LOCATION-BASED PROMOTION FOR A MOBILE COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100331016A1
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Geodelic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Geodelic Incorporated
• Inventors: DUTTON, KEITH, Coady, Aric, Woody, William E., Pisoni, David
• Application Number:
  US12/789,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20100331016A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 for mobile advertising

Abstract

Methods and systems for location-based promotions are presented. A location of a mobile device is determined and transmitted to a server computer via a wireless communications network, along with user identification information. One or more location-based applications are run on the mobile device. At least one of the applications receives location-based content based on a context determined by the server computer. The location-based content including a promotion for a location associated with the location-based content. The application further executes a promotional function based on the promotion.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer, location information associated with a mobile device;

determining, by the computer, a context associated with the mobile device;

sending the context to a content source;

determining, by the content source, location-based content based on the context, the location-based content including a promotion for a location associated with the location-based content; and

transmitting, from the content source via a mobile communications network, the location-based content to an application running on the mobile device, the application being configured to display a representation of the location-based content on a display of the mobile device and to execute a promotional function based on the promotion.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the location is a merchant location, wherein the promotion is a digital coupon, and wherein the promotional function includes deducting a value of the digital coupon from a purchase transaction executed at the merchant location using the mobile device.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the promotion includes a time limit and a geographic area limit to a location within a geographic area.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the value deducted for a specific user is based a usage pattern associated with the user.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a distribution of where the coupon is presented is based on one or more of:

user viewing patterns, redemption patterns, implicit user preferences, and user-defined preferences.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising executing, by a purchase transaction application running on the mobile device, a purchase transaction at the location, the purchase transaction including the promotional function.

7. A method comprising:

determining a location of a mobile device;

transmitting location information associated with the location to a server computer via a wireless communications network;

transmitting user identification information associated with a user of the mobile device to the server computer via the wireless communications network;

running one or more location-based applications on the mobile device;

receiving, by at least one of the one or more location-based applications from the server computer via the wireless communications network, location-based content based on a context determined by the server computer, the location-based content including a promotion for a location associated with the location-based content; and

executing, by the at least one application, a promotional function based on the promotion.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising displaying, by the at least one application, a representation of the location based content in a display of the mobile device.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the location is a merchant location, wherein the promotion is a digital coupon, and wherein the promotional function includes deducting a value of the digital coupon from a purchase transaction executed at the merchant location using the mobile device.

10. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the promotion includes a time limit and a geographic area limit to a location within a geographic area.

11. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the value deducted for a specific user is based on a usage pattern associated with the user.

12. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the merchant location is a grocery store.

13. The method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising executing, by a purchase transaction application running on the mobile device, a purchase transaction at the location, the purchase transaction including the promotional function.

14. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the location-based content includes information about the location.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the information about the location is updated according to movement of the mobile device from the location to another location.

16. A method comprising:

running one or more location-based applications on the mobile device;

receiving, by at least one of the one or more location-based applications from a server computer via the wireless communications network, location-based content based on a context determined by the server computer, the location-based content including a promotion associated with the location-based content, the context being based on a location of the mobile device and a historical profile of a user of the mobile device;

accessing, by the at least one location-based application, the location-based content to execute the promotion to generate a promotional function that is personalized for the user of the mobile device based on the context;

executing, by the at least one application, the promotional function based an input from the user of the mobile device.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the location is a merchant location, wherein the promotion is a digital coupon, and wherein the promotional function includes deducting a value of the digital coupon from a purchase transaction executed at the merchant location using the mobile device.

18. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the promotion includes a time limit and a geographic area limit to a location within a geographic area.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the value deducted for a specific user is based on a usage pattern associated with the user.

20. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the location-based content includes information about the location that is updated according to movement of the mobile device from the location to another location.