System for targeting location-based communications

• US 9,424,594 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Muzak LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Muzak LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Courtney, Gordon Howard III, Hammond, Russell John, McAliley, James Hodges
• Primary Examiner(s): AGWUMEZIE, CHINEDU CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US14/856,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20160005079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for providing targeted location-based communications. An exemplary apparatus is configured to receive an encoded signal, decode the encoded signal such that embedded data is retrieved, send the embedded data a remote server; and receive a message based at least partially on sending the embedded data. Another exemplary apparatus is configured to provide the encoded signal by receiving data input, receiving a host signal, embedding the data input within the host signal such that an encoded signal is generated, and transmitting the encoded signal. A third exemplary apparatus is configured to provide the targeted communications by storing one or more messages associated with an entity, receiving data, selecting at least one of the one or more messages based at least partially on the data received, and sending the at least one of the one or more messages selected.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting at least one message stored in a database to a mobile device of a user based on a presence of the mobile device in a signal transmission area by transmitting an encoded signal in the signal transmission area that includes encoded data indicating a location of the at least one message in the database and transmitting the at least one message in the database to the mobile device based on the mobile device of the user decoding the data from the encoded signal and transmitting a request signal based on the data decoded from the encoded signal to a content management server to request the at least one message from the database, the system comprising:

a database comprising at least one message stored therein at respective storage locations in the database;

a content management server in communication with the database and configured to maintain data associated with the at least one message stored in the database, wherein;

the data maintained by the content management server indicates the storage location of the at least one message in the database,

the data can be encoded into a signal transmitted in a signal transmission area resulting in an encoded signal, and

the data is recognizable only by mobile devices running a decoding application,

where the decoding application is configured to cause at least one mobile device to decode the data encoded in the encoded signal transmitted in the signal transmission area and configured to transmit a request signal based on the data decoded from the encoded signal to the content management server, wherein the data indicates the storage location of the at least one message from the at least one mobile device;

at least one encoding device configured to generate the encoded signal that includes the data indicating the storage location of the at least one message stored in the database; and

at least one broadcast device configured to transmit, in the signal transmission area, the encoded signal encoded with the data indicating the storage location of the at least one message stored in the database,

wherein the content management server is further configured to;

receive the request signal transmitted by the at least one mobile device associated with a user in response to the at least one mobile device decoding the encoded data from the encoded signal transmitted by the at least one broadcast device using the decoding application, wherein the request signal from the at least one mobile device is based on the data that indicates the storage location of the at least one message in the database;

select the at least one message associated with the storage location of the database indicated in the request signal; and

send the selected at least one message to the at least one mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the user is present in at least one location of a plurality of locations;

the at least one message is associated with a messaging campaign of a third party entity in the database based on instructions received from the third party entity through a messaging campaign interface operatively connected with the content management server;

the at least one encoding device is maintained by a media distribution entity to generate the encoded signal comprising the data and based at least in part on instructions from the content management server; and

one or more of the at least one broadcast devices are maintained by the media distribution entity to transmit the encoded signal proximate at least one of the plurality of locations based at least in part on the instructions from the content management server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the third party entity comprises a product supplier that supplies at least one product and the selected at least one message is associated with the at least one product.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the media distribution entity manages a media distribution network comprising the at least one broadcast device and the at least one encoding device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein one or more of the at least one encoding devices is operably connected to the one or more of the at least one broadcast devices and wherein each encoding device generates at least one encoded signal based at least in part on the instructions from the content management server.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions from the content management server are received by the content management server from the third party entity through the messaging campaign interface operatively connected with the content management server.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions from the content management server are received by the content management server from the media distribution entity through a media distribution interface operatively connected with the content management server.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instruction code stored thereon for causing one or more processing devices executing said instruction code to transmit at least one message stored in a database to a mobile device of a user based on a presence of the mobile device in a signal transmission area by transmitting an encoded signal in the signal transmission area that includes encoded data indicating a location of the at least one message in the database and transmitting the at least one message in the database to the mobile device based on the mobile device of the user decoding the data from the encoded signal and transmit a request signal based on the data decoded from the encoded signal to a content management server to request the at least one message from the database, the executable instruction code configured to cause said one or more processing devices to:

store at least one message at respective storage locations in a database;

store data in a content management server in communication with the database and configured to maintain data associated with the at least one message stored in the database, wherein;

the data maintained by the content management server indicates the storage location of the at least one message in the database,

the data can be encoded into a signal transmitted in a signal transmission area resulting in an encoded signal, and

