System and method for automated location-based widgets

• US 9,674,665 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stripe, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Waldeck Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Issa, Alfredo C., Kandekar, Kunal, Walsh, Richard J., Curtis, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US15/149,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141, 4554142, 455418, 4554561, 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/91 broadcasting computer programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/53 of destinations
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Systems and methods relating to location-based applications, such as widgets, are disclosed. In general, in one embodiment, location-based application service obtains an anticipated location of a mobile device and determines whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment. An application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment is provided based on the determination, wherein the application identifier at least one of identifies an application for the mobile device to activate and references a remote source for the mobile device to obtain the application.

Claims

1. A location-based application service comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the location-based application service to a plurality of mobile devices via a network; and

a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

obtain an anticipated location of a mobile device;

determine whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment; and

provide an application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment based on the determination, wherein the application identifier at least one of identifies an application for the mobile device to activate and references a remote source for the mobile device to obtain the application.

2. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the application service is a widget service and the application identifier identifies a widget.

3. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to register an application from an application provider and to associate one or more geographic areas with the application.

4. The location-based application service of claim 3, wherein the control system is adapted to register an application from an application provider based on digital certificates received in connection with the application.

5. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to determine whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment by determining, based on historical location information for the mobile device, whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment.

6. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to provide a plurality of application identifiers, at least one of which is associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment.

7. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to:

determine which application identifiers correspond to applications recommended by other users or entities; and

provide one or more application identifiers recommended by the other users or entities.

8. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to provide one or more deactivation criterion for deactivating an application associated with the application identifier, the criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device leaves an area of interest of the associated application; and

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device is more than a predefined distance outside the area of interest of the associated application.

9. The location-based application service of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to provide one or more deactivation criterion for deactivating an application associated with the application identifier, the criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device leaves an area of interest of the associated application;

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device is more than a predefined distance outside the area of interest of the needed application;

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated after a predefined amount of time has expired since the associated application was activated; and

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated after expiration of residual rights.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the control system is adapted to provide an application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment in response to a request for the application identifier from the mobile device.

11. A method for providing a location-based application service, the method comprising:

obtaining an anticipated location of a mobile device;

determining whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment; and

providing an application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment based on the determination, wherein the application identifier at least one of identifies an application for the mobile device to activate and references a remote source for the mobile device to obtain the application.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the application service is a widget service and the application identifier identifies a widget.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising registering an application from an application provider and associating one or more geographic areas with the application.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising registering an application from an application provider based on digital certificates received in connection with the application.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment includes determining, based on historical location information for the mobile device, whether an anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein providing an application identifier includes providing a plurality of application identifiers, at least one of which is associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising:

determining which application identifiers correspond to applications recommended by other users or entities; and

providing one or more application identifiers recommended by the other users or entities.

18. The method of claim 11, comprising providing one or more deactivation criterion for deactivating an application associated with the application identifier, the deactivation criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device leaves an area of interest of the associated application; and

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device is more than a predefined distance outside the area of interest of the associated application.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising providing one or more deactivation criterion for deactivating an application associated with the application identifier, the deactivation criterion selected from the group consisting of:

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device leaves an area of interest of the associated application;

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated when the mobile device is more than a predefined distance outside the area of interest of the needed application;

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated after a predefined amount of time has expired since the associated application was activated; and

a criterion that the associated application is to be deactivated after expiration of residual rights.

20. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein providing an application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment includes providing an application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment in response to a request for the application identifier from the mobile device.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program, executable by a machine, for providing a location-based application service, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:

obtaining an anticipated location of a mobile device;

determining whether the anticipated location of the mobile device is associated with one of a plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with an establishment; and

providing an application identifier associated with the plurality of non-adjacent geographic locations associated with the establishment based on the determination, wherein the application identifier at least one of identifies an application for the mobile device to activate and references a remote source for the mobile device to obtain the application.