Mobile advertisement with social component for geo-social networking system

• US 8,996,035 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• 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:
  US14/205,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/436, 455/456.1, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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. Targeted content may be sent to the mobile device of the user and whether the user visits the physical locations associated with the targeted content is monitored. Once it is verified that the user has visited the physical location, then any associated promotional offers may be authorized. 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, performed by a content producer having a physical business location, of advertising the physical business location to a wireless device configured to detect its location using a geographical location sensor comprising:

a) the content producer indicating to an advertising system that the content producer operates the physical business location;

b) the content producer transmitting content to the advertising system, the content including a promotional offer that is associated with the physical business location;

c) the content producer causing the promotional offer to be transmitted to the wireless device of a potential customer that is near the physical business location; and

d) the content producer receiving, from the wireless device of the potential customer, a registration that verifies that the potential customer is visiting the physical business location and thereafter providing a monetary benefit, the registration process including;

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

ii) transmitting, to the wireless device, the names of a plurality of business locations near the geographic location of the wireless device by comparing the received geographical location information to a database including named locations and associated geographical location information; and

iii) receiving, from the wireless device, an indicated business location selected from the plurality of business locations representing the physical business location associated with the content and further representing the current location of the wireless device thereby verifying that the potential customer is visiting the physical business location associated with the content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotional offer is redeemed to the potential customer by the content producer after the content producer receives the registration verifying that the potential customer registered that the potential customer is visiting the physical business location.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

e) the content producer applying the promotional offer to a transaction with the potential customer.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

e) the content producer receiving analytics data taking into account the number of times the potential customer registered that the potential customer visited the physical business location.

5. a) transmitting, from a geo-social networking system including one or more computing devices, an offer to a wireless device of a user after receipt of geographic location information based on the user'"'"'s geographic location determined using a geographic location sensor of the wireless device;

b) wherein the offer includes a check-in requirement in order to receive a redeemable certificate including the following acts;

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

ii) transmitting, to the wireless device, the names of a plurality of places near the updated geographic location of the wireless device by comparing the received geographic location information to a database including named places and associated geographic location information; and

iii) receiving, from the wireless device, a message including an indicated place selected from the names of the plurality of places, the indicated place representing the physical place associated with the offer and further representing the current place visited by the user of the wireless device thereby verifying that the user is visiting the physical place associated with the offer;

c) transmitting, responsive to the message, the redeemable certificate to the wireless device of the user.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising posting, in response to the message, a check-in activity element to a news feed of a social networking system.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the redeemable certificate further comprises a graphical code symbol.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving data indicating an additional geographic location of the user;

accessing one or more data stores of places and advertisements;

generating a list of places based on the additional geographic location of the user;

ranking the list of places based at least in part on respective distances between the additional geographic location and each place and whether an advertisement is associated with the place; and

presenting the ranked list of places to the user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the ranked list of places includes indicators for those places in the list of places having advertisements.

10. a) a memory;

b) one or more processors; and

a non-transitory, storage medium storing computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

i) send an offer to a user of a wireless device after receipt of geographic location information based on the user'"'"'s geographic location as determined using a geographic location sensor of the wireless device,

ii) wherein the offer includes a check-in requirement in order to receive a redeemable certificate including the following acts;

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

2) transmitting, to the wireless device, the names of a plurality of places near the updated geographic location of the wireless device by comparing the received updated geographic location information to a database including named places and associated geographic location information; and

3) receiving, from the wireless device, a message including an indicated place selected from the names of the plurality of places representing the physical place associated with the offer and further representing the current location of the wireless device thereby verifying that the user is visiting the physical place associated with the offer;

iii) transmit, responsive to the message, a redeemable certificate to the user.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to post, in response to the message, a check-in activity element to a news feed of a social networking system.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the redeemable certificate further comprises a graphical code symbol.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

receive data indicating an additional location of a user;

access one or more data stores of places and advertisements;

generate a list of places based on the additional location of the user;

rank the list of places based at least in part on respective distances between the additional location and each place and whether an advertisement is associated with the place; and

present the ranked list of places to the user.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the ranked list of places includes indicators for those places in the list of places having advertisements.

15. a) by one or more computing devices, determining a location of a wireless device of a user using a geographic location sensor of the wireless device;

b) by one or more computing devices, sending an offer for a redeemable certificate for the user based at least in part on the location of the wireless device of the user, wherein the offer comprises one or more requirements for the user to complete to receive the redeemable certificate, at least one of the one or more requirements being at least one check-in by the user, wherein the check-in requirement is satisfied upon completion of the following acts;

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

ii) transmitting, to the wireless device, the names of a plurality of places near the updated geographic location of the wireless device by comparing the received geographic location information to a database including place names and associated geographic location information; and

iii) receiving, from the wireless device, an indicated place selected from the names of the plurality of places representing the physical place associated with the offer and further representing the current place that the user of the wireless device is visiting thereby verifying that the user is visiting the physical place associated with the offer;

c) by one or more computing devices, determining that the user has completed the one or more requirements; and

d) by one or more computing devices, sending the redeemable certificate in response to the user completing the one or more requirements.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the redeemable certificate is redeemable at the physical place associated with the offer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the offer is sent to the user in response to determining that the location of the user corresponds to a place sponsoring the offer.

18. a) one or more processors;

and

b) a memory coupled to the processors and comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors when executing the instructions being operable to;

i) determine a location of a user by receiving geographic location information corresponding to the location of the user based on information obtained from a geographic location sensor of the user'"'"'s wireless device;

ii) send an offer for a redeemable certificate for the user based at least in part on the location of the user, wherein the offer comprises one or more requirements for the user to complete to receive the redeemable certificate, at least one of the one or more requirements being at least one check-in by the user,

iii) wherein the check-in requirement is satisfied upon completion of the following acts;

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

2) transmitting, to the wireless device, the names of a plurality of places near the updated geographic location of the wireless device by comparing the received geographic location information to a database including named locations and associated geographic location information; and

3) receiving, from the wireless device, an indicated place selected from the names of the plurality of places representing the physical place associated with the offer and further representing the current place that the user of the of the wireless device is visiting thereby verifying that the user is visiting the physical place associated with the offer;

iv) determine that the user has completed the one or more requirements; and

,

v) send the redeemable certificate to the user for the user to redeem in response to the user completing the one or more requirements.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the redeemable certificate is redeemable at the physical place associated with the offer.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the offer is sent to the user in response to determining that the location of the user corresponds to a place sponsoring the offer.