Systems and methods to deliver digital location-based content to a visitor at a physical business location

• US 8,447,331 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US13/556,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 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

In general, the invention relates to 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 includes a server programmed with a database of location information, a database of user 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 businesses visited by the user. Managers of physical business locations provide content relating to their physical business locations to the system. The content is caused to be transmitted to the mobile devices on behalf of the managers when it is reported that the mobile device is located at the physical business location.

Claims

1. A method, used by a manager of a physical business location that utilizes a location based service system, of providing a message relating to the physical business location to a potential customer, with a wireless device having a wireless communication interface and a geographic location sensor, when it is determined that the physical business location is visited by the manager'"'"'s potential customer using the wireless device, comprising the acts of:

a) the manager of the physical business location receiving data from the location based services system, the data indicating at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to; and

b) the manager of the physical business location transmitting, to the location based services system, a selection specifying at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to, along with the message to associate with the selection of at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to, wherein the manager'"'"'s transmission of the message causes the location based services system to distribute the message on behalf of the manager to the potential customer'"'"'s wireless device upon receiving an indication that the manager'"'"'s potential customer is visiting the physical business location using the following process;

i) receiving, from the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device determined based on information from the geographic location sensor of the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device;

ii) transmitting, to the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device, the names of a plurality of physical business locations near the geographic location of the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device based on a database including names of physical business locations and associated geographic location information; and

iii) receiving, from the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device, an indicated physical business location from the from the plurality of names of physical business locations, the selection corresponding to a location described by the manager'"'"'s selection, the indicated business location thereby verifying that the manager'"'"'s potential customer is visiting the at least one physical business location associated with the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager associates the message with a single physical business location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager associates the message a subset of a plurality of physical business locations comprising the at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager associates the message with all of the physical business locations that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes an image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a store special.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the image is a map of the physical business location.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the store special is redeemed by the manager at the physical business location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager of the physical business location further specifies a demographic segment to whom the message is intended.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the demographic segment is specified by the manager based on at least one of:

a target age group, a target gender, or keywords that are included in a user profile of users that manager is targeting.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager further specifies a time of day during which the message is to be made available.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager'"'"'s transmission of the selection and the message further causes the location based services system to distribute the message on behalf of the manager to the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device upon receiving an indication that the manager'"'"'s potential customer is located near at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to that was included in the manager'"'"'s selection, based on information obtained from the geographic location sensor of the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager'"'"'s transmission of the selection and the message further causes the location based services system to distribute the message on behalf of the manager to the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device upon receiving an indication that the manager'"'"'s potential customer is predicted to be near, at a future time, at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to that was included in the manager'"'"'s selection, based on information obtained from the geographic location sensor of the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device and based on a user profile including a location history associated with the manager'"'"'s potential customer.

14. A computer system, used by a manager of a physical business location that utilizes a location based services system, of providing a message relating to the physical business location to a potential customer, with a wireless device having a wireless communication interface and a geographic location sensor, when it is determined that one of the physical business locations is visited by the manager'"'"'s potential customer using the wireless device, the manager'"'"'s computer system comprising:

a) an input device, at least one network interface, and memory;

b) wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to receive, using the network interface, information associated with at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to, and storing the information in the memory;

c) wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to receive input from the manager, using the input device, and store the input in the memory, the input from the manager including a selection specifying at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to, along with the message to associate with the selection of at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to; and

d) wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to transmit, using the networking interface, the message to associate with the selection of at least one physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to, wherein the transmission from the manager'"'"'s computer system causes the location based services system to distribute, on behalf of the manager, the message to the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device upon receiving an indication that the manager'"'"'s potential customer is visiting a physical business location described by the manager'"'"'s selection using the following process;

i) receiving, from the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device, geographic location information corresponding to the geographic location of the wireless device determined based on information from the geographic location sensor of the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device;

ii) transmitting, to the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device, the names of a plurality of physical business locations near the geographic location of the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device based on a database including names of physical business locations and associated geographic location information; and

iii) receiving, from the manager'"'"'s potential customer'"'"'s wireless device, an indicated physical business location selected from the plurality of names of physical business locations, the selection corresponding to a location described by the manager'"'"'s selection, the indicated business location thereby verifying that the manager'"'"'s potential customer is visiting the at least one physical business location associated with the message.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to enable the manager to select of either:

a single physical business location, a subset of a plurality of physical business locations, or all of the physical business locations that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to transmit an image that is associated with the message.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to transmit a store special that is associated with the message.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein a computer, that is physically located at a physical business location that the manager is authorized to distribute messages relating to, is configured to complete a transaction relating to the store special included with the message.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configured to transmit, to the location based services system, a demographic segment for which the message is intended.

20. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the manager'"'"'s computer system is configure to transmit, to the location based services system, a time of day during which the message is to be made available.