Distribution of Targeted Messages and the Serving, Collecting, Managing, and Analyzing and Reporting of Information relating to Mobile and other Electronic Devices

• US 20070262860A1
• Filed: 04/21/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Iain Glendinning, Robert Salinas
• Original Assignee: Iain Glendinning, Robert Salinas
• Inventors: Salinas, Robert, Glendinning, Iain
• Application Number:
  US11/738,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20070262860A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.120
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

The field of invention is computer-implemented methods and systems for distributing targeted messages and the serving, collecting, managing, and analyzing and reporting of information relating to mobile and other electronic devices. Targeting of messages can be improved by employing additional variables to target messages. In the push message process (1000) a message is sent to users of mobile devices based on one or more variables that may include current location as well as temporal variables such as time of day and other spatial or kinetic variables—measured and/or derived—including but not limited horizontal velocity, vertical velocity, heading, orientation, travel distance, travel time, range and/or past points of reference in additional variables such as demographics, user preferences, and/or purchasing behavior. The user may be prompted to take an action in response to the message. In the user request process (2000) a user may make a request for information with or without first receiving a message. The request may be based on one or more variables that may include current location and geographic variables such as altitude as well as temporal variables such as time of day and other spatial or kinetic variables. Information is collected, managed, analyzed, and reported in the collect information process (3000), manage information process (4000), and analysis and report information process (5000), respectively. In addition, such methods and systems can also be used for advertising, marketing, promotions, campaigns, orders, sales, subscriptions, donations, pledges and so on.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for distributing targeted messages comprising:

determining at least one variable relating to an electronic device;

selecting at least one message based on one or more criteria; and

displaying at least one message on a the electronic device, whereby the message is capable of being viewed by at least one user of the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message relates to politics.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message relates to real estate.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the message relates to a product or service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the message relates to a retail establishment.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the message relates to a point of interest.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one variable relating to the electronic device is a geographic variable indicating a location and one of the criteria is the location of the device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one variable relating to the electronic device is a geographic variable indicating a jurisdiction and one of the criteria is a jurisdiction.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographic variables include at least one geographic variable other than current latitude, current longitude, and current elevation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a first variable is latitude and a second variable is longitude.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the variables include latitude, longitude, and elevation.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one variable represents a time.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one variable represents a velocity.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one variable represents a heading.

15. A system for distributing messages to mobile devices comprising:

a mobile device having at least one processor;

a display in communication with the processor;

a receiver in communication with the processor, whereby the receiver is capable of receiving data from at least one source;

a transmitter in communication with the processor, whereby the transmitter is capable of transmitting data through one or more network(s);

at least one server connected to one or more network(s), whereby the server is in communication with the receiver and transmitter of the mobile device; and

at least one geographic variable, whereby the geographic variable is transmitted by the transmitter;

at least one message, whereby the message is communicated by the server, received by the receiver, and displayed on the display.

16. A system for serving information to mobile devices comprising:

a mobile device having at least one processor;

a display in communication with the processor;

a receiver in communication with the processor, whereby the receiver is capable of receiving data from at least one source;

a transmitter in communication with the processor, whereby the transmitter is capable of transmitting data through one or more network(s);

at least one server connected to one or more network(s), whereby the server is in communication with the receiver and transmitter of the mobile device; and

at least one geographic variable, whereby the geographic variable is transmitted by the transmitter;

at least one request, whereby the request is transmitted by the transmitter, received by the server, processed by the server; and

at least one response, whereby the response is communicated by the server, received by the receiver, and displayed on the display.

17. A system for collecting information using mobile devices comprising:

a mobile device having at least one processor;

a receiver in communication with the processor, whereby the receiver is capable of receiving data from at least one source;

a transmitter in communication with the processor, whereby the transmitter is capable of transmitting data through one or more network(s);

at least one geographic variable, whereby the geographic variable is transmitted by the transmitter;

at least one server having at least one storage medium is connected to one or more network(s), whereby the server is in communication with the receiver and transmitter of the mobile device; and

at least one transmission, whereby the geographic variable is transmitted by the transmitter, received by the server, processed by the server; and

wherein the geographic variable is saved in at least one storage medium.

