importance to the user;

generate the social impact profile for the user;

identify the goods and service providers captured in the real-time video stream;

correlate the goods and service providers identified in the video stream to information regarding the social impact of the goods and businesses; and

compare information regarding the social impact of the goods and businesses to the social impact profile of the user.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein collecting the data concerning the social values of importance to the user comprises collecting user defined data concerning the social values of importance to the user.

38. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein collecting the data concerning the social values of importance to the user comprises:

analyzing purchasing behavior of the user; and

identifying the social values of importance to the user based on the purchasing behavior of the user.

39. The computer program product of claim 38 wherein collecting the data concerning the social values of greatest importance to the user comprises:

collecting personal data associated with the user; and

identifying the social values of importance to the user based on the purchasing behavior of the user.

40. The computer program product of claim 36 wherein the social impact of the goods or service providers comprise one or more of the following:

environmental impact, nature of production, product attributes, business attributes or charitable activities.

41. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the user defined data comprises responses to survey questions.

42. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the user defined data comprises search terms inputted by the user and the user'"'"'s desired correlation between the inputted search terms and the goods or service providers.

43. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the purchasing behavior comprises financial records available to a financial institution.

44. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the personal data associated with the user comprises data available to a financial institution.

45. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the indicators are selectable by the user.

46. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with additional information about the goods or service providers.

47. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with an option to purchase one or more of the products or services provided by the service provider via the mobile device.

48. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.