Providing points of interest to user devices in variable zones

• US 9,872,147 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Xiaohang, Shamsi, Farhan, Okshtein, Yakov, Singleton, David, Gresham, Douglas Alexander, Newberger, Alan, Zhang, Lixin
• Primary Examiner(s): LAU, TUNG S
• Application Number:
  US14/572,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20150100271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 702150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Receiving point of interest zones and alerts on user devices comprises communicating, by a user computing device to a remote computing device, a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user device; presenting the received point of interest data; identifying a particular point of interest; and outputting an alert regarding the particular point of interest. Receiving point of interest zones on user devices comprises communicating a request for point of interest data; receiving the point of interest data from the remote network device wherein a size of the point of interest zone is determined based on a density of points of interest in the proximity of the user, and wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in the opposite direction; and presenting the received point of interest data.

Claims

1. A system to receive server-controlled point of interest zones on user computing devices, comprising:

a user computing device; and

a point of interest location system;

the user computing device comprising a processor, a web browser application, and a point of interest alert application logically coupled to the web browser application, the point of interest alert application configured to;

communicate, to the network device operated by the point of interest location system, location data of the user computing device;

receive point of interest data from the network device operated by the point of interest location system, the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of point of interest identity, point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for one or more points of interest in a point of interest zone defined by server configured boundaries around the user computing device;

display the point of interest data to the user;

identify a proximate point of interest identity associated with a point of interest of the one or more points of interest at such time as the user enters within a configured range of the proximate point of interest;

alert the user to the proximate point of interest; and

display an offer associated with the proximate point of interest, and

the point of interest location system network device comprising a processor and a point of interest location system application executing therein, the point of interest location system application configured to;

establish a database of points of interest for a user account and one or more offers associated with one or more of the points of interest;

receive location data from the user computing device;

search the database for points of interest proximate to the user computing device based on the location data and the one or more offers associated with the points of interest;

determine a set of boundaries to define the point of interest zone around the user computing device, the point of interest zone being sized to comprise the one or more points of interest;

determine a direction of travel of the user computing device and a speed of the user computing device;

adjust the shape of the point of interest zone based at least in part on the direction of travel and the speed of the user computing device, wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel;

transmit, to the user computing device, the boundaries of the adjusted point of interest zone, the points of interest comprised therein, and the one or more offers associated with the transmitted points of interest;

determine that one or more offers associated with the transmitted points of interest has been revised; and

transmit the revised one or more offers to the user computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, the point of interest alert application further configured to:

determine whether a specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

request an updated transmission of point of interest data in response to a determination that the specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

receive updated point of interest data; and

present the updated point of interest data.

3. The system claim 1, wherein the direction of travel is determined by a comparison of changing locations of the user computing device.

4. A method to receive server-controlled point of interest zones on user computing devices, comprising:

communicating, using a user computing device and to a network device operated by a point of interest location system, location data of the user computing device;

receiving, using the point of interest alert application on the user computing device, point of interest data from the network device operated by the point of interest location system, the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of point of interest identity, point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for the points of interest in the point of interest zone defined by server configured boundaries;

displaying, using the point of interest alert application on the user computing device, the point of interest data to the user;

identifying, using the point of interest alert application on the user computing device, a proximate point of interest identity at such time as the user enters within a configured range of the point of interest;

alerting, using the point of interest alert application on the user computing device, the user to the proximate point of interest;

displaying, using the point of interest alert application on the user computing device, an offer associated with the point of interest;

establishing, using one or more computing devices, a database of points of interest for a user account and one or more offers associated with one or more of the points of interest;

receiving, using the one or more computing devices, location data from the user computing device;

searching, using the one or more computing devices, the database for points of interest proximate to the user computing device based on the location data and the one or more offers associated with the points of interest;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, a set of boundaries to define the point of interest zone around the user computing device, the point of interest zone being sized to comprise a configured number of points of interest;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, a direction of travel of the user computing device and a speed of the user computing device;

adjusting, using the one or more computing devices, the shape of the point of interest zone based at least in part on the direction of travel and the speed of the user computing device;

transmitting, using the one or more computing devices, the adjusted boundaries of the point of interest zone, the points of interest comprised therein, and the one or more offers associated with the transmitted points of interest;

determining, using the one or more computing devices, that one or more offers associated with the transmitted points of interest has been revised; and

transmitting, using the one or more computing devices, the revised one or more offers to the user computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, using the user computing device, whether a specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

requesting, using the user computing device, an updated transmission of point of interest data in response to a determination that the specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

receiving, using the user computing device updated point of interest data; and

presenting, using the user computing device, the updated point of interest data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the direction of travel is determined by a comparison of changing locations of the user computing device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to receive server-controlled point of interest zones on user computing devices, the computer-executable program instructions comprising;

computer-executable program instructions to communicate, using a user computing device, to a network device operated by a point of interest location system, location data of the user computing device;

computer-executable program instructions to receive, using the user computing device, point of interest data from the network device operated by the point of interest location system, the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of point of interest identity, point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for the points of interest in the point of interest zone defined by server configured boundaries;

computer-executable program instructions to display, using the user computing device, the point of interest data;

computer-executable program instructions to identify, using the user computing device, a proximate point of interest identity at such time as the user computing device enters within a configured range of the point of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to output, using the user computing device, an alert regarding the proximate point of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to display, using the user computing device, an offer associated with the point of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to establish, using one or more computing devices, a database of points of interest for the user account and one or more offers associated with one or more of the points of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to receive, using the one or more computing devices, location data from the user computing device associated with a user account;

computer-executable program instructions to search, using the one or more computing devices, a database of points of interest associated with the user account for points of interest proximate to the user computing device based on the location data and the one or more offers associated with the points of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to determine, using the one or more computing devices, a set of boundaries to define the point of interest zone around the user computing device, the point of interest zone being sized to comprise a configured number of points of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to determine, using the point of interest location system application operating on the one or more computing devices, a direction of travel of the user computing device and a speed of the user computing device;

computer-executable program instructions to adjust, using the point of interest location system application operating on the one or more computing device, the shape of the point of interest zone based at least in part on the direction of travel and the speed of the user computing device;

computer-executable program instructions to transmit, using the one or more computing devices, the adjusted boundaries of the point of interest zone, the points of interest comprised therein, and the one or more offers associated with the transmitted points of interest;

computer-executable program instructions to determine, using the one or more computing devices, that one or more offers associated with the transmitted points of interest has been revised; and

computer-executable program instructions to transmit, using the one or more computing devices, the revised one or more offers to the user computing device.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer-executable program instructions to determine, using the user computing device, whether a specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

computer-executable program instructions to request, using the user computing device, an updated transmission of point of interest data in response to a determination that the specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

computer-executable program instructions to receive, using the user computing device, updated point of interest data; and

computer-executable program instructions to present, using the user computing device, the updated point of interest data.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the direction of travel is determined by a comparison of changing locations of the user computing device.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel.