Determining a significant user location for providing location-based services

• US 10,362,440 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dal Santo, Michael P., Marti, Lukas M., Huang, Ronald K, Cao, Lili
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US15/475,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• 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: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• 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 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes

Abstract

Systems, methods, and program products for providing services to a user by a mobile device based on the user'"'"'s daily routine of movement. The mobile device determines whether a location cluster indicates a significant location for the user based on one or more hints that indicate an interest of the user in locations in the cluster. The mobile device can perform adaptive clustering to determine a size of area of the significant location based on how multiple locations converge in the location cluster. The mobile device can provide location-based services for calendar items, including predicting a time of arrival at an estimated location of a calendar item. The mobile device can provide various services related to a location of the mobile device or a significant location of the user through an application programming interface (API).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, locations of a mobile device;

determining that a plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that a timespan associated with the plurality of locations exceeds a threshold time value, wherein the threshold time value is determined based on data indicating whether a user of the mobile device performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations;

responsive to determining that the plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that the timespan associated with the plurality of locations exceeds the threshold time value, determining that the plurality of locations form a location cluster, and

storing an indication identifying the location cluster as a location of interest.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user input a search query regarding an address at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user input a search query regarding an entity at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the entity is a business.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user associated a calendar item in a calendar application with a location at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold time value is assigned a first value when the data indicates that the user has not performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations, and

wherein the threshold time value is assigned a second value when the data indicates that the user has performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations, wherein the second value is less than the first value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a second plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that a second timespan associated with the second plurality of locations exceeds a second threshold time value, wherein the second threshold time value is determined based on second data indicating whether the user performed one or more second acts with respect with the second plurality of locations, and wherein the second threshold time value is different than the first threshold time value;

responsive to determining that the second plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that the second timespan associated with the second plurality of locations exceeds the second threshold time value, determining that the second plurality of locations form a second location cluster, and

storing a second indication identifying the second location cluster as a second location of interest.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold time value varies based on the data indicating whether the user of the mobile device performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processes, causes:

determining, by one or more processors, locations of a mobile device;

determining that a plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that a timespan associated with the plurality of locations exceeds a threshold time value, wherein the threshold time value is determined based on data indicating whether a user of the mobile device performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations;

responsive to determining that the plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that the timespan associated with the plurality of locations exceeds the threshold time value, determining that the plurality of locations form a location cluster, and

storing an indication identifying the location cluster as a location of interest.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user input a search query regarding an address at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user input a search query regarding an entity at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the entity is a business.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user associated a calendar item in a calendar application with a location at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the threshold time value is assigned a first value when the data indicates that the user has not performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations, and

wherein the threshold time value is assigned a second value when the data indicates that the user has performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations, wherein the second value is less than the first value.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that a second plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that a second timespan associated with the second plurality of locations exceeds a second threshold time value, wherein the second threshold time value is determined based on second data indicating whether the user performed one or more second acts with respect with the second plurality of locations, and wherein the second threshold time value is different than the first threshold time value;

responsive to determining that the second plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that the second timespan associated with the second plurality of locations exceeds the second threshold time value, determining that the second plurality of locations form a second location cluster, and

storing a second indication identifying the second location cluster as a second location of interest.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processes, causes;

determining, by one or more processors, locations of a mobile device;

determining that a plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that a timespan associated with the plurality of locations exceeds a threshold time value, wherein the threshold time value is determined based on data indicating whether a user of the mobile device performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations;

responsive to determining that the plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that the timespan associated with the plurality of locations exceeds the threshold time value, determining that the plurality of locations form a location cluster, and

storing an indication identifying the location cluster as a location of interest.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user input a search query regarding an address at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user input a search query regarding an entity at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the entity is a business.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the data comprises an indication that the user associated a calendar item in a calendar application with a location at or in geographical proximity with at least one of the locations of the plurality of locations.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the threshold time value is assigned a first value when the data indicates that the user has not performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations, and

wherein the threshold time value is assigned a second value when the data indicates that the user has performed one or more acts with respect with the plurality of locations, wherein the second value is less than the first value.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that a second plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that a second timespan associated with the second plurality of locations exceeds a second threshold time value, wherein the second threshold time value is determined based on second data indicating whether the user performed one or more second acts with respect with the second plurality of locations, and wherein the second threshold time value is different than the first threshold time value;

responsive to determining that the second plurality of locations are in geographical proximity and that the second timespan associated with the second plurality of locations exceeds the second threshold time value, determining that the second plurality of locations form a second location cluster, and

storing a second indication identifying the second location cluster as a second location of interest.