Location and time specific mobile participation platform

• US 9,426,614 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shankaranarayanan, Nemmara K., Kim, Byoung-Jo
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zewari, Sayed T
• Application Number:
  US14/568,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20150099549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.4, 455/456.5, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• 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: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile participation platform enables a wireless network operator or third party to solicit response data related to a specific time and location specific event by signaling multiple mobile device users that meet predefined qualifications. The qualifications include presence at the specific location at the specific time, and may include other characteristics, such as prior consent to receive solicitations, and particular device type or data collection functionality. The platform locates mobile devices that may qualify for participation, and generates and transmits a solicitation. Mobile devices receiving the solicitation may activate a participation client to acknowledge the solicitation and to contribute by submitting the requested response data, which may include photos, text, sensor data, audio, video and the like. The qualifications are verified, the response data is validated, and anonymity and privacy are maintained by associating the mobile device and other pertinent non-identifying information with an encrypted identifier.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a corresponding approximate location for each of a plurality of mobile devices,

identifying, from the plurality of mobile devices, a subset of the plurality of mobile devices that, based on the corresponding approximate location determined for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, is within a specified distance from a location associated with a transient condition,

determining a corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices is more accurate than the corresponding approximate location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices,

identifying, from the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, at least one mobile device that, based on the corresponding approximate location of the at least one mobile device and the corresponding location of the at least one mobile device, is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition,

determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition during an interval corresponding to a time associated with the transient condition, and

in response to determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition based on the corresponding proximate location of the at least one mobile device and further based on the corresponding location of the at least one mobile device and in response to determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition during the interval corresponding to the time associated with the transient condition, initiating a transmission to the at least one mobile device, wherein the transmission requests that the at least one mobile device contributes response data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition is designated by a solicitor, and wherein the transmission requesting the response data is provided by the solicitor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the corresponding approximate location for each of the plurality of mobile devices comprises interrogating a corresponding home location registry in which each of the plurality of mobile devices is registered for the corresponding approximate location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices comprises instructing each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices to perform a location determination for the corresponding location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices has met a threshold qualification, and wherein the threshold qualification comprises an agreement, from a corresponding user of each of the plurality of mobile devices, to be alerted and solicited.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the location associated with the transient condition comprises one or more geographical locations having a particular characteristic, wherein the particular characteristic comprises at least one of a temperature, a level of humidity, an amount of precipitation, a wind speed, an altitude, or a location type.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the location type comprises a movie theater, an arena, a shopping mall, or a national park.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transient condition is based on a certain concentration of users at the location during the time.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the transient condition is based on a number of users moving away from the location during the time.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a corresponding approximate location for each of a plurality of mobile devices;

identifying, from the plurality of mobile devices, a subset of the plurality of mobile devices that, based on the corresponding approximate location determined for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, is within a specified distance from a location associated with a transient condition;

determining a corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices is more accurate than the corresponding approximate location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices;

identifying, from the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, at least one mobile device that, based on the corresponding approximate location of the at least one mobile device and the corresponding location of the at least one mobile device, is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition;

determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition during an interval corresponding to a time associated with the transient condition; and

in response to determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition based on the corresponding proximate location of the at least one mobile device and further based on the corresponding location of the at least one mobile device and in response to determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition during the interval corresponding to the time associated with the transient condition, initiating a transmission to the at least one mobile device, wherein the transmission requests that the at least one mobile device contributes response data.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition is designated by a solicitor, and wherein the transmission requesting the response data is provided by the solicitor.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein determining the corresponding approximate location for each of the plurality of mobile devices comprises interrogating a corresponding home location registry in which each of the plurality of mobile devices is registered for the corresponding approximate location.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein determining the corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices comprises instructing each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices to perform a location determination for the corresponding location.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the location associated with the transient condition comprises one or more geographical locations having a particular characteristic, wherein the particular characteristic comprises at least one of a temperature, a level of humidity, an amount of precipitation, a wind speed, an altitude, or a location type.

15. A method comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, a corresponding approximate location for each of a plurality of mobile devices;

identifying, by the system, from the plurality of mobile devices, a subset of the plurality of, mobile devices that, based on the corresponding approximate location determined for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, is within a specified distance from a location associated with a transient condition;

determining, by the system, a corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices is more accurate than the corresponding approximate location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices;

identifying, by the system, from the subset of the plurality of mobile devices, at least one mobile device that, based on the corresponding approximate location of the at least one mobile device and the corresponding location of the at least one mobile device, is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition;

determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition during an interval corresponding to a time associated with the transient condition; and

in response to determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition based on the corresponding proximate location of the at least one mobile device and further based on the corresponding location of the at least one mobile device and in response to determining that the at least one mobile device is within the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition during the interval corresponding to the time associated with the transient condition, initiating, by the system, a transmission to the at least one mobile device, wherein the transmission requests that the at least one mobile device contributes response data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the specified distance from the location associated with the transient condition is designated by a solicitor, and wherein the transmission requesting the response data is provided by the solicitor.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the corresponding approximate location for each of the plurality of mobile devices comprises interrogating a corresponding home location registry in which each of the plurality of mobile devices is registered for the corresponding approximate location.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the corresponding location for each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices comprises instructing each of the subset of the plurality of mobile devices to perform a location determination for the corresponding location.