Adaptive location branding

• US 9,883,344 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CollegeNET Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CollegeNET Incorporated
• Inventors: Bolton, Jeff Michael, Wolfston, Jr., James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/949,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20170150319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method and system for providing location-specific information to users, wherein this information is directly maintained and supplied by the provider of the service. This information is supplied by means of an application running on a personal communication device, where the application is developed and provided by a third-party servicer (e.g., CollegeNET) and the third party servicer makes various program options/APIs of the application available to and selectable by its customers (e.g., various universities). This way, the organization wanting to supply the information, such as a university, does not have to develop their own unique applications to provide a unique user experience tied to the university, and the users don'"'"'t have to download an application for each school they visit.

Claims

1. A method for changing the appearance and/or functionality of a location-aware application on a portable communication device based on a detected location, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a location of the portable communications device by receiving a location signal from a location-defining device, the location-defining device comprising at least one of;

a multiplicity of GPS satellites, a Wi-Fi local network, a near-field communication (NFC) device, an iBeacon, geo-fencing with locational beacons, a Bluetooth device, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device, and a mobile cellular network device;

interrogating a web-based service hosted by a third-party servicer for information pertaining to a college or university to be provided to the user, the information corresponding to the college or university located at the detected location and from a database of the third-party servicer populated with data provided to the third-party servicer by the college or university;

receiving, by the portable communications device using the location-defining device, the information pertaining to the college or university from the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer to be provided to the user; and

modifying a graphical user interface of the location-aware application of the portable communication device with the information received from the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer such that the graphical user interface of the location-aware application includes branding information associated with the college or university;

in which the branding information associated with the college or university is selected from a group consisting of;

a logo associated with the college or university, a slogan associated with the college or university, a color scheme associated with the college or university, and a mascot associated with the college or university;

wherein the information to be provided to the user includes location-specific notifications; and

wherein the information displayed to the user includes the location-specific notifications; and

wherein the location-specific notifications includes information about upcoming events scheduled for the detected location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information to be provided to the user comprises scheduling options;

and wherein the information displayed to the user comprises the scheduling options.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if there is a change in the detected location from the location-defining device, then the steps of interrogating, receiving and displaying are repeated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after a pre-determined period of time has elapsed, then the steps of interrogating, receiving and displaying are repeated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location-definition devices interrogated for the location of the portable communication device are the GPS satellites.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling options comprise class assignments for the detected location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second location of the portable communications device by receiving a second location signal from a location-defining device, the location-defining device comprising at least one of;

a multiplicity of GPS satellites, a Wi-Fi local network, a near-field communication (NFC) device, an iBeacon, geo-fencing with locational beacons, a Bluetooth device, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device, and a mobile cellular network device;

interrogating the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer for information pertaining to a second college or university to be provided to the user, the information corresponding to the college or university located at the second detected location and from the database of the third-party servicer populated with data provided to the third-party servicer by the second college or university;

receiving, by the portable communications device using the location-defining device, the information pertaining to the second college or university from the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer to be provided to the user; and

modifying the user interface of the location-aware application of the portable communication device with the information received from the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer such that the user interface of the location-aware application includes branding information associated with the second college or university.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer processor of a portable communications device, cause the portable communications device to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A portable communications device comprising:

a computer processor coupled to a bus;

a receiver coupled to the bus, the receiver adapted for receiving a location signal from a location-defining device;

a display screen coupled to the bus, the display screen adapted for displaying the information to the user of the portable communication device; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium coupled to the bus, the computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the device to perform the step of;

detecting, by the receiver, the location of the portable communications device by receiving a location signal from a location-defining device, the location-defining device comprising at least one of;

a multiplicity of GPS satellites, a Wi-Fi local network, a near-field communication (NFC) device, an iBeacon, geo-fencing with locational beacons, a Bluetooth device, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device, and a mobile cellular network device;

interrogating, by the computer processor, a web-based service hosted by a third-party servicer for information pertaining to a college or university to be provided to the user, the information corresponding to the college or university located at the detected location and from a database of the third-party servicer populated with data provided to the third-party servicer by the college or university;

receiving, by the computer processor using the location-defining device, the information from the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer to be provided to the user; and

modifying, by the computer processor, a graphical user interface of the location-aware application displayed on the display the portable communication device with the information received from the web-based service hosted by the third-party servicer such that the graphical user interface of the location-aware application includes branding information associated with the college or university;

in which the branding information associated with the college or university is selected from a group consisting of;

a logo associated with the college or university, a slogan associated with the college or university, a color scheme associated with the college or university, and a mascot associated with the college or university;

wherein the information to be provided to the user includes location-specific notifications; and

wherein the information displayed to the user includes the location-specific notifications; and

wherein the location-specific notifications includes information about upcoming events scheduled for the detected location.