the data is recognizable only by mobile devices running a decoding application, where the decoding application is configured to cause at least one mobile device to decode the data encoded in the encoded signal transmitted in the signal transmission area and configured to transmit a request signal based on the data decoded from the encoded signal to the content management server, wherein the data indicates the storage location of the at least one message from the at least one mobile device;

generate the encoded signal that includes the data indicating the storage location of the at least one message stored in the database;

transmit, in the signal transmission area, the encoded signal encoded with the data indicating the storage location of the at least one message stored in the database;

receive, using the content management server, the request signal transmitted by the at least one mobile device associated with a user in response to the at least one mobile device decoding the encoded data from the encoded signal transmitted by the at least one broadcast device using the decoding application, wherein the request signal from the at least one mobile device is based on the data that indicates the storage location of the at least one message in the database;

select the at least one message associated with the storage location of the database indicated in the request signal; and

send the selected message to the at least one mobile device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein:

the user is present in at least one location of a plurality of locations;

the at least one message is associated with a messaging campaign of a third party entity in the database based on instructions received from the third party entity through a messaging campaign interface operatively connected with the content management server;

the at least one encoding device is maintained by a media distribution entity to generate the encoded signal comprising the data and based at least in part on instructions from the content management server; and

one or more of the at least one broadcast devices are maintained by the media distribution entity to transmit the encoded signal proximate at least one of the plurality of locations based at least in part on the instructions from the content management server.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the third party entity comprises a product supplier that supplies at least one product and the selected at least one message is associated with the at least one product.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the media distribution entity manages a media distribution network comprising the one or more of the at least one broadcast devices and the at least one encoding device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein one or more of the at least one encoding devices is operably connected to the one or more of the at least one broadcast devices and wherein each encoding device generates at least one encoded signal based at least in part on the instructions from the content management server.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions from the content management server are received by the content management server from the third party entity through the messaging campaign interface operatively connected with the content management server.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions from the content management server are received by the content management server from the media distribution entity through a media distribution interface operatively connected with the content management server.

15. A method for transmitting at least one message stored in a database to a mobile device of a user based on the presence of the mobile device in a signal transmission area by transmitting an encoded signal in the signal transmission area that includes encoded data indicating a location of the at least one message in the database and transmitting the at least one message in the database to the mobile device based on the mobile device of the user decoding the data from the encoded signal and transmitting data request signal based on the data decoded from the encoded signal to a content management server to request the at least one message from the database, the method comprising:

storing at least one message at respective storage locations in a database;

storing data in a content management server in communication with the database and configured to maintain data associated with the at least one message stored in the database, wherein;

the data maintained by the content management server indicates the storage location of the at least one message in the database,

the data can be encoded into a signal broadcast in a signal transmission area,

the data is recognizable only by mobile devices running a decoding application, where, the decoding application is configured to cause at least one mobile device to decode the data encoded in the encoded signal transmitted in the signal transmission area and configured to transmit a request signal based on the data decoded from the encoded signal to the content management server, wherein the data indicates the storage location of the at least one message from the at least one mobile device;

generating the encoded signal that includes the data indicating the storage location of the at least one message stored in the database;

transmitting, in the signal transmission area, the encoded signal encoded with the data indicating the storage location of the at least one message stored in the database;

receiving, using the content management server, a request signal transmitted by the at least one mobile device associated with a user in response to the at least one mobile device decoding the encoded data from the encoded signal transmitted by the at least one broadcast device using the decoding application, wherein the request signal from the at least one mobile device is based on the data that indicates the storage location of the at least one message in the database;

selecting the at least one message associated with the storage location of the database indicated in the request signal; and

sending the selected message to the at least one mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the user is present in at least one location of a plurality of locations;

the at least one message is associated with a messaging campaign of a third party entity in the database based on instructions received from the third party entity through a messaging campaign interface operatively connected with the content management server;

the at least one encoding device is maintained by a media distribution entity to generate the encoded signal comprising the data and based at least in part on instructions from the content management server; and

one or more of the at least one broadcast devices are maintained by the media distribution entity to transmit the encoded signal proximate at least one of the plurality of locations based at least in part on the instructions from the content management server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the third party entity comprises a product supplier that supplies at least one product and the selected at least one message is associated with the at least one product.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the media distribution entity manages a media distribution network comprising the one or more of the at least one broadcast devices and the at least one encoding device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein one or more of the at least one encoding devices is operably connected to each of the one or more of the at least one broadcast devices and wherein each encoding device generates at least one encoded signal based at least in part on the instructions from the content management server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the instructions from the content management server are received by the content management server from the third party entity through the messaging campaign interface operatively connected with the content management server.