Providing points of interest to user devices in variable zones

• US 8,930,162 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Ray Xiaohang, Shamsi, Farhan, Okshtein, Yakov, Singleton, David, Gresham, Douglas Alexander, Newberger, Alan, Zhang, Lixin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Tung S
• Application Number:
  US13/842,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20140256357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 702/150
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Receiving point of interest zones and alerts on user devices comprises communicating, by a user computing device to a remote computing device, a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user device; presenting the received point of interest data; identifying a particular point of interest; and outputting an alert regarding the particular point of interest. Receiving point of interest zones on user devices comprises communicating a request for point of interest data; receiving the point of interest data from the remote network device wherein a size of the point of interest zone is determined based on a density of points of interest in the proximity of the user, and wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in the opposite direction; and presenting the received point of interest data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for receiving server-controlled point of interest zones on user computing devices, comprising:

communicating, by a user computing device to a second computing device, a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user computing device, the request comprising location data associated with the user computing device;

receiving, by the user computing device, the point of interest data from the second computing device, the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of a plurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined by the remote network device, wherein the point of interest zone is determined at least in part based on proximities of the plurality of points of interest to the location data associated with the user computing device, and wherein a size of the point of interest zone is determined based at least in part on a density of available points of interest in the proximity of the user computing device, and wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel associated with the user computing device and contracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel associated with the user computing device, the direction of travel associated with the user computing device being determined based at least in part on a comparison of changing locations associated with the user computing device; and

presenting, by the user computing device, the received point of interest data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user computing device, a speed of travel of the user computing device based at least in part on an analysis of the location data of the user computing device over a period of time; and

adjusting, by the user computing device, the amount of contraction and expansion of the zone based at least in part on the speed of travel of the user computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user computing device, a road on which the user computing device is travelling based at least in part on the location of the user computing device and the direction of travel; and

adjusting, by the user computing device, the point of interest zone to based at least in part on the route of the road.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the point of interest zone is relatively larger when the density of the available points of interest in the proximity of the user computing device is higher, and the size of the point of interest zone is relatively smaller when the density of the available points of interest in the proximity of the user computing device is lower.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the user computing device, a particular point of interest at such time as the user computing device enters within a configured range of the particular point of interest; and

outputting, by the user computing device, an alert regarding the particular point of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user computing device comprises a mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user computing device, whether the user computing device has exited the point of interest zone based on updated location data for the user computing device;

communicating, by the user computing device to the second network device and in response to a determination that the user computing device has exited the point of interest zone based on the updated location data for the user computing device, an updated request for updated point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user computing device, the updated request comprising the updated location data for the user computing device;

receiving, by the user computing device, the updated point of interest data from the second network device, the updated point of interest data comprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of a plurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined by the remote network device, wherein the point of interest zone is disposed in the proximity of the user computing device based on the location data, and wherein a size of the point of interest zone is determined based on a density of available points of interest in the proximity of the user computing device, and wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel, the direction of travel being determined by a comparison of changing locations of the user computing device; and

presenting, via the user computing device, the updated point of interest data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user computing device determines that the user computing device has exited the point of interest zone based on the updated location data for the user computing device when the updated location data indicates that the user computing device is not within a boundary of the point of interest zone.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the user computing device determines that the user computing device has exited the point of interest zone based on the updated location data for the user computing device when the updated location data indicates that the user computing device is within a specified distance of a boundary of the point of interest zone.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user computing device, whether a specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

requesting, by the user computing device, an updated transmission of point of interest data in response to a determination that the specified period of time has passed since the user computing device received the point of interest data;

receiving, by the user computing device, updated point of interest data; and

presenting, via the user computing device, the updated point of interest data.