Confirming a venue of user location

• US 8,559,977 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• 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:
  US13/843,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20130210462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3
• 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. 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 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 computer-implemented method for verifying a venue associated with a user location, the method comprising:

determining, by a mobile computing device using a geographic location sensor, an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device;

wirelessly transmitting, by the mobile computing device, the estimated geographic location to a computerized server system;

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system in response to the transmitting, an identification of a suggested venue;

providing, on a display of the mobile computing device, an interface element that indicates that the mobile computing device may be located at the suggested venue;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input that confirms that the user is at the suggested venue, wherein in response to receiving the user input, the suggested venue is identified as a confirmed venue;

and providing, from the mobile computing device, a wireless communication that identifies that the user is at the confirmed venue.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device includes determining the estimated geographic location based on receiving signals from one or more wireless beacons.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the one or more wireless beacons are satellites in a global satellite-based geographic location identification system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the one or more wireless beacons are base station transmitting antennas in a ground-based wireless communication network.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly transmitting the estimated geographic location includes transmitting an estimated latitude and longitude to the server system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the display includes a prompt requesting the user to confirm that the user is at the suggested venue.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the interface element that indicates that the mobile computing device may be at the suggested venue includes the prompt requesting that the user confirm that the user is at the suggested venue.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a touchscreen display device and receiving the user input includes receiving physical contact of a region of the touchscreen that corresponds to the display of the interface element.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the provided wireless communication is a user-submitted post that is broadcast to a group of people that have agreed to subscribe to posts authored by the user, and wherein the user-submitted post includes a user-defined textual post and the confirmed location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile computing device and from the server system, a plurality of identifications of suggested venues, wherein the suggested venue is one of the plurality.

11. A system for verifying a venue associated with a user location, the system comprising:

a mobile computing device to transmit an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device in a wireless request, and to receive, in a wireless response to the request, a suggested venue;

a location-identification unit to determine the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device;

a server system to receive the estimated geographic location in the wireless request and return the suggested venue to the mobile computing device in the wireless response;

and means to

(i) display the suggested venue on a display of the mobile computing device with a prompt that a user of the mobile computing device confirm whether or not the user is located at the venue,

(ii) provide on the display additional suggested venues, and

(iii) receive user input confirming that the user is located at the suggested venue.

12. A system for verifying a venue associated with a user location, the system comprising:

a mobile computing device to transmit an estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device in a wireless request, and to receive, in a wireless response to the request, a suggested venue, wherein the suggested venue is displayed on a display of the mobile computing device along with a prompt that a user of the mobile computing device confirm whether or not the user is located at the suggested venue, wherein the mobile computing device further displays additional suggested venues;

a location-identification unit to determine the estimated geographic location of the mobile computing device; and

a server system to receive the estimated geographic location in the wireless request and return the suggested venue to the mobile computing device in the wireless response.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server system determines the suggested venue based on

(i) the estimated geographic location, and

(ii) a history of receiving user confirmations that the mobile computing device is at the venue.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the server system determines the suggested venue based on

(i) the estimated geographic location, and

(ii) a history of receiving user confirmations that other mobile computing devices are at the venue.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the server system determines the suggested venue based on

(i) the estimated geographic location, and

(ii) a popularity of a search result that corresponds to the venue as a result to a query in a search engine.