18. A system for managing information using mobile devices comprising:

a mobile device having at least one processor and at least one storage medium;

a display in communication with the processor, whereby at least some information is recalled from the storage medium and displayed on the display;

a receiver in communication with the processor, whereby the receiver is capable of receiving data from at least one source;

a transmitter in communication with the processor, whereby the transmitter is capable of transmitting data through one or more network(s);

at least one server connected to one or more network(s), whereby the server is in communication with the receiver and transmitter of the mobile device; and

at least one change, whereby the change is transmitted by the transmitter, received by the server, processed by the server; and

information about at least one user of a mobile device wherein the information is modified in response to the change and saved in at least one storage medium.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the information relates to a plurality of users of mobile devices.

21. A system of claim 18 wherein the information relates to destinations of a plurality of users of electronic devices.

22. A system of claim 19 wherein the information relates to preferences of a plurality of users of electronic devices.

23. A system of claim 19 wherein the information relates to purchases of a plurality of users of electronic devices.

20. A system for analyzing and reporting information using electronic devices comprising:

at least one server having at least one storage medium connected to one or more network(s), whereby the server is in communication with a plurality of electronic devices; and

information about at least one user of a mobile device wherein the information about a user of an electronic device wherein the information is recalled from the storage medium, processed, and communicated by the server.

24. A system for distributing messages to mobile devices comprising:

a mobile device having at least one processor;

a display in communication with the processor;

a receiver in communication with the processor, whereby the receiver is capable of receiving data from at least one source;

a transmitter in communication with the processor, whereby the transmitter is capable of transmitting data through one or more network(s);

at least one server connected to one or more network(s), whereby the server is in communication with the receiver and transmitter of the mobile device; and

at least one geographic variable, whereby the geographic variable is transmitted by the transmitter;

at least one message, whereby the message is communicated by the server, received by the receiver, and displayed on the display.

25. A system for distributing messages or serving information comprising:

a transmitter at a location of a promoted item wherein the transmitter comprises a RFID tag or NFC chip;

a receiver in communication with a mobile device;

a database containing at least a record of the promoted item whereby a message or information about the promoted item can be identified; and

a means for retrieval and display of the record of the promoted item.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the promoted item is real estate.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the information includes the property profile.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the variables include current latitude and current longitude.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein the variables include time of day and GPS coordinates.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the first input includes a description for the location.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the method comprises an additional step of determining if the location of user has remained immobile during a pre-determined period of time and flagging the location as a destination.

28. A computer implemented method for managing locations comprising:

locating a device;

whereby at least one variable indicates a location of the device;

in response to a first input, storing the location represented by on the geographic variable in a database;

in response to a second input, recalling the location.

33. A computer implemented method for determining if user is at a destination comprising:

locating a mobile device a first time;

whereby at least one variable is known about the location of the mobile device;

storing at least the one geographic variable in a user database;

locating the mobile device at least a second time;

whereby at least one variable is known about the location of the mobile device; and

determining if the location of user remained within a predetermined area for a pre-determined period of time, and if affirmative, recording the location as a destination.

44. The method of claim 33 wherein the method comprises an additional step of determining if a plurality of users if the plurality exceeds a pre-determined threshold and flagging the location as a popular location (aka “

Hotspot”

).

45. The method of claim 44 wherein at least one pre-determined threshold is 50 records.

34. A computer implemented method for analyzing and reporting information about a plurality of users of mobile devices comprising:

clustering of destinations within one or more pre-determined tolerances;

summing the number of records for each cluster of destinations;

saving the sum of the number of records for each cluster;

35. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one pre-determined tolerance is a pre-determined distance.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one pre-determined tolerance is a distance of less than 100 meters.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one pre-determined tolerance is a pre-determined timeframe.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein at least one pre-determined tolerance is a time period of 4 hours.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein the method has a preliminary step of filtering the records by at least one criteria.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the preliminary step of filtering uses a user demographic.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein the preliminary step of filtering uses a user preference.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein the preliminary step of filtering uses a time period.

43. The method of claim 39 wherein the preliminary step of filtering uses a day of week.