Systems and methods to determine the name of a location visited by a user of a wireless device

• US 8,229,458 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US12/049,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20080248815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,591 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/436, 455/456.1, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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

Methods and systems that record the location of a user and transmit targeted content to a user based upon their current and past location information. A network is configured to include a server programmed with a database of targeted content, a database of location information, a database of user information, a database searching algorithm, 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 location information is analyzed to determine the routes taken by the user, businesses visited by the user, and other behaviors of the user. Targeted content is sent to the mobile device of the user and whether the user visits the physical locations associated with the targeted content is monitored. Payment systems, phone exchange systems, and other features may also be integrated to provide detailed conversion tracking to producers of targeted content and business owners.

Claims

1. 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, comprising the acts of:

a) receiving, from the wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device determined using the geographic location sensor of the wireless device;

b) transmitting, to the wireless device, 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 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; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

e) receiving from the wireless device, updated geographic location information corresponding to an updated location of the wireless device;

f) transmitting to the wireless device, an updated plurality of named locations near the geographic location of the wireless device; and

g) receiving from the wireless device, an additional indicated named location selected from the updated plurality of named locations, corresponding to an additional physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device to verify the additional physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device; and

h) storing information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the additional physical named location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

h) transmitting a location history listing including the indicated named location and the additional indicated named location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information indicating that the physical named location was visited to a third party.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to a third party, information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information indicating that the user of the wireless device visited the physical named location to a social networking service using an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding the indicated named location to a location history associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding information associated with the user to analytics data associated with the physical named location visited by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information associated with the indicated named location to a social networking service using an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a list of contacts from a social networking service with a link established with the social networking service through an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving location privacy settings from a social networking service with a link established with the social networking service through an Application Programming Interface (API) made available by the social networking service.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d) receiving, from the wireless device, information relating to a purchase associated with the user at the physical named location.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d) receiving, from a payment processing system, information relating to a purchase made by the user at the physical named location.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d) periodically receiving, from the wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the location of the wireless device; and

e) computing a list of possible locations visited by the user of the wireless device based on the geographic location information periodically received from the wireless device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the physical named location is a billboard that the user is capable of observing from the geographic location of the wireless device.

16. A system that identifies a physical named location visited by a user of a wireless device, 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 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; and

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.

17. A wireless device that identifies a physical named location visited by a user of the wireless device, comprising:

a) the wireless device including a display, an input device, and a wireless interface;

b) the wireless device configured to determine geographic location information representing its location;

c) the wireless device configured to use the wireless interface to transmit the geographic location information to a remote system;

d) the wireless device configured to use the wireless interface to receive a list of named locations;

e) the wireless device configured to display at least a portion of the list of named locations on the display;

f) the wireless device configured to use the input device to determine an indicated named location from the at least a portion of the list of named locations; and

g) the wireless device configured to use the wireless interface to transmit the indicated named location to the remote system to verify the physical named location visited by the user of the wireless device.

18. The wireless device of claim 17 wherein the location information is determined using the wireless interface.

19. The wireless device of claim 17 further including a Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) interface, and wherein the location information is determined using the GPS interface.