Methods and apparatus for collecting and using information regarding location object-based actions

• US 9,060,245 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baker, Stephen, Harris, David, Weisshaar, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/928,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,786 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 707/102, 707/10, 707/602, 707/104, 707/100, 705/1, 705/40, 705/404, 705/405, 340/998, 370/328, 370/401, 709/224, 709/203, 455/410, 455/405, 713/189, 726/26, 726/7, 726/12, 726/2, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/508 based on type of value added network service under agreement
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

An embodiment of a communication system includes a client device adapted to receive a location object that includes tracer information, and to perform one or more location object-based actions using the location object. The client device stores the tracer information and location object usage information, which describes the one or more location object-based actions that have been performed using the location object. The client device also sends the stored information to a server. The system also includes the server, which is adapted to receive the location object usage information and the tracer information reported by the client device. In an embodiment, the system also includes a service provider adapted to initiate a billing event, which may include generation and transmission of a bill to a sponsor entity based on an evaluation of the location object usage information and the tracer information reported by the client device.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a client device adapted to receive a location object that includes a tracer identifying a business entity associated with the location object, to perform one or more location object-based actions using the location object, to store location object usage information, and, after performing the one or more location object-based actions, to send the location object usage information and an identification of the business entity from the tracer to a server, wherein the location object usage information describes the one or more location object-based actions that have been performed by the client device using the location object; and

the server adapted to receive and store the location object usage information.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the client device further comprises:

a data storage subsystem, wherein the client device is adapted to store the location object usage information in a client-side location object usage log within the data storage subsystem.

3. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a location object usage tracking database, wherein the server is adapted to store the location object usage information in a server-side location object usage log within the location object usage tracking database.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein:

the server is further adapted to send the location object usage information to a service provider, and wherein the communication system further comprises

the service provider adapted to receive the location object usage information from the server.

5. The communication system of claim 4, further comprising:

a service provider adapted to initiate a billing event, which includes generation and transmission of a bill to a sponsor entity based on an evaluation of the location object usage information and the tracer.

6. A method performed by a client device, comprising the steps of:

receiving a location object that includes a tracer identifying a business entity associated with the location object;

performing one or more location object-based actions using the location object;

storing location object usage information, wherein the location object usage information describes the one or more location object-based actions that have been performed by the client device using the location object; and

after performing the one or more location object-based actions, sending the location object usage information and an identification of the business entity from the tracer to a server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more location object-based actions include at least one action selected from a group of actions that includes a receive action, a call action, a view action, a mapping action, a send action, a save action, a search action, a navigation action, and an arrival action.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein storing the location object usage information comprises:

determining that a location object-based action has been performed by the client device using the location object; and

generating a record in a client-side location object usage log, wherein the record includes an identification of the location object-based action and the tracer of the location object.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the tracer is encrypted, and wherein storing the location object usage information comprises:

storing the location object usage information in conjunction with the portion of the tracer that is encrypted.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the location object comprises receiving the location object from a system entity selected from a group of system entities that includes the server, another client device, and a service provider.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the business entity is a sponsor entity that is located at or has a business interest in one or more sponsor facilities, where a physical location of a sponsor facility is represented in the location object.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more object-related actions is an action selected from a group consisting of receiving the location object, saving the location object, displaying a list that indicates a physical location represented in the location object, sending the location object to another client device, displaying a map that indicates the physical location represented in the location object, initiating a telephone call to a telephone number represented in the location object, initiating an instance of a navigation application to provide navigation instructions to the physical location represented in the location object, determining that the client device has arrived at the physical location represented in the location object, viewing details of the location object, and editing the location object.

13. A method performed by a server, comprising the steps of:

receiving a client-generated location information request from a client device, wherein the location information request includes parameters for obtaining location information;

obtaining one or more location objects in response to receiving the client-generated location information request, wherein a location object of the one or more location objects includes a tracer identifying a business entity associated with the location object in one or more tracer fields;

sending the one or more location objects to the client device; and

after sending the one or more location objects, receiving location object usage information and client-reported tracer information from the client device, wherein the location object usage information describes one or more location object-based actions that have been performed by the client device using the one or more location objects, and the client-reported tracer information includes an identification of the business entity from the tracer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing a provider identifier in a provider identifier field of the tracer fields.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

protecting the tracer by encrypting portions of the tracer.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

protecting the tracer by storing an integrity key in a tracer protection information field of the tracer fields.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing the location object usage information and the client-reported tracer information in a database.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

validating the client-reported tracer information by decrypting the client-reported tracer information.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

validating the client-reported tracer information using an integrity key within the client-reported tracer information.

20. A method performed by a service provider, comprising the steps of:

receiving location object usage information and reported tracer information from another system entity, wherein the location object usage information describes one or more location object-based actions that have been performed by one or more client devices using one or more location objects that identify one or more sponsor entities associated with the one or more location objects, and wherein the reported tracer information includes an identification of the one or more sponsor entities associated with the one or more location objects; and

initiating a billing event based on an evaluation of the location object usage information and the reported tracer information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein initiating the billing event comprises:

identifying, as sponsor entities to be billed, a set of sponsor entities identified in the reported tracer information of the one or more location objects that were used; and

determining billing amounts for each sponsor entity of the set of sponsor entities.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining billing amounts comprises:

implementing a tiered billing schedule to determine the billing amounts.

23. A client device comprising:

a processing subsystem adapted to determine whether a location object-based action has been performed in which a location object that includes a tracer identifying a business entity associated with the location object has been used by the client device, and when the location object-based action has occurred, to initiate storage of location object usage information into a data storage subsystem, wherein the location object usage information describes the location object-based action;

the data storage subsystem adapted to store the location object usage information; and

a network interface adapted to receive the location object, and after the processing subsystem has determined that the one or more location object-based actions have been performed, to transmit one or more messages that include the location object usage information and an identification of the business entity from the tracer over a network.

24. The client device of claim 23, further comprising:

at least one user interface input device adapted to enable a user to cause the client device to perform the location object-based action; and

at least one user interface output device adapted to depict information within the location object.

25. The client device of claim 23, wherein the client device forms a portion of any one or more electronic devices selected from a group of devices that includes a cellular telephone, a radio, a pager, a mobile computer system, a personal data assistant, a personal navigation device, and a computer.