Geographic database organization that facilitates location-based advertising

• US 7,814,106 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq North America LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Guido, Matthew A., Dougherty, Christopher, Casino, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Syed; Farhan M
• Application Number:
  US11/471,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/743
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method of facilitating delivery of advertising to users of mobile computing platforms is disclosed. A geographic database contains data entities that represent geographic features, such as roads, located in a geographic region. Advertising zones are defined within the geographic region. Associated with at least some of the data entities that represent geographic features are data that indicate in which of the advertising zones the represented geographic feature is located. Advertisers are allowed to associate advertising messages with the advertising zones. Users of mobile computing platforms are provided with geographically-related services that use the geographic database. As a user of a mobile computing platform travels in the geographic region, the location of the mobile computing platform is determined. The user of the mobile computing platform is provided with the advertising message associated with the advertising zone in which the mobile computing platform is determined to be located.

Claims

1. A method of delivering advertising to users of mobile computing platforms:

defining a plurality of advertising zones in a geographic region, wherein each of said advertising zones is associated with a business location, wherein a size of said advertising zone is defined based upon at least one of;

a driving distance from a boundary of the advertising zone to the business location; and

driving time from the boundary of the advertising zone to the business location driving, wherein the advertising zones are formed dynamically;

providing a geographic database that contains road segment data, said road segment data represents a road segment located in the geographic region, said road segment data comprising data that indicates in which of said advertising zones the road segment is located, wherein the driving distance from the boundary of the advertising zone to the business location is from a location at the boundary along road segments to the business location, wherein the driving time from the boundary of the advertising zone to the business location is from the location at the boundary along road segments to the business location;

associating advertising messages with at least some of said advertising zones;

storing said advertising messages in an advertising database;

after the step of defining the advertising zone, determining a position of a mobile computing platform as the mobile computing platform travels in the geographic region;

after the set of determining the position, identifying in which of a plurality of advertising zones the mobile computing platform is located; and

providing the mobile computing platform with said advertising message associated with said identified advertising zone in which the mobile computing platform is located.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said advertising messages are provided over a wireless communications link to the mobile computing platform from a server.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the advertising message via a user interface of the mobile computing platform.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

providing the advertising message audibly via the user interface.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

providing the advertising message visually via the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating warning messages with at least some of said advertising zones.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said warning message relates to an adverse weather condition.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said warning message relates to traffic conditions.