Method and apparatus for providing group route recommendations

• US 9,883,340 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Boldyrev, Sergey, Biswas, Debmalya, Tarkkala, Lauri
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, SHARDUL D
• Application Number:
  US13/572,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 701533, 701400, 707 3, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• 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: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• 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

Abstract

An approach is provided for providing alternative route recommendations for a group of nearby users in a privacy preserving manner. A recommendation platform determines at least one group of one or more users within proximity of at least one location-based service, at least one location-based event, or a combination thereof. A recommendation platform processes and/or facilitates a processing of one or more datasets associated with the group to cause, at least in part, a determination of whether to recommend the at least one location-based service, the at least one location-based event, or a combination thereof to the group. A recommendation platform causes, at least in part, a presentation of the at least one location-based service, the at least one location-based event, or a combination thereof to the group, the one or more users, or a combination thereof based, at least in part, on the determination of whether to recommend.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing for determination by a processor of at least one group of two or more users within proximity of at least one location-based event, wherein proximity is established based on one or more of a global positioning system sensor or cellular triangulation associated with each of the users;

providing for determination of one or more privacy settings of the two or more users, to the at least one group, or a combination thereof;

processing, by the processor, one or more datasets associated with the at least one group to cause, at least in part, a determination of whether to provide for recommendation of attending the at least one location-based event to the at least one group;

providing for presentation of the at least one location-based event and one or more alternative travel routes to the at least one location-based event to each of the two or more users of the at least one group from their respective current positions based, at least in part, on the determination of whether to recommend;

providing for determination of one or more responses from a first user of the at least one group to the presentation of the at least one location-based event; and

providing for an initiation of one or more services to at least a second user of the at least one group based on the one or more responses from the first user, the one or more services being to assist at least the second user to attend the at least one location-based event, wherein (a) the determination of whether to recommend;

(b) the presentation of the at least one location-based event;

or (c) a combination thereof is based, at least in part, on the one or more privacy settings, and wherein the one or more responses from the first user are provided via an input to a user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for presentation of the at least one location-based event in a mapping user interface, a navigation user interface, or a combination thereof, of at least one of the two or more users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more datasets includes, at least in part, one or more reference datasets, one or more behavioral datasets, one or more social datasets, one or more personal datasets, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing for determination of the at least one group based, at least in part, on whether the one or more reference datasets, the one or more behavioral datasets, the one or more social datasets, the one or more personal datasets, or a combination thereof are at least substantially similar for all or a portion of the two or more users.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing for determination of an anonymity level associated with the at least one group based, at least in part, on a number of the two or more users, wherein (a) the determination of whether to recommend;

(b) the presentation of the at least one location-based event;

or (c) a combination thereof is based, at least in part, on the anonymity level.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing for determination to recommend one or more locations for the two or more users to travel based, at least in part, on the anonymity level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location-based event includes, at least in part, a group-oriented service, a group-oriented event, or a combination thereof.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

determine at least one group of two or more users within proximity of at least one location-based event, wherein proximity is established based on one or more of a global positioning system sensor or cellular triangulation associated with each of the users;

determine one or more privacy settings of the two or more users, to the at least one group, or a combination thereof;

process one or more datasets associated with the at least one group to cause, at least in part, a determination of whether to provide for recommendation of attending the at least one location-based event to the at least one group;

cause, at least in part, a presentation of the at least one location-based event and one or more alternative travel routes to the at least one location-based event to each of the two or more users of the at least one group from their respective current positions based, at least in part, on the determination of whether to recommend;

determine one or more responses from the at least one group, the two more users, or a combination thereof to the presentation of the at least one location-based event; and

cause, at least in part, an initiation of one or more services to assist the group, the two or more users, or a combination thereof to attend the at least one location-based event, wherein (a) the determination of whether to recommend;

(b) the presentation of the at least one location-based event;

or (c) a combination thereof is based, at least in part, on the one or more privacy settings, and wherein the one or more responses are provided via an input to a user interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a presentation of the at least one location-based event in a mapping user interface, a navigation user interface, or a combination thereof, of at least one of the two or more users.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more datasets includes, at least in part, one or more reference datasets, one or more behavioral datasets, one or more social datasets, one or more personal datasets, or a combination thereof.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine the at least one group based, at least in part, on whether the one or more reference datasets, the one or more behavioral datasets, the one or more social datasets, the one or more personal datasets, or a combination thereof are at least substantially similar for all or a portion of the two or more users.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine an anonymity level associated with the at least one group based, at least in part, on a number of the two or more users, wherein (a) the determination of whether to recommend;

(b) the presentation of the at least one location-based event;

or (c) a combination thereof is based, at least in part, on the anonymity level.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine to recommend one or more locations for the two or more users to travel based, at least in part, on the anonymity level.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one location-based event includes, at least in part, a group-oriented service, a group-oriented event, or a combination thereof.