Geo-location based content publishing platform

• US 9,426,232 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanke, John V., Solheim, Yennie C., Wilden, Leif Hendrik, Tsoukalidis, Ioannis, Stern, Lior
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Imad
• Application Number:
  US13/969,256
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method for location-based content publishing. The method includes a step for receiving indication of a user subscription to one or more publisher feeds, wherein each of the one or more publisher feeds provides multiple content items, each content item being associated with a location. The method also includes a step for receiving a request for content items, wherein the request includes information about the user'"'"'s location based on a mobile device of the user. The method also includes a step for selecting content items provided by the one or more publisher feeds based on the user'"'"'s location and based on the location associated with the content items. The method also includes a step for providing at least a portion of the selected content items for display on the user'"'"'s mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for location-based content publishing, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a request for content items, wherein the request includes information about a location of a mobile device of a user;

accessing, by the one or more computing devices, a first plurality of content items for a plurality of publishers, wherein each content item is associated with a location;

selecting, by the one or more computing devices, a second plurality of content items from the accessed first plurality of content items based on the information about the mobile user'"'"'s location and based on the location associated with the each content item;

ranking, by the one or more computing devices, the second plurality of content items based at least in part on one or more point sizes respectively associated with the second plurality of content items, wherein the point size associated with each of the second plurality of content items is indicative of a size of an area of interest associated with such content item, and wherein content items with a smaller point size are ranked relatively higher than content items with a larger point size;

selecting, by the one or more computing devices, at least one of the second plurality of content items based at least in part on the ranking; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices to the mobile device, information about the selected at least one of the second plurality of content items for display at the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selecting, by the one or more computing devices, of the second plurality of content items from the accessed first plurality of content items excludes content items that have been previously provided to the mobile device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selecting, by the one or more computing devices, of the second plurality of content items from the accessed first plurality of content items comprises selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the second plurality of content items within a location associated with a first polygon shape from the mobile user'"'"'s location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, an endorsement for information provided about one of the selected at least one of the second plurality of content items, wherein the endorsement indicates either a positive or negative feedback from the mobile user about the provided content item; and

storing, by the one or more computing devices, the user'"'"'s endorsement for the provided content item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a publication mode indicator, wherein the publication mode indicator provides information about the frequency by which the mobile user is interested in receiving content items.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the ranking, by the one or more computing devices, of the second plurality of content items is also based at least partially on the user'"'"'s interests.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a share content request for one of the content items for which information is provided, wherein the share content request allows the user to share the provided information about the content item with other users accessible to the mobile device of the user; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices, information about the content item for sharing by the other users.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a publisher information request for one of the content items for which information is provided;

selecting, by the one or more computing devices, publisher information based on the request; and

providing, by the one or more computing devices, the publisher information for display on the mobile user'"'"'s device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating, by the one or more computing devices, a future location of the mobile device of the user based on the information about the mobile device'"'"'s location, wherein the selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the second plurality of content items from the accessed first plurality of content items is based on the calculated future location of the mobile device of the user and based on the location associated with the each content item.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed cause a computer to perform operations, the operations comprising:

sending subscription information for one or more publisher feeds to a server, wherein each publisher feed includes multiple content items, each content item being associated with a location;

periodically sending, from a mobile device, a request for content items to the server, wherein the request includes a location of the mobile device; and

receiving one or more content items based on the location of the mobile device and based on the location associated with the one or more content items, the one or more received content items having been selected based at least in part on a ranking of a plurality of available content items, the ranking of the plurality of available content items based at least in part on a plurality of point sizes respectively associated with the plurality of available content items, the point size associated with each available content item indicative of a size of an area of interest associated with such available content item, and wherein available content items with a smaller point size are ranked relatively higher than available content items with a larger point size.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a notification on the mobile device, wherein the notification provides information about the received one or more content items.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing an audio notification on the mobile device, wherein the audio notification provides audible information about the received one or more content items.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a publication mode indicator, wherein the publication mode provides information about a frequency by which a user of the mobile device desires content items to be received; and

adjusting the periodically sending of the request for content items to the server based on the received publication mode indicator, wherein the adjusting leads to either an increase in the frequency of the request for content items or a decrease in the frequency of the request for content items.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a speed at which the mobile device is travelling; and

adjusting the periodically sending of the request for content items to the server based on the determined speed at which the mobile device is travelling, wherein the adjusting leads to an increase in the frequency of the request for content items when the mobile device is determined to be travelling at a relatively high speed and leads to a decrease in the frequency of the request for content items when the mobile device is determined to be travelling at a relatively low speed.

15. A computer-implemented system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a first plurality of content items from one or more publishers, wherein each of the first plurality of content items is associated with a location;

store the received first plurality of content items in a data repository;

receive a request for content items, wherein the request includes information about a mobile user'"'"'s location based on a mobile device of the user;

select a second plurality of content items from the first plurality of content items provided by the one or more publishers based on the information about the mobile user'"'"'s location and based on the locations respectively associated with the first plurality of content items;

rank the second plurality of content items based at least in part on one or more point sizes respectively associated with the second plurality of content items, wherein the point size associated with each of the second plurality of content items is indicative of a size of an area of interest associated with such content item and wherein content items with a smaller point size are ranked relatively higher than content items with a larger point size;

select at least one of the second plurality of content items based at least in part on the ranking; and

provide the selected at least one of the second plurality of content items for display on the mobile user'"'"'s mobile device.

16. The computer-implemented system of claim 15, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

send a recommendation of publisher feeds to the user, wherein the recommendation provides one or more publisher feeds to which the user may wish to subscribe.

17. The computer-implemented system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the content items has a valid timeframe associated therewith, the system further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to provide only items of content for which a current time is within the valid timeframe associated with such content item.

18. The computer-implemented system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

receive an indication of a user subscription to one or more publisher feeds, wherein each publisher feed corresponds to content items provided by a respective publisher, wherein the selecting of content items provided by the one or more publishers is based on the received indication of user subscription to the one or more publisher feeds.

19. The computer-implemented system of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

receive an amount of content indicator for one of the user subscribed publisher feeds, wherein the amount of content indicator provides information about the level of content the mobile user is requesting for the publisher feed for which the content indicator is received; and

rank the selected content items based at least partially on the amount of content indicator for the publisher feed, wherein the providing of at least a portion of the selected content items for display is based on the ranking of the content items.

20. The computer-implemented system of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

identify one of the second plurality of content items that is associated with a particular publisher feed to which the user is not subscribed; and

provide a recommendation to the user to subscribe to the particular publisher feed.