SYSTEM, METHODS AND NODES FOR PROVIDING ZONE-BASED SERVICES BASED ON PAIRINGS BETWEEN COMPATIBLE PROFILES

• US 20180098192A1
• Filed: 11/22/2017
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universite Laval
• Original Assignee: Universite Laval
• Inventors: Lacasse, Serge, Saldana, Guillermo
• Granted Patent: US 10,070,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Disclosed methods and systems allow provision of zone-based services to users. Both zones and users have their own profiles. A detection system allows determining when users enter or leave a zone. A pairing is calculated between compatible elements of zone profiles, or between compatible elements of the user profiles. Delivery of zone-based services may conditionally be granted according to a level of the pairing. Pairings may also be established between users or between zones. A server may manage profiles for the zones and for the users.

Claims

1. A method for providing zone-based services to users, comprising:

defining, in a server, a profile of a user, the profile of the user including a plurality of elements referring to interests of the user;

defining, in the server, a profile of a zone, the profile of the zone including a plurality of elements referring to services provided by the zone, wherein the zone is selected from a geographical area, a physical area and a web site;

detecting, at the server, an access of a terminal of the user in the zone;

calculating, by the server, a pairing as a function of a number of matches between common elements of the profile of the zone and of the profile of the user; and

forwarding, from the server to the terminal of the user, information including a service offer if the pairing meets or exceeds a threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

assigning a weighting value to each element of the profile of the user; and

assigning a weighting value to each element of the profile of the zone;

wherein calculating the pairing further comprises calculating the pairing as a function of respective weighting values of the common elements.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

assigning greater than zero weighting values to elements of the profile of the user corresponding to interests of the user; and

assigning a weighting value set to zero or to a negative value to elements of the profile of the user that do not correspond to interests of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a displayed user profile from the user;

wherein the displayed user profile comprises a group of elements of the profile of the user that are selected by the user for transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

assigning greater than zero weighting values to elements of the profile of the zone corresponding to services provided by the zone; and

assigning a weighting value set to zero or to a negative value to elements of the profile of the user that do not correspond to services provided by the zone.

6. A method for providing zone-based services to users, comprising:

receiving, at a server, from a first terminal, a searched profile of a first user, the searched profile of the first user comprising one or more elements of a profile of another user that are searched by the first user;

receiving, at a second terminal of a second user, the searched profile of the first user;

forming, at the second terminal, a displayed profile of the second user, the displayed profile of the second user comprising one or more elements of a profile of the second user that are selected by the second terminal for transmission to the server in response to a content of the searched profile of the first user;

receiving, at the server, from the second terminal, the displayed profile of the second user;

calculating, in the server, a pairing between common elements of the searched profile of the first user and of the displayed profile of the second user;

detecting, at the server, an access of the second terminal of the second user in a zone, wherein the zone is selected from a geographical area, a physical area and a web site; and

controlling, by the server, establishment of a communication between the first and second terminals of the first and second users if the pairing meets or exceeds a threshold value.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

detecting an access of the first terminal of the first user in the zone.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the zone comprises the web site and the second user is accessing the web site.

9. A system for providing zone-based services to users, comprising:

a plurality of detection systems associated with zones and adapted for detecting accesses of the users in the zones, wherein each zone is selected from a geographical area, a physical area and a web site; and

a server communicatively coupled to the detection systems and comprising a database adapted for storing a profile of each zone and for storing a profile of each user, wherein the profile of each user includes a plurality of elements referring to interests of the user and wherein the profile of each zone includes a plurality of elements referring to services provided by the zone;

wherein the server is configured to;

receive from a detection system associated with a given zone information about an access to the given zone by a terminal of a given user,

calculate a pairing as a function of a number of matches between common elements of a profile of the given zone and of a profile of the given user, and

forward to the terminal of the given user information including a service offer to the given user if the pairing meets or exceeds a threshold value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the database is further configured to assign a weighting value to each element of the profile of the given zone and to assign a weighting value to each element of the profile of the given user; and

the server is further configured to calculate the pairing as a function of respective weighting values of the common elements.