Systems and Methods to Recommend Businesses to a User of a Wireless Device Based on a Location History Associated with the User

• US 20130137463A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enhanced Geographic LLC
• Inventors: Busch, James David
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• 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

In general, the invention relates to methods and systems that record the location of a user and determine the corresponding physical named location (e.g. business location) visited by the user. The system further provides suggested or recommended destinations and targeted content to the user. A network includes a server programmed with a database of location information, a database of user information, payment account information, and a wireless communication system capable of communicating with the user'"'"'s mobile device. The location of the mobile device is ascertained and recorded. The system determines the physical named location (e.g. business location) visited by the user at a particular time and stores the information in a location history. The system further provides suggested or recommended businesses of interest based on the user'"'"'s current location and location history.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method, used by a location based service system including at least one server having at least one network interface, of identifying a physical named location visited by a user of a wireless device having a wireless communication interface and a geographic location sensor, storing the identified named location in a location history associated with the user, and recommending a business of interest to the user, comprising the acts of:

a) receiving, from the wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device determined based at least in part on information from the geographic location sensor of the wireless device;

b) transmitting, to the wireless device, the name of at least one of a plurality of named locations near the geographic location of the wireless device based on a database including named locations and associated geographic location information;

c) receiving, from the wireless device, an indicated named location, selected from the at least one of a plurality of named locations, corresponding to the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device;

d) storing information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location;

e) receiving at a subsequent time, from the wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to an updated geographic location of the wireless device determined based at least in part on information from the geographic location sensor of the wireless device; and

,

f) transmitting, to the wireless device, a recommended location, based on the updated geographic location of the wireless device.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

g) comparing the updated geographic location information to stored information indicating boundaries associated with physical named locations, and determining whether the device is located within a boundary associated with the recommended named location, and

h) storing information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the recommended location.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

g) receiving, from the wireless device, an indicated named location corresponding to the recommended location corresponding to the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify the user of the wireless device visited the recommended location; and

h) storing information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the recommended location.

22. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found, wherein the recommended location is further based on the stored location information pertaining to another user of the location based services system.

23. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found, wherein the recommended location is further based on the stored information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location.

24. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found, wherein the recommended location further includes targeted content.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the recommended location including targeted content is based upon at least one of the following:

i) a route that the user of the wireless device is determined to have taken in the past;

ii) a current route of the user as determined based upon a request for directions;

iii) a current route of the user as determined based upon an anticipated route determined by the system;

iv) a type of business along a route that the user has previously traveled on;

v) a businesses or type of business that the user is determined to have visited based upon geographic location data stored in the system;

vi) a business or type of business that the user is determined to have visited based upon payment system data;

vii) a history of the advertisements or other targeted content that the user has responded to;

viii) a list of keywords in which the user has indicated an interested;

ix) a user profile that details search trends or interests of the user;

or

x) a status message received from the user of the wireless device.

26. The method of claim Error! Reference source not found, wherein the recommended location is transmitted to the wireless device in response to a search query received from the wireless device.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

the location based services system transmitting search results, in response to the search query, that are weighted with stored information indicating the number of users that visited the physical named location.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

the location based services system transmitting search results, in response to the search query, that are weighted with stored information indicating the number of users that are currently visiting the physical named location.

31. A system that identifies a physical named location visited by a user of a wireless device, and recommending a business of interest to the user, comprising:

a) a system including at least one server including a central processing unit, network interface, and memory;

b) a memory of the system containing information associated with a plurality of named locations including the name and geographic location information;

c) the system configured to use a network interface of the system to receive data corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device;

d) a central processing unit of the system configured to generate a list of named locations, based on a database including named locations and associated geographic location information, corresponding to physical named locations near the geographic location of the wireless device;

e) the system configured to use a network interface to transmit the list of named locations to the wireless device;

f) the system configured to use a network interface to receive an indicated named location from the list of the named locations corresponding to the physical named location visited to verify the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device;

g) the system configured to store the indicated named location in a memory of the system as the physical named location visited by a user of a wireless device;

h) the system configured to use a network interface to receive at a subsequent time, from the wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to an updated geographic location of the wireless device; and

,

i) the system configured to use a network interface to transmit, to the wireless device, a recommended location, based on the updated geographic location of the wireless device.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the system is configured to determine the recommended location based on at least the stored location information pertaining to another user of the location based services system.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the system is configured to determine the recommended location based on at least the stored information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein the system is further configured to use a network interface to transmit targeted content to the wireless device.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the system is configured to use a network interface to transmit targeted content based upon at least one of the following:

i) a route that the user of the wireless device is determined to have taken in the past;

ii) a current route of the user as determined based upon a request for directions;

iii) a current route of the user as determined based upon an anticipated route determined by the system;

iv) a type of business along a route that the user has previously traveled on;

v) a businesses or type of business that the user is determined to have visited based upon geographic location data stored in the system;

vi) a business or type of business that the user is determined to have visited based upon payment system data;

vii) a history of the advertisements or other targeted content that the user has responded to;

viii) a list of keywords in which the user has indicated an interested;

ix) a user profile that details search trends or interests of the user;

or

x) a status message received from the user of the device.

36. The system of claim 31 wherein the system is configured to use a network interface to transmit the recommended location to the wireless device in response to a search query received from the wireless device.

37. The system of claim 36 further comprising:

the location based services system configured to use a network interface to transmit search results, in response to the search query, that are weighted with stored information indicating the number of users that visited the physical named location.

38. The system of claim 36 further comprising:

the location based services system configured to use a network interface to transmit search results, in response to the search query, that are weighted with stored information indicating the number of users that are currently visiting the physical named location.

39. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

j) the system configured to use a central processing unit to compare the updated geographic location information to stored information indicating boundaries associated with physical named locations, and determine whether the device is located within a boundary associated with the recommended named location, and

k) the system configured to use a memory to store information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the recommended location.

40. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

j) the system configured to use a network interface to receive, from the wireless device, an indicated named location corresponding to the recommended location corresponding to the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify the user of the wireless device visited the recommended location; and

k) the system configured to use a memory to store information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the recommended location.