Using a polygon to select a geolocation

• US 9,774,696 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airship Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Urban Airship, Inc.
• Inventors: Calvert, Michael W., Standefer, Benjamin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US13/763,572
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709246, 709609, 707 3, 707 5, 707 4, 707E17109, 707202, 4554561, 455455, 455404
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

Selecting a geolocation using a polygon is disclosed. User input is received. One or more polygons used to define an audience are determined based at least in part on the received user input. At least one polygon is displayed. Content is sent to the audience defined by the polygon in response to a received confirmation of the at least one polygon.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive, from a user, user input including target geographical information;

determine, based at least in part on the received user input, one or more polygons corresponding to the target geographical information;

map one or more user devices onto a set of polygons of the determined one or more polygons, the set of polygons selected from the determined polygons based, in part on, one or more audience segment criteria, the one or more audience segment criteria including at least a location, a time period in which the one or more user devices were previously associated with the location, and a tag associated with the one or more user devices specified by the user;

provide, for display to the user, at least one of the determined polygons and an indication of a segment of user devices that were located within a geographical region inside the determined polygon, the segment of user devices comprising an audience segment defined by the one or more audience segment criteria;

provide, for display to the user, a preview of the audience segment including one or more demographic statistics about the segment of user devices located within the geographical region inside at least one of the determined polygons;

transmit, in response to a received confirmation of the at least one polygon, content to an audience comprising a segment of user devices that were located within the geographical region inside the determined polygon; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the user input includes a geographic coordinate, a Boolean operation, and at least one additional filtering parameter on which the Boolean operation is to be performed, the additional filtering parameter selected from a time information and a user-specified tag; and

the audience is defined by a segment of user devices that additionally satisfies the additional filtering parameter specified in the user input in accordance with the Boolean operation.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein determining the one or more polygons includes determining that the one or more polygons include the geographic coordinate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the user input is associated with navigation of a map; and

a resolution of the determined polygons is determined in accordance with a zoom level of the map.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the navigation implicates a geographic area.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more polygons are associated with locations determined to be included in the geographic area.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user input includes a location name.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein determining the one or more polygons includes determining that the one or more polygons are associated with the location name.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more polygons are provided for display to the user on a map.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the segment of devices includes a set of devices indexed according to the at least one polygon; and

the content is associated with the target geographical information in the user input and is sent as a push notification to the segment of devices that were located within the geographical region inside the determined polygon.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a user, user input including target geographical information;

determining, based at least in part on the received user input, one or more polygons corresponding to the target geographical information;

mapping one or more user devices onto a set of polygons of the determined one or more polygons, the set of polygons selected from the determined polygons based, in part on, one or more audience segment criteria, the one or more audience segment criteria including a location, a time period in which the one or more user devices were previously associated with the location, and a tag associated with the user device specified by the user;

providing, for display to the user, at least one of the determined polygons and an indication of a segment of user devices that were located within a geographical region inside the determined polygon, the segment of user devices comprising an audience segment defined by the one or more audience segment criteria;

providing, for display to the user, a preview of the audience segment including one or more demographic statistics about the segment of user devices located within the geographical region inside at least one of the determined polygons; and

transmit, in response to a received confirmation of the at least one polygon, sending content to an audience comprising a segment of user devices that were located within the geographical region inside the determined polygon.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the user input includes a geographic coordinate, a Boolean operation, and at least one additional filtering parameter on which the Boolean operation is to be performed, the additional filtering parameter selected from a time information and a user-specified tag; and

the audience is defined by a segment of user devices that additionally satisfies the additional filtering parameter specified in the user input in accordance with the Boolean operation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the one or more polygons includes determining that the one or more polygons include the geographic coordinate.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the user input is associated with navigation of a map; and

a resolution of the determined polygons is determined in accordance with a zoom level of the map.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the navigation implicates a geographic area.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more polygons are associated with locations determined to be included in the geographic area.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the user input includes a location name.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the one or more polygons includes determining that the one or more polygons are associated with the location name.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more polygons are provided for display to the user on a map.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer instructions for:

receiving, from a user, user input including target geographical information;

determining, based at least in part on the received user input, one or more polygons corresponding to the target geographical information;

mapping one or more user devices onto a set of polygons of the determined one or more polygons, the set of polygons selected from the determined polygons based, in part on, one or more audience segment criteria, the one or more audience segment criteria including a location and a time period in which the one or more user device were previously associated with the location, and a tag associated with the user devices specified by the user;

providing, for display to the user, at least one of the determined polygons and an indication of a segment of user devices that were located within a geographical region inside the determined polygon, the segment of user devices comprising an audience segment defined by the one or more audience segment criteria;

providing, for display to the user, a preview of the audience segment including one or more demographic statistics about the segment of user devices located within the geographical region inside at least one of the determined polygons; and

transmitting, in response to a received confirmation of the at least one polygon, content to an audience comprising a segment of user devices that were located within the geographical region inside the determined polygon.